Plain Folk Live Music Cafe

About a 30-minute drive north of Cincinnati proper is the rural village of Pleasant Plain, Ohio. It’s a classic small town with a tiny population and farms sprawling in most directions. Despite its distance from the city, however, many make the trip to visit the old village schoolhouse, now home to the Plain Folk Live Music Cafe.

Plain Folk is part cafe, part performance venue built inside a historic 1913 school building. Several of the schoolhouse’s original features remain, like its accordion divider doors, cubby coat hooks, and wall-length chalkboard. Evidence of the local music scene is also abundant with posters, art, tapestries, stickers, instruments, and album covers adorning the walls. The owners have a particular fondness for The Grateful Dead, so plenty of lightning bolt skulls and rainbow bear decals are on display throughout.

With its full stage and backline, the cafe hosts regular concerts and community events all centered around an enduring passion for music. Plain Folk’s weekly open mic is also among one of the most popular in the area, attracting original blues, country, rock, and folk performers each Thursday evening. Those who come for the show also stay for the menu of home cooked bites and craft beers. Or, for the selection of freshly brewed and locally sourced coffee.

In the warmer months, Plain Folk offers diners a spectacular view of the surrounding farmland from its back patio. Families also have access to a full playground—another leftover piece of the school’s history.