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February Edition ©
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THE
CURE FOR CABIN FEVER
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”In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy. “ William Blake
The magic of winter has captivated the Hocking Hills. Waterfalls are suspended in frozen animation. Ice beards grow on cave walls and rock formations. Romance blooms in cozy cabins as sweethearts gaze into a star filled night sky.
Its cabin fever season in cities and the perfect antidote is a real cabin in the country. During the quiet season travelers enjoy great deals on winter getaways to Ohio’s Hocking Hills. There are more than 25 great deals offered from February through April. Visit www.1800hocking.com for all the details. Here’s a small sample.
The Love Shack is waiting for you with weekend and weekday specials. Arrive at your beautiful, romantic cabin with a full refrigerator full of meals ready & waiting for you to prepare & eat!
Bring your Valentine to Blue Rose Cabins. They are offering 20% off their package deals that include wine, roses, cookies, and side-by-side massages at your cabin. These packages are available the weekends before and after Valentine’s Day and on Valentine’s Day itself.
Its leap year and that means Sadie Hawkins Day! Hey, Ladies, as the old tradition goes, every four years on Feb. 29 you can ask your guy on a date and even propose marriage to him! Why not take him to an unusual and romantic place in the Hills: Ravenwood Castle! If you can stay only one night, here's their special: phone 740-596-2606 to book a room for Weds., Feb. 29, and tell them you're planning a special Sadie Hawkins Day surprise for your special guy, and you'll get 29% off the already discounted weekday rate, an early 2 p.m. check-in if you like, along with a complimentary 6 p.m. Soup Supper, and breakfast the next morning. You can also stay the night on either side of February 29 at the same deal. You won't get another Sadie Hawkins Day until 2016, so make good use of this one!
Did you know February is National Dental Month? If you are a dentist or work in a dental office the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls invites you to enjoy a midweek break with 25% off your lodging.
When you’re ready to venture out to enjoy the beauty of the region be prepared. Here are some great winter hiking tips.
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Dress in layers. Begin with a pair of long johns made from polypropylene. Merino wool socks will wick moisture away from your skin and ultimately help keep your feet warm. The Next layer should be thicker. Merino wool or synthetic fleece is generally ideal, as it effectively retains heat. Your outer layer should be waterproof jacket and pants to keep external moisture away from your body to keep you dry.
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Be sure your boots are adequately insulated for the climate. Leather boots are not a good choice unless they have been treated with waterproofing spray. The best choice is plastic and rubber combo with good insulation. For additional grip on the trails add a pair of ice cleats to your boots.
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Bring extra dry clothes in your waterproof backpack if the forecast calls for snow or rain.
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Pack your water canteen upside down. Water freezes from the top down, if you pack it upside down it is actually the bottom where the water freezes, not the mouth of the canteen. Bring plenty of food based on the duration of your hike. You actually burn up more calories hiking in the winter than you do in the summer.
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Always bring a good hiking stick (or “Hocking” stick as they are known in the Hills) or trekking poles. The trails can be slippery and the extra support can prevent a fall. Several times a year “Hocking” sticks are the featured prize on the Hocking Hills Tourism Association’s Facebook sweepstakes. Subscribe to the blog and “Like” the Hocking Hills on Facebook and never miss a chance to win.
Winter in the Hocking Hills is the ideal cure for cabin fever. Lovers, families and adventurers of all ages will enjoy the invigorating beauty of the quiet season.
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February is Hot with Family Fun
at Lake Erie Shores & Islands®
Lake Erie
Shores & Islands®
is one of the nation’s hot spots for indoor waterparks and features the
country’s largest. But that’s just whetting the appetite for family fun
both indoors and outdoors too.
If you’re looking to escape the cold, stick with the insiders and be sure to nab the new 3M Family Pass to the Merry-Go-Round Museum, Maritime Museum and Milan Historical Museum. But don’t stop there. Visit Ghostly Manor, enjoy a little star gazing at the planetarium, play laser tag or paint pottery together. If history piques your interest, don’t miss the birthplace of one of the world’s greatest inventors and the nation’s first Presidential library and museum.
If Ohio’s great white north means seizing the day and embracing the cold, then Lake Erie Shores & Islands has more in store for this winter than ever before! Sawmill Creek Resort is pulling out all the stops to transform itself into a winter wonderland offering ice skating, cross-country skiing, tubing, snow shoeing and plenty of hot cocoa, as long as the winter weather cooperates. But if you really want a picturesque setting to freeze a family memory, go to the Arctic Ice Festival and Ice-A-Fair to Remember.
Whatever you choose to do to beat the winter blahs, whether it turns you inside or out, or both, Ohio’s Lake Erie Shores & Islands® has become a perfect winter escape for families near and far.
Now, about that new 3M Museum Pass. The entire family gains admission to three popular museums for a total of only $45. Sandusky’s Merry-Go-Round Museum offers trips to childhood no matter your age. At the center of the museum is a 1939 Allan Herschell carousel – fully operational. The exhibits feature rare carousel animals prized for their artistry. Take the tour and enjoy chatting with and learning from actual carvers as they build and restore carousel animals. Then, get your sea legs over to the Maritime Museum of Sandusky where shipwrecks and boat building are shared with interactive displays and activities for all ages. The Milan Historical Museum is usually closed in February but is opening to be a part of this special package deal. It consists of a multi-building campus featuring a blacksmith shop, general store and carriage shed. Explore the history of canals and shipbuilding, see old-time toys and a renowned glass collection.
Not part of the 3M Museum Pass, but equally entertaining and educational, next door is the birthplace of Thomas Edison. Step inside and see the world that shaped him at an impressionable age and see displays of some of his accomplishments. Another stop is Hayes Presidential Center where you enter through the original gates from the White House. During the winter, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Museum and Library remain open. If you are there February 18-20, they’ll be offering sleigh rides, weather permitting.
Weather is always permitting at indoor waterparks! Come, catch a wave. That’s right, surfing in Ohio – in February. Choose from a variety of options to best suit your family. Take your pick from Kalahari Resorts, Great Wolf Lodge, Rain Water Park, and Castaway Bay. Spend the night to enjoy all there is to offer or get a day pass at selected waterparks.
Cedar Point’s Castaway Bay has a tropical Caribbean theme. This island-like paradise features an eye-popping, five-story structure with a vaulted wood ceiling that covers a natural setting of palm trees, huts and inland lagoons. At Quality Inn & Suites Rain Water Park the forecast is “always fun.” How can it not be with a 50-foot tower leading guests to two giant waterslides, each plunging more than 250 feet? Great Wolf Lodge’s oasis is always 84 degrees. It features jaw-dropping waterslides, interactive games, nightly fireside story time in the grand lobby and cabin-inspired suites. Kalahari is an authentic African-themed resort with more than 160,000 square feet of watery fun. New this winter are 4,100 square foot, two story Entertainment Villas, which feature five bedrooms, nine flat screen televisions, living room with fireplace, rec room with pool table, fully equipped kitchen, hot tub and a whole lot more.
If thrills are what you seek, look no further than Ghostly Manor Thrill Center. It’s one of America’s best haunts and it’s open all year. There’s a scare at every turn as you wander through the old mansion. While you’re there, hop into the XD 3D Theater for some hair-raising fun, complete with wind effects. If that’s too extreme – no worries – this complex also has a slow lane. Slap on roller skates, rollerblades or scooters and wheel around Skateworld. And if the snow outside has you longing for the greens, try the Wizard’s Journey 3-D Blacklight Interactive Miniature Golf for a change of pace.
Insiders will also enjoy Ohio’s largest operating multi-gauge model railroad display at Train-O-Rama or gazing at the stars for about an hour at Sidney Frohman Planetarium. A couple of other family-fun options include Lazer Runner Laser Tag where laser tag is enjoyed in a futuristic maze with fog, music and black lighting. If you just want to relax, try your hand at painting pottery at Pottery Pizzazz.
With all of that indoor activity, you may be bursting with cabin-fever and long to feel that crisp northern Ohio air fill your lungs. If you decide to take the family out, Lake Erie Shores & Islands has much to offer there too.
Welcome to Sawmill Creek Resort where it’s one-stop shopping for snow shoeing, sledding, cross-country skiing and ice-skating. All of these activities and more are available daily, weather permitting, whether you’re lodging there or not. It’s part of their Snow Fest so slap on some skates and take an old-fashioned spin around the frozen pond, laughing all the way. You may bring your own skates or rent. When it’s time to warm up, step inside for hot cocoa and other treats. If you want to burn calories, grab a trail map and enjoy cross-country skiing across the scenic landscape. You must bring your own skis but snowshoes are available for rent if you want to explore the elements that way.
Perhaps the greatest visuals of winter beauty are when artistry and ice become one.
Sandusky Arctic Ice Festival is February 4-5. Located at the Maritime Museum of Sandusky, Erie County Senior Center and the Sandusky Sailing Club, the scene is a buzz with carvers turning out masterpieces in ice. Visitors are entertained by the live action as a block of ice turns into something wonderful right before their eyes. But other offerings are special as well. These include educational opportunities in ice harvesting, ice fishing, diving demonstrations and ice boat races. In addition, there’s a soup cook-off and Underground Railroad trolley tours. Also on February 4th, there’s an Ice-A-Fair to Remember in Vermilion. Here too, ice sculptors are at work displaying their creations throughout downtown. And the kids can meet Frosty the Snowman.
Turn your February inside out with hot family fun at Lake Erie Shores & Islands®. Details about the 3M Pass, hours and fees for any of the aforementioned attractions and activities are available at www.SHORESandISLANDS.com or by calling 419-625-2984.
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ROMANCE OF THE STARS
Valentine’s Night at the Cincinnati Observatory
By Dean Regas
"Turn
the lights down low, the stars are out.”
There is nothing more romantic than the night sky. Starry-eyed lovers
have been gazing upward in wonder for millennia. So, this year give your
Valentine a true, out-of-this-world experience at the Cincinnati
Observatory high atop Mt. Lookout.
The Cincinnati Observatory is one of the most unique places in the
country. Tucked away at the end of a picturesque cul-de-sac in a
residential Cincinnati neighborhood sit two buildings from a different
era. When you drive up the narrow, tree-lined street past grand Victorian
homes you feel the history in your bones. And at the end of the street
stands the definition of “Observatory” – a picturesque jewel-box of a
building capped by a silver dome.
In 1998, the Cincinnati Observatory successfully transitioned from an aging research facility to a cutting-edge center for astronomy education. Proximity to an urban area became an asset and the COC now provides access to a huge new audience. School groups and scouts tour day and night. Classes for all ages run weekly. Telescope trainings, star parties, weddings, art shows, fundraising events, business meetings, concerts, and movies are all held here. After a $2.5 million restoration and support from the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and the larger public community, the Observatory suddenly became the place to be.
The Cincinnati Observatory is known as The Birthplace of American Astronomy. It houses one of the oldest working telescopes and was the first public observatory in the western hemisphere. Recently restored to its original beauty “The O,” as the neighbors call it, is a fully functioning 19th century observatory used daily by the public and amateur astronomers. The main telescopes are an 11-inch Merz and Mahler refractor purchased in 1842 and a 16-inch Alvan Clark and Sons refractor from 1904. The historic buildings are designated as a National Historic Landmark, and the grounds provide a serene, park-like setting while still being centrally located in the city of Cincinnati.
Historically, science and astronomy were not the only passions of the staff and visitors at the Cincinnati Observatory. The telescopes, Moon, stars, and planets have all played a part in countless first dates, proposals, and weddings. In fact, three past Directors in a row met their future spouses here: Dr. Everett Yowell, Dr. Elliot Smith, and Dr. Paul Herget. This is definitely a romantic place.
On
Valentine’s night, the Observatory will offer music, drinks,
chocolate, flowers and viewing of the planets Venus, Jupiter and Mars
through the historic telescopes (weather permitting). Jupiter and Venus
will be getting closer together in the evening sky and they will make a
great pairing. Mars will just be rising in the east giving us our first
glimpse of the red planet for the year. This is our third year hosting
the event and cloudy or clear, everyone has had a lot of fun. I will
share stories about red stars of passion in the winter sky and lead tours
of the buildings.
This is your opportunity to “wish upon a star” and perhaps cuddle a bit
beneath the Cincinnati Observatory's silvery domes.
The cost for joining us is $50 per couple. Reservations are required -
space is limited. Please call 513-321-5186 to reserve your space for the
unique event and visit our website:
www.cincinnatiobservatory.org for more great upcoming events.
Dean Regas is the Astronomer at the Cincinnati Observatory. He can be reach at dean@cincinnatiobservatory.org.
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BLACK HISTORY
AT THE STATEHOUSE
The Ohio
Statehouse will celebrate Black History Month throughout February with a
special display, free historical performances each Tuesday at noon and
special tours of the George Washington Williams Room.
The 2012 Rosa Parks Children’s Art Exhibit will be on display in the Statehouse Map Room throughout February. The exhibition will highlight colorful artwork created by elementary school students from Columbus. The artwork represents each of the children's answers to the simple question: "What would you do if you had a chance to do a brave thing ... to do a kind thing?" The exhibit is presented in partnership with the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), The Ohio State University and the Ohio Historical Society. The art display serves as a powerful form of expression based on this important event. The display is free and open to the public.
Living history programs
will be presented each Tuesday at noon throughout February in the Museum
Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse. Visitors will meet
first-person interpreters who portray African Americans who are prominent
figures in U.S. history. Each 45-minute vignette will focus on
African-American history as part of Black History Month at the Ohio
Statehouse. Each performance is rich with history, drama and adventure.
The programs are presented by We’ve Known Rivers, which is a
partnership of dynamic storytellers with a passion for history and
education. The programs are free and open to the public. For more
information about We’ve Known Rivers, visit
facebook.com/
weveknownrivers.
Scheduled living history performances include:
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February 7: Dr. Annette Jefferson portrays Harriet Tubman presented in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse
-
February 14: Sandra Quick portrays Phyllis Wheatley presented in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse
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February 21: “Rise and Ride”: The Freedom Rider’s Story (The entire cast of We’ve Known Rivers!) presented in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse
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February 28: Anthony Gibbs portrays George Washington Williams presented in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse
Special tours of the George Washington Williams Memorial will take place throughout February. The George Washington Williams Memorial is a tribute to Ohio’s first African-American Legislator. George Washington Williams was the first African American elected to the Ohio General Assembly. Williams was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican legislator from Hamilton County in 1879 at the age of 30. Williams was a Civil War soldier, pastor, journalist, lawyer, politician, freewill ambassador, author and historian. Today, the Statehouse honors Ohio’s first African- American Legislator with the George Washington Williams Room. This room exhibits furnishings representing styles popular in the United States in the late 1800’s. The furniture includes period antiques, reproduction pieces and art work that help visitors experience history. This memorial will be a focal point during Statehouse tours in February.
The Ohio Statehouse is more than a monument to our past; it's where history happens! The Ohio Statehouse is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed holidays. The Ohio Statehouse Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends from noon to 4 p.m.; closed holidays. Admission is free. Free guided tours are offered weekdays on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and weekends from noon to 3 p.m. Tours depart from the Map Room easily accessible from the Third Street entrance. Contact 888/OHIO-123 for more information or to schedule a group tour. For more information about the Ohio Statehouse visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.
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ROMARE BEARDEN
process to print
In the Garden, Romare Bearden, 1974,
(from the Prevalence of Ritual Suite), screenprint.
Exhibition explores the
rich artistic and intellectual legacy
of pre-eminent 20th-century African American artist
A master of collage and printmaking, Romare Bearden (1911-1988) is considered one of the 20th century’s most influential African American artists. Impressions and Improvisations: The Prints of Romare Bearden is the first exhibition to focus exclusively on his printmaking. This exhibition is at The Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati. It includes 75 vividly colored graphic works—including etchings, engravings, aquatints, lithographs, screen prints—all created over a span of thirty years. The exhibition also features some working print plates and proofs that reveal the artist’s creative process.
One of the most honored artists of the last century, Bearden’s artwork was featured on a set of Forever stamps dedicated by the U.S. Postal Service in September 2011. This honor was part of a year-long celebration of the centennial of Bearden’s birth.
Well acquainted with abstract modern art, Bearden chose to retain recognizable compositions for his preferred subjects: rural life in North Carolina, urban New York, Caribbean scenes, jazz culture, modern family life, and allegorical themes. He became a cultural hero because of his influential writings as an art critic, his work as an arts organizer, and his role as spokesman for African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance and mid-20th century.
“The works in the exhibition show Bearden’s extraordinary ability to weave literary, biblical, and mythological motifs into his work,” says Deborah Emont Scott, director/CEO of the Taft. “Bearden was influenced by Dutch portrait artists, among them de Hooch and Rembrandt, and his contemporary perspective on portraits and historical subjects offers a new way to look at some of the Taft’s objects.”
The works in Impressions and Improvisations: The Prints of Romare Bearden also recall the jazz music played by Bearden’s friends Fats Waller and Duke Ellington, and examine the ways that Bearden experimented, innovated, and collaborated as a printmaker.
“Bearden has always been admired for his masterful collages,” says Lynne Ambrosini, chief curator at the Taft Museum of Art. “Less well known—and perhaps even more innovative—are his prints, which continue his characteristic cut-and-paste kaleidoscope but translate it into a wide variety of printmaking techniques.”
The Romare Bearden Foundation, a New York based nonprofit organization, preserves, perpetuates and make publicly accessible Romare Bearden's rich artistic and intellectual legacy through its programs. The national museum tour, organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA, will travel to museums throughout the country through 2013.
The Taft Museum of Art is at 316 Pike St., in downtown Cincinnati. The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday during November and December. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, students, and teachers, $4 for youth 12-17 and free for children under 118. The museum is free to all on Sundays. Call 513-241-0343 or visit the website at www.taftmuseum.org for additional information.
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UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
at Hale Farm & Village
The 13th annual A Fugitive’s Path - Escape
on the Underground Railroad returns to Hale Farm & Village
February 21-24, 28, 29; March 1, 2, 5-9, 12-15, 27-31;
& April 3-7, 10-14. This interactive, role-playing program involves
visitors in the story of the Underground Railroad. The program begins on
the auction block with slaves sold to a harsh overseer. A twist of fate
allows them to escape, traveling under cover of darkness on a perilous
90-minute journey in search of freedom.
The Underground Railroad impacted the lives of those who lived and traveled through the Western Reserve of Ohio in the mid-19th century. Pockets of abolitionism flourished in almost every Western Reserve community, leading historians to often label the Western Reserve a “hotbed” of abolitionism and anti-southern hostility. Fulfilling the Western Reserve Historical Society mission to “inspire people to discover the American experience” the thought-provoking “A Fugitive’s Path” program allows participants to learn about and experience a part of our social and cultural history that continues to reflect upon modern society.
Past participants have described the experience as powerful and emotional. One visitor commented, “Phenomenal acting. Everything seemed so real at the time it was going on. The reverend was excellent , as were the other actors. This is an amazing service to the community.” Another said, “When the slave catcher came, your adrenaline really started and you had a taste of fear.”
Evening tours for the general public are March 30, 31; April 6, 7, 13, 14 beginning at 6pm. Tours depart every 20 minutes. Tickets are $20 non-members; $15 WRHS/HFV members and groups of 15 people or more; $12/student for school groups.
This year Hale Farm & Village has partnered with the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to offer exclusive use of the train for groups. Dates are March 31, April 7, and April 14. Guests will depart from the Rockside Station and experience a background of the Underground Railroad in Northeast Ohio before arriving at Hale Farm & Village for the program.
Daytime tours are available for school teachers and their classrooms.
To purchase individual, group, or school tour tickets call 330.666.3711 or email halereservations@wrhs.org.
Every effort is made to present A Fugitive’s Path as described, however the tours are subject to change without prior notice. Underground Railroad Tours are an indoor/outdoor activity. Visitors are asked to dress for the weather. Guests should allow two hours for their visit.
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In addition to featuring freebies and places worth the price of admission, OhioTraveler.com seeks the more interesting and unique in Ohio tourism. Instead of endless listings of events, lodging, restaurants and stores, we veer away from mainstream and choose the road less traveled. Take a look:
Lodging & Getaways
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Or search all attractions by region:
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GoodSeed Farm
Great Mohican Pow Wow
Hocking Hills Tourism Association
KD
Guest Ranch
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Family Market
KitchenAid Experience Center
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Erie Marine Trades Assoc
Lake Erie Shores & Islands
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Niederman Family Farm
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It’s time to pack up the tadpoles and head to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s third annual Fairytales & Frogs event!
The “toadally” awesome celebration of all things amphibian takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, February 20 in The RainForest. All kids 11 and younger receive FREE admission to the Zoo and The RainForest with a paid adult admission, and everyone is encouraged to come dressed as a princess, prince or frog.
Leave the lily pad behind for a day and thaw out in The RainForest, where it’s always 80-degrees, while you learn about the environmental importance of frogs and the unique role they have played in fairytales and stories throughout history.
Visitors will have the chance to meet the Zoo’s larger-than-life frog mascots and a princess. There are Get Close encounters with real frogs, a chance to separate amphibian fact from fiction with the animal keepers, the Radio Disney Road Crew with music, dancing and prizes, plus crafts, stories and more.
The RainForest is home to more than a dozen frog species, many of them endangered, along with plenty of other reptiles, turtles and snakes.
So shine up your tiara, or make yourself a funky frog costume, because this party will be hoppin’!
Adult residents of Cuyahoga County (with proper ID) receive $5 admission to The RainForest and free admission to the Zoo, following regular Monday admission rates. Out-of-county residents can also enjoy reduced winter admission to the Zoo and The RainForest.
Northeast Ohio’s most-visited year-round attraction, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Through March 31, 2012, admission is discounted to $8 per person, $5 for kids ages 2 to 11 and is free for children younger than 2 and Zoo members. Parking is free. Located at 3900 Wildlife Way, the Zoo is easily accessible from Interstates 71, 90 and 480.
For more information, visit clemetzoo.com or call (216) 661-6500.
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FAMILY
WINTER PACKAGES
Families looking to break out of the winter doldrums this year will have plenty of options at seven Ohio State Park Lodges operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts.
Some of the packages such as the Buckeye Package, Explore S’More and the Pizza Package are offered at multiple lodges while others are offered at single lodges.
Open year round, Ohio’s State Parks feature wide-ranging winter-season activities, including cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, sled dog races, ice skating and hiking. Most parks also have nature centers, and many are located near regions and towns that feature shopping, galleries and museums.
“There is no need to hibernate during the winter months,” said Dianna Rom, director of sales and marketing for Ohio State Park Lodges. “Ohio’s State Parks are perfect for travelers who want to enhance an existing skill such as cross-country skiing or try something new such as winter-season geocaching. Of course, there is nothing wrong with sitting by the fireplace with a good book either.”
Xanterra operates Hueston Woods State Park Lodge in Southwest Ohio, Maumee Bay State Park Lodge in Northwest Ohio, Mohican State Park Lodge in Central Ohio, Punderson Manor State Park Lodge in Northeast Ohio, Shawnee State Park Lodge in South Central Ohio, and Deer Creek State Park Lodge and Salt Fork State Park Lodge in Central Ohio.
Packages can be reserved online at the individual lodge websites or by calling 1-800-ATAPARK (1-800-282-7275). Rates vary by lodge and room type and do not include taxes. Some blackout dates apply.
The Pizza Package is available at all seven lodges. The package features accommodations, one large one-topping pizza and four sodas. Rates between now and April 30, 2012 start at $99 for one night at Mohican State Park Lodge. Guests reserving the one-night pizza package should use the promotional code PIZZA. To add a second night of accommodations, they should use the promotional code PIZZA2.
Like the Pizza Packages, the Explore S’More Package is available in one- and two-night versions. Available at all park lodges, this package features lodging, S’More ingredients (marshmallows, roasting sticks, graham crackers and chocolate), movie rental, hiking kit (compass and trail maps), two hours use of a global positioning satellite for geocaching and a value coupon book. Rates start at $99 at Mohican State Park Lodge. Guests reserving the one-night Explore S’More Package should use the promotional code SMORE. To add a second night of accommodations, they should use the promotional code SMORE2.
The perennially popular two-night Buckeye Package is available at all lodges. This package features two nights of accommodations, one dinner for two, one breakfast for two and a gift shop credit. Guests reserving the package should use the promotional code BUCKEYE2. Rates start at $124.50 per night at Mohican and Shawnee State Park Lodges.
All lodges offer the “Stays 4 A’s” program that allows students with A’s on their report cards to transform them into discounts off the price of a lodge room. Each A is worth a discount of $10 off the published rate per room per night up to five A’s or $50. Families need only show their star students’ report cards at check-in to earn the discount. One report card per room may be applied for the discount, and families must present the original report card upon check-in. The program is available year-round. Blackout periods apply, and the offer is subject to room availability. Rooms can be reserved online or by phone. To reserve online visit atapark.com and use the promo code “Stay4A.”
For a complete listing of packages at each resort visit the home page and click on the promotions link. To reserve rooms in these state parks or for more information, visit the individual web sites or ohiostateparklodges.com.
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