It seems as if summer vacation season gets shorter and shorter. Schools remain in session until well into June and teachers and students are back in the classroom by mid-August. This leaves about eight weeks for the traditional family vacation. Popular vacation destinations are often crowded and prices are at their peak. Thank goodness for September!
For anyone not tied to a school schedule, and there are millions of us, the world is our oyster. Summer weather continues, all the attractions are open and the pace is far more relaxed. September in the Hocking Hills is the perfect destination for a Second Summer vacation. No need to travel far to feel like you’re a million miles from home.
Begin your Second Summer by selecting the accommodations best suited to you. Looking for a getaway with a special someone or maybe just a solo trip? Hocking Hills has a wide variety of cabins, cottages and Inns providing as little or as much seclusion as you desire. Need to immerse yourself in Mother Nature once more before the cold wind blows? Award winning campgrounds, tipis, Gypsy Wagons and camping cottages set the stage for nature’s late summer serenade.
Get the gang together for a football weekend at one of Hocking Hills’ luxury lodges. It’s your own private resort complete with gourmet kitchen for all those game-time goodies, great room with plenty of seating and a big TV for the big game. After the game relax on the deck or around a fire as you soak in the last sunlight of the day.
Once you know where you will lay your head it’s time to plan a few adventures. With more than 50 ziplines the Hocking Hills is the Canopy Tour Capital of the Midwest. If you prefer to stay a little closer to the ground take an all-terrain Segway tour or canoe trip to Ohio’s largest natural bridge, Rockbridge State Nature Preserve.
Trade your in-box for a tackle box and drop a line in Lake Logan. The catch of the day may be Northern Pike, Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, Catfish or Saugeye. While you’re waiting for a nibble be sure to watch for eagles and hawks overhead and Blue Heron, swans and ducks on the lake.
Test your endurance at the Annual Hocking Hills Indian Run. This trail run winds through vast wooded areas of the Hocking Hills State Park and Hocking State Forest, crossing streams, deep gorges, shimmering waterfalls and lush forests, leading uphill and down. The Indian Run is the ultimate challenge to a runner’s power of concentration.
When you’re ready to relax tour the region’s four wineries. Enjoy a scenic drive through the Hills as you taste the creations of these local vintners. Stroll through a vineyard, picnic on a patio and enjoy a little live, local music (weekends).
Before long it will be time to park your baby for a winter’s rest so get out and cruise Car and Driver Magazine’s “Midwestern driving roads of choice”. Begin your country cruise at the Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center where you will find the Hocking Hills Road Tour map featuring multiple routes for maximum scenery while taking into consideration the importance of road quality to you and your baby.
September is for savoring. Savor your Sweet September Summer in the Hocking Hills.