Seven unique family-oriented resorts are open year-round: Burr Oak, Hueston Woods, Mohican, Maumee Bay, Punderson Manor, Salt Fork and Shawnee. All feature the Great Outdoors, and some are on lakes; a couple have golf courses. Guests might stay in a lodge with indoor pool, or cottages in rolling hills.
Salt Fork State Park, for example, is an easy drive from Pittsburgh, and has 20,000 acres, two marinas, historic Kennedy Stone House, and the Salt Fork Lodge.
Salt Fork Lodge has private balconies overlooking rolling hills; cabins with lake views; indoor/outdoor pools, game room, family programs, basketball, volleyball, tennis, golf, and paintballing.
Bonus for families: throughout the year, the State Park Resorts offer various packages that include fun activities.
Salt Fork State park, for example, has offered packages that include geocaching. (Geocaching is a kind of high-tech treasure hunt, using GPS Global Positioning Systems. Caches are hidden in a waterproof container with a logbook; the cache itself has no value, beyond the satisfaction of getting your hands on it after following a set of clues.)
Guests at Burr Oak State Park Resort -- in Glouster, Burr Oak, a two-hour drive from Columbus Ohio-- might take a ride on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway.
Hueston Woods State Park Resort, in Oregon, a half hour from Toledo, is close to Cedar Point Amusement Park (roller coasters!)
Punderson Manor State Park Resort - 30 minutes from Cleveland- is near Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom waterpark.
Mohican State Park Resort - near Loudonville; an hour from Columbus, Cleveland and Akron - has offered packages with a tour of nearby Malabar Farm, or 18 holes of Adventure Golf, or go-kart racing, or canoe and bike rentals.
And at Shawnee State Park Resort - in Friendship, two hours from Cincinnati - look for packages with horseback riding. Several of the state park resorts have opportunities for horseriding.
Seasonal Appeal
Ohio has a great "fall foliage" season, beginning in mid-September, with 125 species of deciduous trees to make a color show. In winter, activities at some State Park Resorts include snowmobiling, x-country skiing, skating, and ice-fishing.
For more information, head to www.atapark.com, or see the individual web sites for the "Magnificent Seven": www.mohicanresort.com, www.saltforkresort.com, www.hwresort.com, www.burroakresort.com, www.maumeebayresort.com, www.shawneelodgeresort.com and www.pundersonmanorresort.com.
