Anyone been to Hocking Hills Ohio??

[Harvest02]

I was surfing the web yesterday, and discovered the Hocking Hills area of Ohio. Has anyone ever been there to visit, or stay in one of the log cabins? How far of a drive is it from Indianapolis area? My husband works part time for the Indy Racing League, and he will be gone the first weekend of their spring break(last weekend in March). I thought of driving to Ohio and enjoy the nature with the kids! I don't want to spend lots of money since we are going to Disney in October, but just wanted some ideas for spring break for a quick overnight or two! Any other ideas for short overnight trips from Indy area would also be appreciated!!!!!

 

[noodleknitter]

It is a nice area. When we need a quick get-away, we head that direction. Lovely cabins for 2, and a nice area to take the family, also. You won't be able to count on the weather, in late March, though. might be nice, might be grey and crappy.

 

[OHJulie]

Hocking Hills it Beautiful! As the last post said, the weather is pretty shaky in March. You may want to plan to bring some games to play in the cabin.

Hocking Hills is best for those who like to hike. We camp there often and love all of the trails. There are beautiful waterfalls, caves and the "Rock House" is very unusual.

I think it would take about 5 hours from Indianapolis. HH is about 1 hour from Columbus, OH. So if you know how long it take you to get to Columbus you will have a pretty good idea on time.

 

[8EONUE8]

I live about a 1/2 hour from the area and we usually make a dozen or so trips down to there throughout the year.

There are alot of things to see, but how old are you children. Everyting is pretty spread out and you do a lot of hiking. Old Man's Cave is probably the most popular.

Travel time is what ever it takes you to get to downtown Columbus + about an hour additional. (Hint - take the Route 33 bypass around Lancaster and you will save time)

I have never stayed at any of the accommodations, since we are so close.

 

[taraprather]

My family and I have been going since I was a little girl. We used to go 4-5 times a year, for up to 2 weeks each time. My mom and her friend still go up quite frequently. It is so beautiful up there.
I would say your drive would be between 4-5 hours from Indianapolis.

 

[Ladyw/theTramp]

I live about a 1/2 hour from the area and we usually make a dozen or so trips down to there throughout the year.

There are alot of things to see, but how old are you children. Everyting is pretty spread out and you do a lot of hiking. Old Man's Cave is probably the most popular.

Travel time is what ever it takes you to get to downtown Columbus + about an hour additional. (Hint - take the Route 33 bypass around Lancaster and you will save time)

I have never stayed at any of the accommodations, since we are so close.

Hey, you must be really close to us. We live in Canal Winchester... About 30 minutes from Hocking Hills also. We have gone several times and have always rented cabins and/or lodges from Old Man's Cave Chalets, though there are a million different companies in the area.

We love it. I have gotten a night there for our Family to celebrate Father's Day and just get away. Our kids are smaller, so we haven't really done the hiking thing, but there are great antique shops in the area.. horse back riding... and truthfully, we mostly bring games and swimsuits and hang out together in the cabin!

Our extended family and friends rented a lodge in January one year and we all played games and watched movies and sledded down the big hill, then jumped into the hot tub! It was great!

You won't regret it, if you just want somewhere to get away and relax!

 

[Tiffa]

Hocking Hills is a beutiful area, if you have small children beware there are ALOT of cliffs, it is very common for someone to be rescue there.

 

[Harvest02]

I live about a 1/2 hour from the area and we usually make a dozen or so trips down to there throughout the year.

There are alot of things to see, but how old are you children. Everyting is pretty spread out and you do a lot of hiking. Old Man's Cave is probably the most popular.

Travel time is what ever it takes you to get to downtown Columbus + about an hour additional. (Hint - take the Route 33 bypass around Lancaster and you will save time)

I have never stayed at any of the accommodations, since we are so close.

You asked about my kids ages. They would be 10 and 6 in March(both boys). Is there a lot of wildlife there if we would choose to stay in a cabin?

 

[ohiominnie]

Another vote for Hocking Hills. We try to make it down there at least once a year. We actually honeymooned at Hocking Hills State Park. Yup, low budget, but it definitely was fun. We stayed in one of the cabins the park has.

The scenery is beautiful. Won't be quite as spectacular in March because the leaves will be off the trees, but it'll give you a better look at the rock formations. Be prepared, this isn't hiking on a flat trail. The park system has made it easier by leveling paths out and whatnot, but it's still a lot of ups and downs at Old Man's Cave. Ash Cave is also beautiful and lots of history there.

Other than the park there isn't a whole lot to do around there. You are definitely out in the middle of nowhere. But that isn't such a bad thing. As another poster has mentioned....take some games and some books in case the weather is too icky to hike much.

 

[ohiominnie]

You asked about my kids ages. They would be 10 and 6 in March(both boys). Is there a lot of wildlife there if we would choose to stay in a cabin?

On our honeymoon we had a family of raccoons come out of the woods while we were cooking s'mores. We ran for the cabin porch and they stole our bag of marshmallows!!!

 

[Harvest02]

On our honeymoon we had a family of raccoons come out of the woods while we were cooking s'mores. We ran for the cabin porch and they stole our bag of marshmallows!!!

Too funny!!!!

Sounds like Hocking Hills might be a good place to take the kids for a short trip! Any cabin recommendations? Which rental companies are good???

 

[ttfn3]

Hocking Hills is a great getaway. We've been camping in Hocking Hills for over 25 years (Yikes!). Here's a link to a website: http://www.hockinghills.com/

It's a lot more commercialized now than what it used to be *S*.

The trails are really fun. Your kids ages are perfect for hiking the trails. We usually camp at the Top of the Caves http://www.topothecaves.com. Top of the Caves has rental cabins - but we haven't used them. You can walk to Cedar Falls or Ash Caves from the campground. Both have great trails for hiking with young children. We have actually done all the trails with our young son. You just have to watch them. Rock House is a favorite with the kids!

I would definitely look for a place with a jacuzzi and a fireplace for the end of March. It's been pretty mild here this winter so you may get lucky and have warm weather.

 

[NeedaVacation03]

Hey, you must be really close to us. We live in Canal Winchester... About 30 minutes from Hocking Hills also.

We live in Canal Winchester also. I have wondered if there are other people from around here on the DIS.
I love the Hocking Hill region. There are many nice cabins in the area, you and your kids should have a good time!

 

[ceecee]

Pretty area, but in March I wouldn't trust the weather. We liked it best in the fall. Old Man's Cave is nice to see.

 

[sb4k]

I'm from Ohio and I wouldn't trust March weather to be worth it to be outside at Hocking Hills. Have heard it's nice though. Indianapolis has a lot to offer especially their Children's Museum. Also have a really cool Holiday Inn that has an indoor waterpark called Caribbean Cove. Kids eat free and I think you can fit 5 to a room. There is Brown County just south of Columbus IN that is also gorgeous outdoors. We used to live in Columbus, IN also.

 

[Breakfast@Tiffany's]

Wow - I'm shocked at how many people have vacationed at HH! I just organized a trip for 2 of my girlfriends, myself and our families to stay in October. The nice thing about the area is that they have whatever accommodations you can dream up. If you're looking for more of a cabin setting, there are many to choose from. For us, with three rambunctious kids and my one gf not having any children, I decided on renting a house with 3 floors. I didn't want to scare them off of starting their own family someday.

This is a great site to use for research. We stayed at a Rustic Ridge Retreat and were very happy with the owners, very sweet. They gave us maps of the area highlighted with their favorite spots and even baked a cake and left a bottle of wine for our first night.

http://www.hockinghills.com/stayat.htm

 

[tiffany123]

I'm a life-long Central Ohio resident and will tell you that the Hocking Hills are a wonderful getaway for a day trip or a week long vacation. That said, I'm not sure that March is the best month for visiting the HH. The weather is too unpredictable. It could be sunny and 60's to 70's or it could be cold, gray and have ice, snow or rain. If you are looking for a not too distant getaway for a few days that isn't weather dependent you might want to check out the new Great Wolf Lodge near King's Island (above Cincinnati). It wouldn't be too long of a drive and they are having grand opening specials for the next couple of months. The kids would love the water park and you could always go to the Cincy Zoo, museums or other places of interest that wouldn't be spoiled by nasty weather. Great Wolf has a web site but I'm not sure of the exact address so won't attemp to post a link.

 

[TAEMom]

Just to add to what Tiffany123 posted - I live in Mason (just north of Cincy), where the Great Wolf Lodge just opened and they are having pretty good deals there until about 3/22. While here, if the weather is not good (likely in March), you could go to the Cincinnati Museum Center. We just took our kids again last week (ages 10, 10, and 6!) and they had a blast. The Natural History Museum is their favorite, since it features a "cave" (which is amazingly realistic) to hike through. There is also an IMAX theater there, and I think that the special Titanic exhibit might still be there in March.

BTW, we had a great time in Indy at YOUR indoor waterpark and Children's Museum a couple of years ago!

Thanks to everyone for the tips on Hocking Hills, as well! We were "transplanted" here to OH a few years ago, and I had never heard of the area until this thread, but it sounds like a great place to go for a getaway. I will be checking into it for us this Spring!

 

[sbaldasare]

I have always wanted to stay at the castle in Hocking Hills. Haven't been there in several years.

http://www.ravenwoodcastle.com/

 

[Harvest02]

I have always wanted to stay at the castle in Hocking Hills. Haven't been there in several years.

http://www.ravenwoodcastle.com/

WOW!! The castle looks really neat!