Loudonville, Ohio
A winter weekend at Mohican State Park is just the right medicine needed to spice up the new year! Winter travel in Ohio can be challenging because “Closed for the Season” signs tend to pop up in droves. However, Mohican State Park is “Open for the Season”, and so are many of the surrounding attractions.
We opted to stay at the Mohican Lodge and Conference Center
…with visions of hiking, swimming, sitting by the fire, game playing, listening to live music, dining on amazing food, and relaxing in the sauna. Oh and admiring the amazing views out of every window!
We did all of this, but wait…there is more to see and do!
The beautiful Mohican State Park is in close proximity to both the Shawshank Movie Trail (click here to see our visit) and Ohio’s thriving Amish country (click here to see our visit). Either destination would be worth the side trip. However, since we had already visited both destinations, we decided to hit a few things in Amish country that we missed the first time around.
This included Heini’s Cheese Chalet where we discovered interesting cheeses we never knew existed such as Rootbeer Float Cheese Fudge, Carolina Reaper Cheddar Cheese, and Rainbow Sherbert Cheese Fudge??
We also stopped for chocolate at Coblentz. And yes we bought too much chocolate and ate it all way too fast!
If you are interested in wood carvings, art, and geniuses you couldn’t do better than visiting the Ernest Warther Museum and David Warther Carvings. There is some insane talent here (ie this)!
Next, we stopped at Lehman’s, which has been “VOTED BEST DESTINATION IN AMISH COUNTRY”. There were many interesting and impressive items. Literally, this place has “everything and anything you could ever be looking for”. We even found a London phone booth portal which is probably also used by Harry Potter and Dr. Who!
In addition to these new experiences, we went back to some places we remembered fondly, such as the always delicious Rebecca’s Bistro. My son said he loved visiting the cool antique store behind the bistro that we browsed while waiting to be seated.
We also had to hit Hershberger’s bakery and pick up some Amish Fry Pies. When we got there they were still hot and tasted amazing!
Back at the park, the hikes we recommend include…
If you park near the Mohican Covered Bridge, you will see the following trailheads- The Lyons Falls, Pleasant Hill, and Hog Hollow Trail. We did all of them! The Hog Hollow is out and back and is the most challenging. The other trails are moderate. Check the map at the base of the Big Lyons Fall Trail to see how you want to navigate this trail. There are different loops you can make). You will be sore after, but it will be worth it (A good time to relax in the sauna!).
All in all, we had a wonderful winter weekend at Mohican State Park and I hope you will find time to visit this winter as well!