Punderson Manor -- 1956

Legends of mystery and romance surround historic Punderson Manor and the lovely site it occupies. Construction first began on the beautiful Tudor style manor house, originally intended as a private residence, in 1929. Twists of fate wrecked the fortune of the builder, and left the manor unfinished until 1949. The young Division of Parks acquired the property and remodeled it for lodging and dining in 1956. A spacious addition and structural renovation were completed in 1982, and a recent project including the addition of an indoor pool and outdoor patio is a crowning achievement of today's NatureWorks program.

Punderson State Park is truly a year-round destination. The 18-hole championship golf course is recognized as one of the finest public courses in northeast Ohio. Other warm-weather activities include swimming in the outdoor pool, playing tennis and basketball, boating, fishing and hiking on 14 miles of park trails. One hundred-fifty-acre Punderson Lake allows electric motors, and the marina rents rowboats, paddleboats and canoes.

Commuters may not like northeast Ohio's "Snow Belt," but winter sports enthusiasts know that Punderson makes people forget that snow has any downside at all. Cross-country skiing is one of the park's most popular activities. Those who prefer something faster will enjoy taking a ride down the sledding and tobogganing hill or zipping along a snowmobile trail.

Within an easy drive from the park are Geauga Lake amusement park, Sea World's aquatic attractions, trail rides at Huntington Farms, Pioneer Waterland, Cleveland Metropark Zoo, warehouse outlets at Aurora Farms, the Holden Arboretum, Middlefield Cheese Factory & Museum and Century Village.

Burr Oak Lodge & Conference Center -- 1960s

Burr Oak is a rustic retreat on the edge of Appalachia. The scenic beauty of the rugged forested hills makes this a natural spot for tourism. In the first decade of the park system, it became clear that this landscape was also ideal for a variety of recreational activities. The charming resort lodge was built in the 1960s to serve southeast Ohio, and nearby Ohio University at Athens, with comfortable accommodations in the heart of one of Ohio's most scenic wild areas.

Today's rugged types may want to enjoy Burr Oak State Park's 30 miles of hiking trails, including a three-day backpacking trip on the Buckeye Trail. The 664-acre lake allows outboard motors up to 10 horsepower, and the marina offers four launch ramps and pontoon boat rides. Outdoor activities include tennis, shuffleboard, volleyball, basketball, badminton, horseshoes, swimming at the beach and fishing. Swimming in the indoor pool, or playing various parlor games, board games or ping pong promises fun on rainy days.

Business guests will find Burr Oak's facilities suitable for business as well as pleasure. On-site meeting planners are on hand to facilitate conferences in five meeting rooms accommodating up to 200 people. Complete audio-visual support is available.

Outside the park, the area's relative seclusion makes for great hunting and fishing in the Trimble Wildlife Area or Wolf Creek Wildlife Area. Other attractions in the area include Ohio University, Lonesome Dove Trail Riding, the Dairy Barn, Hocking Valley Railway, Uncle Buck's Horse and Canoe Livery, Hocking Hills State Park, Stained Glass Gallery, Ohio Ceramic Center, Valley Sternwheeler, Tecumseh Outdoor Historical Drama, Fenton Glass, Cedar Egg Factory and Blenderhassett Island Historical Park. Golfers can choose from Elm Golf Course or Lakeside Golf Course.

Hueston Woods Lodge & Conference Center -- 1967

The rich cultural and natural history of Hueston Woods has been well preserved in the sub virgin with old growth woodlands kept in the Matthew Hueston family from 1797 and held in the public trust for 50 years as part of Ohio State Parks. The attractive A-frame resort lodge complements its surroundings and celebrates its roots with a soaring stone fireplace decorated with murals and replicas of artifacts of the Miami Indians who once lived in the area. The lodge opened in 1967 to serve southwest Ohio, including Miami University in nearby Oxford, in a scenic and historic area offering many opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Hueston Woods State Park is well known for its Raptor Rehabilitation Center and menagerie of injured and orphaned animals at the nature center. The park?s Pioneer Farm Museum features interesting exhibits as well as special events. Acton Lake, a favorite of sailors and rowers, allows up to 10 horsepower motors, and the marina offers motorboat, pontoon, canoe, rowboat and paddleboat rentals. The 18-hole championship golf course is open all year. Additional activities include tennis, shuffleboard, volleyball, basketball, tetherball, badminton, horseshoes, parlor games, cross-country skiing, hiking, mountain biking and ice skating. The lodge facilities include indoor and outdoor pools, sauna and exercise room. 

Six meeting rooms can accommodate up to 300 people. Business support includes professional meeting planners and audio-visual equipment.

Miami University is only 10 minutes away from the park, and the school offers lodge guests access to its Recreational Sports Center. The Miami University School of Fine Arts offers music recitals. Cincinnati and Dayton are each a one-hour drive away with a wide variety of museums, restaurants, shopping, shows and other activities found in major metropolitan areas. Kings Island Amusement Park is also a 60-minute drive.

Salt Fork Lodge & Conference Center -- 1970s

From the City of Cambridge's need for water sprung Salt Fork Lake, the centerpiece of Ohio's largest state park. As the earthen dam impounding the lake waters was completed in 1967, plans were underway to build resort facilities to serve eastern Ohio in this prime location for outdoor recreation.

Overlooking the scenic lake and surrounded by more than 17,000 acres of rolling woodlands and meadows, Salt Fork Lodge & Conference seems secluded, yet it is conveniently located. The lodge offers 148 spacious guest rooms featuring private balconies, as well as 54 fully furnished housekeeping cottages.

Salt Fork State Park's golf course is renowned by appreciative golfers who know a top-notch course when they see one. For those who prefer a different game, there's tennis, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, a playground, hiking on 14 miles of trails or swimming in either an outdoor or indoor pool. The 2,950-acre lake offers a large sunny swimming beach and open stretches for power boating and water skiing, along with quiet coves for fishing, sailing and canoeing. Two full-service marinas rent boats of all types.

The lodge is well equipped to handle business meetings with eight meeting and conference rooms accommodating up to 450 people, a professional sales and catering staff and complete audio-visual support.

Close by the park are the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre, Lakeside Miniature Golf, the Cambridge Glass Museum, Boyds Crystal Glass, the Deganhart Paperweight & Glass Museum, Silver Spur Riding Stables, Little Sky Riding Stables, Warther Museum featuring wood carvings, The Wilds wildlife reservation and the restored canal town Roscoe Village. Also in the area are two outdoor dramas, Trumpet In The Land which tells of Ohio's first settlement and the Living Word Outdoor Drama.

Mohican Lodge & Conference Center -- 1970s

The dramatic forested gorge bordering the Clear Fork of the Mohican River has been a favorite getaway spot since the 1920s when Mohican state forest was established. Through the 1960s the area became even more popular as a tourism destination with the addition of ski resorts and canoe liveries and the blossoming appeal of nearby Amish country. The Mohican Lodge & Conference Center opened in the early 1970s to rave reviews, offering first class resort facilities close to the scenic Mohican River.  Guests will find a complete range of amenities in 96 comfortable guest rooms with private balconies.

Scenic trails through Mohican State Park and the adjacent state forest take hikers along the steep walled river gorge to Lyon's Cave and Lyon's Falls. Fly fishing, canoeing and inner-tubing are popular activities on the Clear Fork of the Mohican River. The lodge overlooks 835-acre Pleasant Hill Reservoir, which accommodates all types of boats. Outdoor activities include horseback riding, bicycling, shuffleboard, volleyball, basketball, playground, ice skating and swimming. Indoor facilities include a game room, billiards, ping pong, swimming pool, sauna and exercise room. Twenty-five family vacation cottages line the river bank.

Private meeting and banquet rooms can accommodate up to 250 people, and a full line of audio-visual equipment is available.

With the nearby town of Butler known as the gateway to Amish country, it's a quick trip into this fascinating cultural area and its well-known antique shopping. Close by are four canoe liveries, Pleasant Hill Marina, Mohican Water Slide, five golf courses, two horse stables, downhill ski resorts Snow Trails and Clear Fork and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Malabar Farm State Park offers tours, interpretive programs, special events and activities year-round.

Shawnee Lodge & Conference Center -- 1974

The lush forested hills of the Shawnee region have served as a sportsmen's paradise and an important conservation area since the creation of the Theodore Roosevelt State Game Preserve in the 1920s. The Civilian Conservation Corps began building roads and facilities in the 1930s, making the area more accessible to visitors. The need for lodging was evident in the early years of the Ohio State Park system, and after the logistical challenges were overcome, construction began on the rustic lodge high in the wild Shawnee hills. Shawnee Lodge & Conference Center first opened its doors to guests in 1974.

The views from Shawnee Lodge are spectacular, whether looking out on the scenic Ohio River valley, or enjoying the ambience inside the lodge and its 50 spacious guest rooms accented by furnishings crafted by local artisans. Twenty-five fully furnished two-bedroom housekeeping cottages offer more privacy.

With the Ohio River providing a dramatic backdrop, Shawnee State Park's 18-hole championship golf course is as scenic as it is challenging. With the marina right on the river, there is plenty of recreational boating along with riverboat cruises. Turkey Creek Lake is the site of two swimming beaches, scuba diving and rentals of canoes, kayaks and paddleboats. For those who prefer their exercise on dry land, a 50-mile backpack trail through Shawnee State Forest does the trick. Closer to the lodge are tennis, shuffleboard, volleyball, basketball, a game room, exercise room, playground, nature center, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna and whirlpool.

Seven meeting rooms, professional meeting planners on site and complete audio-visual support provide everything that's needed for meetings of up to 400 people.

Attractions outside the park include Happy Trails Horsemen's Camp, Southern Ohio Museum & Cultural Center, the 1801 House, Lewis Mount Herbs & Everlastings and Serpent Mound State Memorial.

Deer Creek Lake was created in 1968 to provide water recreation and flood control in Ohio?s heartland. A decade later, plans were underway to build a modern vacation showplace to serve the metropolitan areas of central and southwest Ohio. Since Deer Creek Resort lodge opened in 1981, it has been a favorite business destination offering large, well planned conference facilities as well as luxurious guest rooms and first-class recreational facilities inside and out.

Deer Creek Lodge & Conference Center -- 1981

Deer Creek lake was created in 1968 to provide water recreation and flood control in Ohio's heartland. A decade later, plans were underway to build a modern vacation showplace to serve the metropolitan areas of central and southwest Ohio. Since Deer Creek Lodge and Conference Center opened in 1981, it has been a favorite business destination offering large well planned conference facilities as well as luxurious guest rooms and first-class recreational facilities inside and out.

At Deer Creek Lodge, diversity is the key word with 110 guest rooms for just about everybody, including lofts, suites and kings, as well as 25 fully furnished two-bedroom vacation cottages.

Deer Creek State Park's 18-hole championship golf course is a central Ohio favorite. The 1,277-acre lake is suited for power boating, canoeing, jet skiing, pontoon boating, paddle boating, water skiing or fishing. Invigorate with tennis, shuffleboard, volleyball, basketball, game room, exercise room, horseshoes, bike rentals, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna and whirlpool. Three miles of hiking trails are complemented by bridle trails as well as mountain biking, snowmobiling and cross-country ski trails.

Nine meeting rooms accommodate up to 600 people. Professional meeting planners are on-site and complete audio-visual support is available.

Popular events outside the park include Deer Creek Dam Days Festival in late May, Pickaway County Farm in June, the Ashville Old Fashion Fourth of July Festival and Circleville's famous Pumpkin Festival in October.

Other nearby attractions include the Slate Run Living Historical Farm, the Ashville Small Town Museum, Scioto Valley Railroad Station, Ely's Grist Mill, Green's Historic Village, the Moore House & Genealogical Library, Jefferson Outlet Mall, Wittich's Fine Candies, the Ted Lewis Museum, and Paint Creek Stables.

Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference Center -- 1981

Ohio's newest state park lodge, Maumee Bay, ranks among the finest recreational facilities in the Midwest.  The park began to take shape in 1975 along the Lake Erie shoreline.  Convenient to major metropolitan areas, as well as Ohio's Lake Erie vacationland, the elegant lodge and its outstanding recreational facilities have proven ideal for business meetings, family vacations and other gatherings since its opening in 1991.

Maumee Bay State Park offers lots of opportunities to enjoy Lake Erie and its scenic coastal marshes.  In addition to that Great Lake to the north, the park offers a smaller, 57-acre version which is perfect for fishing or renting a canoe, sailboat or paddleboat.  The 18-hole golf course is a true seaside links course. Throughout the park are a fitness trail, bicycle trail, amphitheater, boardwalk trail, nature center, horseshoes, volleyball, and cross-country skiing.

Maume Bay Lodge & Conference Center offers 120 guest rooms with private balconies, including sophisticated suites, lofts and parlor rooms, as well as contemporary two- and four-bedroom air-conditioned cottages with fireplaces. In addition, tennis courts,  walleyball, basketball, racquetball, fitness area, game room,  whirlpool and sauna are available.

Eleven meeting rooms can accommodate business groups of up to 600 people. Professional meeting planners on-site can help in a variety of ways, including providing complete audio-visual support.

Near the park are a number of popular attractions including Cedar Point Amusement Park, Toledo Zoo, Toledo Art Museum, Put-in-Bay, Toledo Mudhens baseball, Raceway Park Harness Racing, shopping outlets and Tony Packo's restaurant. Anglers travel from near and far to take advantage of the private fishing charters on Lake Erie.