The Cottage opens July 1 – book now!

Mary
Cottage exterior

The Cottage

Last December, Dave and I had to cancel a vacation to Nashville so we could be home to close on the purchase of the 20 acre parcel that adjoins our Marsh Hollow property. The parcel included a cozy cedar-sided home that we thought would make a great addition to our lodging business. So we stayed home, completed the sale, then spent the winter and spring bringing “The Cottage” up to Marsh Hollow standards. And when I say “we” that includes John, our son-in-law, operations manager and heavy lifter in chief.

Our improvements: new HVAC, new water heater, new plumbing fixtures, new lighting, new flooring (although we kept the loft carpet for now), new stair railing inside, new steps and stair railing outside, new patio, new hot tub pad, and mostly new furniture. Oh, and a completely renovated upstairs deck.

Hopefully, Frontier Communications will install Internet/Wifi by June 21. We don’t want to count our chickens before they’re hatched, so we are not advertising The Cottage as “Internet available” til we’ve tested it with our own devices. We’ll keep you posted on this important feature. In the meantime, there is an HDTV, bluetooth soundbar and Blu Ray player available. And a small collection of movies.

We are accepting bookings for July and on, but there’s still a bit of painting to do, and a lot of groundskeeping. Currently, we do not have a well-cleared trail from The Cottage to our existing nature trail which connects to Shadyside and Pinewood Cabins. Working on it!

 Mary at Marsh Hollow

Gifts for the fairies?

Mary
Fairy house

Click on photo for larger view

Fairy house interiorLast week we stopped by the Marsh Hollow fairy house for a visit. The fairies weren’t home, but the door was wide open and the place was crammed with gifts for the fairies! Or they are starting to hoard things for the winter. We saw a package of crackers, a stick of gum and a bandaid, among some lovely pinecones, pebbles and acorns.

Later in the week we revisited, and all the non-natural things were gone. So somebody appreciated them! We have a lot of squirrels in the woods – bet they had a taste of those crackers.

If you visit Marsh Hollow with a child, be sure to take a hike up into the woods to find the fairy house. Rhea, our resident fairy, often leaves gifts for young ones.

P.S. We wrapped a candy cane striped ribbon on the fairy house. We hope they like it!

Plug in your iPhone and play your own music

Mary

The Yamaha stereo receiver at our Shadyside Cabin has a USB port on the front panel, making it easy to plug in an iPhone, iPad or iPod to play your own music. Since we also offer wireless Internet, you can also play from your iTunes library in the cloud, Internet radio stations, Pandora, etc. Our surround sound system includes outdoor speakers so you can also enjoy your own music out on the deck.

To use the USB port, you must make sure the input is set to “USB”. Simply use the input buttons on the front panel to make this change. However, when it’s time to go back to watching DirecTV or a DVD, remember to change the input back to Audio 1.

Sorry Android users, this won’t work for you. And we’ve learned our lesson: future sound systems will include Bluetooth technology.

Hocking Hills Holiday Treasure Hunt

Mary

From November 1 to December 13, visitors to the Hocking Hills get a chance to take home one of almost 50 prizes. Visit at least six of the participating merchants, obtain a sticker (no purchase necessary), affix the stickers to an entry form, then drop it off at the Welcome Center, Logan, or mail it in.

In addition to individual prizes, there will also be a GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE:

TWO nights stay in cabin for 4
Canopy tours for 4
Canoe tours for 4
Adventure Golf for 4
Candle making for 4
Lunch for 4
Dinner for 4

Winners will be chosen in a random drawing on December 15. Prizes will be mailed in time for Christmas gifting (or keeping!). Please visit the Hocking Hills Tourism Association web site for more information, including a list of participating merchants.

 

Detour on State Route 56 starts Monday, July 6, 2015

Mary

The State of Ohio Department of Transportation has announced the closing of State Route 56 in both directions near Laurelville, beginning July 6 through mid-October, 2015. If we’ve directed you to follow State Route 56 East to get to your Marsh Hollow cabin, this closure will affect you. If you’re coming via U.S. 33 or through Chillicothe, it will not affect you.

The State provides official detours along other state routes, so the detour they’ve developed for this road closure is a LONG one. Feel free to follow their detour signs. It will add about 25 minutes to your drive. However, here’s what we’ll do instead:

  • Follow State Route 56 East out of Circleville.
  • Go past the official detour sign at State Route 159.
  • At the next stop sign, turn RIGHT onto Tarlton-Adelphi Road.
  • Continue on Tarlton-Adelphi Road for about 1 1/4 miles, then turn LEFT onto Hayesville Road. There’s a stop sign here, and an electrical substation. You can’t miss it.
  • Continue on Hayesville Road for about 1 mile, then turn RIGHT on State Route 56 East.

Then just follow the directions we’ll have given you. Our detour will add about 5 minutes to your drive.

To get home, just reverse these directions.

Questions? Call John at 740-202-7133.

Kid friendly things to do without leaving the property

Mary

Midwest Living magazine recently posted an article about kid friendly things to do in the Hocking Hills. We thought we’d list kid friendly things to do without leaving the Marsh Hollow property:

  • Hike our little loop trail and find the fairy house.
  • Toast marshmallows over the fire (and make S’mores of course).
  • Bring your creek shoes and play in the creek.
  • Bring a blanket, spread it on the ground, stay up late and count the stars.
  • Get up early, just before dawn, and listen to the birds wake up.
  • At dusk, catch fireflies, or as we call them: lightning bugs.
  • Using a piece of hot dog tied to the end of a string, “fish” for crawdads off our bridge.

Any other ideas?

Mother’s Day Dining in the Hocking Hills 2015

Mary

We copied this word for word from the Hocking Hills Tourism Association’s Weekend Update, but we agree with it all, and have added a few comments below and links to the various restaurants web sites:

Mother’s Day Buffet at Hocking Hills Dining Lodge
20020 State Route 664 South, Logan, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Come join us for a very special Mother’s Day Sunday buffet. No reservations required. Call 740-380-0400 for more information; COST: $23.95/adults, $12.95/ages 5-12.
Our note: great for kids and convenient for a before or after dinner hike at Old Man’s Cave.

Mother’s Day Grand Buffet at The Olde Dutch
12791 St. Rt. 664 South, Logan, 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Mother’s Day Grand Buffet: carved ham, broasted chicken, roast beef, roast turkey , ham loaf, chicken livers, cabbage rolls ,macaroni & cheese, sweet potato casserole, chicken & noodles, stuffing, assorted vegetables, homemade rolls, cheesy potato soup, super salad bar, pie (coconut cream, peanut butter cream, strawberry cream, dutch apple, pecan & sugar free), bread pudding, apple crisp & strawberry mousse. Drink is included and moms receive a free” carnation. Call 740-385-1000 for more information; COST: $15.99/adults, $4.99/kids 3-10, FREE/kids under 3.
Our note: also great for kids, then go play miniature golf or browse through the craft store, and antique store. Don’t take little kids in the glass outlet store!

Mother’s Day Buffet at Lee’s Banquet Haus
580 Radio Lane, Logan, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
All-You-Can-Eat Buffet iIncludes: broasted chicken, roast beef, roast turkey, carved pit ham, whipped potatoes, scalloped potatoes, vegetables, salads, rolls and full assortment of desserts. COST: $15.95/adults.
Our note: we’ve never been here, but have enjoyed many breakfasts and dinners at the companion restaurant, Bush’s, which probably has the restroom-most-in-need-of renovation in the Hocking Hills. But their pies and broasted chicken are very tasty.

Mother’s Day Brunch at Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls
21190 St. Rt. 374, Logan, 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. seatings
Mother’s Day Brunch is a family fun affair! Begin your meal family style with our Inn’s pastry basket, fresh fruit, inn-made granola and raspberry yogurt. Entrée choices include: caramelized onion & feta quiche, pan roasted tilapia topped with pineapple salsa & herb roasted potatoes & green beans or pork chop with apricot glaze served with herb roasted potatoes & green beans. A sweet ending to your meal is either mixed berry cobbler w/ vanilla bean ice cream or strawberry cake w/ strawberry icing. Call 800-653-2557 for reservations or more information; COST: $21/adults, $12/children 12 & under.
Our note: this will be delicious, of course, and this is an incredibly low price for this restaurant. Also very convenient for hiking at Cedar Falls before or after brunch.

Mother’s Day Fine Dining at Glenlaurel
14940 Mt. Olive Rd., Rockbridge, 1 and 5 p.m. seatings
Looking for a truly magnificent gift for your Mother? Spoil her (and yourself!) with an amazing gourmet meal at Glenlaurel. We’re accepting reservations for a 1 p.m. seating for a four-course lunch and a 5 p.m. seating for a six-course fine dining experience that’s sure to delight. Call 1-800-809-7378 or 740-385-2951 ext 306 for more information and to make a reservation; COST: $39/lunch and $49/dinner.

Our note: they don’t have kids pricing and this is more of an adults only place anyway. But the food will be absolutely delicious.

 

Bluets

Mary

Bluets

Bluets are our very favorite spring wildflower. They have just started to bloom here at Marsh Hollow and are scattered throughout the fields at Shadyside and Pinewood, as well as at our home.

They are tiny flowers and bloom in clumps. According to the Peterson Field Guide to Wildflowers, they are a member of the bedstraw family and are pale bluish to white, with a yellow eye. Stem leaves paired, short, narrow. Often forms large colonies. 2-8 in. Grass, fields. Wisconsin, Quebec, Nova Scotia south. They will bloom April-July.

Although no photos yet, Marsh Hollow is rich in spring-beauties. They are everywhere throughout the fields. They close up in the evening. Grandson Aaron says they are going to sleep.

Our new web site

Mary

We published our web site in 2003, just as we were about to open Marsh Hollow for business. And while we’ve made a few changes over the years, it mostly looks and works like it did in 2003.

Early on, we recognized that the future of the travel industry would be on the Internet. Now the future of the travel industry is mobile. Our old web site is not mobile friendly, according to Google.

So as a way to freshen up our web site and become mobile friendly, we are working to get the new site up and running before the end of April. For the geeks out there, we are using WordPress software through GoDaddy.com.

So keep visiting and let us know if you find any glitches.

Shadyside Haiku of High Praise

Mary

Marsh Hollow attracts the best and most talented guests. Recently, Debbie and Denny stayed with us at our beautiful Shadyside Cabin. Debbie was inspired to write a poem:

Shadyside Haiku of High Praise
 
Shadyside Cabin
Is a true woodland icon
A pristine retreat
 
Nestled by the creek
Offering peace & quiet
A haven for man
 
Hot tub bubbling near
Wood floors beneath your bare feet
Beams soaring o’erhead
 
Soft strains of music
Decorated in fine taste
Expertly designed
 
The place is perfect
My husband wants to live here
For eternity
 
I’ll miss him.