hocking hills

April 2024: looking for spring wildflowers

Mary
blue and white violet wildflower

This morning Mae (canine companion) and I took a 2 mile walk along Wagner Road, then back through the woods on our hill trail. It wasn’t specifically a spring wildflower walk but we found enough of them to write a report.

What spring wildflowers we found

Check out the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildflower report every week through spring. And print your own Ohio spring wildflower checklist.

And if you are really interested in wildflowers in the spring, check out my blog posts from the past:

Mary at Marsh Hollow

ROKU is coming to Pinewood and Shadyside Cabins

Mary
crescent moon with shooting stars and text ROKU is coming

ROKU is a winner!

We’ve been so pleased with ROKU at The Cottage that in early April we are installing it at both Pinewood and Shadyside Cabins. I first wrote about ROKU in February of this year so please check out my blog post HERE for more information about what it offers.

How we came to this decision

While ROKU is a great way to access streaming and live content, we also had a financial motive. Both DISH and DirecTV have increased their prices beyond what is reasonable. We had to reduce our current package but ended up paying the same as we did last year. We started looking for alternatives and decided that ROKU would be a great fit for Marsh Hollow. Our team tries very hard to avoid raising prices and this small step (which we think you will like very much) is one way to reduce costs.

Our internet service has become faster and more reliable over the twenty years we have been in business so we now feel confident we can offer our guests access to internet streaming services. This means that we will discontinue our satellite service, but will continue to provide Blu-ray players along with ROKU.

One final benefit: unless guests decide to use the Blu-ray player, one remote will control everything! Remember to bring your app logins and passwords if you intend to use Netflix, Prime, etc. during your vacation. There is a LOT of free content on ROKU. If you do login to your own accounts, don’t worry because the system will automatically erase your information on your check out day.

Thank you for your interest in Marsh Hollow. We hope to see you soon! And if you have any questions, please contact Mary at mary@marsh-hollow.com

Mary at Marsh Hollow

New! ROKU at The Cottage

Mary
television set for use with ROKU

Wow! ROKU impresses us as a streaming option for our guests at The Cottage. In the past, guests could log into their own streaming accounts, such as Prime Video, hulu, etc. But it was always a worry that they would forget to log out and it was a little bit complicated to make access easy. We now have added ROKU in “Guest Mode” to our Cottage TV,  This will automatically log out guests at 11 am on their check-out date. And erase any personal information they may have entered. It’s so easy to use, plus has tons of free content, including LIVE free content.

ROKU is a simple device attached to the television. We have set it as the default connection so it launches when the TV is turned on. Generally, the TV will be on when guests arrive, we will have entered their check-out date and selected a music channel to welcome them to The Cottage. But if it’s off, then using the ROKU remote to turn it on and start streaming is as easy as pie. The ROKU remote turns on/off the TV and the soundbar. Unless you decide to use the Blu-ray player, it’s the only remote guests will need to use.

Want to learn more about Guest Mode and ROKU? Check out this great article from ROKU.

The Cottage still has a small video collection and Blu-ray player. As always, we will include instructions for using it in our Guidebook binder.

While ROKU has been around for quite awhile, it’s new to us and we already think it’s great!

Mary at Marsh Hollow

Spring wildflowers in the Hocking Hills

Mary
log cabin with violets in foreground

Introduction

Hocking Hills is a beautiful place to visit any time of year, but spring is especially special. The wildflowers are in bloom, the waterfalls are flowing, and the birds are singing. Here are some of the best places to see spring wildflowers in Hocking Hills:

Where to see spring wildflowers

  • Ash Cave: Ash Cave is a large recess cave that is home to a variety of wildflowers, including Virginia bluebells, columbines, and wild geraniums.
  • Old Man’s Cave: Old Man’s Cave is another popular spot for wildflower viewing. Here, you can find wildflowers such as trillium, trout lily, and spring beauty.
  • Cedar Falls: Cedar Falls is a beautiful waterfall that is surrounded by wildflowers, including purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and blazing star.
  • Conkle’s Hollow: Conkle’s Hollow is a deep gorge that is home to a variety of wildflowers, including Dutchman’s breeches, jack-in-the-pulpit, and mayapple.
  • Rock House: Rock House is a natural rock formation that is home to a variety of wildflowers, including columbine, Virginia bluebells, and wild geraniums.

In addition to these popular spots, there are many other places to see spring wildflowers in Hocking Hills. Just be sure to keep your eyes peeled and you’re sure to find some beautiful blooms. In fact, Marsh Hollow Cabins is hosting a variety of flowers today (April 26): spring beauties, mayapple (not blooming yet but foliage is abundant), wild geranium, hepatica, violets, both purple and white, large trillium, bluets and more!

For more information about where to go and what to see, visit the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildflowers web site.

How to enjoy

Here are some tips for enjoying the spring wildflowers in Hocking Hills:

  • Visit in the spring (April-May). This is when the wildflowers are in bloom. But the Fall also has some gorgeous color, especially asters and goldenrod.
  • Don’t forget that trees also have flowers in the spring. Tulip poplars have large yellow/orange blooms. The pawpaw tree has dark, inconspicuous flowers that are easy to overlook.
  • Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll be doing some hiking!
  • Bring a camera. You’ll want to capture all of the beauty.
  • Be respectful of the wildflowers.
  • Don’t pick them or trample on them.

Writing this post gave me the opportunity to look back at a wildflower post I wrote in 2007. My goodness time flies.

Enjoy the beauty of nature!

Mary

Mary at Marsh Hollow

Keurig brewers at all cabins!

Mary

We frequently are asked if we have a Keurig brewer in our cabins. All cabins have always had standard drip coffee makers. Our Florida vacation rental had BOTH kinds of coffee makers. We thought that was very smart and accommodating to guests who have differing brewer preferences.

Therefore starting today, our guests will find both a Keurig mini brewer and a standard drip brewer in all three of our cabins. A word about the mini brewer: you add the water for a 6-12 oz. cup, then brew. You will need to wait for the water to heat each time you want to make a cup of coffee. So if you are staying in a cabin with more than 2 coffee drinking guests, you will probably want to use the standard pot because the mini brewer does take awhile to heat up each single serving. That 6th guest at Shadyside, for example, might be waiting quite a while for his/her coffee!

Some Hocking Hills State Park sites to open Feb 11

Mary

Update from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: “Areas of the park (Hocking Hills State Park) will open intermittently beginning February 11th. Hocking Hills Visitor Center and Camp Store will reopen February 11th. State Route 374 is currently closed to the public, as are Cedar Falls and Ash Cave.” (02-09-2022).

We are now open with power restored and our cabins are warm and cozy. It’s still pretty icy in the Hills even with these warmer days.

If you have any questions, please contact John by email at john@marsh-hollow.com or by phone/text at 614-499-8205.

Mary at Marsh Hollow

Last minute specials

Mary

We already have low rates during weekdays, but my goodness – we have some great last minute specials for next week that will blow your socks off.

Just go to www.marsh-hollow.com and you will see them under our main photo.

Don’t blow the budget for your vacation rental. Seriously, check out our last minute specials! It’s a winter wonderland. 

Mary at Marsh Hollow

COVID-19 Update May 5, 2020

Mary

in this together ohio sign with manager and kids

#inthistogetherohio

We have developed Marsh Hollow Guidelines for COVID-19 which describe how we plan to keep our guests, staff and community safe during this outbreak. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about our plans.

It’s been a  busy week getting ready to re-open our cabins, which we did on May 4. One “keep safe” strategy we are using through May is to leave 30 hours between guests checking out and new guests checking in. We think it’s a good thing to do but it does wreak havoc on the schedule, especially when working with existing reservations. It will be nice to get to a new normal, hopefully in June.

The Hocking Hills State Park and Forest remains closed. As mentioned in an earlier post, the Hocking Hills Tourism Association has developed a helpful COVID-19 Info page which isn’t about the disease but rather all the great stuff there is still to do around the Hocking Hills even with the Park closed. It also includes a list of various restaurants which provide food service, either carry-out, drive-through or delivery. FYI, most delivery services are based in Logan and do not delivery to Marsh Hollow. Restaurants in Laurelville, our closest village, do not deliver. The nice folks at Hockinghills.com (thank you, Finn), our listing service and reservation system, developed a print-friendly version of the restaurant list.

Almost every day, we read about other Hocking Hills services and activities that are making plans to open up. Today, we learned that the Hocking Hills Canoe Livery hopes to open May 29!

Stay safe and wash your hands!

Mary at Marsh Hollow

 

COVID-19 Update: we are reopening on May 4

Mary
perfoliate bellwort
The Hocking County Health Commissioner has approved the reopening of rental cabins beginning May 4, 2020. We are accepting reservations! The Health Department is going to provide COVID-19 prevention guidelines. However, we already have a good start on how we plan to keep our guests, our family and our community safe. One way to manage our extra sanitation procedures is to allow at least 24 hrs between reservations. Today, our Operations Manager John worked with our guests to move reservations around a bit to make this possible. Their cooperation was immensely helpful. We are hopeful that we will only have to do this in May, but are prepared to continue on if needed.
 
We do not yet know when the Hocking Hills State Park and Forest will reopen. ODNR is not ready to say anything official yet. However, guests will receive a list of nearby parks, forests and nature preserves that are open. Plus we have our own hiking trail for the private use of our guests.
Stay safe, keep your distance and wash your hands. Stay tuned!