How do you make the most out of a 3-year-old’s birthday when you can’t have a party because of a pandemic?
- Grandparents
- A Swimming Pool
- Bigfoot
And as far as I know, there’s only one place in Ohio where we could find all of those things in one place – Salt Fork Lodge and Conference Center. Lauren and I had visited Salt Fork a few years back and although I wished we were back on the water in the afternoon summer sun, we were visiting on a cold, rainy weekend in February, but we had a birthday to celebrate with grandparents and the weather wasn’t going to stop my kiddo from making the most out of his 3rd birthday.
We packed up the car and drove to Salt Fork, an easy drive just under 2 hours from Columbus. Salt Fork Lodge & Conference Center is one of eight State Park Lodges that are part of the Great Ohio Lodges family, and it boasts cabins, lodge rooms, lots of meeting space, two pools, marina access, miles of hiking and equestrian trails and lots of other outdoor activities, all nestled in the heart of Salt Fork State Park.
Salt Fork recently renovated their lodge rooms and we had selected the bunk rooms since we had two kids with us. Lane thought the bunk in the wall was basically the coolest thing ever (“like a fort!”), so we could have been done with the birthday surprises there and called it a success…but, we had been cooped up for almost a year and we were ready to hit the pool. The indoor pool was warm, not overcrowded and just what we needed at the end of a long, cold Ohio winter.
After hours in the pool and a great dinner, we retired to our rooms for cupcakes and presents. One of the great bonus features of all the lodge rooms is the extra living space. It was easy for us to spread out, play cards and enjoy each other’s company. When the weather is more in your favor, guests can expand their living space onto the balconies that overlook the lake or the pool, a feature in every lodge guest room!
After a busy weekend of swimming, we had to make sure to say hi to and hold hands with Bigfoot one last time before we headed home. If you didn’t know, Salt Fork has allegedly been the home to bigfoot since the mid-1700s with several reported sightings. Each year, the Annual Bigfoot Conference happens here, the longest running Bigfoot Conference in the world. To learn more about the Annual Bigfoot Conference or Creature Weekend, visit the Visit Guernsey County Website.