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How to Be Cool at Ohio State Park Resorts This Summer
6/24/2008
CONTACT:
Mona Mesereau
mona_mesereau@msn.com
(720) 842-5271
CAMBRIDGE, Ohio (June 24, 2008) - The heat is on. Summers in Ohio are undeniably beautiful, with lush green forests, sparkling lakes and endless hills. Summer can also be on the hot and sticky side, a fact many Midwesterners think is a very small price to pay for the extreme beauty of the state.
In preparation for the inevitable “dog days,”
Ohio State Park Resorts have developed some suggestions for staying – and being – cool at parks around the state.
Do your strokes inside and out.
All seven Ohio State Park Resorts operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts offer indoor as well as outdoor pools. The pool at
Maumee Bay State Park Resort has floor-to-ceiling windows so indoor swimmers still feel like they’re surrounded by the great outdoors.
Watch birds.
It’s cool to be a bird watcher now. The sport has been gaining in popularity as baby boomers – a super-curious and nature-loving generation – take it up with gusto. It’s best to go early in the morning when birds are active and the air is cool. Arm-chair watchers can learn about our feathered friends at
Mohican State Park Resort where the
Ohio Bird Sanctuary regularly stages birds of prey demonstrations in the air-conditioned lobby.
Early worms catch the fish.
Go fishing at the crack of dawn. Lake marinas at
Hueston Woods and other resorts are open dawn to dusk in the summertime.
Dine al fresco.
Pack a cooler and blanket, find a shady tree and have an old-fashioned picnic. The parks feature picnic tables and grills for picnickers with a penchant for burgers and brats.
Run around with a watermelon.
Organized children’s activities are a fun way to keep young visitors occupied.
Shawnee State Park Resort’s activities include hayrides, greased watermelon races and crafts. All seven resorts feature children’s activities during the summer months.
Take an evening stroll.
Salt Fork State Park Resort features 14 miles of hiking trails that wind through the park, including wheelchair-accessible hard-topped trails.
Build a sandcastle.
The inland lake at
Maumee Bay State Park Resort includes a sandy beach, where kids can be found discovering their inner architect – and then rinsing off in the always-cool lake. Maumee Bay is situated on Lake Erie.
Tee it up in the early morning or late afternoon.
All seven resorts feature golf courses at or near the properties. The
Punderson State Park Golf Course features rolling terrain, bent grass fairways and greens to challenge golfers of every level.
Sip a cool drink in the Wren Lounge at
Burr Oak State Park Resort or at any of the other six locations.
Hunt for treasure at Salt Fork State Park.
The resort features geocaching packages that include a hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) and map. Visitors can search for caches of “treasure” – inexpensive trinkets – hidden throughout the park. No need to bring a whip or dodge giant rolling balls for this family-friendly treasure hunt.
All seven resorts are open-year round and feature wide-ranging seasonal activities, from leaf-peeping to snow shoeing. For information or reservations at any Xanterra-operated Ohio State Park Resort, visit
www.atapark.com or call (800) ATAPARK ((800) 282-7275). Xanterra also operates the marina and facilities at Geneva Marina State Park in Geneva-on-the-Lake in northeastern Ohio.
About Xanterra Parks and Resorts
Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country’s largest park concessioner. Xanterra operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Xanterra also operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz.
Long committed to the preservation and protection of the environment, Ecologix, Xanterra Parks & Resorts’ environmental program, includes a variety of proactive environmental stewardship programs in each location. Xanterra has been repeatedly recognized for its environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
For more information about Xanterra, links to individual properties and reservations numbers, visit
www.xanterra.com.
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