Local Attractions - Things to do at the Glenlaurel Estate:

Add a little excitement to your stay and see another side of Hocking Hills with the following adventures. Tempting zip lines, scenic air tours, adventurous ATV Nature Trail Riding, and a shooting preserve with a trap shooting range & sporting clays. These are just a few more ideas for you to try when visiting Glenlaurel.

Hocking Hills Canopy Tours and Zip Line - World-class zipline adventure! Located in Rockbridge (off US Rt 33). Located just 10 minutes from Glenlaurel, The Hocking Hills Canopy Tours and Zip Lines promises breathtaking views of the Hocking Hills. The 2.5 hour canopy tour experience will include a progression of 10 zip lines, 3 sky bridges, and a rappel where you will fly over rock bridges, fern covered gulleys, & traverse the bluffs of the Hocking River. Plan ahead and let us book your tour. Please call (740) 385-9477 or visit their web site for more information www.hockinghillscanopytours.com

Hocking Hills ATV Nature Trails - Hocking Hills Nature Trails is an adventure destination unlike anything else ever developed and is totally different from what you might expect. This is open year-round and reservations are encouraged. For reservations, call (740) 592-2500. www.hockinghillsnaturetrails.com

Golf - Glenlaurel now has a partnership with Lancaster Country Club and guests can golf at the beautiful private club. This private country club is about 20 minutes from Glenlaurel. Par 72 established in 1909 by Donald Ross (first 9 holes), and Jack Kidwell designed second 9 holes and has hosted numerous US Opens and US Amateur Qualifiers. We will make your tee time.

The Brass Ring Golf Course is also a short drive from Glenlaurel. From rugged country hillside terrain (very Scotlandish) to country club-style links, add a round of out of the ordinary golf to your next trip to the Hills. Call the Brass Ring Golf Club (740) 385-3806.

Airplane Rides with Hocking Hills Scenic Air Tours – Fly the sky trails and capture the scenic beauty of Hocking Hills! Enjoy entertaining information and special points of interest offered by the local, veteran pilot with 40 years' flying experience and tour guiding talents. Cameras are recommended and reservations appreciated. Call (740) 380-2031 or visit their web site at: www.hockinghills.com/airtours

Hidden Haven Sporting Clays – 5-Star Club and EPA Certified! Hidden Haven Shooting Preserve & Sporting Clays Inc., has been in operation since 1969. Hidden Haven Shooting Preserve & Sporting Clays now offer many challenging 50 Bird Courses along with upland hunting. Each sporting clays course simulates hunting conditions. Also available; 5-Stand, Wobble, Skeet, Sporting Clays, and Fitasc courses for beginners as well as for competition shooters. Call (740) 746-8568 or visit www.hiddenhaven.us

Bicycling - There are many rider-friendly bike paths in the area. Bring your bikes and head to the Hock-Hocking Adena Bikeway. It is a 19-mile path between Nelsonville and Athens. Nelsonville is only about 20 minutes from Glenlaurel. You can also rollerblade on this path & it is handicap accessible. Bicycle rental are offered at each end of the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway. Bicycles can be picked up in either Athens or Nelsonville and ridden on the bike path. Reservations are required. Please call (740) 592-2500 to schedule your bike rental.

Horseback Riding – Spotted Horse Ranch. Located between S. Perry & Laurelville on St. Rt. 180, open daily & weekends, (877) 992-RIDE or (740) 332-RIDE.

Canoeing – Try one of the full moon canoe trips and let the crickets serenade you! The Hocking Hills Canoe Livery (800) 634-6820 or Hocking Valley Canoe Livery (800) 686-0386. Both are located in Logan.

Hiking – Hocking Hills features numerous hiking trails. From state parks (Conkle’s Hollow, Cantwell Cliffs, Ash Cave, Old Man’s Cave, Rock House, and Cedar Falls) to trails, one day is not enough to see them all.

Why leave Glenlaurel? We have some amazingly beautiful walking trails with our own Camusfearna Gorge & Thistle Bluff walk. These trails offer you beautiful rock formations with 50 to 100 foot rock cliffs, caverns, two creeks, and restful waterfalls. You may also explore Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, Cedar Falls, Conkle’s Hollow, Old Man’s Cave, or Rock House.

Bird Watching - With over 50 species sighted on premise, including two bald eagles, you can spend the entire day watching all the birds. The depth of our gorge and the profusion of ferns & wildflowers make this an ideal spot see all the varieties you don't normally see elsewhere.

Star Gazing - At Glenlaurel, you can enjoy the benefits without urban lights to interrupt your view. We are located in an area that has one of the darkest skies in central Ohio. Therefore, each night you have a wonderful chance of enjoying the beauty of star gazing and seeing a shooting star or two.

Wildflowers - While at Glenlaurel, take a stroll around the grounds and enjoy the natural beauty.

Bonfires - We have a fantastic fire pit available for guest use. It is also the perfect spot to star gaze.

Basket Weaving - Leota Hutchison teaches the craft in class’s everyday except Sunday. She is a "living treasure" here in the Hills. Call (740) 385-8130 to make your own basket and take home a piece of Hocking Hills history.

Lake Logan - This 400-care lake is part of the Ohio State Park system and has one of Ohio’s finest fishing lakes...from northern pike, bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish, and saugeye. Lake Logan provides scenic picnic areas & secluded walking paths to enjoy. You may also rent boats from the marina. They have pontoon, paddle boats, row boats, canoes, and kayaks. Located off Rt 33 on Lake Logan Road. Contact the Hocking Hills Marina at (740) 380-9233 for rental information.

Shopping - From antique shops to flea markets to shopping in downtown Logan, there is a special treasure to be found.

Arts & Crafts and Museums - There are so many craftsmen & women in Hocking Hills; it would be hard to list them all. Ask us for a visitor guide and recommendations. For starters, try The Columbus Washboard Company (free tours M-F, 9am-3pm), (800) 343-7967.

Workshops:

• Touch the Earth Adventures - Women's hiking, kayaking, and backpacking tips & instruction, (740) 592-3496.
• Old Bear's Den Photography Center – Hands-on workshops in nature photography, (740) 380-2039.

Scenic Train Rides at Hocking Valley - The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is an old-time passenger train in Nelsonville with departures on Saturdays & Sundays at 12:00 & 2:30pm, beginning in early spring running through the first weekend in November. To make reservations call, (800) 967-7834 or visit their web site www.hockingvalleytrain.com.

Hocking County is best known for the Hocking Hills, an area containing thick forests, cascading waterfalls, deep rocky gorges and amazing rock formations. It has primarily been the process of surface erosion that has sculpted the beautiful Hocking Hills.

The Hocking Hills Region is a geological anomaly in the state of Ohio. As a whole, Ohio has been historically connected to the Ohio Valley, a region of 1700's settlements east of the Appalachia Mountains. But the glacier-created flatlands that represent a majority of this state do not account for the rock and ridge canyons of the Hocking Hills.

Over 5,000 years ago, the last of the glaciers created the bowl of the Ohio Valley and much of the Midwest. The ancient walls of Hocking Hills...an eroding weave of sandstone gorges existed as the base of the Appalachia range. Cooled by the nearby glaciers, the canyons of the Hocking Hills became an ideal microclimate for seedlings of northern flora released from the glaciers in their melting retreat. Hemlock forests and fern filled wetlands would have bordered these glaciers until long after their retreat north. However, the Hemlocks themselves retreated southeast...into the cool, preserving climate of what is now Hocking Hills.

In recent history, the state of Ohio bought thousands of acres and created six state parks within 10 miles of the gorge and woodlands. Within the Hocking Hills State Park system are Old Man's Cave, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls (containing the largest tree in Ohio - a hemlock); Conkle's Hollow (the deepest gorge in Ohio), Rock House, and Cantwell Cliffs. Additionally, a dedication toward preservation in private ownership accounts for much of the respected woodlands that fill in the spaces between state parks, including the softly treaded canyon and mature woods of Camusfearna Gorge.

Adding to the natural color and uniqueness of the region, a fair number of local artists and skilled craftspeople have set up shop along the winding roads of the county. Along with canoeing, horseback riding, boating, golf and year-round hiking, the leisurely atmosphere of the region makes the Hocking Hills a premiere site for nature enthusiast...or those simply wishing to relax in the company of a natural world.

The Hocking Hills is one of the premiere tourism areas in Ohio. There are numerous cabins, inns, and bed and breakfast facilities throughout the region. The landscape attracts campers, canoers, hikers, boaters, and rock climbers. Hocking County is also a magnet for history buffs as they seek out the preserved portions of the Hocking Canal locks, dams, and aqueducts. In addition, the county was home to Wyandotte Indians and Logan, the county seat, is named in honor of the famous Mingo Indian Chief.

To celebrate our connection to this natural world and the leisure opportunities available in it, we welcome and invite you to click The Hocking Hills Tourism Board for more comprehensive, yet personal exploration of our beautiful Hocking Hills.