Stay at These Classic Ohio State Park Lodges

Punderson State Park Manor Lodge
There is a good reason Punderson State Park’s Manor Lodge has a comfortable, homey feel: It was almost someone’s home. In the 1920s, Detroit millionaire Karl Long started construction on the English Tudor-style mansion along a natural kettle lake but defaulted on the mortgage as the Great Depression took hold.

The lodge has been open to the public since 1956 and has 31 guest rooms, meeting spaces and a restaurant. Seven of those rooms are original to the manor and have just one bed, while the others are lodge-style rooms with two queen beds. (There are also 26 free-standing cabins.) General manager Kate Patterson says the manor’s Cherry Dining Room restaurant is a great place to admire the surrounding scenery. There’s also a patio open through most of the fall.

“Sometimes I forget just how beautiful it really is here until I look out from the dining room when I’m seating somebody,” she says. 

Patterson adds that there are also nooks and crannies throughout the manor to steal a quiet moment, including an Elizabethan balcony off one of the banquet rooms.

“It looks out over the lake, and I love that,” she says. “If I were staying here, that’s where I would sit and have a cup of coffee in the morning.” 11755 Kinsman Rd., Newbury 44065, 440/564-2279

Salt Fork State Park Lodge
Located in Ohio’s largest state park, Salt Fork State Park Lodge is equally impressive. It also gives a nod to one of the area’s most famous purported residents, with a Bigfoot statue right outside the Wildlife Lounge bar. (The front desk also offers maps to each of the spots where the cryptid has reportedly been seen.) The lodge, which was completed in 1972, has 148 cozy and comfortable guest rooms, three common areas with fireplaces perfect for fall nights and Timbers Restaurant, which features the must-have Salt Fork Pretzel, a dessert pretzel filled with cream cheese and topped with ice cream and chocolate caramel drizzle. 14755 Cadiz Rd., Lore City 43755, 740/435-9000

Hueston Woods State Park Lodge: photo courtesy of Great Ohio Lodges

Hueston Woods State Park Lodge
This A-frame-style lodge opened in 1967 and is a natural fit in the area, set among the trees on the shores of Acton Lake in southwest Ohio. The lofty ceilings inside create welcoming communal areas, perfect for groups who want to hang out by the fireplace. Hueston Woods State Park Lodge’s 92 rooms were made over in 2024 with updated bathrooms, flooring, linens and more, resulting in a more modern stay. The Smokehouse restaurant offers barbecue-style favorites such as smoked brisket and turkey and provides a great place for a bite to eat without having to leave the lodge. 6301 Park Office Rd., College Corner 45003, 513/664-3500

Deer Creek State Park Lodge
The spacious lobby at Deer Creek State Park Lodge is airy and vibrant during the day, thanks to skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto Deer Creek Lake. At night, the lobby’s huge stone fireplace becomes a cozy place to gather after a day spent exploring the park, while the lobby balcony offers a more intimate hang-out spot. The lodge’s 110 guest rooms and entrance were updated in 2024, giving a fresh feel to the place, which opened in 1979. Visit the on-site Rafter’s Restaurant for a meal, and check out Harding’s Lounge for its can’t-miss wine slushies. 22300 State Park Rd. 20, Mount Sterling 43143, 740/869-2020. 

Visit greatohiolodges.com for more information about these and other Ohio State Parks lodges. 

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