Have I mentioned Monday’s have become my favorite day of the week? This week we FINALLY shake off the rain and have a great day in Loudonville and Mt. Vernon Ohio. We started the day thinking we were going canoeing, but unfortunately, the water level on the river are closer to white water rafting than leisurely drift down in a tube or a canoe and drink beer…I mean Gatorade all day. So we rolled with it and took advantage of other fun things to do near Mohican State Park.
Our first stop was Mohican Adventures (https://www.mohicanadventures.com/) in Loudonville, OH. No I did not spell “Aerial Park” incorrectly in the title. We actually went to a park named “Ariel Park” in Mt Vernon, but that’s next. There is a lot to do here outside of river adventures. Tip on the water activities, call ahead to see if the river is open. They shared with us they have not been able to canoe for 3 weeks due to all the rain we have had. We chose to do the aerial course. They have 2 green courses, good for the kids, 2 blue courses, a bit challenging, and then at least one red course which we did not go on. The girls really liked the green course. The shorter kids struggled a bit in spots moving the safety guide over wires, but other than that, it was fun. The staff was very helpful and did a good job keeping an eye on everyone for safety.
We also went and played putt putt. There are 2, 18 hole courses there. Tip when it is scorching hot out, the first one has a few holes that are in caves which will provide some relief from the sun. We visited on a Monday so it was not that crowded. Our family typically does not keep score when we play as it tends to help the overall composure of a few highly competitive girls. It also helps attention spans that are non existent when it comes to golf. It’s a bit of a free for all that we like to call “ready set golf”.
Next stop was Ariel park in Mt. Vernon (https://www.arielfoundationpark.org/). I was shocked to find out this has nothing to do with the Little Mermaid. We have driven by this park no less than 100 times and never stopped. It is partially built on the grounds of an old glass factory that at one time had about 1 million sq ft of production facility. The old chimney stack is a highlight of the park and will take you to the highest point in the city. The view is amazing from the top. Warning for people who are out of shape, it’s higher than it looks. The landing and the steps are made of metal grate so if you are not a fan of heights, it can be a bit daunting. I’m normally ok with heights, but even I was a bit queasy in spots. Couldn’t help but think “the only thing I know about the people who built the structure I am trusting my life to are they were, no doubt, the lowest bidders.” Probably did not help much.
There are beautiful sculptures around the property and some abandoned buildings to explore. It looked like there is also a garden maze, but with the heat, we did not have the energy to fully explore after making the climb on the chimney stack. A few tips for you if you visit. The main entrance is on the South East side of the park. If you enter the park from the West side off Rt 3 the road quickly turns into a one way road. There are beautiful ponds there with great places to take in the view, shelters, etc. It would be a great place to take a date or have a family picnic. If you would like to see more pictures from our trip please check out our Facebook Album here.