DINE ORIGINALS WEEK

As proud members of Dine Originals Columbus, we are excited to be a part of the upcoming Dine Originals Week, March 8th - 14th!


Dine Originals Columbus is a group of more than 40 of your favorite independently owned and operated restaurants in Central Ohio. Throughout Dine Originals Week, these restaurants offer a special prefixed menu for $10.10, $20.10, or $30.10. The Inn's menu will include options such as Smoked Peking Duck Flatbread, Blackened Hanger Steak, Calypso Style Jumbo Shrimp, and much more. Certainly a meal not to be missed!


This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy some of your favorite restaurants, as well as visit a new one. Dine Originals Columbus even shares a portion of the proceeds from the week with Local Matters, an organization which, among other valuable things, takes nutrition education into schools and teaches kindergarteners through second graders about health and wellness. Such important work!


So mark March 8th - 14th on your calendar and make a reservation today! Or two! Or more! It's Dine Originals Week. Keeping it local and loyal.

MAPLE SYRUP IN THE HOCKING HILLS

There are few things more delicious than the taste of pure maple syrup on a stack of buttermilk pancakes, especially on these cold winter mornings. At the Inn we are proud to serve 100% pure Ohio maple syrup and it certainly helps to make our breakfasts popular affairs!

March is the perfect time to make maple syrup and on March 13-14 Hocking Hills State Park is offering just the opportunity to experience it yourself. At Maple Sugaring in the Hills, naturalists will demonstrate historic methods used to make maple syrup and candy, including how sap is boiled down and what it tastes like fresh from the tree. A pancake breakfast will even be available at the park lodge, of course accompanied by local maple syrup!

The event takes place from 12-4 each day at the naturalists cabin behind the Old Man's Cave visitors center and you can contact the park office for more information. Just one more reason to make a trip to the Hocking Hills this spring!

FINAL FRIDAYS IN NELSONVILLE

Nelsonville is the place to be on the final Friday of every month!


The home of dozens of studio galleries, antique stores, and gift shops, Nelsonville's Historic Square Arts District has become a center for arts in Southeast Ohio. On the final Friday of each month, the square becomes an even hotter arts spot, with galleries and retail shops staying open late and featuring special art events.


From 6pm - 10pm, visitors can enjoy art chats, watch artists at work, watch drum circles, street musicians, dancers, and other entertainment. You can also check out new art exhibits around the square, as well as plays and musical shows at Stuart's Opera House.


So make a trip down to the Hocking Hills this weekend. Spend Friday night in Nelsonville and Saturday hiking around the beautiful Hocking Hills. Don't forget to stop by the Inn for lunch or dinner. Happy final Friday of February!

FULL MOON TOUR OF ASH CAVE

In the beautiful Hocking Hills lies the largest and most spectacular recess cave in Ohio. Measuring 700 feet from end to end and handicap accessible, it is a favorite spot for visitors of all ages. The massive cascading waterfall in the center of the cave is stunning and the approach through massive hemlocks, beech trees, and other hardwoods is truly breathtaking. Hocking Hills State Park is offering a unique opportunity to experience the beauty and serenity of this cave.


On Friday, February 26th, hikers can explore the many mysteries of Ash Cave by the light of the full moon. Participants may join a park naturalist in the parking lot area who will lead the way along the half-mile path, experiencing the uniqueness of Ash Cave first hand.


When you are finished with the hike, warm up around the fire in our Fireside Lounge and join us for dinner in our award-winning restaurant. What could be a better way to finish off the cold and snowy month of February? Contact the Inn to make your reservation. We look forward to having you!

CHEF ANTHONY AT THE COLUMBUS HOME & GARDEN SHOW

Our very own Chef Anthony will be staring at the Columbus Home & Garden Show and it is sure to be a show you won't want to miss! Presenting on the Home Idea Center Stage at noon on Sunday, February 28, 'Cooking with Chef Anthony Schulz' will lead off the day's activities that will include an Amateur Cake Decorating Contest.

Art in Bloom is the theme of this year's event and the 14 gardens showcased are sure to feature dazzling living landscapes, stunning sculptures, paintings, and more. The Show features more than 400 exhibits and attractions and attendees can talk one-on-one with experts and shop for almost every imaginable tool, accessory, or service for any home or landscaping project.

The Home and Garden Show takes place at the Ohio Expo Center and runs February 27 - March 7. But February 28th is the day to be there!

THAI YOGA MASSAGE AT THE INN & SPA AT CEDAR FALLS

In a little over a week we will begin our five day Thai Yoga Massage course with instructor Anthony R. Conard from OM Yoga Studio. This intensive program, running February 28 through March 5, will give you an introduction to this ancient healing practice and is the first of two steps toward certification.

Thai Yoga Massage is a sacred healing art from Thailand and is performed with 'metta' or loving kindness. Called Nuat Phan Boran in Thai, it is considered one of the oldest medical systems in the world. The Massage consists of a system of assisted yoga postures, performed fully clothed, on the floor, with 'palming' and 'thumbing' along sen lines or energy meridians. It combines safe stances, rocking, and touch tecniques that unfold in a beautiful dance. Traditionally, Thai Yoga Massage was considered to be a spiritual as well as medical treatment and is intended to promote wellness in mind, body, and spirit.

Participants of this course will learn how to maintain proper body alignment and stances, apply energy balance through acupressure and Thai energy sen lines, perfect safety precautions to prevent injury and avoid contraindications, and discuss the history and philosophy of Thai Yoga Massage, as well as much more. 

We are very pleased to have Anthony Conard at the Inn. He has been practicing yoga for 23 years, has studied with Master Kam Thye Chow, is a certified teacher of Lotus Palm Thai Yoga Massage, and is a Kripalu Yoga Instructor, having been initiated by Kripalu's founder, Yogi Amrit Desai. His relaxed and inviting teaching style makes him an effective teacher and gives students access to both beginning as well as deeper practices of yoga.

Contact the Inn today for more information about this program and the course options. The snow is beautiful and the atmosphere is peaceful in the Hocking Hills - the perfect environment to learn and experience ancient arts such as Thai Yoga Massage. Join us and see for yourself!

WINTER WINE TASTEINN WITH VIA VECCHIA

On Friday, February 26 we will be welcoming Columbus based Via Vecchia Winery to kick off our first Wine TasteInn of 2010, and we couldn't be more excited!

Via Vecchia is known for using natural and simple winemaking that draws upon traditional methods that trace back to a small village named Grondola in Tuscany, Italy. Over the years they've tested tradition to see if methods of old could scale to volume, with nothing added and nothing taken away. Their wine is truly something special and unique and this Wine TasteInn is not to be missed!

Our TasteInns are a fun time spent learning a little, drinking a little, and laughing a lot. Contact the Inn for more information and to make your reservation today!

DISCOVER OHIO

Congratulations to Donna Smith of Huntsburg, Ohio for winning the DiscoverOhio monthly contest!

Donna has won a weekday two-night stay in one of our cozy cottages, with a cheese and fruit welcome basket, and a three-course gourmet dinner at our award-winning restaurant! Donna and her guest will enjoy a hearty breakfast each morning and will spend a day canoeing or kayaking on the Hocking River with Hocking Hills Canoe Livery. To complete her stay, she will receive a surprise gift upon checkout as well as a copy of the Select Registry Guidebook to Inns and B&Bs so she will never have to search for a great place to stay.

Congratulations again to Donna! We look forward to your visit.

COZY CHATS IN THE HOCKING HILLS

As the winter weather settles in, our cozy Fireside Chats continue to be popular Sunday night events. So far participants have discussed techniques for beating the winter blahs, genealogy, and global warming

In the coming weeks, look forward to The Wonderful World of Medicinal Herbs with Cindy Parker, Hocking Hills Flora and Fauna with Paul Knoop, Storytelling by Adele Brown, Renewable Energy - What You Can Do with Jerry Hutton, and Ancient Earthworks with Wanda Hambrick.

Don't let the snow keep you at home. Join us in the beautiful Hocking Hills and curl up around our fireplace for a chat.

LUMINESCENT ORCHESTRII AT STUART'S OPERA HOUSE

If you are a fan of music, you should plan a visit to Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville this month. The playhouse offers a wide variety of fabulous events and this month is no exception.

On February 19 Luminescent Orchestrii will put on an incredible musical event featuring Romanian gypsy melodies, punk frenzy, salty tango, hard-rocking klezmer, haunting Balkan harmony, hip-hop beats and Appalachian fiddle. Hailing from different scenes in New York City, the members come together through their love of Balkan and Gypsy music. After touring throughout Europe and the United States, they are making a stop in Nelsonville and it's shaping up to be an awesome experience!

Tickets are on sale now. And while you're in the area, plan for dinner in our award-winning restaurant and to spend the night in one of our luxurious cottages or cabins. We look forward to seeing you!

SWEETHEARTS HIKE IN THE HOCKING HILLS

The Hocking Hills can be one of the most romantic places in Ohio and is a perfect place to spend Valentine's Day. Beautiful waterfalls, rugged cliffs, and undisturbed forests. What could be more romantic?


Hocking Hills State Park is offering an opportunity to experience all of this with their Sweethearts Hike on Friday, February 13th, from 5-7pm. You are invited to take your sweetheart on a romantic stroll to Ash Cave in the soft light of dusk. Naturalist Pat Quackenbush will lead this half-hour walk, where romantics can linger around the campfire and enjoy free cookies and hot chocolate.


And when you're finished, you can join us at the Inn for a romantic dinner in our award-winning restaurant and time to cuddle with your sweetheart around the fireplace in our Fireside Lounge or in one of our cabins or cottages. What more could your Valentine ask for!

YOUR BEST VALENTINE'S DAY YET

This Valentine's Day there is no place more romantic to be than at the Inn. We have a fabulous Honey LoveInn Package to make your Valentine's Day perfect!

Join us Friday through Sunday, February 12-15, and allow us to provide you with a relaxing and romantic winter wonderland weekend in the Hocking Hills. From a Gourmet Picnic Basket dinner ready when you arrive on Friday evening, to homemade chocolates, to rose petals scattered about your room. Stay in one of our cottages and enjoy a soak in the whirlpool tub with chocolate candles burning and your own fireplace flickering.


Experience a Couples Massage on Saturday or Sunday before joining us in the restaurant to select from Chef Anthony's mouth watering menu. Sunday's special Valentine's Day Dinner will include Potato-Leek Soup with Chive Creme Fraiche, Roasted Filet Mignon with Pink Peppercorn Demi or Broiled Lobster Tail with Champagne Pear Slaw, Warm Hazelnut Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache and much, much more.


Make a trip to the Hocking Hills for the weekend! Let us make this your best Valentine's Day yet!

COOKING AT HILLS MARKET

Chef Anthony and Innkeeper Ellen were invited to The Hills Market to open their winter cooking class series. The Hills Market is a wonderful community grocery store with exceptional gourmet shopping. The Market specializes in carrying hard-to-find items, internationally-loved foods, and locally-produced products.

Clearly we were excited to be a part of their cooking class program. Chef Anthony was invited to lead two classes in January, as his first class sold out so enthusiastically.

The first hour of the class, participants filed into the tiny but quaint cooking area where Chef Anthony dazzled them with how to cook a three-course meal. Menu items included Goat Cheese & Sherry with Warm Goat Cheese on Ciabatta Points with Fine Herbs & Sherry Vinaigrette, Brown Butter Sage Chicken Breast with Crimini Mushrooms, Asparagus & Sweet Potato Gnocchi, and Bourbon Spiked Pear & Apple Bread Pudding.

For the second hour, the group was wined and dined as they feasted on the items they watched being made and enjoyed wines selected by Wine Director Constance Begue. A fun time was had by all!

If you are interested in attending a class at The Hills Market, their cooking series continues through the month of February. And don't forget that at the Inn we have our own very popular cooking classes with Chef Anthony throughout the year. Contact the Inn for more information and to register.