LOGAN, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine joined Mary Mertz, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the Hocking Hills State Park lodge and conference center Tuesday. 

​The recently completed lodge is nearly 74,000 square feet and has 81 guest rooms where visitors can spend the night. The total cost of the project was $40 million.

“Hocking Hills attracts millions of visitors each year, and this new lodge will provide an even greater experience for Ohio and all its visitors,” DeWine said. “We’re happy to give people a place to relax after a day of learning and exploring in beautiful Hocking Hills.”

There is full-service dining at the Rock House Restaurant and Pub with food prepared by Matt Rapposelli, a popular chef from the state park’s previous lodge.

There is also an event space that can host hundreds of people, a café, gift shop, and indoor and outdoor pool areas with hot tubs that can be used any time of year.

“There is so much local flavor that people will see all over the lodge,” General Manager Todd Tucker said. “The artwork, the live-edge lumber that surrounds the bar, the Nelsonville-made mantles above the fireplaces on the fireside concourse- all of these things are from right here in Ohio and it’s those special touches that make this place even more exceptional.”

The new Hocking Hills State Park Lodge was built on the same area as the state park’s former lodge restaurant and conference center, which was destroyed by a fire in Dec. 2016.

“I am beyond thrilled to welcome people into this new lodge that was a real labor of love for us at ODNR,” Mertz said. “From the rooms to the restaurant, to the outdoor views–this lodge was our gift to Ohioans, and we hope they come and enjoy it.”

Some of the features of the lodge include a custom designed water feature, two 39-foot stone fireplaces, and a mezzanine sky bridge with views through a floor-to-ceiling window.

A time-lapse video of the lodge’s progression over the years can be found here.