点评:Where can one hold a 60 person ( 33 of whom were children 14 and under) family reunion? Why, at Lake Hope State Park!! As we were coming from the west, east, and south, Ohio is a great central place to meet in the middle.
Our last reunion was at Deer Creek Stare Park. As prices went up dramatically in their cabins, we opted for a less expensive option, needing 13 cabins to accommodate us all.
Reservations can be made 1 year in advance, and after studying the reservation system for several days in a row, my two cousins and I poised to each try to snag the entire circle of ‘wildlife cabins’ and ‘iron furnace’ cabins to the left ( west) of the lake, wanting to be close to the actual lake.
We were mostly successful, reserving 6/7 cabins in each circle plus the cabin called Cardinal, which was a real gem. (Get that one whenever possible).
But notice- we did NOT get all 7 cabins.
The bigger ones, ( wildlife cabins) were, inexplicably, less costly at $90 each- very nice indeed with a double bed, twin and single. Plus the kitchen opened to the living room area which was great. They also have a screened in porch with picnic table. They are CO 60-66. There was a center asphalt drive in the middle of the circle to haul your gear to your cabin as there is no parking AT the cabin door. Carts are provided. This ‘upper’ area was very hilly with the cabins all built out on concrete/stone support beams.
The ‘lower’ circle of cabins, ( CO 15-20) called ‘iron furnace,’ each has a giant fireplace (needless in August but maybe nice in winter), are smaller but in 2023 prices more costly at $100 each per night. One bedroom has a double bed pushed against the wall and the other bedroom has a bunk bed which is under a slanted ceiling (making it tricky for an adult to get in or out of the top bunk) in the other small bedroom. These two bedrooms and the very nice bathroom are ALL two steps down to access so beware if you have any mobility ( or forgetfulness) problem. There is also a couch which is not a pull out but is quite long for sleeping.
HOWEVER the lower area, has a sidewalk connecting all the cabins and a very flat shady central area which was terrific for our purposes- ( we made friends right away with the ‘other’ cabin occupant sharing this lower circle). Kids rode bikes and scooters around and around this sidewalk circle.
These circles are an easy walk from each other- maybe 150 yards apart on a VERY quiet road.
We needed to alter the number of nights we rented cabins and again, inexplicably, when we reduced the days needed by one day, every cabin price went up by $20-$30 to the 2024 prices even though we did not ADD any days. No one could help fix this strange glitch, and we ended up paying many hundreds of dollars more because of this. ( hence four stars).
Forget WiFi- but if you walked to the top of a hill nearby, you could text/email and etc.
The lake is only a mile away, down a curvy road, and was great- as long as it wasn’t mid -day (with no shade). But shade appeared by 3 pm. Carol, and her darling mother Jodie, who work the rental concession, loaned us life jackets for free! Much appreciated!! They rent all manner of canoe, paddle board, kayak, etc. Water was warm with a sandy type bottom. Sand/fine dirt and gravel made for pleasant lakeside digging and playing. Bring your beach chair.
There is a lovely open air room above the rental concession that views the lake activity and has picnic tables in it- this can’t be reserved but can be used as first come first served.
翻译:哪里可以举行 60 人(其中 33 人是 14 岁以下的儿童)的家庭聚会?当然是希望湖州立公园!!因为我们从西边、东边和南边过来,俄亥俄州是中部聚会的绝佳地点。
我们上次聚会是在鹿溪斯塔尔公园。由于他们的小屋价格大幅上涨,我们选择了较便宜的选择,需要 13 间小屋才能容纳我们所有人。
可以提前 1 年预订,在连续几天研究预订系统后,我和我的两个表弟准备尝试预订湖左侧(西边)的整个“野生动物小屋”和“铁炉”小屋,希望靠近真正的湖泊。
我们大部分都成功了,预订了每个圈的 6/7 间小屋,外加名为 Cardinal 的小屋,这真是一块珍宝。(尽可能预订那间)。
但请注意 - 我们没有订到全部 7 间小屋。
较大的小屋(野生动物小屋)莫名其妙地便宜了 90 美元,每间非常漂亮,有一张双人床、一张双人床和一张单人床。此外,厨房通向客厅区域,非常棒。他们还有一个带野餐桌的纱窗门廊。它们是 CO 60-66。圆圈中间有一条中央沥青车道,用于将您的装备运送到您的小屋,因为小屋门口没有停车位。提供手推车。这个“上层”区域非常丘陵,小屋全部建在混凝土/石头支撑梁上。
“下层”小屋圈(CO 15-20)称为“铁炉”,每个都有一个巨大的壁炉(8 月份不需要,但冬天可能不错),较小,但 2023 年的价格更贵,每晚每间 100 美元。一间卧室有一张靠墙的双人床,另一间卧室有一张双层床,位于另一间小卧室的倾斜天花板下(成人进出上铺很困难)。这两间卧室和非常漂亮的浴室都需要走两步才能到达,所以如果你有行动不便(或健忘)的问题,一定要小心。还有一个沙发,不是拉出来的,但睡觉时很长。
然而,下层区域有一条连接所有小屋的人行道,中间有一个非常平坦的阴凉区域,这对我们来说非常棒(我们很快就和住在这个下层圆圈里的“其他”小屋住户交上了朋友)。孩子们骑着自行车和滑板车绕着人行道圆圈转来转去。
这些圆圈彼此之间步行很方便——在一条非常安静的道路上,相距大约 150 码。
我们需要更改租用小屋的天数,同样,令人费解的是,当我们将所需天数减少一天时,每个小屋的价格都上涨了 20-30 美元,达到 2024 年的价格,尽管我们没有增加任何天数。没有人能帮助解决这个奇怪的故障,我们最终为此多付了数百美元。(因此给四颗星)。
忘记 WiFi - 但如果你走到附近的山顶,你可以发短信/发电子邮件等。
湖离这里只有一英里远,沿着一条弯曲的道路,很棒 - 只要不是中午(没有阴凉处)。但下午 3 点就出现了阴凉处。卡罗尔和她亲爱的母亲乔迪在租赁特许经营店工作,免费借给我们救生衣!非常感谢!!他们出租各种独木舟、桨板、皮划艇等。水很温暖,底部是沙质的。沙子/细泥土和砾石使湖边挖掘和玩耍变得愉快。带上你的沙滩椅。
租赁特许经营区上方有一个可爱的露天房间,可以欣赏湖面活动,里面有野餐桌 - 不能预订,但可以先到先得。