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Published: March 2nd 2022
In February 2020 we made another trip to Athens, Ohio. This time it was to see the Ohio University production of the play She Kills Monsters and to see the props Julia made for it. We flew this time, taking a United Express flight from Washington Dulles to Columbus, Ohio. There were no hotel rooms available in Athens, so we booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express in Logan, 30 miles north of Athens. We rented a car at the airport and headed for Logan along US Highway 33. US 33 was a pleasant drive, with minimal traffic. This was good, as we would be commuting a lot between Logan and Athens.
Logan is the center of the Hocking Hills, an outdoor recreation area for southeastern Ohio with a state park, a national forest, kayaking on the Hocking River, and the interestingly named Old Man Cave. Not that Susan and I did any of those things, mind you. But what we did do was to explore the region during the day and then driving to Athens to meet Julia and Frank in the evening.
The Hocking Hills Welcome Center was near our hotel. The large visitor center in
the form of a water mill has displays and information about things to do and see around Logan and Hocking County. But the most interesting item was the adjacent Pencil Sharpener Museum. The Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum has the largest collection of novelty pencil sharpeners, amassed by the eponymous collector. There are more than 3,400 varieties, all arranged by topic: trains, aviation, ships, Disney, musical instruments, telephones, etc. Nearby is the Tall Grass Prairie, a patch of land recreating the Ohio landscape before settlement.
The town of Logan itself had sights to see, too. Main Street downtown is the center of the Logan National Register Historic District. Nearby is the Columbus Washboard Company. This factory is the last American manufacturer of traditional washboards. On the side of the building hangs what is known as the "World's Largest Washboard".
Out by Highway 33 is a collection of shops and eateries. We spent some time in the Logan Antiques Mall. It was a fun collection of real antiques, collectibles, numismatics and other items. Everything from Matchbox collectibles to a set of Edward VII Coronation china. One day we had lunch at the Olde Dutch Restaurant. It featured an
all-you-can-eat buffet, but we ordered sandwiches off the menu. The second day, we picked up deli sandwiches from Weaver's Market & Deli.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Hocking Hills
We grew up in Ohio and this is a favorite place to explore.