These 3 Ohio destinations named best in lodging, outdoors on 2024 Best of the Midwest list

Grace Tucker, Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read

Three Ohio destinations have been recognized among Midwest Living magazine’s 2024 Best of the Midwest list, comprised of the 25 best Midwest spots for lodging, food and drink, and more.

For nearly 40 years, Midwest Living has been publishing region-specific stories covering Midwest travel, home, lifestyle, food and dining.

Here's which three landmarks represent the Buckeye State on the magazine's 2024 Best of the Midwest list.

Hocking Hills Lodge in Logan – Best in Lodging

The lodge at Hocking State Park is the newest of Ohio's park lodges.
The lodge at Hocking State Park is the newest of Ohio's park lodges.

Among the seven destinations recognized in the lodging category is Hocking Hills Lodge in Logan.

Situated in picturesque Hocking Hills State Park, Hocking Hills Lodge is the premiere hotel option for those wanting to explore the park's over 25 miles of hiking trails, rock formations, waterfalls and recess caves.

"As the first new state park lodge in Ohio in more than 30 years, it’s a transformative addition to a region known for hiking but not big hotels. Many rooms have bunks for families, and the lodge has a fleet of cabins too," the magazine wrote.

The Junto in Columbus – Best in Lodging

April 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Junto hotel is preparing to open in the Peninsula development, bringing a coffee shop, two bars, a restaurant, a walkup food window and multiple event and meeting spaces to the $250 million project in Franklinton. Mandatory Credit: Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch
April 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Junto hotel is preparing to open in the Peninsula development, bringing a coffee shop, two bars, a restaurant, a walkup food window and multiple event and meeting spaces to the $250 million project in Franklinton. Mandatory Credit: Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch

The Junto in Columbus joins Hocking Hills Lodge among the seven destinations in Midwestern Living's 'Best of Lodging' category.

The hotel, recognized among the 10 best new hotels in the United States by USA Today, is named after Benjamin Franklin's social club inspiring "mutual improvement." The Founding Father's club historically brought together people from diverse backgrounds to discuss the issues of the time.

The Junto features 198 rooms ranging in size and vibe, including a "fun bunk bedroom or a bright, open suite designed to spark creativity," the magazine wrote.

Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks – Best in Outdoors

Culture and Historic Preservation Director of then Seneca Cayuga Nation, William, of Grove, Oklahoma, stands in front of one of the mounds at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park before the start of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage Inscription on October 14, 2023, in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Culture and Historic Preservation Director of then Seneca Cayuga Nation, William, of Grove, Oklahoma, stands in front of one of the mounds at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park before the start of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage Inscription on October 14, 2023, in Chillicothe, Ohio.

The eight Indigenous works of landscape architecture that comprise the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks have earned Ohio’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site designation and the 25th in the United States.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks were constructed between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago by people now referred to as the Hopewell Culture, according to the National Park Service. The formations are informed by the cosmos, aligned to key risings and settings of the moon and sun.

Two of the largest earthworks, the magazine wrote, are in Newark and neighboring Heath: "The Great Circle — nearly 1,200 feet in diameter — and the 50-acre Octagon, which aligns to the 18.6-year lunar cycle."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: See the 3 Ohio destinations on the Best of the Midwest list