Hanging out at Ohio’s Buckeye Lake

Last summer, my older son and I took a midwestern driving trip. I already wrote an earlier post about some of the stops we made along the way.

It was a scorching hot day when we drove from Wheeling, West Virginia to Columbus, Ohio.

Buckeye Lake was just along the road, so we decided to take a welcome break from driving to stretch our legs, and enjoy a pleasant walk around its shores.

Apparently, Buckeye State Park is Ohio’s oldest state park. The lake was artficially created in 1826, first called the Licking Summit Reservoir and created as a water source for the construction of the Ohio and Erie canal system.

In 1894, the name was changed to Buckeye Lake and it quickly evolved into a destination for summer visitors. The first hotels opened up here in 1902, and this became a popular tourist attraction.

There used to be a large amusement park and popular ballrooms that would attract acts like Glen Miller and Frank Sinatra.

We were there on a day when the lake was filled with swimmers, boaters and many like us, walking along the lake and enjoying the cool breezes.

This was just a short stretching-our-legs stop off, so we didn’t have time to take a break and dive right in, but it was tempting.

Next time we’re passing by, we’ll need to factor in more time to enjoy the lake. See you in the water!