Things to Do in Pickerington

The rock bridge spans more than 100 feet in length, arching to a height of 50 feet as it connects to the opposing shores of the Hocking River. As kayakers glide beneath it, they look up at eons of natural history: a bridge carved out by centuries of glacial waters that eroded the sandstone away particle by particle. They gaze up at the awesome spectacle until a white-tailed deer dashes along the shore, stealing their focus.

Hocking Valley Canoe Livery and Fun Center's outdoor enthusiasts continue provide connections to moments such as these, just as they have for more than 30 years. The staff furnishes gear such as canoes and inner tubes for river trips, during which sportsmen may glimpse river dwellers such as leatherback turtles and kingfishers sneaking sandwiches from unsuspecting picnickers. Dedicated to keeping the river clean for future generations, Hocking Valley's staff also regularly engages in conservation efforts, including sponsorship of the annual Hocking River Cleanup

Back at the fun center, crews oversee amusements that range from go-kart rides to mini golf. With such a multiplicity of diversions, Hocking Valley's team often customizes recreational packages for its guests that combine several activities. To help visitors enjoy the area for more than a day, the grounds also affords outdoorsmen lodging, including riverside campgrounds and Amish camper cabins.

Boasting a course of 18 ziplines and a high-ropes course, Hocking Peaks Adventure Park immerses adventurers of all ages in a multitiered wilderness playground sprawling through the woods and fields of Hocking Hills. Surrounded by a sun-dappled tree canopy, the ropes course combines 60 midair challenges—including catwalks, suspended logs, and rope crossings—that visitors can surmount while strapped into safety harnesses that also help them blend in with current forest fashion trends. For kids, an alternative course and zipline hang a few feet above the ground. Within the same woods, ATV rides cover 15 miles of rambling ground trails, while paintball matches storm a separate wooded area with two levels of play and built-up cover.

As they emerge from the woodland playground, guests can take on the 42-foot high inflatable waterslide, or climb into one-, two-, or three-person transparent Ogo balls to roll down a hillside course more gracefully than a classically trained hamster. Additionally, an 18-hole disc-golf course—designed by professional disc-course planners Innova—sprawls through 6,000 feet of hills, beckoning players to aim for chain-fringed baskets.

The staff at Equestrian Ridge Farm has been tending to steeds and riders on its 200-acre estate for more than 10 years. During riding lessons in a medley of styles—including dressage, single driving, and trail riding—trainers educate equestrians of all levels at the facility’s two large, indoor arenas. The barn houses between 15–20 horses at any given time, a handful of which are reserved for lessons or reenactments of chase scenes from The Lone Ranger. Equestrian Ridge also offers under-saddle training for horses by an experienced instructor who tailors each session to the steed’s temperament and riding style.

Under the choppy surface of Ohio's quarries and waterways, the Columbus Scuba team guides students into the world of underwater exploration with specialized training courses. In order to prepare students for diving situations and encounters with bullies in schools of minnows, the team also holds classroom sessions, including PADI open-water certification. In addition to training students, Columbus Scuba dedicates itself to the diving community by operating the Mid-Ohio Divers club, through which they organize barbecues, camping trips, and group dives in far-off reefs and caves.

When the morning fog clears, a bridge fashioned out of five rustic corncribs appears to pay homage to EagleSticks Golf Club's roots. Originally used to feed the horses that grazed on the erstwhile farm, the wood from the corncribs now arches over a creek that splits the fairway on the 11th hole—a 591-yard par 5 dubbed the course's signature attraction for its bending fairway, elevated tee box, and visible ties to a bucolic past. Designed by renowned Ohio architect Dr. Michael Hurdzan, the 6,508-yard course challenges golfers with constant elevation changes—some of which exceed 100 feet—that demand accuracy, sound course management, and the ability to activate the cart's hang-gliding wings. Throughout the round, bentgrass fairways and greens present a much more hospitable landing place than the course's thick, bluegrass rough. At various hillcrests and elevated tees, players can take in a full view of the course's scenery, which includes several waterfalls and woodlands populated by oak, maple, ash, locust, and cherry trees ripe for the hugging.

After a day on the links, golfers can gather at Mac's Sports Bar to quiet rumbling bellies with a menu of classic American food such as burgers, sandwiches, and pizza. Guests can unwind in Mac's dining room—which features eight televisions, an open-beam ceiling, and other contemporary touches—or at the adjoining patio, which attracts summertime breezes and ghostly golf balls trying to reconnect with their long-lost owner.

Course at a Glance:

• Designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan

• 18-hole, par 70 course

• Length of 6,508 yards from the farthest tees

• Bentgrass fairways and greens, bluegrass rough

• Scorecard

Lurking in the darkness of moisture-saturated topsoil, the mud ninja challenges only the toughest competitors to attempt his 5K obstacle-laden course. Serving the dual purpose of allowing entrants to live out their reality-show fantasies while helping to raise money for Autism Speaks, the Mud Ninja race requires participants to crawl through mud pits covered with barbed wire and scale steep walls before leaping onto multiple mounds that punish imbalanced racers with a splash. Throughout the 5K course, contestants splat into mud pits in front of hundreds of spectators. The Little Mud Ninja race scales the course for younger racers, and an after-party engages all with music and a plethora of food vendors.