Loudonville, Ohio

Although my husband is quick to remind me that it's only been five months since our honeymoon, he knows I've been itching for a little getaway. So as my Christmas gift, he booked a two-day trip to Loudonville, Ohio - the home of Mohican State Park and Landoll's Mohican Castle - for Jan. 17-18.

As I mentioned, he's a whiz at finding bargains, and he found a half-price deal for a room at the castle (see photo at right). However, the reason the castle offered such low rates is because it's off-season. Which means most tourist spots are closed and most activities are off-limits (though if there's enough natural snow, you can cross-country ski on trails through the woods at Malabar Farms).

But hey...that's no reason to let a good vacation go to waste, especially when you're staying in a deluxe room with heated bathroom floors and a fireplace operated by a light switch. So on Thursday, after a failed attempt at exploring and dinner at the Mohican State Park Resort (where we had the entire restaurant to ourselves), we swung by Gribble's IGA for snacks and two bottles of Lonz's blackberry wine (which in case you find yourself in a similar situation, does NOT require a wine opener, just a twist of the wrist).

Our Mohican adventure continued Friday morning, when we got side-by-side massages, which were done by two people (we assumed they were husband and wife) who were contracted by the hotel. It was my second massage and Brett's first. We both loved it. If you've never had a massage, it is WELL worth the money. [Side note: for you fellow Clevelanders, try the Brown Aveda Institute, a cosmetology school that offers upper body massages for just $17 and full-body massages for $34.]

Other than walking down to the castle's restaurant for lunch and dinner, Brett and I spent the rest of Friday sipping wine and watching season one of the TV show, Friday Night Lights, a totally addicting show that you'll love even if you aren't into football. We took our time coming home Saturday and couldn't resist popping into Grandpa's Cheesebarn, which is located just off of Interstate 71 in Ashland. Luckily, we went hungry. There are three rows of cheeses, dips, spreads and other goodies, many of which are available for you to sample. We bought a loaf of sweet iced cherry bread and a couple homemade chocolate chip cookies, which were almost raw in the center and crunchy around the edge. In other words, perfect.

If you decide to venture to Mohican in the off season, here's my advice:

Do:

• Bring along a handful of movies or, like we did, a season of a TV show (Brett usually just gets them from the library), or throw a few games in the car. This is your chance to do nothing and have a damn good time doing it.
• Stock up on snacks and drinks. Yes, they have a grocery store and gas station. No, it isn't close to the castle or the resort. You'll end up spending more on gas driving to buy it than you would on the drink.
• Strike up a conversation. Brett and I found out about Gribble's from our bartender at the State Park Resort and got directions back to the castle from our waitress. Everyone we met went out of their way to help us out.

Don't:

• Expect to be entertained. You won't be. If you're not the type of person who appreciates the country, this isn't the place for you.
• Forget to bring Dramamine or Tylenol. All of the twists and turns of those back roads will leave you feeling a little queasy if you get motion sickness easily.