The Logan County Visitors Bureau is ready for another year of bringing fun, food, events and activities to entertain the community and draw tourists to the area. And they presented their plans at their annual breakfast on Tuesday, April 29.
The event also served as a perfect opportunity to highlight the area’s latest attraction: the restored Mac-O-Chee Castle and new event center. Bought by Julie Cole and her family at auction in 2019, the historic location has been turned into a dreamy wedding venue, complete with castle suites for the bride and groom and a large outdoor waterfall.
According to Cole, they plan to hold an open house on Saturday, Sept. 13, to introduce the location to the community.
Anna Louden, visitors bureau director, enthusiastically filled everyone in on what to expect in the months ahead, from promoting their many successful ventures to updating attendees about what’s in store.
The bureau’s three “trails” have proven to be a winner for Logan County. Though the coffee and pizza trails have grown every year, it’s the OG — the Logan County Ice Cream Trail — that stands out.
“People come from all over the state for that one,” Louden admitted. And you won’t have to wait long to start stamping your ice cream trail passport—it’s back for its fifth year on Memorial Day.
Louden then spoke about the ongoing success of their annual Best of Logan County promotion, which allows residents to vote for their favorites in several categories, including attraction, retail store, pizza, hiking trail and farm market. More than 5,000 people voted in October 2024.
Another highlight — tourism week — will be held in August for the second year. They used to celebrate in conjunction with Ohio Tourism Day in May but decided to move it to a time when children aren’t in school so they can participate in the many fun events that week. This year, that will be Aug. 2-10.
Tourism Impact Grant
Louden presented a new opportunity for the community Tuesday morning—the Logan County Tourism Impact Grant. Open to anyone in the area, you have two chances to submit your tourism-related idea for consideration.
The purpose of the grant is to find projects that can “impact the visitor experience in a positive way.” Deadlines for 2025 are May 14 and Nov. 14. Find out more an submit your application at ExperienceLoganCounty.com/grants.
Visit Dublin Tourism Feedback
After going over Logan County Visitors Bureau events, Louden introduced the morning’s guest speakers from Visit Dublin tourism—Scott Dring, president and CEO, and Sara Blatnik, marketing director.
Blatnik said they’ve seen a rise in “adventure tourism,” which is ideal for Logan County. Vacationers are looking for niche trips and lots of outdoor fun, which they can find here with skiing at Mad River Mountain, horseback riding at Marmon Valley Farm, hiking at Myeerah Nature Preserve, cave walking through the Ohio Caverns and enjoying the water attractions at Indian Lake.
“Lean into who you are and what you have here,” Dring told the approximately 100 area business owners and community leaders in attendance.
The other draw, according to Dring and Blatnik, is the appeal Logan County has for “foodies.”
“All these trails you have—pizza, ice cream—people will travel for that,” Blatnik said. “But they also love staying fit and being outside.”
In addition, they see the lure of package deals and an emerging market for sports tourism.
To find out more about what’s happening in Logan County, visit ExperienceLoganCounty.com. You can stay caught up by finding them on social media as well.
The bureau contends tourism in Logan County generates $26.6 million in state and local tax revenues, saving area homeowners hundreds of dollars every year.
“We have four seasons of fun,” Louden concluded, “so we’re open all year.”
