Over the River? Over the Edge?

Over the river and through the woods, to ... anywhere but here! If you know what I'm talking about, then you'll like my neighbor's Thanksgiving tradition-they make reservations at a State Park lodge and meet the whole family there for a relaxed holiday. Nobody has to clean the house, and since they're out in the middle of the woods, they (usually) don't have the greatest television reception, meaning they don't have to brave the constant onslaught of toy commercials - and the onslaught of requests from the kids. If I was going to run away for a long holiday weekend this time of year, I think I'd pick a park in southern Ohio, like the 2,300-plus acres of Hocking Hills. (See the park directory and map at http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/h... ). Imagine hiking off your turkey (or roasted hot dogs & beans) at Old Man's Cave and the surrounding trails. Sounds a whole lot better than watching football to me (especially since the Browns and the Bengals are basically done for the season).

By now you've probably guessed that my husband and I have had it with the hyped-up holiday hoo-hah. We like to make reservations, too, but instead of roughing it we have sought out nice nearby hotels that offer buffet dinners, swimming pools and pleasant staff. One of our favorites is the Cuyahoga Falls Sheraton (http://www.sheratonakron.com/ ) with its award-winning, and spectacularly placed restaurant. The dining room is perched over the river; you can view the falls while you eat!. If you think this is just the kind of relaxing recipe you need to make your holidays happy, don't worry-you don't have to wait until next Thanksgiving to go. Of course, they're open year 'round and hey, wouldn't a "getaway" package make a nice Christmas gift-for yourself?!

If you're looking for more fun spots to avoid holiday commercial overload and mall Santas, here are a few ideas:
* Take in an amateur play at your local high school or community theatre. Many offer holiday productions, and even the scroogiest among us can't complain about the ticket prices, crowds and parking at community theatres.
* Scour the society pages of your local paper for fun, inexpensive ways to get in the mood. One that sounds good is coming up at the MAPS Air Museum in Canton on December 5. Santa and Mrs. Claus fly in that day, and while the kids are getting their pictures taken with the jolly couple, others have a chance to visit the air museum. (Check out the museum online at http://www.mapsairmuseum.org/ )

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