Long’s Retreat Adventure Resort in Southern Ohio
The youngest adventurers will adore the closed in splash pad water park. A giant mushroom water shower and various other colorfully painted squirting toys prove that water safety can be fun and just as wet! It has been specifically constructed to prevent scrapes and scratches that are received from falls, and designed with small children’s attention spans in mind, and also paranoia of nervous parents.
The main swimming area has a sanded beach and a large wood dock with diving boards. Two large water slides gives the older children and adults that extra splash. Life guards are on duty to protect the well-being of all swimmers, including the dock bums. Security officers has the authority to ban from the beach those that might pose possible hazards to others, and history has proved it is not a bluff.
Snack food and drinks are available at the lake house in which guests must go through to get to the swimming area. This is where swimmers also recieve a hand stamp. The all-day pass for the waterslides is purchased down at the beach, and since most other business details are at the camp store, the huge air-conditioned space is usually not crowded.
Long’s Retreat is not only a great water park, it is a fun park as well. Go-Kart races gives everyone’s imagination a boost, when they drive a gas powered Kart through the twists and turns of the track. Little children are not left out of this fun time either. A simple track with electric Karts that has master kill switches is the perfect place to let your child run wild. Some Karts are designed to be drove by adults with the child riding shotgun. Some children prefer this, and some parents as well because small children are not permitted to ride with mom or dad on the fast Karts.
Miniature golf is a delight for the whole family, especially when the adults play worse than the children. There are easy to make shots as well as tricky ones, and special ‘traps’ give the game some sport. There is some maintenance that needs done to the ‘green’ carpet, and the course is littered with tree bark and twigs that fall from overhead.
There is also basketball, tennis, trampolines, gyroscope, arcade and horseshoes. All sporting equipment can be rented at the camp store. The camp store has essential items (like toothpaste/toothbrushes, charcoal, sun block, shirts and towels) at slightly inflated prices. This is a well stocked store and conveniently located between camping areas, playgrounds and the swimming area.
A large shelter house near the beach is open for all , not just camping guests, and grills are placed at random spots through the public area. Birds like to hang around to fetch scraps of bread from picnickers, but the occasional hungry squirrel can also be spotted.
Over three hundred camp sites to choose from. Acres of electric provided camping lots set aside for campers and also primitive lots for tents only. Lots are available for those that would rather make the vacation never ending. Public bathrooms and shower houses, separated for women and men, is dependably clean and well kept. Unfortunatly, the wall-lined sinks and mirrors do not provide any privacy for the smaller hygenic rituals. A laundry house is also available to campers and year-long residents.
Cabins are available, although the restrictions, like no hot water, no toilet and no pets, might make it worth while to camp in a tent. The deluxe cabins are a pretty sight, but amenities normally provided by other cabin rental dealers are not provided here. Deluxe cabins do have bathroom facilities and hot running water. If you are looking to pay high prices for a touch of home, I’m afraid what you might find is only high prices. Cabins also has no accommodations for wheelchairs and other walking equipment, and Long’s Retreat does not seem to have any future plans of such.
Security in the area is a priority concern for Longs Retreat. Security personnel is constantly patrolling the campgrounds and activity areas, enforcing safety and public nuisance laws. A security gate must be passed through to enter the camping grounds, and the gate is closed at night to prevent random problems from persons that are not guests.
The employees are not burdened with wildlife concerns, and in fact seem to be annoyed with anyone voicing conservationist opinions. In my opinion, this is the only con that Longs Retreat has. That and the fact that Longs Retreat will not accommodate ATVs or electric scooters from overnight disabled guests. This is not a problem for year-long residents, but for an overnight disabled guest requiring the use of electric scooter this could be a huge concern.
The 20 acre lake is well stocked with a variety of fish. Boat rental is also available. Canoes and paddle boats is a terrific way to get out in the fishes territory without causing noise and pollution. Gas powered boats are not permitted.
Other nearby commercial attractions include Rocky Fork Golf Course and Seven Caves. Rocky Fork lake, Woodland Alters, Serpent Mound and Paint Creek State Park are also close and deserves your attention. They are merely a short drive away from camping sites.
