Malabar Farm State Park, 30 miles northeast of Millersburg in Lucas, preserves the home and farm of author Louis Bromfield, winner of the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for his novel "Early Autumn." Bromfield devoted his later life to soil conservation at his farm. The park offers tours of the author's 32-room mansion, as well as wagon tours of the grounds. The park has a campground with 15 sites. No hookups are available, but sites have fire rings, picnic tables, drinking water and latrines. Equestrian camping is also available.
Portage Lakes State Park, 40 miles northeast of Millersburg near Akron, has eight lakes covering more than 2,000 acres. The park's wetlands are home to waterfowl and shore birds, which attract bird-watchers. Activities at the park center on the lakes, which have facilities for swimming, fishing and boating. Each lake has a launch ramp. The park's campground has six sites with electric hookups and 68 non-electric sites. The campground has vault latrines, a dump station, a basketball court, horseshoe pits and a playground. A boat camping area is also available. Pets are allowed at all sites.
At Dillon State Park, 55 miles southwest of Millersburg in Nashport, hardwood forests surround Dillon Reservoir, which provides opportunities for fishing, boating and swimming. The park's wooded hills are home to hiking, bridle and multi-use trails, and seven picnic areas with tables and grills are located in scenic areas around the park. The Dillon campground has sites with electrical hookups, showers, flush toilets and a dump station. Amenities include wireless Internet, a camp store and laundry facilities. The park also has a youth group camp as well as non-electric equestrian campsites.
Buckeye Lake, Ohio's oldest state park, is 77 miles southwest of Millersburg on the south side of Interstate 70, just outside Amish Country. The lake, constructed as a canal feeder lake in 1826, is now a recreation area for swimming, fishing, boating and water skiing. The park has three swimming beaches, nine launch ramps and a playground. Four picnic areas with tables and grills overlook the lake. Two sites are available for boat camping, but no other camping is permitted in the park.
