Hocking Hills Comfort Food Cruise 2020

If there is one thing that Ohio’s Hocking Hills have in store for travelers and locals alike, it’s adventure — and sometimes, adventure is best served with an extra serving of mashed potatoes.

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The 7th annual Hocking Hills Comfort Food Cruise will be taking place over the course of three weekends in January: Jan. 11-12, Jan. 18-19 and Jan. 25-26.

A sure cure for the winter doldrums, the Cruise makes it easy for travelers to experience the region's inviting, casual restaurants.

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For $20, Comfort Food Cruise attendees will be able to get one comfort food item from each of the 15 restaurants. Five dollars of every ticket benefits local food pantries.

New this year, the newly-launched Comfort Food Trail Pass will help travelers and locals enjoy Hocking Hills' locally-owned restaurants year-round. The card possesses special offers at all Trail stops throughout 2020. For more information on the Comfort Food Trail Pass and to purchase tickets for the Comfort Food Cruise, visit ExploreHockingHills.com.

Reservations are not needed, but one ticket is required for each sample.

Although affording a tropical, sun-soaked cruise isn’t always an option this time of year, we’ll take gooey, homemade mac n’ cheese over a sunburn any day.

The menu and 2020 cruise destinations include:

• The Boot Grill: Baked Steak Sliders & Loaded Baked Potatoes

• Bush's Restaurant: Homemade Chili

• Hocking Hills Coffee Emporium: Carmel Pecan Cinnamon Roll or Apple Danish

• Hocking Hills Diner: Banana Bread French Toast

• Home Tavern: Sloppy Joe Slider and Cup of Soup

• Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls: Mixed Berry Cobbler

• M&M Family Diner: Vegetable Soup

• Mam's Rusted Skillet: Cheeseburger Slider & Homemade Chips

• Millstone Barbeque: Pulled Pork Sliders & Baked Beans

• Nelsonville Emporium Kitchen: Homemade Pretzel

• The Olde Dutch: Chicken & Noodles or Mashed Potatoes

• Pearl's Diner: Biscuits and Gravy

• Pizza Crossing: 8'' Pepperoni or Cheese Pizza

• The Ridge Inn Restaurant: Meatloaf

• Treehouse Treats & Treasures: Jr. Ice Cream Cone

In between stops — or after their Cruise — travelers are encouraged to immerse themselves in all of the beauty of the Hocking Hills and its experiences. They can work up an appetite or walk off a full stomach as they snap photos of Old Man’s Cave, the spot that legend says hermit Richard Rowe once called home. Visitors can also enjoy the area’s fresh air and spectacular winter landscape with a hike to Whispering Cave, Cedar Falls, Conkle’s Hollow or explore any of the area’s many other gorgeous natural features.

Located 40 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio, Hocking Hills offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences that make every day feel like Saturday, with plenty of admission FREE activities, including the new John Glenn Astronomy Park.

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The region boasts a wide variety of affordable lodging, from camping, cabins and cottages to hotels and inns. In addition to hiking trails, parks and forests, the Hocking Hills is the zipline capital of the Midwest, with 50 ziplines being offered via three distinct guide services. Stellar stargazing at the John Glenn Astronomy Park, unique galleries, gift and antique shops; canoeing; horseback riding; birding; fishing; spas and more add to the allure of the Hocking Hills as the perfect place to unplug.