Some properties take a season to understand. This one announces itself immediately.
Standing beneath the 32-foot cathedral ceiling of the main gathering space, white oak beams overhead, a two-sided hand-cut stone fireplace to one side, the private lake visible through floor-to-ceiling glass, what registers first is not scale. It is intention. Every decision made in this building was made deliberately, by craftsmen who understood that the work they were doing would outlast them.
The Timber Frame Lodge at 16012 State Route 678 in Rockbridge, Ohio is not a house that became a hospitality property. It is a purpose-built structure on 60+/- acres in the heart of Hocking Hills, Ohio's most-visited state park region, designed from the beginning for something larger than a single family and a single season. It has been active as a short-term rental and event venue since late 2023. The infrastructure is in place. The land is waiting.
$5,000,000.
The Build
The lodge took two years to complete. Framed by master Amish craftsmen, the structural system is white oak, hand-hewn, mortise-and-tenon joinery, the kind of construction that does not require maintenance so much as it rewards patience. The visible beams are not decorative. They are the building.
SIP wall panels provide the thermal envelope. A 50-year steel roof sits above. WarmBoard radiant heat runs throughout all three finished levels. The cabinetry is maple. The doors are quarter-sawn. The fireplace is hand-cut stone. The poplar-lined ceilings carry the warmth of the timber frame into every corner of the interior.
At 13,800 SF across three levels, this is not a lodge that feels large. It feels considered. The scale serves the use, and the use, thirty overnight guests, a full event program, a kitchen built for production, demanded exactly this scale.
The Layout
Main Level
The great room anchors the main level, cathedral ceiling, stone fireplace, wide-plank white oak floors, and views across the private lake through walls of glass. Adjacent to the great room, the full commercial kitchen is built for volume: professional-grade appliances, prep space, and a large dining area capable of handling an event at full capacity without the kitchen becoming the bottleneck.
Two primary en-suite bedrooms are on this level, each with private bath and separation from the main gathering areas. Two laundry facilities and two half baths complete the main floor, the kind of practical infrastructure that becomes essential when a house is operating at full occupancy.
Upper Level
The upper level holds two additional en-suite bedrooms and a sitting room overlooking the great room below. The views from this level are cathedral and cinematic, looking down into the timber frame structure from above, the full ambition of what was built here becomes clear.
Lower Level
The lower level operates as a self-contained wing. Two full apartments, each with a full kitchens, provide genuine separation for guests, extended family, or income-producing units. A safe room, utility and storage space, worker bath, and garage entrance complete the level. A six-bay garage is accessible from this floor.
Above the Garages
Two additional full apartments with full kitchens and laundry sit above the garage bays, the fourth category of accommodation in a property designed to handle multiple simultaneous uses without anyone feeling crowded.
The Land
The lodge sits on 60+/- acres of mature Hocking Hills timberland with a newly cut trail system that moves through the canopy in every direction. A private 1/3-mile lane separates the property from the road before you arrive.
The property borders Ohio State Forest on one side, a boundary that cannot be developed, cannot be sold to a neighbor, and cannot change. That kind of adjacency is not something that can be negotiated into a site after the fact.
The 3/4-acre private lake sits below the lodge, accessible by stone terracing and two ceremony decks. A 40-50 car gravel parking lot and the six-bay garage handle the operational requirements of a property running events and multi-family occupancy simultaneously.
The site supports 20 to 50 additional outdoor hospitality units, cabins, glamping structures, or a branded retreat campus, with full privacy spacing across the remaining acreage. Additional land within the owner's broader landholding may be available to the right buyer.
The Market
Hocking Hills draws more than four million visitors annually. It is Ohio's number one tourist destination, ranked by U.S. News and World Report, and the region's large-group and luxury lodging tier is materially undersupplied. Fewer than 5% of regional short-term rentals operate at this scale.
The lodge is 55 minutes from Columbus, home to 2.1 million people. It is 2.5 hours from Cincinnati and 3 hours from Cleveland, with no fly-in dependency. The drive market is one of the largest and most affluent in the Midwest, and the region it serves has no comparable property at this price point.
The lodge has been operational since late 2023. It is generating revenue. The expansion land has not been touched.
Who This Is For
Not every buyer will recognize what they are looking at here. The right one will know immediately.
They have operated hospitality assets before, or they have the vision and the resources to build a first one that does not require compromise. They understand that the hardest part of developing a premium outdoor hospitality property is not the cabins. It is the anchor. The infrastructure. The anchor lodge that sets the tone for everything that follows. That work is done here.
They may be a Smoky Mountains or Blue Ridge operator who has watched their market saturate and is looking at Ohio's version of where those markets were fifteen years ago. They may be a family office or a private investor seeking a legacy asset in a supply-constrained market with durable demand. They may be an organization seeking a purpose-built corporate retreat campus less than an hour from Columbus. They may be a family with the means and the intention to build something that multiple generations will return to.
What they share is a recognition that the craftsmanship here, the white oak frame, the hand-cut stone, the two years of construction, is not replicable at this price. And that the land around it represents an opportunity that does not come available twice.
The Details
13,800 SF. Three finished levels. Four primary en-suite bedrooms. Four apartment-style suites. Six-bay garage. 60+/- acres. Private 3/4-acre stocked lake with stone terracing and two cdecks. Newly cut trail system. Private 1/3-mile approach lane. 40-50 car gravel parking lot. WarmBoard radiant heat throughout. 50-year steel roof. SIP wall construction. Amish white oak timber frame. Two-sided hand-cut stone fireplace. 32-foot cathedral ceilings. Maple cabinetry. Quarter-sawn doors. Poplar-lined ceilings. Active STR and event bookings since late 2023.
Asking $5,000,000 for the lodge, fully furnished, and 60+/- acres. Full listing information: Amish Timber Frame Lodge for Sale | 13,800 SF on 60 Acres in Hocking Hills, Ohio
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Is This Property Located?
16012 State Route 678, Rockbridge, Ohio 43149. Laurel Township, Hocking County. Less than five miles from Hocking Hills State Park. 55 minutes from Columbus, 2.5 hours from Cincinnati, 3 hours from Cleveland.
What Is Hocking Hills and Why Does the Market Matter?
Hocking Hills is Ohio's number one tourist destination, drawing more than four million visitors annually to its state parks, waterfalls, and natural rock formations. The large-group and luxury lodging tier is materially undersupplied in this region. Fewer than 5% of regional short-term rentals operate at this scale, which means meaningful competitive separation for a property positioned and built at this level.
What Is Included in the Asking Price?
The fully furnished lodge, the 60+/- acres, and all existing infrastructure, the private lake, the newly cut trail system, the parking lot, the six-bay garage, and the private lane. The property is currently operating as a short-term rental and event venue.
What Is Amish Timber Frame Construction?
The structural system is hand-hewn white oak, framed by master Amish craftsmen using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery. This type of construction is not replicated by modern production methods. The beams visible throughout the interior are structural. They are the building. The frame is designed to last generations without replacement.
What Is the Development Potential of the Land?
The 60+/- acres support 20 to 50 additional outdoor hospitality units, cabins, glamping structures, or a branded retreat campus, with full privacy spacing. The existing lodge infrastructure serves as the anchor amenity for any expansion. Additional acreage within the owner's broader landholding may be available to the right buyer for a larger campus conversation.
Is This Property Suitable as a Private Family Estate or Corporate Retreat?
Yes to both. The property was purpose-built for scale and flexibility rather than single-family residential use, but the quality of finish, the privacy, and the separation of the layout support private ownership and multigenerational use at the same level as they support a commercial operation. For organizations seeking a purpose-built corporate retreat campus within an hour of Columbus, the infrastructure, capacity, and setting are purpose-matched. The four primary en-suite bedrooms, four apartment suites, and full commercial kitchen were designed to accommodate large groups at the same standard as a premium hospitality property.
How Is This Property Represented and Shown?
All prospective buyers are pre-qualified prior to scheduling a showing. Every showing is attended by the listing agent to ensure the property is presented accurately and comprehensively. Inquiries are handled with discretion. To arrange a conversation about this property or to schedule a private showing, contact the Ludwig Real Estate Group directly.
