ANDOVER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Pymatuning State Park in Ashtabula County unveiled 10 brand new one-bedroom cabins as part of a $17.5 million investment — the largest made this year to a state park in Northeast Ohio.
The modern cabins replaced cabins dating back to the 1960s.
"It's like night and day," neighbor Kerry Michalism said. "It is absolutely gorgeous in there."
The new cabins feature a tiny house-style design with amenities such as heating and air conditioning.
"Time had not treated [the old cabins] well," Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said. "They had lots of visitors and were very popular and had worn down to a point where we needed a brand new refresh with heating and air conditioning that they did not have before."
The $17.5 million investment includes the 10 new one-bedroom cabins, scheduled renovations to five existing two-bedroom cabins, a new wastewater treatment plant and associated infrastructure replacement and water system improvements, as well as electrical upgrades.
"What we see is our visitor expectations are going up all the time," Mertz said.
Ashtabula County Commissioner Casey Kozlowski emphasized the park's economic importance to the county's $500 million tourism industry, attracting hunters, fishermen and other visitors seeking outdoor recreation.
"Pymatuning State Park is incredibly popular — you'd be surprised," Kozlowski said. "We know these cabins will be a very welcome addition to our county and folks will come not only from our region but probably all over the country and we're very excited about that."
Additional cabin demolitions and replacements are scheduled to begin next year.
The new cabins are available for booking at $150 per night.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
