Hikes, Candles and Spa at the Inn at Cedar Falls

I woke up fairly early a bit confused. My morning wake up is always a look at the email on my IPhone and I stunned to find it not on my night table until I remembered where I was. I was in a cabin at the Inn at Cedar Falls with no cell phone or internet, but that was alright since we had some fun things to do.

My friend Lisa and I went up to the Inn's restaurant and helped ourselves to some yogurt and fruit (breakfast is included for all guests). The waitress tempted us with French Toast Stuffed with Raspberry Cream Cheese and we were glad she did. Next, we headed on a tour of the property with Stephanie.

Along the way we saw everything from a butterfly in one of the many flowers, to herb, vegetable and fruit gardens. The newest addition to the property is a Rooftop Garden, complete with a swing and a beautiful view of the Hocking Hills area. In addition to the cabins where we were staying, the property has 12 cottages and Inn accommodations. The cabins and cottages are prepared for everything from romantic rendezvous to family vacations (one cabin is pet-friendly, another is handicap accessible) and girls getaways, like the one we were on.

After the tour we were off to Cedar Falls for a hike. We were a bit limited since I'm still on no climbing orders from the doctors, but we had a nice walk and some beautiful views at Ash Cave, which even has a waterfall. From there we headed over to Hocking Hills Candle Works to meet Mike.

Mike and Judy opened up the Candle Shop, which now has an adjacent Christmas Store, as well as a Wind Chime Store. We were there to work with him to make our own candles. There were so many fragrances it was hard to choose. Since you can mix and match, I decided on gingerbread and coffee, a perfect combination for the kitchen.

With Mike's help, we went through the process of making a label, squeezing in the fragrance, pouring into the container with wax he had prepared and mixing it up. We left it with Mike to cool off. It is a lot of fun and something anyone can come to the shop and do.

We went back to the Inn at Cedar Falls for lunch. Everything on the menu sounded great, so Lisa and I settled on sharing two sandwiches -- Pressed Turkey with Pineapple & Swiss Cheese and Chicken Salad with Grapes. They were both good, but we agreed that the Turkey sandwich was incredible.

In the afternoon, I headed over to the Inn at Cedar Falls Spa for a Massage and Paraffin Hand Treatment. The spa is perfectly placed on a cottage in the woods, so you can relax with the quiet and calm scenery. Since I had just had a facial in Indianapolis I didn't get to try the spa's famous Paw Paw Facials. We would learn more about Paw Paws during the cooking lesson, but the Inn at Cedar Falls signature Paw Paw Facial is well-known for its properties as an exfoliator and firmer of the skin.

While I was at the spa, Lisa headed up for one of the longer hikes at Cedar Falls and made it all the way to the lake. She said it was beautiful and I look forward to checking it out myself when my back is better.

I didn't have too much time to enjoy the relaxation. We had a very special dinner planned at the Inn at Cedar Falls restaurant with Matt from Rockmill Brewery, but first we would have to learn how to make Paw Paw Crème Brulee.