LOUDONVILLE — A lot has changed along State Route 3 south of town since the Mohican Area emerged in 1961 as the canoeing capital of Ohio — but not at a pace seen in the past two years.
With the completion of three ambitious projects, the campground and livery corridor between Mohican Adventures Fun Center and Route 97 has a whole new look and feel.
Mohican Adventures started it all in April 2025, opening its new camp store and registration building — which made a bold architectural statement with its commanding presence and drive-through canopy, where campers can register in comfort regardless of the weather.
Four months later, Mohican State Park opened its new Visitor Center, providing a welcoming space for campers and park visitors.
River Run completed the renaissance at the beginning of the 2026 season with a vastly renovated canoe livery building topped off with signage that projects a more dignified image.
Also contributing to the overall look and feel is what’s no longer there — the Hanover Township meetinghouse.
Most tourists probably haven’t noticed the absence of the small, white structure that once stood between the Mohican State Park entrance and River Run Canoe Livery.
A driving mishap on a snowy night last winter compromised the integrity of the wood frame building. A tiny but significant piece of Mohican Country history, it was unceremoniously demolished in April 2026.
Mohican Adventures – from humble canoe livery to sprawling recreation complex
Mohican Adventures traces its roots directly to Loudonville becoming the canoeing capital of Ohio 65 years ago.
The original owners established Mohican Canoe Livery on the east side of State Route 3, later adding a campground on the west side. The name was changed to a more comprehensive Mohican Adventures.
Over the winter of 2024-2025, Mohican Adventures replaced its humble camper registration building with a combination welcome center/camp store offering a wide variety of camping supplies, gear for river outings, clothing and anything vacationers might need — or want.
vehicles. Credit: Irv Oslin
“The store features river and camping equipment, stuff people typically forget when they come camping,” camp office manager Lexi Swainhart said.
Going into the second year of operation, Mohican Adventures expanded the inventory.
“It’s been a learning curve, figuring out what to stock over last year and this year,” Swinehart said. “We’ve been able to expand our line of clothing and that’s been one of the biggest things.”
Mohican Adventures made the shelving and display racks in-house, giving the showroom a rustic feel.
Incoming campers pull in under a big canopy — regardless of whether they arrive in a massive RV or a VW Beetle — and register from the comfort of their vehicles.
“We started using outside check-in in 2020 because of the pandemic and decided we liked it,” Swainhart said. “Now we try to do all outside check-in. It’s faster.”
State park Visitor Center reflects Mohican’s history and natural attractions
“The Visitor Center was built to showcase what there is to do in the area, the history, flora and fauna and recreation,” said Mohican State Park Manager Jenny Roar. “At the end of the day, it captures Mohican really well.”
Located outside the campground gates, the center officially opened in August 2025.
Judging from the steady stream of visitors on a recent summer afternoon, she was right. Among them were campers, bicyclists, hikers and motorists who had been driving along State Route 3 and noticed the bright new building nestled in a colorful landscape of flowering pollinator plants.
Campers with children in tow — and older children who came from the campground on their own — wandered through the small museum-like lobby perusing the exhibits or trying out hands-on displays.
In a play area, children rummaged through a mockup RV and campsite playset. Some colored pictures of flora and fauna, placed them on a scanner bed and watched on a large screen as their artwork fluttered, flew or swam across a large, animated screen depicting an aquatic habitat.
Adults relaxed on sofas and chairs in a spacious lounge area. Some took advantage of the high-speed internet to connect to the outside world. This space features an electronically controlled through-the-wall fireplace, which can also be accessed outside on a veranda that wraps around the southeast corner of the building.
(The lounge area — inside and out — is conducive to writing. The initial drafts and final version of this article were written there.)
Roar was pleasantly surprised to see how well-received the Visitor Center has been, not just during summer months but year round.
“It was busier than I thought it would be in the wintertime,” she said. “We get hikers, mountain bikers and other day-use visitors. Anytime there’s a nice day, people come in.”
That also seems to be the case on rainy days.
And, of course, there are those who just stop by to use the restrooms. Artwork in the vestibule entices them to come inside and explore further.
Administrative professional Lindsey Burnett, whose office is inside the Visitor Center, curated the artwork and, in some cases, created it. She considers her job a labor of love.
A small store inside the Visitor Center offers artwork, books, hiking sticks and other park-related items.
From River Rat to River Run – livery upgrades and an enhanced image
Back in the day — and under previous ownership — River Run Canoe Livery became a Mohican landmark by virtue of its large River Rat sign. It depicted a cartoon rat, an image inconsistent with the look that livery and campground owners strive for these days.
The canoe livery and small campground previously operated under various ownership as Mohican Valley Camp & Canoe. Rick Osborne, owner of River Run Campground and Canoe Livery across the river on Wally Road, acquired the property to give his operations a presence on the commercial strip along State Route 3.
The Osborne family built their business by following the examples of Mohican’s more successful and well-run campgrounds and liveries. That involved constant upgrades, which culminated this season with a total renovation of the canoe livery on State Route 3 and new signage there and on Wally Road.
“I wanted the sign design to pop,” Osborne said.
Not just to get visitors’ attention but to reinforce a visual connection among River Run’s livery operations and campground.
A portion of the original livery building on State Route 3 had served as a residence for previous owners. With the renovations, some of that space was converted to offices and an employee break room. An addition, which was built during the off-season, created a more inviting and open space where guests can congregate and register for river trips.
Rick’s son, Joey Osborne, decided that an old pavilion at the site had to go and more technology added — including electronic screens inside displaying river trips available, prices and other information.
“I’m about nuts and bolts, nails and boards; Joey’s about the tech,” Rick Osborne said.
The Osbornes also cleaned up the landscape behind the livery building, giving customers an appealing view of the river as they register for paddling trips.
Township meetinghouse predated Mohican’s rise as a tourism mecca
As the 2026 tourism season got underway, it all came together — with River Run completing the renaissance of Mohican’s commercial strip. The only thing missing was something few if any will miss — the old Hanover Township meetinghouse.
Township records indicate the meetinghouse might have been built elsewhere and moved in the early 1940s to a lot across from what would become Mohican State Park. In addition to housing meetings and township records, the one-room wooden structure once served as a polling place for Hanover Township residents.
Calling it a one-room structure isn’t entirely accurate. An addition at the back, which most passersby probably mistook for a tool shed, was actually an attached outhouse.
“I don’t recall anyone ever having used it,” said Rita Henley, former Hanover Township fiscal officer.
The township now does its business — its official business, that is — at a garage facility on County Road 3374.
In 1965, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources purchased the land across the road from the main campground on State Route 3. That included the parcel occupied by the township house.
Roar said the vacated lot will be left to return to its natural state. A significant gesture given the origins of Mohican recreation and tourism nearly a century ago — when the state began buying up eroded and depleted farmland to create a park.
