Dear Honey Run Friends,
Today I had a rare lull in my schedule, so I took advantage of this perfect autumn day and walked the Holmes County Open Air Art Museum. I am proud of our achievements at The Inn at Honey Run, but I am oozing with pride about our Open Air Art Museum. It was just a little over a year ago that we opened the museum with the Haiku Walk, and we have been steadily growing with “The Face of the Nations” by Jan and Vince Bowden, “Being Time” by Katharine Marie, “Woven” by Walter Herrmann, and an upcoming sculpture piece by Cleveland artist Lauren Skunta of Elbowgrease Design. The joy I receive interacting with the artists during their creations and the joy I receive watching all of you discover their art is far more than I anticipated.
While enjoying my walk today, I felt like I was in New York City for the first time with my neck craned up staring at the giant steel structures, only I was not surrounded by the noise of traffic or a bustling city. The only sound I heard was the rustling of leaves. I was looking up between art installations, watching the tops of the trees swaying in the fall breeze with the dark, rich blue sky in the backdrop as fluffy white clouds entered and exited the scene floating by.
This museum trail has many memories for me. I remember just last summer hacking my way through the forest growth with a machete to mark the new trail. Next came my maintenance crew with a bobcat to carve the first visible trail. Then a neighbor of ours who owns an excavating company came and refined the trails for us, leveling them out and fixing the drainage to minimize trail washout. Finally, we laid 300 cubic yards (3 semi-truck loads) of mulch along the mile-and-a-half trail to finish the walking surface.
As I hiked the trail today I had moments of remembering this work last summer, and I love that our guests are experiencing new areas of our forest for the first time in our history. This museum is a work of love by all of us and the artists. As the Holmes County Open Air Art Museum grows I am excited to watch it take on its own identity and bring this new cultural experience to our guests and our community.
I hope you have the opportunity to come and experience the Holmes County Open Air Art Museum for yourself and see what our artists are creating. I promise that between the manmade art and natural beauty, you will not be disappointed.
Your proud Innkeeper and Curator,
Jason
Can you visit and walk the trails of the open air museum if you are not staying at The Inn At Honey Run ?
We will be in the area during the week of Oct 17th this year, and was wondering this. Is there a charge to walk the trails ?
Unfortunately, this time we are not able to stay at The Inn At Honey Run, but had the pleasure of staying there many years ago, and then again in 2014 in one of the fabulous Honeycomb rooms.
Your inn is a wonderful, unique, and relaxing place to stay. We thoroughly enjoy visiting Amish country yearly, yet it is always such a pleasure to leave the hustle and bustle of the main thoroughfare (Rt 39), and venture the back roads, along with a stay at your wonderful inn. We have highly recommended this place to many friends and family.
Looking forward to our annual trip to one of my favorite places to visit – Amish country in Ohio !! Keep up the good work !! Your inn is amazing, and I love your wonderful and heartfelt letters in your newsletter that we receive via email – thank you for posting such beautiful photography and writings. I look forward to reading each and every one of them !!
Hi Deb,
Thank you for the kind words! You are more than welcome to come enjoy our trails and the art museum at your leisure. Feel free to stop in at Tarragon if you need a beverage or a little food before or after, as well. We look forward to seeing you.