Gramping: One Ohio Inn’s Brilliant Idea for Boomers and Grandkids

Here’s an idea I love (complete with a great name):

“Gramping.”

Gramping comes courtesy of the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls, located a half mile above Hocking Hills’ scenic Cedar Falls in southeastern Ohio, about an hour and a half from Columbus.

Boomers relax in a hammock at the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls. Photo from Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls.

While the Hocking Hills is a popular family camping area, boomer grandparents who travel with their adult children and grandkids may not be as keen on sleeping in tents as are the younger generations.

This is where the Inn & Spa at Cedar falls comes to the rescue with…gramping.

The inn happens to be near Old Man’s Cave Campground, where the younger folks can pitch their tents. After a day’s hiking in the forests, canoeing and exploring the area’s waterfalls, caves and rock formations, the entire family can have dinner at the inn, then move to a nearby campfire for s’mores, with fixings provided by the inn.

The inn’s chef will also prepare picnic lunches to eat on the trail, or family members can gather for lunch on the inn’s patio.

The best part: the boomer grandparents can retire at the end of the evening to a comfortable bed in the inn, while the younger generations crawl into their sleeping bags back at the campsite.

All three generations get to experience an outdoor getaway and camping trip, but the boomers get to awake refreshed in the morning without that telltale “why-did-I-just-sleep-in-a-tent?” backache.

That’s practically the definition of a multigenerational win-win.

And yes, multigenerational travel is big: according to recent surveys, about two-thirds of grandparents travel at times with their grandchildren, while four-fifths have their grandchildren with them for at least part of their summer vacation. (See my previous post on boomers traveling with their children.)

The Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls has figured that out and come up with a clever way to appeal to leading-edge boomers, especially, who want to have their “cake” (enjoying an outing with their children and grandchildren) without the ache.

Kudos to them.

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