Magical Earth Retreat in Hocking Hills offers ‘hobbit hole’ cabins

CREOLA, OH — These days, it’s easy to “feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread,” even for those not carrying a Ring of Power.

Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit who spoke those words to his wizard friend Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings” books and movies, had to visit the elves to recover.

Fortunately, modern travelers have Magical Earth Retreat (www.magicalearthretreat.com), a new lodging experience in the Hocking Hills that offers cabins designed to resemble the most luxurious of hobbit holes.

Schwarby family 

The project was put together by the Schwarby family, who own a commercial development company based in Florida. Family matriarch Karina Schwarby said the company was searching throughout the country for a site for its first vacation rental project, but never even considered Ohio.

“I thought it was all flat, like this,” she said, stretching out her palm.

Surprise.

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“I wanted to build in Montana, but my family said “We are an East Coast company.”

The Schwarbys eventually heard about the Hocking Hills through a relative in Cleveland.

After their first look, they were hooked.

“Our first visit (in 2018) was to Ash Cave,” Schwarby said.

 “We were stunned. My children said, “This is the place.””

Today, Magical Earth Retreat is about an eight-minute drive from Ash Cave, which I, too, consider the most magical natural feature in the Hocking Hills.

The family was already considering partially underground cabins, which are kept at a constant temperature by the earth around them, for reasons of economy and ecology, Schwarby said.

The Lord of the Rings inspiration

But the idea for the “hobbit hole” look arose from another family trip, she said.

“We went to New Zealand and saw the site where “The Lord of the Rings” was filmed,” Schwarby said. 

“That gave us even more inspiration. It was very magical.”

But even visitors who don’t know a hobbit from a Klingon will still likely enjoy the comfort and beauty of Magical Earth Retreat, which opened in the spring.

What to expect

Each of the site’s four individual cabins is set into the hillside, with plenty of light streaming in from the exposed side like a walk-out basement — or a hobbit hole.

Sleeping options range from a king bed with double bunk beds to a single queen.

Inside, each cabin is decorated with its own color scheme and fixtures, but each includes a kitchen area with range and matching retro-look mini fridge, microwave and Keurig coffee machine. (I know Bilbo didn’t have a microwave, but if he did it would look like this — trust me.)