In their own words...
The Ridges, the beautiful

By Pablo Pavlov

I came to Athens from rural Kentucky. Not that I am very rural or very "Kentucky" myself. Originally I am from a big and cold country with large but sparse cities and small, but still sparse villages. After rural Kentucky, however, Athens seemed big. So, while some of my friends complained about the size of Athens, I was quite happy about my new life until I discovered there was little to do uptown.

It took me some time to discover The Ridges. The first time I heard about it was when someone told me about a wedding proposal there. Apparently, The Ridges was the place to do it. Later I was informed by another person it was haunted by various ghosts and spirits. This made me wonder about the guy who chose this place to propose to his girlfriend. Finally, I learned that The Ridges used to be a mental hospital for many years, that it now belongs to Ohio University. With all these different and sometimes incompatible accounts from seemingly trustworthy sources (my own friends!), I had to go and check it out myself. I had to have the first-hand experience.

It was great! I was very pleasantly surprised. To tell you the truth, I'd really like to keep all of what I experienced there to myself, because the place is so awesome and so quiet that to advertise it would be self-defeating.

It's hard to believe that 30-40 years ago what is now a serene park was full of life and activity, albeit mentally handicapped. From the beginning of the century the Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center used to be [right!] a dairy barn that daily provided every hospital patient with a pint of fresh milk. A pigsty and a poultry farm also had existed since the early 1900s. In 1963 the hospital got its own beef cattle herd.

Walking the roads and the trails in The Ridges, it is not too difficult to notice some things from the past: a large rusted barrel near the intersection of two gravel roads, remnants of the foundation of some building deep in the woods near the high ropes course, patches of bricks here and there that used to be a brick road. It is very easy to see some new developments as well, like the University Courtyard apartment complex.

The Ridges is best during sunrises and sunsets, especially on cloudy days or when the sky is a little hazy. Winter is as good as summer to go for a walk in The Ridges. In fact, winter evenings are often more dramatic, because the trees stand barren and the skies are clear. The cold time of the year is the best time to reveal all the beautiful shapes of nature.

Realistically, though, there is not one season when the park isn't pretty. Ohio, as many other central and midwestern states, is known for its autumn colors: red, green and yellow.

Having visited The Ridges, you will be able to say with all honesty that Athens is pretty and that Athens County deserves to represent the rest of southeastern Ohio. I don't know if the state can get much prettier than The Ridges.

So, next time, get out of your car or off your bike and go to The Ridges for a hike or a proposal. But shhhhhh, don't tell anyone else.

Pablo Pavlov is a graduate student from Russia in the International Studies program.