December 8, 2025 • 10 mins
Malabar Farm State Park is an historic farm, and former home to Louis Bromfield. Visit the park during the holiday season to visit the historic home all decked out in its holiday best.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Missy Rentz (00:00):
As we celebrate winter in the parks, today we
are visiting Malabar Farm StatePark in Ohio.
I'm thrilled to welcome HannahGilbert.
Hannah is a naturalist atMalabar Farm State Park.
Hannah, welcome to The ParksPodcast.
Hannah Gilbert (00:14):
Hi.
It's nice to be here.
I'm so to talk about Malabar andmy experience.
Missy Rentz (00:19):
I am too.
Ohio Department of NaturalResources is hosting.
A ton of events throughout thestate and you all at Malabar
Farm State Park, which you're inbetween Cleveland and Columbus,
just for people to, think aboutthe shape of Ohio and Columbus
is in the center and Clevelandis in the Northeast, and you're
(00:39):
smack dab in the middle there.
Can you tell us a little bitabout Malabar Farms?
Hannah Gilbert (00:45):
Yeah, absolutely.
So first off, I just wannapreface this with, I absolutely
stink and love this place.
I grew up here, my family'sfirst family photos as me were
here at Malabar Farm and I'vegone to every single Heritage
Days festival since I was born.
So I know this place and I'm sofortunate to work here and do
(01:07):
this kind of stuff.
It's so special to me.
It holds such a special spot inmy little heart and I am so
happy every time I'm here.
There's so many things thathappened here that you would go,
what, when I tell you about'em.
We're the only state park that'sa farm, which is crazy.
So the whole state of Ohio,we're the only one that's a
farm.
(01:28):
So way back in 1939, there was avery famous author named Louis
Bromfield and he is actually aMansfield High graduate that's
our high school around here.
And he went off to do incrediblethings.
He was pretty good friends withErnest Hemingway and his wife
(01:48):
and just famous author, wrotesome really incredible books
that focused on the strongcentral women to his stories.
One of the most famous ones thatactually got turned into a
movie, it was called The Reigns,came.
And he took his proceeds fromthat movie to buy the three
farms that now make up MalabarFarm and build the big house and
(02:11):
move his entire family back fromFrance where they lived in the
1920s back here to Malabar Farmto pursue his other passion of
conservation, taking from natureto then pump into a farm in like
a holistic way almost, andbrought back the nutrients that
(02:33):
is the soil here in RichlandCounty, which is pretty cool.
Missy Rentz (02:36):
Yeah, he was pretty amazing and ahead of his time
and it's really great that Ohiohas been able to take this
property and have it to featureas part of its Ohio history.
So I really love that.
Now the holiday season is comingup and I think winter is an
amazing time to visit parks, notonly because incredible things
(03:01):
happen in nature in winter, andthat whole hibernating, growing,
preparing for another season.
And I find that parks forholidays and Winter are really
good at creating programs thatmake it easy for people to
experience a park in the winter.
What are you doing at MalabarFarm this holiday season?
Hannah Gilbert (03:24):
Oh man.
So we do the Christmascandlelight tours, which is the
best time to experience the parkfor the first time.
Experience the big house for thefirst time.
So the big house, it's 32 rooms.
It's huge.
Everything inside is original,furniture, wallpaper, paint
Missy Rentz (03:46):
That was his home.
Hannah Gilbert (03:47):
the, that was His home.
Yep.
Him and his wife and his kids.
They lived there from 1939 untilhis passing in the fifties.
Missy Rentz (03:55):
Wow.
Hannah Gilbert (03:55):
It's a beautiful place.
It's original.
The fireplace still works andit's decked head to toe in
Christmas decor.
There's like a Christmas tree inevery room.
And then we have volunteers andemployees like me and people who
are passionate about the localhistory and about Bromfield and
his friends and his Hollywood'sconnections stationed in all of
(04:17):
the rooms.
So you get to walk through atyour own pace.
You get to look at everything onthe walls and on the bookshelves
and read the little snippets,but also ask questions and have
really cool conversations withthose volunteers and those
employees that are stationed ineach room.
Missy Rentz (04:34):
That's very cool.
Else is happening there in thepark?
Hannah Gilbert (04:38):
So we are open from dawn to dusk every day
since we are a state park.
And we do have all three trailsare for the most part open.
They get checked here and thereto make sure that we don't have
any trees down from any winterstorms.
Come to the visitor center, sayhi to Poncho, our pet parrot.
Visit the gift shop and getyourself some homemade fudge,
(05:00):
and then take a walk around thepark and it just enjoy the
crisp, fresh smelling snow asyou're walking around.
Missy Rentz (05:08):
When are the tours taking place?
Hannah Gilbert (05:11):
So every December they're the first two
weekends and Friday andSaturdays they are from 5 to
8:00 PM and then on Sundaysthey're from 1-4 pm.
And you buy a ticket here in thevisitor's center for six bucks
and walk yourself down the laneto the big house and wander on
through.
Missy Rentz (05:28):
So this is going to air on Monday after the first
weekend.
So you have one more weekendthis year to see it and check it
out.
Make sure you go.
Get all of your informationeither at Malabar Farm website
or The Parks Podcast has aschedule and a link to their
website so you can find itthere.
Now beyond Malabar Farm, OhioState has a lot of things going
(05:52):
on.
Anything that you can featurejust broadly if you're not in
this part of Ohio, but broadlyin Ohio, that people can take
advantage of.
Hannah Gilbert (06:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
So a few events that I we'repicking around at and exploring
were the holiday family movienight, and dinner special at the
Burr Oak Lodge.
They have several days of this,so keep an eye on the ODNR
calendar for those.
And then we have the lodge atGeneva has a Christmas Eve
(06:22):
dinner and Maumee Bay, uptowards the lake, has a winter
carnival in their ballroom rightafter Christmas.
And then I can't leave outMohican Lodge, which is just
around the corner from here atfrom us here at Malabar.
They have breakfast with Santaevery Saturday and Sunday
morning up until Christmas.
So lots to do.
Missy Rentz (06:42):
Lots too.
Ohio is so unique becausethey're park, they have their
parks, but then lots of theirparks have these stunning lodges
in them where you can go canstay, and a lot of'em have
activities.
And so one of the things I lovedin researching what was going on
in Ohio is that there'severything from, candle lit
stuff or lights to, hikingevents.
(07:04):
There's just a lot happening inthe state, and if you go to the
parks podcast.com or thisepisode page, you can link back
to Ohio's Parks and theirwebsite and you can see all of
the events that are happeningthere.
It's a great time to visit Parksin Ohio.
After the holidays afterChristmas, everybody's Christmas
(07:26):
out and there's, they'rethinking, what are they doing
for the new year?
And one of the things that stateparks across the country are
doing is First Day Hike, andit's been going on for quite a
few years now.
What are the first day hikeactivities in Ohio?
Hannah Gilbert (07:42):
So quite a few parks are doing first day hikes,
literally on January 1st.
So we definitely check out theODNR for those specific parks I
am actually traveling down toHawking Hills State Park and
there.
Winter hike series is gonna beon January 17th.
So I'm very excited to traveldown there to a different park
(08:03):
in a different quadrant of thestate and participate in some
pretty killer winter hikes.
Hopefully it's snowing.
Missy Rentz (08:10):
And that's the other thing that, a lot of parks
are doing their first day hike.
But you all have an entirewinter hike series that takes
place at parks throughout Ohio,throughout the winter, and they
all have different themes ordifferent things they're looking
at.
Visit the Ohio Department ofNatural Resource website, and
you can get a list of those, oragain, they're on
(08:32):
TheParksPodcast.com.
Hannah Gilbert (08:34):
Yeah, they're really cool.
And for people who are thinking,oh, it's cold, it's snowy.
Do I really wanna be out hiking?
In this kind of crazy weather.
Yes, absolutely.
Just go try it.
It's such a different, uniqueway to experience nature and
(08:55):
experience the quiet, subtle,soft parts of winter in Ohio and
the snow.
And yes, you'll have chillycheeks, but you'll have a very
full heart.
Missy Rentz (09:08):
Hannah, what's the best way for people to learn
about this holiday event andupcoming events at Malabar Farm?
Hannah Gilbert (09:16):
So I love to direct people to our Facebook
page because we have a fewpeople here that are attached to
it and can give updates on ifhikes are canceled, what the
weather's looking and the stuffyou would need to do to.
Participate in anything here atthe farm.
So I highly recommend checkingout Malabar Farm State Park
Facebook page.
(09:37):
And then we do keep our calendarupdated on the ODNR website.
And if you have more questions,even after looking at those two
resources, you can always gimmea call here and we'll try to
answer'em for you.
Missy Rentz (09:50):
Fantastic.
I'll put links to all of thoseon the episode page.
Hannah, I am so happy to meetyou.
I love learning about MalabarFarms State Park.
I think that the tours of thebig house seem amazing.
If you are in the Ohio area,check out Malabar Farm State
Park this holiday season, or anyof Ohio's parks and lodges.
(10:14):
Hannah, thanks so much forsharing all this information
with us.
Hannah Gilbert (10:17):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having meon.
I am just bursting with thisexcitement to tell someone about
my story here at Malabar andcome see me sometime.
Missy Rentz (10:27):
I love it.
Thank you.
Happy holidays to you and happyholidays to all of you
listening.
Until next time, we'll see youin the parks.
Thanks for listening.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please be sure to like and share
on your favorite podcastplatform.
Music for the parks podcast isperformed and produced by Porter
Hardy.
For more information, pleasefollow us at The Parks Podcast.
(10:50):
Or visit our website atTheParksPodcast.com.
As we celebrate winter in the parks, today we
are visiting Malabar Farm StatePark in Ohio.
I'm thrilled to welcome HannahGilbert.
Hannah is a naturalist atMalabar Farm State Park.
Hannah, welcome to The ParksPodcast.
Hannah Gilbert (00:14):
Hi.
It's nice to be here.
I'm so to talk about Malabar andmy experience.
Missy Rentz (00:19):
I am too.
Ohio Department of NaturalResources is hosting.
A ton of events throughout thestate and you all at Malabar
Farm State Park, which you're inbetween Cleveland and Columbus,
just for people to, think aboutthe shape of Ohio and Columbus
is in the center and Clevelandis in the Northeast, and you're
(00:39):
smack dab in the middle there.
Can you tell us a little bitabout Malabar Farms?
Hannah Gilbert (00:45):
Yeah, absolutely.
So first off, I just wannapreface this with, I absolutely
stink and love this place.
I grew up here, my family'sfirst family photos as me were
here at Malabar Farm and I'vegone to every single Heritage
Days festival since I was born.
So I know this place and I'm sofortunate to work here and do
(01:07):
this kind of stuff.
It's so special to me.
It holds such a special spot inmy little heart and I am so
happy every time I'm here.
There's so many things thathappened here that you would go,
what, when I tell you about'em.
We're the only state park that'sa farm, which is crazy.
So the whole state of Ohio,we're the only one that's a
farm.
(01:28):
So way back in 1939, there was avery famous author named Louis
Bromfield and he is actually aMansfield High graduate that's
our high school around here.
And he went off to do incrediblethings.
He was pretty good friends withErnest Hemingway and his wife
(01:48):
and just famous author, wrotesome really incredible books
that focused on the strongcentral women to his stories.
One of the most famous ones thatactually got turned into a
movie, it was called The Reigns,came.
And he took his proceeds fromthat movie to buy the three
farms that now make up MalabarFarm and build the big house and
(02:11):
move his entire family back fromFrance where they lived in the
1920s back here to Malabar Farmto pursue his other passion of
conservation, taking from natureto then pump into a farm in like
a holistic way almost, andbrought back the nutrients that
(02:33):
is the soil here in RichlandCounty, which is pretty cool.
Missy Rentz (02:36):
Yeah, he was pretty amazing and ahead of his time
and it's really great that Ohiohas been able to take this
property and have it to featureas part of its Ohio history.
So I really love that.
Now the holiday season is comingup and I think winter is an
amazing time to visit parks, notonly because incredible things
(03:01):
happen in nature in winter, andthat whole hibernating, growing,
preparing for another season.
And I find that parks forholidays and Winter are really
good at creating programs thatmake it easy for people to
experience a park in the winter.
What are you doing at MalabarFarm this holiday season?
Hannah Gilbert (03:24):
Oh man.
So we do the Christmascandlelight tours, which is the
best time to experience the parkfor the first time.
Experience the big house for thefirst time.
So the big house, it's 32 rooms.
It's huge.
Everything inside is original,furniture, wallpaper, paint
Missy Rentz (03:46):
That was his home.
Hannah Gilbert (03:47):
the, that was His home.
Yep.
Him and his wife and his kids.
They lived there from 1939 untilhis passing in the fifties.
Missy Rentz (03:55):
Wow.
Hannah Gilbert (03:55):
It's a beautiful place.
It's original.
The fireplace still works andit's decked head to toe in
Christmas decor.
There's like a Christmas tree inevery room.
And then we have volunteers andemployees like me and people who
are passionate about the localhistory and about Bromfield and
his friends and his Hollywood'sconnections stationed in all of
(04:17):
the rooms.
So you get to walk through atyour own pace.
You get to look at everything onthe walls and on the bookshelves
and read the little snippets,but also ask questions and have
really cool conversations withthose volunteers and those
employees that are stationed ineach room.
Missy Rentz (04:34):
That's very cool.
Else is happening there in thepark?
Hannah Gilbert (04:38):
So we are open from dawn to dusk every day
since we are a state park.
And we do have all three trailsare for the most part open.
They get checked here and thereto make sure that we don't have
any trees down from any winterstorms.
Come to the visitor center, sayhi to Poncho, our pet parrot.
Visit the gift shop and getyourself some homemade fudge,
(05:00):
and then take a walk around thepark and it just enjoy the
crisp, fresh smelling snow asyou're walking around.
Missy Rentz (05:08):
When are the tours taking place?
Hannah Gilbert (05:11):
So every December they're the first two
weekends and Friday andSaturdays they are from 5 to
8:00 PM and then on Sundaysthey're from 1-4 pm.
And you buy a ticket here in thevisitor's center for six bucks
and walk yourself down the laneto the big house and wander on
through.
Missy Rentz (05:28):
So this is going to air on Monday after the first
weekend.
So you have one more weekendthis year to see it and check it
out.
Make sure you go.
Get all of your informationeither at Malabar Farm website
or The Parks Podcast has aschedule and a link to their
website so you can find itthere.
Now beyond Malabar Farm, OhioState has a lot of things going
(05:52):
on.
Anything that you can featurejust broadly if you're not in
this part of Ohio, but broadlyin Ohio, that people can take
advantage of.
Hannah Gilbert (06:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
So a few events that I we'repicking around at and exploring
were the holiday family movienight, and dinner special at the
Burr Oak Lodge.
They have several days of this,so keep an eye on the ODNR
calendar for those.
And then we have the lodge atGeneva has a Christmas Eve
(06:22):
dinner and Maumee Bay, uptowards the lake, has a winter
carnival in their ballroom rightafter Christmas.
And then I can't leave outMohican Lodge, which is just
around the corner from here atfrom us here at Malabar.
They have breakfast with Santaevery Saturday and Sunday
morning up until Christmas.
So lots to do.
Missy Rentz (06:42):
Lots too.
Ohio is so unique becausethey're park, they have their
parks, but then lots of theirparks have these stunning lodges
in them where you can go canstay, and a lot of'em have
activities.
And so one of the things I lovedin researching what was going on
in Ohio is that there'severything from, candle lit
stuff or lights to, hikingevents.
(07:04):
There's just a lot happening inthe state, and if you go to the
parks podcast.com or thisepisode page, you can link back
to Ohio's Parks and theirwebsite and you can see all of
the events that are happeningthere.
It's a great time to visit Parksin Ohio.
After the holidays afterChristmas, everybody's Christmas
(07:26):
out and there's, they'rethinking, what are they doing
for the new year?
And one of the things that stateparks across the country are
doing is First Day Hike, andit's been going on for quite a
few years now.
What are the first day hikeactivities in Ohio?
Hannah Gilbert (07:42):
So quite a few parks are doing first day hikes,
literally on January 1st.
So we definitely check out theODNR for those specific parks I
am actually traveling down toHawking Hills State Park and
there.
Winter hike series is gonna beon January 17th.
So I'm very excited to traveldown there to a different park
(08:03):
in a different quadrant of thestate and participate in some
pretty killer winter hikes.
Hopefully it's snowing.
Missy Rentz (08:10):
And that's the other thing that, a lot of parks
are doing their first day hike.
But you all have an entirewinter hike series that takes
place at parks throughout Ohio,throughout the winter, and they
all have different themes ordifferent things they're looking
at.
Visit the Ohio Department ofNatural Resource website, and
you can get a list of those, oragain, they're on
(08:32):
TheParksPodcast.com.
Hannah Gilbert (08:34):
Yeah, they're really cool.
And for people who are thinking,oh, it's cold, it's snowy.
Do I really wanna be out hiking?
In this kind of crazy weather.
Yes, absolutely.
Just go try it.
It's such a different, uniqueway to experience nature and
(08:55):
experience the quiet, subtle,soft parts of winter in Ohio and
the snow.
And yes, you'll have chillycheeks, but you'll have a very
full heart.
Missy Rentz (09:08):
Hannah, what's the best way for people to learn
about this holiday event andupcoming events at Malabar Farm?
Hannah Gilbert (09:16):
So I love to direct people to our Facebook
page because we have a fewpeople here that are attached to
it and can give updates on ifhikes are canceled, what the
weather's looking and the stuffyou would need to do to.
Participate in anything here atthe farm.
So I highly recommend checkingout Malabar Farm State Park
Facebook page.
(09:37):
And then we do keep our calendarupdated on the ODNR website.
And if you have more questions,even after looking at those two
resources, you can always gimmea call here and we'll try to
answer'em for you.
Missy Rentz (09:50):
Fantastic.
I'll put links to all of thoseon the episode page.
Hannah, I am so happy to meetyou.
I love learning about MalabarFarms State Park.
I think that the tours of thebig house seem amazing.
If you are in the Ohio area,check out Malabar Farm State
Park this holiday season, or anyof Ohio's parks and lodges.
(10:14):
Hannah, thanks so much forsharing all this information
with us.
Hannah Gilbert (10:17):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having meon.
I am just bursting with thisexcitement to tell someone about
my story here at Malabar andcome see me sometime.
Missy Rentz (10:27):
I love it.
Thank you.
Happy holidays to you and happyholidays to all of you
listening.
Until next time, we'll see youin the parks.
Thanks for listening.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please be sure to like and share
on your favorite podcastplatform.
Music for the parks podcast isperformed and produced by Porter
Hardy.
For more information, pleasefollow us at The Parks Podcast.
(10:50):
Or visit our website atTheParksPodcast.com.
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