Gerry: My brother lives in southern Ohio and I live near New Orleans. I've driven up to visit him several times in the past year and I've stayed at a dog-friendly hotel I found and like in in Athens each time. (That changed this summer when I brought one of my brother's dogs home with me. One dog is manageable for an overnight at a hotel--I wasn't sure about two, so I just drove straight through).
You're near the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge--I'm so envious. I'd never seen either a sandhill or a whooping crane before last December when I stopped by there. It would be great to be able to spend more than a couple of hours photographing them as well as other birds that stop there. (While I enjoy taking pictures of my grandchildren, I love photographing birds).