Geauga County residents can begin reserving Geauga Park District facilities and campsites for 2025 online and by phone starting at 8 a.m. Dec. 2. The Park District also announced that facilities will then open to out-of-county residents online at 8 a.m. Jan. 1 and by phone the following day starting at 10 a.m. Everything is first-come-first-served, so booking online is the best option, according to a news release. Veterans Legacy Woods’ Tribute Lodge reservations are only accepted by phone or in person. Also, credit card payment is required at the time of reservation for some facilities and all camping reservations. For details on the reservation process, including tips to expedite efforts and the 2025 fee schedule, visit www.geaugaparkdistrict.org in advance. Notably: • Reserving online is strongly recommended and reservations will be flying fast and furious the morning of Dec. 2, the district stated in the release. For the best chance to secure a date before it’s gone, the district encourages people to practice making your reservation online in advance. That way, they can get familiar with the system, create an account or check that an account is up to date, and call with questions. Reservations are never accepted via email, and once the reservation line opens, callers should anticipate a wait on hold, the release stated. Officials also recommend callers have back-up dates handy, if at all possible, in case someone else beats has already taken a desired slot. • Reservations for lodges and shelters are all from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Access is never provided early. Only three total facility reservations are permitted per patron at any given time. A variety of special guidelines exist for Veterans Legacy Woods’ Tribute Lodge and are listed on the park district’s website for review. For instance, to keep others from using other parts of the building during a reservation, people must reserve all three sections of the facility themselves. Also, veterans and active members of the military are entitled to one free reservation of this facility per year, but to be eligible, must complete all the reservation steps themselves. Each reservation holder is responsible for facility cleanup before 11 p.m., so officials ask them to plan their event accordingly. This includes cleaning up trash, sweeping and/or mopping, depending on the facility, wiping down tables and resetting any moved park furniture to its original location. Last year, 341 facility reservations and 52 campsites were made within the first hour of opening 2024 reservations, and within the next three hours, there were 183 more for facilities and 34 more for campsites, according to the release. Weekend reservations of the lodge at Claridon Woodlands and Holbrook Hollows tend to be extremely popular and always rapidly fill. People can call 440-286-9516 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in advance with any questions.