YE Gurl Says: Franklin Park Lit Up My Night (Literally)…read more Date: September 6, 2025 Place: Franklin Park - Water Lantern Festival (Yelp Contest Winner!) I've been to Franklin Park before for the African Festival, but little did I know there was a gorgeous man-made lake and walking area tucked behind the amphitheatre. Honestly, Columbus needs more events out here--imagine summer concerts lakeside. Come on, Cbus, don't sleep on this! Thanks to a Yelp contest win, I got two tickets to the Water Lantern Festival and was excited to experience it for the first time. I brought the beau, packed a sweater (because yes, sweater-and-jacket weather arrived), and we found a spot to settle in. The experience started with decorating our lanterns--super thoughtful packages that came with a deck of cards and conversation prompts to keep the evening flowing. The event itself was well organized: shuttles helped us avoid the parking madness, there were plenty of food trucks (though I ate beforehand), and the staff kept things moving. The only hiccup was the AV system--it was a little hard to hear, and the lantern launch was delayed due to the chill. But when those lanterns finally floated onto the water, the view was worth it. Beautiful, reflective, and something I can now check off my list as an artistic and soulful evening. YE Gurl checked the box and lit the night!

We love Franklin Park and love doing our family walk time with our doggie Ellie. Absolutely would…read morerecommend taking a stroll on a pretty day, or you could even have a picnic. It's a huge park with an amphitheater, cascade waterfalls, a community garden, an Asian-inspired garden, a playground, a picnic shelter, and ponds stocked for fishing. The park is also the home of the annual Columbus Asian Festival, the Franklin Park Adventure Center, and the amazing Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

This is probably the premier park in Westerville - which is known for its excellent park system…read more The Westerville Parks and Recreation Department is to be commended for our excellent parks. Personally, my wife and I are at the age that we don't use the park very often. However, when our grandkids were here this past weekend, they wanted to go to "that nice park" you took us to last time we were here (over a year ago). Millstone Creek Park offers a little of everything. Nice assortment of playground equipment; accessible; a variety of activities; sports fields; nature/wetlands area; picnic shelter and restrooms. Plenty of parking. My only suggestion for improvement would be the addition of a few more benches for the grandparents who bring their grandkids to the park.

This is a cute park with plenty for kids of all ages to do. An added bonus it's right in town, but…read morethey've made it seem like a little secret spot! Very cute!

The Presidential Oak Grove, which is technically Hanby Park, is a small park located in Westerville…read morebehind the Westerville Public Library. Parking for the park is either on the street, or you can try to find a spot in a parking lot which is accessible from Walnut Street. While the park is small, it crams quite a bit into a very small footprint. The park contains a pretty awesome playground. Some of the play sets are pretty futuristic and have some really awesome designs. This was nothing like I had growing up. We had that crazy, squeaky merry go round that you would spin as fast as possible to see who flew off first, or threw up, and the half dome jungle gym which for some reason was always placed over a concrete slab. This park has a fort, some awesome swings, and a great fountain feature you turn on with the palm of your hand. In addition to the play ground, this park has an ingeniously designed shelter, throwing back to a train depot, and the bricks are laid out to look like a pair of railroad tracks. There are also water fountains and a bathrooms on the read of this shelter, along with several plaques giving you historical tidbits. This small park is also a launch point for portions of the Erie to Ohio trail which pass through Westerville, namely Towers trail, which has several branches, including one that leads to the nearby Hoover Reservoir. Most notably, and the namesake, are a grove of oak trees, 8 of which have a plaque in honor of each of the United States Presidents which came from Ohio. An additional oak tree has a plaque which states "Who will be next?"

I think this is a pretty cool park. They built it just a few years ago so it's pretty new, or at…read moreleast parts of it are new. There's history about an old train station that used to be there. There's a bunch of picnic tables under an awning and also some picnic tables out in the sunshine. There's a park with a climbing wall type structure that looks pretty cool. I'm almost 30 so there's no way I've gotten the courage to climb it yet. Maybe one day. Lol There's a few different jungle gym pieces and quite a few swings. Also a handicap swing which is so neat and inclusive. There's a little water park for the kids in the summertime and large swing benches along the water park which are fun to sit on in any weather. It's very relaxing there and we sometimes take books or snacks and sit in the grassy patch to enjoy watching life go by on nice sunny days. There's a Dairy Queen right down the road from here so sometimes we walk there first and bring treats back to enjoy in the park. Our pup likes the kids size peanut butter sundae best. There really is a lot jampacked in a small area here but this is a pretty neat park to have close to home. If I had kids I could definitely see myself spending a day here. Kids seem to love the water park that shoots water out of the ground. I mean, how could they not love that?! Lol I love it and I'm an adult! There is plenty of parking on the street in the neighborhood and also right behind the library. There's so much parking behind the library.

This is a really pretty area. We had so much fun exploring the boardwalks through the wetlands - we…read morespotted tiny turtles, frogs and tadpoles, egrets and herons, ducks, and so much more! You can get a nice walk in with the looping combo of paved trail and boardwalk/bridges. There are a few shelters and trees around to help with the sun a bit. On the far end is a playground, with a very nice large shelterhouse with picnic tables. The playground is a lot of wood, metal, and climbing nets, and has sections for ages 2-5 and 5-12. By far the biggest draw appeared to be the very tall, fast slide, accessible via climbing net. There are benches available, and play shades available in one section. A nice sized parking lot is available too.

Looks new. It's like the parks and rec teamed up with NIN and said let's create a Goth Industrial…read moreplayground. No color. Just steel and rope. Huge space to roam, hike, see natural habitats and also let the kiddos climb, slide and swing, etc. -- I did not see restrooms. But didn't get to see all the trails. The paths are mostly gravel and natural elements with a touch of modern engineering here and there. Covered shelter picnic area available. (See pics) Cannot see park from the parking lot. So littles with necessary diaper changes and meltdowns may pose a difficult space to take a break in the car. Parking is a trek from the actual playground. Plan accordingly.

As others have mentioned, this is a smaller park, but it is a nice way to enjoy a bit of greenspace…read moreand history near the Ohio State campus. It is located down in the Iuka Ravine. There is a very nice picnic area with tables and trash cans available, and a small path through the woods. You can extend the walk nearby, strolling down the historic brick roads and looking at the neat bridges that span the Iuka ravine. It's a nice spot to check out if you're already enjoying the area.

This lovely park is nestled right next to OSU campus and I enjoy this little green park to do some…read morebird watching or sketching when its warm. There are tons of trees and beautiful shaded areas to sit and relax. It's cool to walk through day or night. I see tons of students using it. Crochet art, some cool vandalism under the bridges as well as a myriad of birds watching you. They must be use to us! A ton of the homes feature bird feeders so I guess they have a good reason to stick around. So peaceful and so chill. It's amazing.

This park can be found hidden beneath the streets of Clintonville residents, down in the ravine,…read morewhere water flows and wildlife takes over. I would have never known this was here if a friend didn't live nearby and tell me all about it. On my visit I accessed the park by traveling down some steep stairs and crossing a little bridge that gets you across the small creek that runs through. I quickly discovered a handful of miniature trails that sprawl out from the center of the park and into the little crevasses of the neighborhood bordering the area. I noticed a good number of other park goers, several super happy pups, and unfortunately a ton of trash. This is obviously what caused me to dock a star from my rating, such a bummer. Clean up after yourself people, there was seriously trash everywhere. My favorite part about this park is the tunnel with the giant birds painted across it. The acoustics once you're inside are major and during my visit there was a young man playing a flute. The sound carried so beautifully, it made my day. My second favorite part was spotting an owl high up in a tree. Owls are definitely my spirit animal, so cool! I'll definitely be back to this park. Fingers crossed it's cleaned up a bit.

Glen Echo is a fun ravine to explore, nestled amongst the streets of Clintonville. You can walk…read morethere if you're in the area, or use street parking. There are a few different ways to enter the park - pay attention to signage indicating private property areas and to when some entrances are closed (i.e. during the winter, the steps may be closed if ice is a concern). There's a main path running through the park, next to which are various signs explaining the history and nature of the area, which runs into the tunnel with the beautiful bird paintings, which is, unfortunately, showing its age these days. Other paths branch off, allowing you to explore the nearby woods, and you can also go down what used to be an old street and enjoy that too. It's a nice place to explore near the city!

Nice park, lots of open area for sports, flying kites, anything you'd like…read more Plus basketball hoops for adults and children, as well as a nice jungle gym area for toddlers. Named after the great Jerry Cremeans, who brought this park to life with NIAA football playing there in the past.

Formerly Pontiac Village Park, and still showing on some maps that way, this is a large park off…read moreEast North Broadway. A big square, mostly grass with a few trees around the edges. Lots of picnic tables, some basketball courts, and a substantial shelterhouse. Plus, a playground, the reason for our visit. Looks fairly new, and there are a lot of things to climb on. Baby K was a bit young for everything except the slides and swings. I always appreciate some stuff for the little kids, and there wasn't much here for her. We stayed a few minutes. So, not the best playground but a decent one, and a nice park in general. Always good to see a nice park in a neighborhood, and people taking advantage of it (we saw dogwalkers and basketball players.

I had no idea this giant green space was hidden off of Henderson in a neighborhood. It's very…read morespacious and has a great paved walking trail that goes not only around this park, but connects to neighboring Burbank Park. There are a couple of big grassy hills that could be incorporated into a circuit for an extra boost. Amenities include a baseball diamond, a soccer field, a playground, and a shelterhouse. The playground offers a small 2-5 year old section with a tunnel, hands-on activities, and a fun little window. The larger structure for 5-12 year olds is impressively tall and features some very fun slides - one is pretty fast and another has a great curl to it - plus a rock wall, monkey bars, a tic tac toe game, and more. There is also a set of traditional swings (2 standard and 2 baby/toddler) available nearby. The shelterhouse includes a set of restrooms, is open air, and is large enough to hold a half dozen picnic tables. There is a nearby grill and a few more picnic tables in the shade. There is a parking lot available here, and also one in the neighboring park.

I found out about Northwest Kiwanis Park while looking for parks in Upper Arlington. It's a pretty…read morebig park close to some commercial and residential areas. There are a couple baseball diamonds and a nice walking path. It has a good size parking lot. There is also a playground and shelter house. It has plenty of places to play. It has a baseball diamond right in front of the parking lot. There's another one further away. It also has a path you can follow around the park. The walking path goes from the parking lot and behind them through some trees. It also has a playground which looks to be in good shape. There's also a shelter house so you can sit in and eat. I like coming to Northwest Kiwanis Park. It has a lot to entertain from sports to play areas for younger kids. This is one of the biggest parks in Upper Arlington and it's really nice seeing this among all the commercial and residential buildup by there.