We love every visit to Stratford Ecological Center! Being able to visit during the sugar maple fest…read moreis always such a treat (literally and figuratively speaking!) Every volunteer is knowledgeable and friendly. What a wonderful organization to have in our Central Ohio community -- and we are all the luckier for it. The fest is worth it at $10 per person, in my opinion. It helps support the center and that's a win. They have programming all year. Just be sure to get tickets early, as they get popular! Also: best maple syrup ever! I love it so much!

I surprised my sweetie with a Maple Syrup Tour at Stratford Ecological Center on a crisp late…read morewinter morning. For the bargain price of $4 per person, I was expecting to spend approximately 30-40 minutes in a room learning about the syrup making process. Being wrong never felt so good! Having a reservation which I had paid for in advance, we checked in promptly where they suggested we borrow some of their boots due to muddy conditions & that proved needed as the terrain deiced. How awesome is that! Once everyone had their boots on we met fireside where our guide introduced herself, provided history of their facility & informed us of what to expect during our experience. Next stop: animal barn! Being the animal lover that I am, this was my absolute favorite part. Not only did I not know that this was included (bonus!), but I was so grateful to be able to get up close to the new calf & her mommy & see the oh so pregnant piggie. Even better we got to get in the sheep pin & the goat/llama pins where we could pet these adorable creatures. My heart was so happy I almost never wanted to leave, but it was time to move onto our next adventure... maple syrup! The walk from the animal barn to the maple syrup area was about 20 minutes. I imagine this varies based on weather conditions & the amount & ages of those on your tour. The scenery was absolutely breath-taking as the sun peeped through the leafless trees, casting beautiful shadows about. There was a dusting of snow on the ground & a crisp, icy terrain on the ground & the creek. As we walked we stopped periodically to learn about how to identify maple trees, the variety of maple trees in our area & all about how the seasons impacts the process. We got to see the process firsthand & I was surprised to see that the sap is clear. Once we arrived at the cabin we learned about the filtration system and the science of the sap to syrup process where we got to tast the sap & then the syrup. It is absolutely delicious & pure in taste without the senseless added sugar commonly found in those found in stores. Another interesting & entertaining moment came when we were shown how hot stones were placed in water inside a hollowed-out log. This experience delivered a lot of bang for your buck & it felt really good to support this local working farm. I am going to be sure to check their website for future events to explore.

Fantastic plave to pick strawberries. The people were very friendly. The selection and quality of…read morethe strawberries were excellent. Will definitely be coming back.

Good organization and nice berry picking; the restaurant is understaffed. The blueberry donuts are…read moreamazing!

This was such a splendid night. Calling back the days of yesteryear and the nostalgia of our…read moreyouth. Carolers, Fudge, luminaries, Ole Saint Nic and Misses Claus. It was magical. All the lights were on and excitement filled the air. The houses prepared the stores open, and a Spirit that Christmas and the greatness of Jesus coming as a babe in full celebration. Strangers were saying 'hi' to strangers, people waving and cars being polite and stopping to lets pedestrians cross. Shoppers waiting patiently in line to get the store or to buy their purchase. Stores had little gifts or snacks to say thank you for an amazing 2024. I cannot share how great this event is and I only saw a small portion of it. It was fantastic and you should make it in your calendar for 2025. Don't let parking intimidate you. Take your time enjoy your surrounding there is plenty of parking, just drive slow you'll find it. Merry Christmas!!

We've attended Village Lights multiple times and really enjoyed it each time! We really enjoy the…read moreatmosphere of the luminaries lighting up the historic area, and even just strolling around with it lit up is fun. The main action usually happens on 3rd Street, which, as a result, gets pretty busy, but several of the other nearby streets are still festive but quieter. A lot of the residents decorate their homes, and we love seeing the fun and creative displays they come up. This year, we especially enjoyed an adorable penguin dance party and another house that decorated a tiny door for their Littles - too fun! In pre-pandemic years, we've even been randomly invited into open houses by residents we've met who had fully decorated the inside too. With the warmer (comparatively speaking) weather this year, it once again had a block party type vibe as a lot of folks were out on their patios. You can get the event map in advance from the German Village website to check out what's happening. There's usually a StriezelMarkt outside of the meeting haus, where little booths are set up as well as other activities - one year we met the Nutcracker from the ballet there, another there was a really amazing ice sculpture demonstration, and there's frequently live music in the later hours of the event. This year there were free cookies to be enjoyed. A lot of businesses stay open late, offer special deals, and/or have special activities. This year, we especially enjoyed the make your own s'mores over firepits at RE/MAX, free cocoa at Katzinger's, free photos with Santa and an elf at Cutler Real Estate, Third Street Dental was distributing goodie bags for after all the tasty sweets (toothbrush, toothpaste, etc), and Book Loft is always a favorite stop! There are also usually several groups caroling, a tree lot, and a lot of little pop-ups to check out - this year, we saw several bakeries, a farm selling gorgeous wreaths and greenery decor, and the pedal wagon was buzzing around. They also made fantastic use of Schiller Park this year - in the past, it's often been pretty dark and where the event kind of just stopped. This year, they lit it up (kudos for that, I'm sure it took a lot of work!), and offered story time with Santa at the amphitheater. It was very pretty to walk around and enjoy!

First year for this festival, and they sold out of pie before 5pm, so I bet they will be back next…read moreyear (with more pie.) A bake-off, music, pie raffle (of the bake-off winners,) pie-eating contest, local charities and vendors, etc. It wasn't big, but big enough for an hour or so, and some lunch. The pie was good-not-great, but then, we got there after most pies were gone. The food vendors were good- a step above the usual fair food. The organizers and locals were super friendly. There's a large shelter with tables to eat and relax in. We'll be here next year.

This is one of the last county fairs my family attends for the fair season. It is fun to walk…read morearound and see the animals, get some fair food, and maybe if your lucky bet on some ponies. Thursday is Jug Day! It is a well known sulky race held right here in Ohio! I love the fair!

I've loved going to small town fairs since I was a kid. And I enjoy the delaware county fair for…read moreits simplicity, free music concerts and free grandstand events. It's only 30 minutes from Columbus so a doable drive. Admission is only $6 which includes parking. I go on the first night. Everything seems much cleaner the first day. The smells of all the fair vendors, sounds and sights are just fun to take in.

I was only here briefly and didn't return like I planned. The fair is pretty large and has free…read moreparking all around, but mostly by the front gate. General admission (in 2025) was $10 with discounts or free days for select groups (seniors, vets, etc.). I think better mapping would be helpful as everyone I asked for directions gave me completely different answers, even staff amd security. Plenty of food options and even kids rides.

Lots of Ag stuff. Not real big. Food is OK, not a lot of vendors. Animals were interesting.read more

What do I have to say about this farm to make you pay a visit!? This was a truly a one-of-a-kind…read moreexperience and worth the price of admission. When I emailed Julie, the owner, to pick a date and time I didn't realize what my boyfriend and I were in for; we tried to go a few weeks prior, but it's by appt only. He and I essentially got the farm to ourselves-- we each got to walk an alpaca, hold and bottle-feed the babies, hang out with the larger group of alpacas (there are a 100 total here), talk to Julie more in depth (who is so sweet and knowledgeable), and visit the store. We came on a perfectly sunny and warm-ish day, which allowed for the alpacas to be super social. We spent 2 hours at the farm and came home with so many memories of our morning there, along with great photos!

On a lovely, temperate Saturday afternoon my girlfriend and I visited Road Runner Rascals alpaca…read morefarm, having made a reservation a couple of weeks earlier. The cost was $25 per person, and we figured that it would simply involve getting a few photo ops with alpacas, and perhaps getting up close and personal with a few to scratch their furry necks etc. Little did we know that the ranch runner, Julie Judge, was offering up a full experience! Road Runner Rascals has around 100 alpacas overall, and when we arrived we realized that it would truly just be the two of us interacting with the alpacas -- no other groups of people. Julie introduced us to the alpacas, then proceeded to halter a couple of them (named Savoy and Plum Crazy) for us to walk around the pasture. I didn't have "walking an alpaca" on my bingo card for life, and yet that's exactly what we did. The alpacas were very docile, and happily let themselves be led on a long walk through a sprawling, hilly pasture. They make the most adorable noises, and have definite personalities -- we could tell when they wanted to go certain places, and their curiosity was also very obvious. After walking them for at least half an hour, we brought them back to the stable...where Julie was warming up milk for us to bottle-feed a ten-day old alpaca! I don't know why, but the feeling of feeding warm milk out of a pop bottle to a baby alpaca is just something you have to experience for yourself. Afterwards, Julie opened up the back paddock and a veritable herd of alpacas came wandering out, surrounding my parked car, then walking up to us to be petted, some lying down, some rolling around in the grass, and generally just doing what alpacas do. Funnily enough, this wasn't our first alpaca experience, having visited another alpaca farm a few years ago, but what Julie offers at Road Runner Rascals is truly next level. It's also heartening to know that she has donated alpacas to a nearby autism center, and also has some connections with OSU and other local businesses. All told, my girlfriend and I have had a lot of great days this year, but this is easily one of the best. We made a point of buying a few things from the gift shop as well, but the real takeaway is the memorable experience itself, and it's one not to be missed by any animal lover in the region!

Wonderful, friendly people and very willing to help. Delicious farm fresh eggs and beautiful…read morehandmade goat milk soaps. It's one of our regular spots to hit!