This is a very cool park! My children tend to gravitate toward parks and playgrounds where there…read moreare open-ended and tactile features available, and this park has that. There are boulders to climb, outdoor musical instruments to play, a treehouse to play pretend in (and is wheelchair accessible!), a merry-go-round, swings, a traditional playground structure with slides, and lots more. The playground area is lined with wood chips. There is also lots of space to run around, and lots of trees. Like the name of the park suggests, this is a very sensory-friendly park, and there are nature stations set up all around where you can use your senses to explore. There is also a short, paved trail that goes around the park, which is wide and smooth enough for strollers and wheelchairs. The trail goes by a creek, which is nice. As of right now, this is the only sensory-friendly park in the state of Ohio! It's definitely worth a visit.

This is a really neat and wonderfully inclusive park. This features a short, paved path that is…read morewheelchair and walker accessible. Along the path are a variety of interactive stations that are also designed to be accessible. If you start near the entry sign, you'll find a Little Free Library, which, on our recent visit, was loaded with a lot of great kids options. Just ahead is a variety of benches and a little music garden, featuring musical instruments that can be played, and you can also interact with the Rough Bark Tactile Display to learn more about different tree barks. A little further down are the cutest animal looking instruments that can also be used. As you continue down the path, you find a swingset with a variety of swings that include both traditional and accessible options. There's a nice little shaded bench area with information about the creek, Fetter's Run, that can be seen from the location. As you proceed along, a very exciting find is the Treehouse, which is built within the forest trees as opposed to up in one, which allows a wheelchair ramp to make it accessible. This overlooks the creek and has things to explore, like neat nature art and a second floor (not accessible) with a fire pole. At the end of the path is a shelter house with picnic tables and nearby grills. Most, if not all, of the signage included Braille translations, as well. There is a large parking lot here, but I do note that this is located behind a school, so I'm not sure how that would affect parking for a visit during a school day.

I was looking for things to do near the Dawes Arboretum, and wandering through the Internet led me…read moreto the Hebron Fish Hatchery. The facility is just off the 70 near Buckeye Lake, though presently some road construction requires you to drive a large loop to get there. If you're curious about the hatchery, the education center is a good place to start. There are displays about hatchery operations and some brochures that guide you around the rest of the buildings. The Hebron Fish Hatchery raises walleyes, saugeyes, striped bass, bluegills, and channel catfish. There are sixty-three open in-ground ponds, where you can hike and birdwatch. The fish holding and distribution center has large tanks of fish and the incubation area, where you can see tubes of fish eggs that will make you a little reluctant to eat tapioca in the future. It was an open house event when I visited, so there were several activities for kids including a fishing pond and an archery range. The staff was friendly and happy to talk about the hatchery. I grew up visiting the Nimbus Fish Hatchery on the American River in CA, which collects and raises Pacific salmon and steelhead, but this is a far more modest operation. It's certainly worth a look around, but don't make a special trip from Columbus just to see the place.

Our first experience with the hatchery has come through my son being awarded a mentored youth…read morewaterfowl hunt in the marsh area of the hatchery through the annual controlled hunts lottery that takes place every June-July by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The hunting and marsh area of the hatchery is a very beautiful place full of wildlife there is also a archery range that is available to the public. If your looking for a chill place to go for a walk and explore this would be a neat place to check out. Be aware that during hunting seasons there could be deer or waterfowl lottery hunts taking place.

My dog and I started this years Winter Hike series here. We had a great time walking the pet trail…read moreand the park roads. We easily found a ranger to stamp my winter hike series log card. Mission accomplished!

So we went to Chestnut Ridge Park in Carroll this weekend to take Apollo for a nice nature walk…read more The park is fairly close to us, and absolutely gorgeous. However, we couldn't be more disappointed. They have several long trails through the woods where you've got these gorgeous ridge climbs. Problem is, they don't allow dogs on any of them. They have one small trail called Milkweed, that is dog-friendly. But it was barely half a mile, and a large part of that was just on mowed grass. Once we got into the woods, we loved it, but it was basically over as soon as it began. That isn't nearly enough for a dog or a person to have a nice walk. It's insulting when they have several miles of gorgeous trails they could open up for people like us. I understand some people don't like dogs, and they try to have a place for them to hike. But why reserve multiple trails for these people? They're surely in the minority. Most people like or at least are tolerant of dogs. Yes this park seems to cater to them, when I'm certain most people in or near Carroll have dogs. I wish there was a petition or something we could do to get them to open up a serious trail that's dog friendly. One non-dog trail is enough. Open the rest for those of us who love nature and our pets. Shame on Chestnut Ridge for this bias against dog owners.

It's a nice park - Lots of different things to do. There is an inclined hike to a lookout or you…read morecould walk around the pond in the grounds that are flatter. Probably 6 to 10 tennis courts, along with spots to fish, andin and a nice playground

Beautiful Park. The kids enjoyed the playground which was very clean. And, there is a great walk…read morethat takes you to a stunning overlook of the city.

Amazing spot to swim, fish, and explore. With the new trail biking is now better than before and…read morewould recommend on a good weather day!

Love this place! Long trails with lots to see. The bike path is spacious and has amazing views.read more

This small preserve is near me. Lovely trails, several water crossings, lots of up and down. Many…read morelocals come here and often dogs are off-leash. Small picnic area near the parking area

A pretty short, but beautiful hike just outside of Granville. With all the offshoots you will be…read moreabout 4.5-5 miles or so. Great hike for kids!

A great park, and lake, and area. I've been to both sections (I think there are just two.) The…read moresouth one years ago, to boat and jetski. Large lots, boat ramp, trees, tables, bathrooms. The north area I went to today. Also large lots, boat ramp and docks, bathrooms, tables, shelter. A nice fountain and a historical marker. This is where the amusement park was, and a museum in town tells more about that and the history of the area. The center of a huge recreation area, with fishing and boating. And just the waterside lifestyle. Check it out.

There are two parking lots at Buckeye Lake State Park in Liebs Island. The one that I first parked…read moreat was the parking lot for the boat dock. So I parked and walked around a not-super-pedestrian-friendly part of the park and I wasn't impressed. But it's because I'm dumb and parked at the wrong parking lot! When I finally found out where regular people without boats should park, I had a grand time. The regular parking lot is at the entrance of a walking/biking path that winds it's way around Buckeye Lake. I suppose I could tell you how long the walking path is if I looked it up, but I'm not going to, so I'll just tell you that I walked for about 30 minutes in one direction and had to turn back and I hadn't reached the end. It's a long path. Along the way, you'll see cutely decorated houses, birds, turtles and the beautiful lake. It's a peaceful walk, and the path is wide and nicely paved, so it's big enough for everyone. There isn't a whole lot to do here if you don't have a boat. You can walk on the path, and sit on the benches that are located every so often along the path. There's a dive bar/restaurant located not too far from the boat dock. There are also a few signs and statues near the boat side of the park. Mostly, this park is here for you to just walk or sit and enjoy it.

This was absolutely beautiful and such an amazing place for kids to play! The waterfall was…read morebeautiful and even with all the people tourist-ing it was relaxing. I love how accessible this hike was - we took the stroller most of the way and turned around and walked back instead of finishing the loop. The natural beauty was out of this world!

The Ash Cave Waterfall is a large natural rock overhang in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio. It is…read moreone of the premier Park destinations in the state, and the home of historic native populations in North America for millennia. A remnant of ancient pre-glacial North America, some of the flora species located here are unique to the continent. Other caves are also located nearby, and coupled with a visit to Ash Cave can make a truly unique and memorable visit to Southeast Ohio. Ash Cave is easily accessible from a large nearby parking lot and the trail is handicapped friendly. It is sometimes the location for special events, such as an annual concert by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. This is a magnificent event and well worth attending, but tickets go fast so if you're interested really be on the lookout for them, so don't delay when they become available.

One of our favorite outdoor spots. A shaded waterfall area, shallow pool and creek and smooth…read moretrails. There is also a path to the top of the waterfall. The kids have fun for hours here. Some nice benches and plenty of large rocks to hang out on. Parking is just across the road and there are a few porta potties by the parking. The waterfall isn't far once you get on the trail. The river is a farther walk but does have a very strong current so no swimming over there.

This is a great little park near Howard, OH, not far from Danville. The waterfall is a short walk…read morefrom the parking lot and can be accessed from an upper and lower level path. The fall colors were beautiful when we were there.