Since free is one of my favorite words, I was excited to try the yoga class at the commons. It was…read morea beautiful day out and a friend joined me. The class started on time and the instructor led us through a very beginner friendly, but impactful class. My only issue was that you could barely hear the instructor. We weren't even in the very back, so I know some people couldn't hear her at all.

Over the years as many things have been located on the site now known as Columbus Commons…read more Most recently, this was the site of a large downtown shopping mall with several large department store chains anchoring the facility financially and with customer foot traffic. prior to that there was an ice rink available to the public known as the centrum. Now it is a green space that hosts, public gatherings, concerts and is a wonderful place to picnic. As of the mid 2020s there have been frequent weekly appearances of food trucks on specific days offering a wide variety of unique foods. On the north end of Columbus Commons there is an outdoor stage, which act has the venue for live performing arts events. These can include the Columbus Symphony, but also other live music and performing arts as well. some of the adjacent local restaurants have windows which open toward Columbus Commons and these are great venues too watch and appreciate all the goings on. It has become a popular spot to host a variety of cultural events, and, while significantly smaller in size and scope, in that respect it generally shares a similar mission to downtown Chicago's Grant Park. Ample parking is available in the garage to the south of Columbus Commons and on surrounding streets. There is also a large underground garage at the Ohio State house, and some other garages and flat lots nearby. I have never found parking to be a huge problem. There is also an underground garage beneath Columbus Commons. Bottom line: lots and lots of parking.

Beautiful, hidden gem!! Great spot for a walk, if you're in the area. Greene County has so many…read morespots worth checking out, not sure why I/we haven't been here before. Some boardwalk, some grass trail, all easy and scenic. Tons of wildflowers while I was there early August, and tons of bird calls to ID... Trails aren't too well marked, but unless you're like me (little to no sense of direction!!) you can't get lost... ENJOY!!!

I was looking for some place new to visit. There are lots of places around here, including the…read moregreat MetroParks systems that Dayton developed and maintains. Since I had been to couple of Greene County Parks in the past, I figured that I would see if I could get some guidance from their website. Frankly, this was an OK approach but their website needs some more work regarding description of the individual parks. What attracted me to this park was the wetland and the boardwalks. This was a great place to be on a cool, cloudy Saturday morning in April. It had rained in the last few days. The trees were full of birds singing at full throat, and there signs of wildlife all about. In addition to the animal tracks, there were obvious signs of beaver activity (appropriate given that Beaver Creek runs through the park). I could have stayed there all morning, checking things out. There are two obvious downsides to this place. First, the trail(s) is only a little more than a mile long. If you are coming for a long (or a "fitness) hike, this is not the place for you. The majority of the trail is in the woods, and there is only a small section in the prairie section. The sign there says that more trail will be added in the future. Second, as is the problem with most of the parks in the area, you can here road noise while you are in the park. Of course, the park is easily accessible from the town of Beavercreek and surrounding areas, but you "pay the price" by being close to the road. But honestly, that faded into the background while I was listening to the birds and exploring. I am grateful every day that the local community supports these parks, for me and for the wildlife that many people would not otherwise experience. Go check it out... you'll enjoy it.