Super awesome place! I went for a short workday with Food and Water Watch, and had a great time!…read moreThe woman running things said that over 300 kids will come through to learn and listen and play! What a very cool community garden!

From the owner: Highland Youth Garden (HYG) grows minds, food and community in partnership with Hilltop neighbors…read more We offer a diverse, hands-on learning environment, providing children space and guidance to grow their own food and explore nature. We teach hundreds of K-5 students about gardening, nutrition and ecology while engaging curriculum standards in health, science, language arts and math. We grow 4K+ pounds of food annually; build and support backyard gardens for Hilltop families, encouraging their gardening skills; employ westside teens year-round, enabling their skills in gardening, community outreach and leadership—fostering the next generation of food-justice and urban-agriculture changemakers.

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.

As usual, this is mainly for the playground. But the park is nice, with lots of open, pleasant…read moregreen space, a huge shelter, ball fields and courts, plenty of parking, etc. The playground is great. Several areas, for all ages. One of those dance game machines, a toddler area, swings, areas for bigger kids, etc. It was a barely-warm late fall day so we couldn't stay long, but we will definitely be back.

It was really fun. There was a bathroom, but for that benches you need to reserve it's for like a…read moreparty and wedding. There's like a wedding happening. There's people fishing there with the 779 people.

This is a nice park. It's a good use of otherwise oddly shaped space - long and kind of narrow,…read morealong some train tracks. It offers a tennis court and a baseball diamond. There is a cute little playground with slides and climbing options, toddler swings, and traditional swings, which is located near a small shelter house, which was in use during our visit. It is adjacent to Wallace Gardens, so, at this time of year, you can see the beautiful green fields full of growing plants. There are a myriad of picnic tables and benches between the sports fields and the playground. A real bonus is all of the terrific trees providing a lot of comfortable shade all around. A parking lot is available here. The larger playground is located sort of caddy corner down the street at Wyman Woods, but this was much less crowded and part of it was shaded, so those were some nice perks on a hot summer day!

Lush, green and inviting, McKinley field is a narrow & long park with a playground, picnic area…read morenice for eating take-out or A PICNIC! Baseball field is adjacent to the west of the playground as well as a couple fenced tennis courts. There is really something else cool nearby - a community garden, which began its life as a Victory Garden during the Second World War - residents apply for and garden plots beginning every spring. Back to McKinley Field: The playground is frequently visited during the day by families and their children and the adjacent parking lot by city workers who want some place to relax and eat their food for lunch. It's a very serene place with a beautiful canopy of trees, green, and so calming. Just the right spot and a only few minutes drive to get away from the hustle and bustle of a downtown Columbus workday.

Parking lot is nice sized and butts right up against the park - visibility to parking lot and to…read morepark back and forth is great. That's always important to me. 2 swings for small children 1 large tire swing for bigger kids Far enough from the major roads so there's no anxiety there. Walking path (1/2 mile Loop maybe) for any time you may need to take them away from other kiddos to decompress from BIG emotions. Nearby are pickleball courts, indoor bathrooms near - very clean and open in DECEMBER ! Large enough parking lot that is visible from park and no large roads to cross or structures blocking the lot if you need to do a quick diaper change. I would say suitable for 2.5/3 ) depending on abilities to 10/12 yo. There's a fence between the park and major road. The park is far from major roads. Lots to do and small enough to keep track of them! Highly recommend.

Nice park on the edge of the neighborhood. Tennis courts, plenty of parking, a bathroom building…read more And a very nice playground, our reason for visiting. Baby K loved it. Lots of different things to do. Mulch, which can be a bit painful if you fall. No shade, there or anywhere in the park, really. A few benches. Walking trails and a community garden.

A small park with a gazebo, sculptures, and raised beds for gardens. Not much to see in February,…read morebut some bulbs coming up and it should be pleasant in the spring and summer. Hopefully used for veggies and flowers by the subdivision behind it. A little rundown, but the gazebo is in good shape. The big red modern sculpture up front is cool. Back farther is a more classical garden statue. A picnic table or two, and not much else. Still, in this industrial stretch of Joyce it's a nice change.

Inniswood is one of my current favorite places to walk. It has beautiful paths smooth, many of…read morewhich are ADA accessible, and a few dirt ones, as well as little boardwalks. Not only is it a great space to come explore and learn about different types of plants, but it's pretty friendly for all ages! They have a little play area and a treehouse, as well as a path called the storybook trail where there are signs and illustrations for a nature based story along the path- all at small children's height. There are always parts of the park that are secluded, even on busy holidays or weekends - it's easy to find a peaceful place to sit, paint, journal, or relax away from too much noise. There are many benches all over so plenty of places to sit in the sun or shade.

It's a beautiful morning…read more I think I'll go outside a while and just smile Just take in some clean fresh air Ain't no sense in staying inside If the weather's fine and you got the time It's your chance to wake up and plan another brand new day Either way It's a beautiful morning at Innis Metro Park I am going to get there at 7 and stay till dark It's free year round with activities that abound With 2,000 species of plants to look at I'm sure you'll see something that will astound

Nice park with a number of great amenities. There are a couple of walking paths, and we were glad…read moreto find a paved one after the rain, which made for a bit of a drier walking experience. There are shelterhouses and picnic tables, sports fields, disc golf, a pool with slides and aquatic center, a playground, and more. Parking is available in several different lots. A nice place to relax and enjoy activities or a good stroll.

This is park central for Hilliard P&R, with its main community center, its premier public pool, and…read morea variety of sport facilities in the eight-acre spread. Accessed from Scioto-Darby bordering its north, the park is tucked between neighborhoods, fields, and golf courses. Mark K. mentioned in his review circa 2015 that there was no easy bike connection between Homestead park and here. In the five years since that weakness has been rectified with an off-road bike path running down Lappert Rd. This is the way I cycled here. Just turn south from the Heritage Trail, left at the round-a-bout at Darby, and cross the street into the bike access. The park was eerily silent for the sunny summer Saturday I visited on my ride. Normally you'd expect the place to be jumping on such a gorgeous day, but the pandemic has damper things. Connected to that fact, the public pool here is closed for the year. Normally, the Family Aquatic Center, as it is called, would be full of swimmers using its leisure pool, sports pool, lazy river, slides, and children sections. Now it has a weird, abandon amusement park feel, with the rides sticking up like ruins over the wall, and ghostly echoes of screams, laughs, and splashes that should be here coming to mine in the quiet. What I call a 'sports park' the grounds hold fields for baseball/softball, lacrosse, soccer, and disk golf. Basketball courts and tennis are of course are found, as well as horseshoe ring. There is a small amphitheater and a large sledding hill half-mooning the grounds like a Native American mound. There are some art park landscaping here, especially near the fishing pond, a rustic body split by a wood bridge. There are several shelter houses here to rent. The running/riding trail isn't all that great, but it does breeze through the heart of the park. There are several connectors that leads to and from the surrounding neighborhoods. There is also a rustic food garden found here. On the east is a Veterans Memorial garden with colorful flowers, waving flags, and reflective stones ingrained with locals who gave the ultimate price. In all a good city park with lots of amenities, easy access, and just enough artwork to give it character.