Spent another lazy Sunday in the park! I welcome any chance to soak up some sunshine. The tree I…read moresat under kept dropping flowers on my head, so I'll likely bring an umbrella next time.

This is a lovely historic park just west of the Short North area. It's a bit hidden from High…read moreStreet (as you need to go one full block west before it's visible) and I only discovered it on my last day of attending a conference at the Downtown Columbus Convention Center. Lots of pluses at this park. First, if you're traveling with a dog and staying at the nearby Hampton Inn, this is your "go-to" destination for dog walks. Second, it has a pretty pond on the north side of the park with an elephant column and winding pathways around the center. Third, if you like jogging, I would suggest running along the perimeter of the park (some inner paths are narrow) to admire the historic Victorian homes surrounding the park. One downside is that I did see a homeless man sleeping on the ground in the middle of the park early on a weekday morning. He was not bothering anyone, but it made me think about what options for affordable housing and social services are available in Columbus.

This is my favorite little pocket park in Columbus. Diagonally situated across from St. Joseph's…read moreCathedral. There is a water feature. And automatically the statutory evokes a theme of education and reading in particular. Nearby this spot used to stand the original Wendy's restaurant. It closed in 2007. The founder Dave Thomas was a huge advocate of literacy programming. He did not graduate from high school until 1993, when he received a GED. he was also an adoption advocate. Dave was a great humanitarian. I always think of him when I am here. This is a great place to contemplate life and what important noble achievements are really about.

This is a small, rather concrete park, primarily filled with a statue and landscaping. It can be…read morefound downtown right off of Broad street, with some of Columbus' taller buildings nearby. It also happens to be close to the very first location of fast food chain, Wendy's. Hah, what are the odds? The plaque near the garden, behind the statue of children and giant letters, explains that the park is there to honor Ohio's educators, the teachers, public schools, colleges, and universities. I'm not exactly sure who made this statue but it's a nice little nook of downtown. I only noticed it walking by. It caught my attention right away and created a moment where I was able to pause and think and reflect. Love finding hidden gems of the city like this!

Went once and spent 40 mins using the app to get day passes at the front because that is the only…read moreway to purchase the pass. Legit that was INSANE! I saw a bunch of others out there struggling too. Based on reviews, this has been an issue for years. They could at least have a sign up or a note on their website that you should use a desktop version of the app. The tech for the mobile version must be mediocre or something because using it on the phone takes 30-40 mins legit. Tried going back another time because after we finally could go in, we had a great time. Friendly families everywhere and the pool itself was nice. This time, I bought tickets ahead of time so we would not have the long wait at the entry. Pop up storms were forecast- we were cool to be in and out of the pool, and it's hard to know sometimes what the weather is doing in other parts of the city. Well, we got there with the tickets paid for this time, and it was a weather delay so we couldn't get in the water for 90 minutes at the time we left, and the delay was continued because the day ended up stormy (not originally forecast). We ended up not getting to swim. They said that since the pool was technically open, I wouldn't receive a refund. I was like, I mean the reason we are here is for the water and that part is closed. No. No refund or call back from the Parks and Rec department. I normally don't write long saga negative reviews, but it seemed like since you obviously have to buy tickets ahead of time bc of that process, they should at least have a notice on the page before you pay that the water is closed for a weather delay before you spend money that day. Total waste of $31.

I have loved this pool for years and long before the fantastic renovations. The entire staff team…read moreis so friendly and the pool areas are clean and comfortable. The snack bar is great for cheap treats and the pool has a slide, 3 diving boards, a walk-in main pool, lap pools...there's just so much room! Our fave part are the grassy areas with huge permanent shade umbrellas. I took off one star for a couple reasons: one, the grassy areas get really wet/muddy. It's worth it for the shade, but it can be a mess if you lay towels in the grass. The other reason is that they allow a lot of water toys in the pools. I've lost count how many times I've been hit with people throwing toys/balls and have been squirted in the face with super soakers. Honestly, I wish throwing balls wasn't allowed at all.

Small park crammed between apartments and the river. Easy access to the trail. Parking available,…read moredepending on what time of day you're here. Construction going on right now so a lot of the streets headed to the river are blocked. I was here to ride my bike, so I just parked a little farther back and rode down to the trail. Be careful, because you will need to ride on the streets part of the time, and there are steel plates currently. Anyway, nice little strip of a neighborhood park, with sculptures and benches up and down the river in all the parks. And easy access to neighborhoods.

This park is tucked away near the entrance of the Harrison West neighborhood. The trail actually…read moreruns right through it and you'd likely miss it if you didn't catch the sign near the street. It has a few benches, a couple trash cans, and two structural art installations. It's always kept really clean too. I've never noticed lighting in the area though. So, I tend to avoid it when it gets dark, similar to the trail. It's a great area to stop and catch your breath if you've been exercising. While it's near the street, it definitely gives off a peaceful vibe.

Pumped to share that this park has been updated and it looks a lot better than it did before…read more There's a fresh mural that looks like a bunch of books painted on the building in front of it (when facing High St.). There's a nice new concrete sign that faces Hubbard Ave. and some seating. The paths have also been freshly paved. There's still signage and doggie bags for cleaning up after your pups. They have removed the playground equipment, which may be a bummer for some, but I've always seen way more dogs than kids. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I've ever seen children around even when it was there. They've also removed a number of trees making it feel much more open. All in all, the facelift was very much needed and they did a great job. I enjoy walking through it on my way to the gym across the street.

This was... okay. We came for the playground, and it's a sort of mod/minimalist thing. No swings,…read moreno slides. Lots of climbing stuff, but leaning towards bigger kids than 4-year-old Baby K. She had fun, still- having her doll pretend to climb stuff, mostly. The park is a bit unkempt. There are some benches and tables, which is cool. Right off High, in a very built-up area, so it's nice that there is at least some green space in this part of town. But not a place we'll be coming back to.

Nice. Clean. Would come back. Not much to do beyond what you see. My son played but got bored…read moreeventually.

We've passed this often, and I was leery because of the reviews, but we really liked it…read more There's a rec center that was closed when we went on a Sunday. A community garden, some basketball courts, etc. And a huge playground. Definitely better for older kids, but our 3-year-old loved it. Lots of slides, a telescope, "bridges" to walk on, swings, etc. She could have stayed for hours. The park was clean, and no one was hanging around. Parking on the street. Be careful- some is permit only. But right alongside the park was marked 3 hour parking, so it worked out. We'll be back.

As suggested by the park's name, there are several sports options here, with the eye being drawn to…read morea nice large baseball diamond with bleachers that is located directly in front of the parking lot. There is also a basketball court, a paved walking path that has a StoryWalk, and a little structure with picnic tables and vending machines. There's a small playground available, with slides, climbing, and traditional swings. It is located very close to the parking lot (between the baseball diamond and parking), so that's something to be aware of. It is located very near Wyman Woods, which has the larger playground, but it's a great option if you're already attending a sports event here and have kids who need some entertainment.

C. Ray Buck Sports Park is another good park in Grandview. It's got lots of athletic fields. The…read morebaseball diamond is nice and good for summer leagues. It also has a playground with modern equipment. There's a running and walking trail. I think it's better to come when kids are in school or before they get out. It's not a big park and it can be crowded. The baseball diamond is usually crowded in the summer with all the little league then, and other times it's amateur softball players. It also has a basketball court and soccer field. There's a path around the park. I think it's a good park for Grandview. It's located across the street from Wyman Woods Park, so this is a good area to go outside. The streets are kind of busy so be aware of this.