This is a really pretty area. We had so much fun exploring the boardwalks through the wetlands - we…read morespotted tiny turtles, frogs and tadpoles, egrets and herons, ducks, and so much more! You can get a nice walk in with the looping combo of paved trail and boardwalk/bridges. There are a few shelters and trees around to help with the sun a bit. On the far end is a playground, with a very nice large shelterhouse with picnic tables. The playground is a lot of wood, metal, and climbing nets, and has sections for ages 2-5 and 5-12. By far the biggest draw appeared to be the very tall, fast slide, accessible via climbing net. There are benches available, and play shades available in one section. A nice sized parking lot is available too.

Looks new. It's like the parks and rec teamed up with NIN and said let's create a Goth Industrial…read moreplayground. No color. Just steel and rope. Huge space to roam, hike, see natural habitats and also let the kiddos climb, slide and swing, etc. -- I did not see restrooms. But didn't get to see all the trails. The paths are mostly gravel and natural elements with a touch of modern engineering here and there. Covered shelter picnic area available. (See pics) Cannot see park from the parking lot. So littles with necessary diaper changes and meltdowns may pose a difficult space to take a break in the car. Parking is a trek from the actual playground. Plan accordingly.

This is an excellent place for a takeout when you're kayaking the Big Walnut Creek. There's an…read moreeasily identifiable location on River Left And when we visited it was well manicured with gravel, which made it easy to get up the small hill where we load the boats onto our car. After some time on the river, you might be hungry, and there are plenty of restaurants nearby with a variety of different foods available. Urban kayaking can be fun - And this is a great space to wind up your day on the river.

Nice little park in the heart of Gahanna. Some green space, a shelter, some tennis and basketball…read morecourts. But we were here for the playground, and it was great. Big, with many areas for different ages. Baby K loved the slides and climbing wall. There's a swing you can ride with them. Drums to beat on, many other interesting play items.

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.

One of our favorite parks! Big and little play areas, music and climbing, lots of swings, tennis…read morecourts, skating ramps, and a path to the creek for exploring. It is surrounded by a walking path also which is nice. There is a covered pavilion shelter right by the play equipment also.

I love this park. They pretty much have everything you can ask for in a park(children's play area,…read morebaseball fields, a lovely walking path that leads to basketball courts). The park is well kept and always clean/free of liter.

Looking for playgrounds, this one turned up not far from our house, and man, it's an amazing…read moreplayground. The park has open space, and a few basketball courts, and a small building that I assume holds restrooms. But we were here for the playground, and it is huge, and diverse, and unusual, and fun. Baby K loooooved it, and we will be back. Nothing like other playgrounds, it seems to be unique. Lots of things to climb on, stuff that bounces, educational areas, plus swings and slides and all. A lot of it is accessible to kids of any age and ability. For the older kids there are cool climbing areas, etc. It was busy on a Saturday so in the interests of health we did not stay long, but hopefully on weekdays it is quieter. Nice sized parking lot, easy access, clean and fun.

This was my first time to this park and I was impressed!! It's great for kids of all ages and…read moreabilities!! One of the most handicap accessible playgrounds I have visited. There are restrooms available and covered seating areas. There isn't much shade so take that into consideration in hot days!

Baby K loved this one, for the mid-size playground that's sort of modernist. There's one of those…read moredance game things, and a lot of slides and climbing stuff. Plus drums and other things to play with. Parking at either end, wish some were closer for old dad. We'll be back. Barely saw the rest of the park, but there is a big activity center and some playing fields.

This is a nice little park in New Albany sequestered between a neighborhood and a country club…read more They have a decent playground, a couple of air buildings for indoor sports, a nice bathroom facility, and a walking trail that appeared to connect to some other neighborhood trails. The park sign said it closed at dusk, which we didn't realize until we left after dark. It didn't occur to us to leave earlier because all the lights were still on in the shelter and bathroom area, and the bathrooms stayed unlocked! There weren't many other lights but we were just sitting in the shelter since no one else was there. There is a shelter that is reservable--we saw signs on it from previous reservations that weekend, but I'm not sure how much it is. There's little enough city light around that you can actually do some stargazing after dark. All in all this is a great park!

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.

A nice little park! This is partly a Gahanna city park and partially a state nature preserve. We…read moretook a peek at both sections and found it to be very pretty. When you first pull in, there is a gravel parking area, a port-a-potty, and a few picnic tables in a grassy area overlooking a newly added pond/waterfall set-up. In addition to the pond area looking very nice, it was designed by an environmental agency to safely bring the stormwater into the natural stream flowing through the area, so it's very functional too. One trailhead takes you into the state preserve area. No dogs are allowed on this trail, so you'll want to stick to the city park side if you bring your four-legged friends. During the spring, this preserve becomes full of vernal pools and spring wildflowers - so dress for mud and boots will come in handy! There are some nice boardwalks to get you over the worst of the areas. It's very pretty and peaceful, and there are tons of spring peepers (little frogs) singing during the spring too. It's a short loop trail that is pretty easy to do. Across the parking lot, there is a trailhead for the city park trail system, which seemed to be a little more convoluted then the more direct loop set-up in the state preserve, but it made for some nice, low-key exploration. Part of the trail follows along the stream. I really loved how they used their old wooden street signs to line the trail - great recycling! This section of the park is open to dogs. A great park - we easily did both sections in about an hour, even given that we were slowing down in places to get through the worst of the muddy/slick areas.

I love this place. I frequently head here at lunch for a little decompression walk with my Puppeh,…read moreGwen. There is one specific trail that is dog friendly and it's either a half-mile loop or a whole mile depending on the direction you go. I very infrequently run into other people out here which is what makes it so nice. It does tend to be very muddy so I actually keep a specific pair of trail walking shoes in the car to change into. It's also quite mosquito-y, especially really early in the morning, so be sure to wear your bug spray. But the calmness of the forest and sounds of the cicadas in the late summer is my most favorite thing in the world. I'm so please to have this little bit of paradise so close to home and work. Whoever is in charge of maintenance does a really nice job keeping the trails clear and mulched. There is also very little trash and for the most part, other dog owners seem to do a pretty good job of keeping their dog's poops picked up. Although, I have bagged a few piles that were not Gwen's. I just can't, in good conscience, leave turds in the middle of the trail. Come on people, be responsible!

A Slim slice of park, like this one, should be found every mile or so tucked between the Cul de…read moresacs throughout cupcakeland, America. If suburbs had better planning they would be. A small, community slice of green for the locals to easily access would be a social adhesive, and a boon for those wishing to get out and take a nice walk on a beautiful spring day smelling of lilacs and pine. As well as a area to bring children to enjoy the outdoors, away from electronics, ipads, and game consuls. Calling this area a cupcakeland was a little unwarrented as this is a quiet, well tender neighborhood with a diverse architecture of family homes. This park is found via a walkway south of Cloverly Drive, one west of Spruce Hill, and one east of the Cul de Sac terminating Hurley Court. The only parking opportunity is a space for about three on Howland, a round concrete pad. It's not really place to drive to. For locals, a small playground slide-set and swings there are well maintained. Walkways, a table, and a streetlight are here. In pre-Covid times they had events-- food trucks, bouncy houses, and kid activity would happen on its lawn. I add this is too highlight what neighborhoods could be. Small parks like this should dot our nation. Kind of like the village greens of the old.

Great park very vague. There's a creek walking path, kids, kids swingsets fresh air outdoorsread more

The park is very impressive. It's huge, and pretty new I think, or at least seriously revamped…read more They still seem to be building things. There are several playground areas, fairly far apart but in the same part of the park. Baby K liked them. No benches nearby for us old parents. No drinking fountains or anything, that I saw, or picnic tables, etc. Looks like they might be building a bathroom between the YMCA and the playground. There's a large parking lot in front of the YMCA, and then there's a smaller one down on the lower level. The lower level is mostly walking trails and flowers. There are shelters in both areas.