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My wife has been exploring Columbus with the kids and recently introduced me to two amazing parks I didn't even know existed.
1) Inniswood --this is way up north and has apparently been there for years. It features a host of beautiful and creative themed gardens.
The highlight is the child-oriented "Sisters' Garden" which features a labyrinth, a treehouse, a windmill and a very magical "Secret Garden" seemingly constructed out of the ruins of an old house.
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2) Scioto Audubon Park --this is very new, and located on the Whittier Peninsula. I had remembered hearing about it when they were planning it, but I had no idea it had been completed. It also must not have gotten enough press, because it was absolutely deserted. Today was rainy and cold, which might have something to do with it, but my wife says it was empty over the summer as well.
Highlights here include the sculpture garden playground, a water tower with an observation deck, a full sized rock-climbing wall (just standing there --seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen, but hey...), a native-grasses wetland area and a bird-oriented environmentally friendly science center, all completely free.
The only reason I can think of this place isn't packed all the time is that people just don't know about it yet.
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Of course, hopefully everyone already knows about the gorgeous and expansive Rose Garden at Whetstone, and the Conservatory, Japanese Bridge and Community Garden Campus at Franklin Park, so I won't spend much time talking about those. Another great park I've only recently become hip to, however, is Three Creeks. As part of my personal commitment to bike more, I've been riding from my home in the King Lincoln down to the park and back. The round trip takes about 2 hours and can be done almost entirely on dedicated bike trails.
You can start it off by heading up St Clair to the trail along 670. Take that east to Nelson Road, and then south, through Nelson Park, past St. Charles, through Wolfe Park and then cross Main and get on the Alum Creek trail. That will take you through some beautiful wooded areas all the way down to 3 Creeks.
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