Local Parks Reviews

My husband and I like to take walks in our spare time.  Fifty percent of that can be attributed to wanting to stay healthy, and now in the midst of Covid, it’s a desire to get out of the house. Most of the time we just walk around our neighborhood sometimes venturing into the fancier estates (add at least $150k to the house prices) that border us both on the north and south. I never tire of this and really love the grandness of so many of them and the occasional unusual architectural detail (like the garage that has doors that open on at least 2 of the 3 sides). It also provides inspiration for decorating choices based on whatever they happen to have on their porch or front yard.

When we feel like going a bit further afield we sometimes head to a park.

We’re lucky that there’s one in the adjacent neighborhood called Scioto Run Nature Trail. We stumbled upon it by accident on a walk one day. It’s not that big, but as there’s woods and a creek, it reminded me of all the parks I visited growing up in Northeast Ohio. We even saw a deer there on our first visit.

Our second visit was planned since we wanted to visit the Little Free Library that had been installed near the west entrance that we usually use. I even brought a couple books to add to it (which was a good thought since it was pretty empty).

We recently went to another park (ML ‘Red’ Trabue Park) in nearby Dublin that reminded me a little of Holden Arboretum (in Kirtland) as it has a pond (Doc Walker’s Old Pond) and a dock that I think you could maybe fish off of. We weren’t very far into the park when we saw a deer that got a little nervous and quickly made its way to the other end of the park into the woods.

Like at Scioto Run, there was also a Little Free Library there, so I stopped to have a look and take a photo.

Attractions at the park include the Fleming family log cabin. The family history was quite interesting. “Mary and Daniel were married in 1865 when she was 16 and he was 24. According to stories, Mary’s father disapproved of her marrying. One evening, Mary climbed out of her bedroom window, and the couple eloped.” You go girl!

It also said they raised a family of 10 in that two room log cabin. This was in the days long before tiny house living was a choice and not a necessity.

Anyway, my husband and I made our way along the paved path occasionally stopping so I could admire the assorted wildflowers (like Queen Anne’s lace and thistle).

What I like about this park was that the trails run behind neighborhoods so you can take a peek at the various houses as you make your way around. It’s not a terribly huge park, so it’s just the perfect size to stretch your legs a little. Also, there are picnic tables so you could always eat lunch and then go for a walk afterwards, or bring a chair and a book and find a spot in the shade near the pond to spend the afternoon.

On Labor Day we drove a little further to Plain City to the Honda Wetland Education Center which is part of the Glacier Ridge Metro Park system. We’ve been to Glacier Ridge, but never to this park. For starters, the wetland part doesn’t currently exist as it’s been a long dry summer so the only water was the pond near the education center (where we saw an American Bittern).

There’s a hide built for looking out over the wetlands to give you a little vantage point over the park. However, there really wasn’t much of a view, but it’s always fun to climb up to the top of those things.

Like most other parks, the trails are paved, and because this park is just part of a much larger park system, the trails are like highway arteries (that go on for miles and miles into other cities) in which cyclists pretty much have the right of way. There’s a sign near the parking lot that advises walkers to stay to the right. If you don’t, you just take your life into your hands.

I can only recommend this park if you want somewhere to ride your bike (helmets definitely encouraged, but optional), but it’s quite honestly not that pedestrian friendly. Still, might be interesting to visit if we ever get a lot of rain again to see what the wetlands might bring in the way of wildlife.