OHIO METRO PARKS: IT’S OKAY TO BE A KID AGAIN
STORY AND PHOTOS BY OLIVIA LEGGANS
Like countless other Central Ohio children, I spent my summers making mosaics, catching crawfish, and learning to garden at the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks. As the summer heat finally begins to stick, school regimens fade, and summer jobs lose their novelty, the draw of summer camp and aimless crafts seems more and more alluring. The idyllic summers of picking berries and dropping ice cream seem far from my reality. When did the tension of internships and summer jobs overtake the sentiments of a true summer break? When does one have to follow suit and give up the freedom and bliss of a childhood summer?
While racking my brain for those impermeable and almost tangible memories of childhood summers, it was refreshing to realize that it was not the amusement parks or luxury vacations that planted roots in my hippocampus. Rather, it was the time spent with grandparents and friends going to free classes, excursions, and activities regularly organized by the Columbus Metro Parks.
Some may assume that the Metro Parks system primarily serves committed hikers, native plant enthusiasts, and young children, but the programming provided by the vast web of Ohio Metro Parks appeals to a variety of age groups, skill levels, and interest groups. I spent the week revisiting my favorite childhood parks and attended their events to see if they hold a torch to the memories of my childhood summers.
My first stop was Scioto Audubon. The Audubon was my usual, daily after-school pick in elementary and middle school. As a child, the outdoor climbing walls, obstacle course, and the massive tire swing had me begging my mother for five more minutes with my friends, and the boardwalk was my favorite spot to find turtles with my grandmother. I feared that the Audubon would not entertain me in the same way as it did throughout my childhood. When revisiting recently, however, the slack lines were just as difficult and the climbing rocks were scarier than I remembered. The park offers free introduction classes for climbing and access to the Grange Insurance Audubon Center, which acts as a community space and learning center for some of its workshops and programs. Between the sand volleyball courts, the dog park, the obstacle course, and the beehive boxes, the Scioto Audubon Metro Park continues to be an ideal, everyday-use space.
While Slate Run Metro Park was not an everyday excursion for my grandfather and I, it was by far my favorite. The Slate Run Living Historical Farm planted some of my strongest childhood memories of playing outside and participating in rare and random activities. The farm runs all operations using the technology and methods of the 1880s and is free for all visitors. Only at Slate Run have I churned butter, watched a calf birth, and learned how to ground-drive horses. From making apple butter and smoking meat with those working in the farmhouse, to seeing sheep, cows, pigs, horses, turkeys, and chickens outside of an often depressing petting zoo setting, the Slate Run Farm still has some of the magic of childhood summers.
Some other Ohio Metro Park favorites include Walnut Woods and Inniswood Metro Gardens. Walnut Woods and its Tall Pines Area is one of the most serene spots I frequent and it often feels like a different state altogether. Inniswood consistently puts on lively concerts, tai chi classes, and bug walks, ensuring that visitors can typically participate in a new activity during every visit.
While my week of park-hopping barely skimmed the surface of the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Park system, it is clear that even without expensive tickets and detailed planning, the Ohio Metro Parks make playing, participating, and learning outdoors accessible for all ages.
If the Metro Parks are not your scene, try your local community or recreation centers for free classes. Places like the Franklin Park Conservatory and the Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center are spaces dedicated to classes, events, and activities for adults.
The Franklin County Metro Parks post all available programming on its website. Similarly, the Columbus Recreation and Parks lists free and paid activities offered by various recreation centers around Central Ohio.
Even if these activities and spaces do not fit in with your current summer schedules and goals, overlooking your inner child and deserting your sense of playfulness is dangerous for any age group, during any season. Group classes and park programs are certainly not the only way to hang onto the joys of childhood summers, yet they are free, noncommittal, and almost always available.
