There’s nothing better then a day at the playground with the kids! It’s free, everyone can get some exercise and fresh air, and it’s a great chance to explore Columbus. There are so many great playgrounds in Columbus, from neighborhood parks to Metro Parks to large playgrounds. I’ve rounded up some of our favorites here! Keep this list handy, and share with your friends. Let me know if you have a favorite playground that isn’t on this list, I’d love to hear which one(s) is your favorite!
Ro Park
Ro Park is located in Glen Oak subdivision in Lewis Center and includes ball diamonds, a picnic area, a playground, restrooms, a shelter, and trails. My daughter’s favorite thing about Ro Park is that it includes the tallest slide permitted in the state of Ohio!
Location: 6804 Snapdragon Way, Lewis Center
North Orange Park
North Orange Park is located in Delaware and has many great features including paved walking trails, fishing ponds, soccer fields, basketball courts, a playground with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible features, a shelter with a fireplace. The playground contains an area designed for ages 2-5 and another area designed for children ages 5-12. The shelter can be used by the general public on a first-come, first-serve basis if it is not being rented. It’s a large playground, and there is a lot of room for the kids to run and play!
Location: 7560 Gooding Boulevard, Delaware
Scioto Grove Metro Park
Our family loves visiting one of the twenty two Metro Parks in Columbus, and Scioto Grove Metro Park is one of our favorites. Scioto Grove Metro Park is a 620-acre park along the Scioto River and it features more than seven miles of trails, two picnic areas with shelters, tables and grills, a kids play area and several overlook decks. My daughter loves the playground, and we always save time to visit it after a hike and she loves climbing the ropes. She can spend hours just climbing to the top, sliding down and repeating!
Location: 5172 Jackson Pike, Grove City.
Emerald Fields
Emerald Fields has been a family favorite for years! It is located in Dublin and features baseball diamonds, cricket fields, fully accessible playground, shelter house, restrooms and water fountains. The playground is large and has so many fun features for kids of all ages. For the younger kids, there are so many fun things to do on the ground level, while the older kids can run on top of the playground structure.
Location: 4040 Wyandotte Woods Boulevard, Dublin
Liberty Park
Liberty Park is located in Powell and is the largest park in Liberty Township, with over 2 miles of wooded and open trails, 2 playgrounds (one fully accessible), 12 athletic fields, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, softball diamonds and stocked fishing ponds. There is also a large hill that my daughter has always loved running up and down! Of the two playgrounds, our favorite is the one at the back of the park, it is blue in color so just drive all the way to the back and look for the blue playground. It is another good playground for kids of all ages, with plenty of fun things to do for both younger and older kids.
Location: 2845 Home Road, Powell
Homestead Park
Homestead Park is another of the Metro Parks and is located in Hilliard. The park features two play areas, plus basketball and sand volleyball courts. In addition to traditional play areas, the park has a train station replica, and my daughter loves using the outdoor exercise equipment. The park is also a great place to go see some wildflowers.
Location: 4675 Cosgray Road, Hilliard
Wyndham Park
Wyndham Park is a neighborhood park in Dublin, and another one of our family favorites. The playground was redone just a few years ago, and now has a very tall slide, climbing nets, and a clubhouse style playground structure. A nice feature at this park is there are two “expression swings” (parent and child swinging face to face). There is also a smaller play area designed for younger kids, ages 2-5. I like this park because it’s tucked back from the street a little bit so it’s quieter, and there’s a covered pavillion that I can sit at, or we can enjoy a picnic lunch or dinner at in between playing.
7475 Tullymore Dr, Dublin
Glacier Ridge Metro Park
Another one of the Metro Parks, Glacier Ridge is located in Plain City on the NW side of Columbus. There are so many fun things about Glacier Ridge and it’s one of my family’s favorite Metro Parks. There is a traditional playground as well as a wood playground with ramps, ropes, ladders and zipline. The highlight for my family at this park is the Obstacle Course, which is a 3-acre course featuring 12 challenging stations surrounded by a trail. If you have dogs, this is a good one because there’s also a dog park. As with the other Metro Parks, hiking trails are numerous here as well.
Location: 9801 Hyland-Croy Rd, Plain City.
Other Parks That We Love:
Veterans Park
1121 S Houk Rd, Delaware
Fancyburg Park
3375 Kioka Ave, Upper Arlington
Amberleigh Park (this one is GREAT for toddlers and younger kids)
4715 Vista Ridge Dr, Dublin
Blendon Woods Metro Park
4265 E Dublin Granville Rd, Columbus
McCord Park
333 E Wilson Bridge Rd, Worthington
Friendship Park
150 Oklahoma Ave, Gahanna
Westgate Park
455 S. Westgate Ave, Columbus
Powell Village Green Park
47 Hall St, Powell
Millstone Creek Park
745 N Spring Rd, Westerville