Review of Olde Sawmill Park

Yesterday's tour stop was Olde Sawmill Park off of Summer Drive in Dublin. It was great weather for it! We had a handful of families and small kiddos hang out with us for most of the afternoon.



This is a wooden playground with a fort-like layout. There were many shaded areas on the play structure (one kiddo had some us pretend we were in a rocket ship!) This playground is easy for even the toddlers to navigate. Although some areas are up high, there are many rails to keep them secure.



A few picnic tables and shade trees make picnicing a possibility. A smaller playground is also on site that have more of your standard equipment: twisty slide, monkey bars, etc. There is also a sand pit.



One downside of this playground is the lack of a bathroom at times. There was a port a potty on site, but no water source. With the rain the day before, a few puddles made some little ones a bit muddy and there wasn't a way to clean them off.



http://www.recreationparks.net/OH/franklin/olde-sawmill-park-columbus



Next week We are heading to Scioto Audubon Park! See you there!
http://www.metroparks.net/ParksSciotoAudubon.aspx

Columbus Playground Tour Schedule 2012

The much anticipated tour schedule is below. Due to the wonderful warmer weather, we are starting it a few weeks early. We will still have a large kick off party in June.

The tour starts at 11am. I try and get their a little early to stake out a spot. I always tend to pack a cooler with lunch for the kiddos and we try and stay most of the day. Thursdays will be our normal tour day- however, keep your eye out for some special events.

Facebook is the best way to get updated, but I will also try and update the website the night before. Once we actually meet in person, I am happy to hand out my phone number if you have any questions. "Like" the Columbus Playground Tour or you are also welcome to friend me on Facebook- Jaylene Henderson. Once I get to the playground, I will try and update the page with where we are, if there were any detours, changes, etc.

Please check the map of where you are going before you leave your house. With these being parks and playgrounds, sometimes they do not have an exact address.

Drum Roll please.......



April 26th- Fancyburg Park- Upper Arlington
*This is one of my favorite parks, one of the reason I put it on here twice!
http://www.recreationparks.net/OH/franklin/fancyburg-park-upper-arlington

May 3rd- Olde Sawmill- Dublin
*The only downfall with this playground is sometimes the bathrooms are locked. Plan accordingly!
http://www.recreationparks.net/OH/franklin/olde-sawmill-park-columbus

May 10th- Scioto Audubon
*I love this park. There is an inside section, be we always meet on the lower, outside area- by the climbing wall. There is sand!
http://www.metroparks.net/ParksSciotoAudubon.aspx

May 17th- Blendon Woods- they are having a creeking event!
*Creeking is at 10am or 1pm. No sign up required. Wear your water shoes!
http://www.metroparks.net/ParksBlendonWoods.aspx

May 24th- Goodale Park
*I love the City Parks. The city's first park! Reminder- Goodale only has port-a-johns...
http://www.goodalepark.org/

May 31- Emerald Fields Park- Dublin
*A newer park, limited shade
http://www.dublin.oh.us/recreation/parks/emeraldfields.php

June 7- Homestead Park- Hilliard- Playground Tour Kick Off Party
*More details to follow for the kick off party!
http://www.dublin.oh.us/recreation/parks/emeraldfields.php

June 14th- Millstone Creek Park- Westerville
http://www.cbusmom.com/2010/10/millstone-creek-park/

June 21st- Selby Park- Worthington
*Small park with a large field for your soccer balls. Sometimes restrooms have been locked.
http://www.worthington.org/Facilities.aspx?Page=detail&RID=13

June 28th- Schiller Park
*Another great city park located in German Village. Large hill for running, rolling, balls
http://germanvillage.com/visitors-center/stroll/schiller-park

July 5th- All Children's Playground- Worthington
http://www.worthington.org/index.aspx?NID=252

July 12- Carriage Place
*Located behind the center
http://parks.columbus.gov/Facility.aspx?id=26062&terms=carriage+place

July 19th- Scioto Mile
*Get Wet! Wear you bathing suits!
http://www.sciotomile.com/

July 26th- Park of Roses
*We tend to do the playground by the library. Sometimes later int he playtime we venture to the creek or other site
http://www.parkofroses.org/

August 2nd- Liberty Park- Powell
http://www.libertytwp.org/Parks.aspx

August 9th- Huber Village
http://www.recreationparks.net/OH/franklin/huber-village-park-westerville

August 16th- Powell Water Park
http://capitalcitymama.wordpress.com/2008/08/22/powell-ohio-water-park/

August 23rd- Fancyburg Park- Upper Arlington
http://www.recreationparks.net/OH/franklin/fancyburg-park-upper-arlington

August 30th- TBD

Kick Off Tomorrow at Homestead Park!

Tomorrow is our kick off to the Columbus Playground Tour 2011! We will be meeting at Homestead Park in Hilliard at 11:00.

This year I am overwhelmed by the amount of response! The downside of it, I do not know everyone! So this year I have made up a "Passport" for the tour! Every week, I will be there with the passports and a stamp. Each kid will get a passport and then every week they will have the opportunity to have their passport stamped! This way, I will have the chance to see who is all part of the tour!

At Homestead Park, I will do my best to claim the picnic table to the west of the main playground. It is between the playground and the shelter house with the restrooms.

If your kiddos are into water, there is a water area. There is a separate area for the littles and another fort type area for the bigger kids. There is also a sand play area too.

The weather is predicting rain.... but, I am always optimistic with the weather and realize we do live in Ohio so we will make our best effort to be there. Keep an eye on the blog and/or facebook if I do decide not to be there.

More Information:
http://www.wtwp.com/parks-and-recreation/facilities/the-homestead-park/

Emerald Fields Playground in Review

Although many people had a hard time finding this out of the way park, everyone agreed it was wonderful. Located off of the section of Emerald Parkway that is north of Hard Rd in Dublin, this playground has something for all ages.

In the forefront is an electronic lights and sound game. Many kids stopped here to play for a long time. Who needs slides and swings when there are lights on poles? Beyond the light game is a very large climbing and sliding structure.

Accessible by ramps, this structure features several slides from tall and curvy to small and gentle for the littlest. A variety of ladders and other climbing challenges, in addition to steps and ramps, lead back up. Several games and activities can be found underneath.

There is also a large swing set. Besides the standard big kid swings, there are also several baby seat swings and two special needs swings.

Beyond the main playset, there are a variety of musical play toys: drums, chimes, push sounds. There is also a couple of spin seats for those that like to go round and round.

A pavilion and indoor restrooms and water fountains are nearby.

Overall, this is a beautiful and fun new park. If you didn’t make it out last week, it is worth checking out sometime this summer.

This week, we will be visiting Millstone Creek Park in Westerville.



*Thank you Kathy for this entry! :)

Playground Schedule

Well, here it is! The final schedule for 2011 Columbus Playground Tour! I hope to update the info with each playground weekly as the time gets closer.

Remember- we meet at 11:00 each Thursday! I will plan on being there as early as I can and we typically stay most of the day (or until the boys tucker out!) I will also post a couple of events on other days as I come across them.

Join us on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbus-Playground-Tour/109826292432156


Columbus Playground Tour 2011 Schedule



May 26th- Emerald City Playground- Dublin
http://dublin.oh.us/recreation/parks/emeraldfields.php



June 2nd-Millstone Creek Park- Westerville
http://www.westerville.org/Portals/0/Millstone.pdf



June 9th- Liberty Park- Powell
http://local.yahoo.com/info-42875021-liberty-park-powell



June 16th- Summer Kick Off Party- Homestead Park- Hilliard
(more details to follow!!)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/homestead-park-hilliard



June 23rd- Olde Sawmill Park
http://www.recreationparks.net/OH/franklin/olde-sawmill-park-columbus



June 30th- Schiller Park- German Village
http://www.yelp.com/biz/schiller-park-columbus



July 7th- Fancyburg- Upper Arlington
http://www.yelp.com/biz/fancyburg-park-upper-arlington



July 14th- All Children Playground- Worthington
http://www.worthington.org/services/cityparks.cfm#parks1&2



July 21st- Huber Village Park- Westerville
http://www.westerville.org/Portals/0/Huber%20Village.pdf



July 28th- goodale Park- Columbus
http://friendsofgoodalepark.org/



Aug 4th- Selby Park- Worthington
http://www.worthington.org/services/cityparks.cfm



Aug 11th- Scioto Audubon Park- near Downtown Columbus
http://metroparks.net/ParksSciotoAudubon.aspx



Aug 18th- Carriage Place- Columbus
http://www.active.com/community-facility/columbus-oh/carriage-place-park



Aug 25th- Park of Roses- Columbus
http://parks.columbus.gov/Facility.aspx?id=25948

Emerald Fields Playground- May 26th

On May 26th we are going to check out the new Emerald Fields Playround!

We will arrive by 11 am and pack our lunch in the hopes to hang out there most of the day. I know a lot of older kids will still be in school, but some of the preschools are already out.

There is some information about the new playground here-
http://dublin.oh.us/recreation/parks/emeraldfields.php?utm_source=e-News+from+Dublin%2C+Ohio&utm_campaign=b9a0abf50f-Emerald_Fields_Playground&utm_medium=email

Metro Park Preschool Classes

I have blogged about my love of the Metro Parks here in Columbus before, but in case you have not checked them out before, please do so! www.metroparks.net

Below are a couple of classes we are attending for sure as of now. Feel free to join us! These classes do not require registration ahead of time. Sometimes they do, and classes fill up early!

Friday, April 29th- Battelle Darby Creek Park
11 am- Preschool Class- Buzz About Bees
http://www.metroparks.net/parksbattelledarbycreek.aspx
We typically pack a lunch and play on the playground for a while afterwards depending on the weather too!

Thursday, May 19th- Slate Run Park
10 am- Meet the Sheep
http://www.metroparks.net/parksslaterun.aspx

Thursday, May 26th- Slate Run Park
10 am- Preschool Class- Fishy Fun
http://www.metroparks.net/parksslaterun.aspx