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- Battelle Darby Creek<\/a>\u00a0– Galloway<\/li>\n
- Blendon Woods<\/a> – Columbus<\/li>\n
- Friendship Park<\/a> – Gahanna<\/li>\n
- Highbanks Metro Park<\/a><\/li>\n
- Pine Quarry Park<\/a> – Reynoldsburg<\/li>\n
- Scioto Grove Metro Park<\/a>\u00a0– Lewis Center<\/li>\n
- Shale Hollow Park<\/a> – Preservation Parks Delaware<\/li>\n
- Slate Run Metro Park<\/a>\u00a0– Canal Winchester<\/li>\n
- Sycamore Park<\/a>– Pickerington<\/li>\n
- Three Creeks Metro Park<\/a>\u00a0– Groveport<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nCheck out a local Splash Pad.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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- Ballantrae Community Park Splash Pad – Dublin<\/a><\/li>\n
- Barnett Community Center Sprayground – Columbus\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n
- Blackburn Community Center Sprayground – Columbus<\/a><\/li>\n
- Easton Town Square Splash Pad<\/a><\/li>\n
- The Fountain Plaza at Dorrian Green Park<\/a><\/li>\n
- Gahanna Swimming Pool Splash Pad<\/a><\/li>\n
- Hilliard’s Station Park Splash Pad<\/a><\/li>\n
- John Bishop Park Splash Pad – Whitehall<\/a><\/li>\n
- Linden Center for Opportunity Sprayground – Columbus<\/a><\/li>\n
- North Bank – Downtown<\/a><\/li>\n
- Partners Park Splash Pad – Marysville<\/a><\/li>\n
- Schneider Park Splash Pad – Bexley<\/a><\/li>\n
- The Splash Pad – located in Village Green Powell<\/a><\/li>\n
- Scioto Mile – Downtown<\/a><\/li>\n
- Scioto Southland Community Center Sprayground – Columbus<\/a><\/li>\n
- Veterans Park Delaware <\/a><\/li>\n
- Westerville’s Hanby Park Spray Ground<\/a>\n
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Sign Up for a Summer Reading Program.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>According to the School Library Journal<\/a>,\u00a0\u201cBased on the findings of a recent three-year study by Dominican University\u2019s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, we can confirm what many librarians have long suspected: students who take part in their local library\u2019s summer reading program significantly improve their reading skills. In fact, we found that kids who participate in these programs are 52 Lexile points ahead of their peers who do not. Summer reading programs are also an antidote for learning loss. So instead of losing knowledge and skills during the summer months, kids who attend reading programs actually show gains.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spend the day at Alum Creek State Park Beach, <\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span>the largest inland beach in Ohio’s state park system.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nExplore Dublin, Ohio<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
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Art in Public Places Pass:<\/strong><\/a> Unleash your inner art explorer with Dublin’s Art in Public Places Pass! Follow a cool tour of 12 must-see art installations, listen to artist secrets, and score sweet prizes by local artists! Explore Dublin’s parks, rack up points, and redeem your swag.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Irish Fairy Door Trail:<\/a><\/strong>Grab a passport and follow the path on the trail guide through\u00a0Historic Dublin and Bridge Park to 11\u00a0businesses and\u00a0find each resident fairy. Record\u00a0the name of each\u00a0fairy, fill in your passport and return your completed passport to the Dublin Visitor & Information Center (9 S. High St.) for a FREE Fairy Door\u00a0t-shirt.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Riverboxes:<\/strong><\/a> These are artist-created vessels that are inspired by the hobbies of letterboxing and geocaching which combine map-reading or GPS skills and artistic pursuit with delightful \u2018treasure hunts\u2019 in beautiful, scenic places. Print off and bring along a Riverboxes Passport Booklet<\/a>, stamp it at each Riverbox, and turn it in to the Dublin Arts Council for a prize.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Bring your family to the Columbus Museum of Art <\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
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- Summer Art Breaks:<\/strong><\/a> Bring the whole family to My CMA Studio this summer break for imaginative fun! Dive into exciting materials and explore endless creative possibilities. Calendar Here.<\/a><\/li>\n
- BAM Thursdays<\/strong>:<\/a> Bar, Art, and Music Every Thursday. Kick off your weekend early with BAM Thursdays (Bar, Art, and Music) at the Columbus Museum of Art.\u00a0Every Thursday, May 29 through September 25, enjoy live music, great art, delicious bites, creative experiences, and fresh libations in our Patricia M. Jurgensen Sculpture Garden.<\/li>\n
- Free Sundays:<\/a> Free Sundays provides free general admission for museum visitors each and every Sunday.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Sign up for Kids Bowl Free<\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span> More than 1,500 bowling centers around the globe provide 2 FREE Games of bowling each day to kids during the Spring and Summer. This program is designed by bowling centers to give back to the community and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this summer.<\/p>\n
Catch a Columbus Clippers Game at Huntington Park<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bestsidedesign.org\/snp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/clippersbaseball.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nExperience a soccer match with the Columbus Crew.<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Attend an Event at the Columbus Commons<\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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- Free Carousel Rides:<\/strong>\u00a0open daily from 11 am to 7 pm.<\/li>\n
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Free Play:<\/strong>\u00a0Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 am to 4 pm. Come Downtown and take a free spin on the Carousel, play under the parachute,<\/span><\/span>build with our <\/span>I<\/span>magination <\/span>P<\/span>layground<\/span>big blue blocks<\/span>, kick a soccer ball<\/span>,<\/span> or make your <\/span><\/span>own fun.<\/span>Plus<\/span>, enjoy storytime with Columbus Metropolitan Library on the first Tuesday of the month!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Free Family Movie Nights:<\/strong> Featured movies include: Inside Out on June 20th, Surf’s Up on July 18th, Tangled on August 1st, and Moana 2 on September 5th. Round up the whole family and head to the Commons for a free movie <\/span>surrounded by<\/span>the stars and city skyline. Free popcorn while supplies last.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- Commons for Kids:<\/strong>\u00a0Friday mornings from June 6th to August 8th from 10 am to 1 pm (*no event on July 4th), kids of all ages can enjoy hands-on educational activities that align with the theme of the week. Plus, take free carousel rides, explore lawn games or take a lunch break at one of the food trucks. Check out the\u00a0Family Events<\/a> page for a full list of themes, activities, and vendors for each date.<\/li>\n
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Storytime with Friends of the Columbus Metropolitan Library:<\/strong> Storytime runs from 11 am to 11:30 am on the first Tuesday of the month between May and September.\u00a0\u00a0Join Friends of the Columbus Metropolitan Library for a monthly storytime at Columbus Commons. Sing, rhyme and read along to your favorite stories and songs! Bring the entire family along for this fun park pop-up.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bestsidedesign.org\/snp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Columbus-Commons.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPaddle Gahanna!<\/span><\/em><\/strong> Kayak and paddle boat rentals are back this summer in Gahanna. Reservations are available, so secure your paddle boat or kayak rental at Creekside Park and kayak rental at Friendship Park today by visiting PaddleGahanna.com.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
Spend a magical afternoon walking<\/strong> The Fairy Trail\u00a0at Infirmary Mound Park<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>and see if you can find the fairy homes and fairy businesses along the wildflower trail.\u00a0You can find signs to the trail by starting to walk around the north side of Mirror Lake from the Shelter 6 parking lot.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bestsidedesign.org\/snp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/IMG_3300-768x1024.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSupport Local Farmers at a Farmers Market<\/a>. <\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span>A trip to the local farmers market is a multi-sensorial experience, which can further result in increasing your child’s language development, and Central Ohio has some of the best Farmers Markets around. Check out this list<\/a>\u00a0and make a plan to visit a Farmers Market this season to pick up some local treats.<\/p>\n
Spend the Day at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bestsidedesign.org\/snp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/zoo2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nExplore the Children’s Garden<\/a> at the Franklin Park Conservatory<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bestsidedesign.org\/snp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_5097.JPG.JPG.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nCheck out <\/strong><\/span>Funbox Columbus<\/span><\/a> <\/strong><\/em>the World\u2019s Biggest Bounce Park. With 25,000 sq. ft. of continuous jumping zones connecting 10 different play areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Summer Letterbox Adventure<\/a> is back with Preservation Parks. <\/span><\/strong><\/em>A letterbox adventure is another form of geocaching and scavenger hunting using clues instead of coordinates. Once you find the hidden letterbox , there\u2019s a small activity to show you\u2019ve found it and a notebook to leave a message for the next person who finds it. Pick up your booklet at the<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0Wornstaff Memorial Public Library<\/a>,\u00a0Sunbury Community Library<\/a>, or any of the\u00a0Delaware County District Library,<\/a> or\u00a0register online at\u00a0preservationparks.recdesk.com.<\/a><\/p>\n
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- BAM Thursdays<\/strong>:<\/a> Bar, Art, and Music Every Thursday. Kick off your weekend early with BAM Thursdays (Bar, Art, and Music) at the Columbus Museum of Art.\u00a0Every Thursday, May 29 through September 25, enjoy live music, great art, delicious bites, creative experiences, and fresh libations in our Patricia M. Jurgensen Sculpture Garden.<\/li>\n
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- Barnett Community Center Sprayground – Columbus\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n
- Blendon Woods<\/a> – Columbus<\/li>\n
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