Beat heat, dance with 15-foot-tall bunnies Housing developments tend to look alike with “rows of houses that are all the same,” as the Monkees sang in their 1960s hit song “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” But the whimsical community of Ballantrae, in the Columbus suburb of Dublin, is a pleasant exception. It resembles an Irish countryside with […]
Clever layout allows parents to keep watchful eye on kids With so many innovative community parks popping up around central Ohio, it’s a great time to be a kid in the capital city. Sprawling recreation areas, such as North Orange Park in Lewis Center, also make it a great time to be a parent here. […]
Take children to pick their own strawberries A hankering for fresh strawberries recently led our family of four to Jacquemin Farms, 20 minutes from Columbus in Plain City, Ohio. My husband, Mike, wanted some sun-ripened berries to flavor a batch of homemade ice cream. We also thought collecting the strawberries together would make a fun […]
Plan a Teddy bear picnic at picturesque park Antrim Lake in northwest Columbus was once a quarry pit before it was filled with water and deemed the main attraction of Antrim Park in 1970. Now its rocky bottom and 30-foot depth contribute to the lake’s vibrant blue hue, making it a magnificent centerpiece of the […]
Shop where teachers get wholesale supplies I recently discovered the source of the whimsical materials used to construct one of my favorite works of art. The white canvas, which hangs in my cubicle at work, is smeared with teal glitter paint and accented with glued-on feathers and plastic gems. My 4-year-old daughter made the masterpiece […]
Impromptu outing at Easton turns into toy-making adventure A recent, impromptu family outing to the mall surprisingly turned into a splendid, all-American adventure. Our outing began on a rainy Saturday afternoon, a day somewhere between our two children’s spring birthdays. We wanted to do something special for Rosie and Max as a way to jointly […]
Decorate your own dessert A cupcake can be a real treat. But a handful of moist cake can taste even better when you decorate it yourself, as my 4-year-old daughter, Rosie, recently found out at Our CupCakery in the Columbus suburb of Dublin. The bakery, which opened seven years ago in the city’s historic downtown, […]
