,

Jacquemin Farms

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 family outing.

A quick search on the Internet revealed a number of pick-your-own strawberry farms in central Ohio. We selected Jacquemin Farms, 7437 Hyland Croy Rd., which has a three-acre, pick-your-own strawberry patch that includes five varieties of the juicy red berries.

Unseasonably warm weather has caused the strawberries to ripen ahead of schedule. Strawberry picking times at Jacquemin Farms are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, through the end of June.

Founded in 1987, Jacquemin Farms offers fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as a small retail shop with home-style jams and jellies, and freshly fried doughnuts with strawberry glaze.

Almost all the crops sold in the shop are grown on the farm including strawberries, peas, red raspberries and pumpkins, all of which can be freshly picked by customers. Other crops, such as apples, peaches, cherries and blackberries, come from nearby farmers.

We arrived on a sunny Saturday morning ready to pick just enough berries for our ice cream. At a cost of $2 per pound, we grabbed two, one-quart containers to fill ourselves. The total cost, with a couple of strawberry slushies for the kids, was five bucks.

We were directed to a row of strawberries and asked to stay in our row. We were encouraged to eat and enjoy fresh-picked berries as we filled our containers.

A sign says that children must stay within 10 feet of their berry-picking elders. It also says not to step on the plants, words that I had to repeat several times to my children.

You can take as long as you’d like picking your berries, kneeling on the straw-covered mud walkways. Our chore was completed in about 30 minutes.

I enjoyed being out in the sunshine pinching berries fresh from the vine and seeing so many others doing the same.

Mike thought the berries were kind of small, but I liked them because they tasted much better than the giant, unnatural-looking ones you see nowadays in the supermarket. The bite-size gems produce 10 times the flavor as their counterparts and are perfect for homemade strawberry ice cream.

For more information, visit www.jacqueminfarms.com. For current information on what’s ready to pick and when, follow Jacquemin Farms on Facebook or call 614-873-5725.

The farm is open through October.

/by

Antrim Lake

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 1.2-mile walking trail that loops its circumference. Native flowers and towering cottonwoods reflect upon the lake’s serene surface, drawing daydreamers like me to spend time circumventing the lake.

Joggers, dog walkers and stroller-pushing parents also find the picturesque path perfect for exercise and tranquility.

I recently introduced my two young children to the path via a wagon ride. I loaded them, along with their teddy bears and a picnic basket, for a loop around the lake. The nearby Olentangy Trail provides a steady stream of exercise enthusiasts to the lake. The paved path extends nearly 14 miles from Worthington to downtown Columbus. The lake provides a scenic stop, but not for cyclists, who are forbidden from the lake loop. The absence of bikes makes a leisurely stroll more enjoyable and less dangerous for children.

I like to pull Rosie and Max half way around the loop to a covered bench, where we park our wagon. We then unfurl our picnic blanket in the grass beside the lake and munch on peanut-butter sandwiches, apple slices and carrot sticks.

I relax while my children hug their teddy bears and throw small rocks into the lake, trying not to disturb the fishermen who align the lake’s bank. Fish, such as rainbow trout, bluegill, largemouth bass, channel catfish and carp, swim the waters. People, however, are not allowed to swim or boat in the lake.

After a moment of respite, my children and I continue our journey around the rest of the lake toward the parking lot, recharged and rejuvenated by our time at the lake.

Antrim Park, located at 5800 Olentangy River Rd., is managed by the Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks. Features include athletic fields, basketball courts, playground, shelter-house, tennis courts and a handicap accessible fishing pier. Fishing is open to all ages.

For more information, visit columbus.gov/AntrimPark.

/by

Highbanks

From neat nature center to natural play area, metro park pleases kids

The Highbanks Metro Park in Lewis Center has served me well during my more than 20 years of living in Columbus.

When I was single, I’d often jog around a circular wooded path at the 1,159-acre park, forested with oaks, hickories, aspens and ash trees.

Before getting married, my husband and I would partake in the park’s many free programs, such as evening hikes, where we’d call out to barred owls: “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you, all?”

Mike and I recently returned to Highbanks on a pleasant November day with our two young children, Rosie and Max. The outing proved to me that the park is perfectly suited for all ages, but especially for youngsters.

We began our visit at the Nature Center, which features a bird observation window, well-stocked library and neat displays, such as a 30-foot replica of a giant prehistoric fish found in the area.

Rosie and Max enjoyed the interactive activities best, including reaching into drawers to discover stones, feathers and bones. They also discovered a wooden, cutout tree and a cabinet full of hand puppets to create their own stories.

We left the nature center in search of a playground, and we found several, some with only swings, and others with slides and climbing contraptions. We had great fun jumping into piles of leaves near a picnic area that was buzzing with people.

The park has miles and miles of trails for exploring. Some parts overlook the banks of the Olentangy River and have deep ravines cut by glaciers 10,000 years ago. There also are two Native American burial mounds to observe.

Other kid-friendly attractions include a sledding hill and a natural play area, where it’s OK to climb a tree or play in a stream. Families also can take part in free organized activities such as campfires and moonlit hikes.

Highbanks is located at 9466 U.S. 23 N. in Lewis Center. From I-270, take U.S. 23 north about three miles. The entrance is on the left.

Learn more about the 16 central Ohio Metro Parks at www.metroparks.net.

/by

Millstone Creek Park

Urban park mixes massive playground with Mother Nature

My 2-year-old son is on a playground kick. He shouts, “Playground, playground,” whenever we pass one while driving. So recently I decided to take him to the playground of all playgrounds in the Columbus area – Millstone Creek Park in Westerville.

The $1.6 million play area, operated by Westerville Parks and Recreation, opened at 745 N. Spring Rd. in May 2010.

The sprawling complex has two personalities. One side contains a colorful, multi-dimensional playground built on a rubberized surface. The other side is inspired by nature and includes native plants and a mini swamp, with croaking frogs and curious turtles.

[wowslider id=”26″]

Max and I started our adventure on the manmade side. Its main structure is a two-layered labyrinth of climbing devices and twisty slides. Built in are little skill games and musical instruments, such as big plastic whistles that toot when you push fat buttons. The structure’s underbelly is more geared toward toddlers and is partially shaded by the upper portion.

Max enjoyed banging a mallet on one of four xylophones. I was disappointed, though, to see that three of the instruments were missing their mallets, which wasn’t the case when our family visited on a warm day last November.

Other cool features, many of which are handicapped accessible, include a “Sway Fun” rocking boat and a funky gyroscope-like contraption for multiple kids to spin upon at once. There are even electronic games, including one that tests players to see how quickly they can press 40 lights.

The adjacent natural playground mixes native plants, such as bright black-eyed Susans, with felled trees and boulders for climbing. There’s also a sandy beach near a pebbly stream.

Max liked walking through a wire-framed tunnel with flowering shrubs growing around it. Then it was off to build a dam in a water trough fed by a hand pump.

The park is framed by a wooden fence, and just beyond the surrounding bike path is a grove of large cottonwood trees.

Near the bathrooms are drinking fountains and a basketball court.

Max and I got more than our fill of playing, then headed out for ice-cream cones at Graeter’s in historic uptown Westerville. State Street, the city’s main drag, is beautifully decorated with American flags and full baskets of purple and pink petunias hanging from lampposts.

Max, tuckered out, fell asleep on the way home, allowing other playgrounds to pass by like dreams.

/by

Splash Pad

Bring bathing suit, towel to spray park in Powell

With so many innovative outdoor play areas cropping up around Columbus, it’s a good time to be a kid in the Capital City. Free, public recreation spaces, such as the Scioto Mile in downtown Columbus and Millstone Creek Park in Westerville, also make it a great time to be a parent.

On a recent sweltering-hot day – the temps well into the 90s – my two young children and I checked out the Splash Pad at a community park called the Village Green in the Columbus suburb of Powell.

Opened in 2005, the mini spray park contains a half dozen colorful water features on a circular squishy rubber surface. There are gentle geysers for bathing your toes and dumping buckets for those who really want to get wet.

My favorite, though, is a spray tunnel with water jets spewing from all directions. I giddily ran through it with my 2- and 4-year-old at least 10 times to keep cool.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon and stayed for three hours, leaving as the park grew crowded with parents bringing their children after work.

My children spent equal time at the water area and the adjacent playground. Their fun was punctuated by the occasional passing of a nearby train, exciting my son Max most.

We wore bathing suits, and I brought water bottles and towels for regular face wipings.

The water park is situated near the city’s municipal building at 47 Hall St. The new building resembles an old train depot and houses the Powell police department. It contains nice, clean bathrooms, a drinking fountain and a vending machine with cold energy drinks.

The attractively landscaped park, open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., also includes a bike path and a stage for community concerts.

We left feeling exhausted. But for those desiring a sweeter ending, there is a nearby Jeni’s, Rita’s and Handel’s for ice cream in the surrounding quaint downtown.

/by

Scioto Mile

Trip to downtown fountain refreshes body, spirit

A craving for cold water and warm thoughts about downtown Columbus enticed my family and me to visit the new Scioto Mile, including the reworked Bicentennial Park.

The Scioto Mile, which opened on July 7, is a $40 million investment by the city of Columbus as part of its ongoing effort to revitalize the downtown area.

Managed by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, the park stretches a mile along the Scioto River, extending from the Arena District on the north end of Downtown to Whittier Peninsula on the south. It features the John W. Galbreath Bicentennial Park, a 4.7-acre space including a 15,000 square-foot water fountain and a restaurant called Milestone 229 at 229 Civic Center Dr.

My family and I arrived on a Sunday, when parking meters are free. We easily located a parking spot a few blocks away from the fountain and walked, following the sounds of rushing water and children’s laughter. We rounded a corner at Milestone 229 and got our first glimpse of the fountain and surrounding green space.

“I want to swim, I want to swim,” shrieked my 4-year-old daughter, Rosie.

Rosie and her brother, Max, explored water spouts that sprung from the cement and spraying water from several metal structures that looked like halos and another that resembled a big crown.

I found it heartwarming to see so many kids and adults finding common ground and happiness while splashing in a fountain.

If you stick around until after dark, you can see the fountain illuminated by colored lights.

We walked north along the river toward the Santa Maria, passing new benches and bench swings. Rosie liked the fish fountains. She grabbed a penny out of the water and I told her it was somebody’s wish. She threw it back and said “I wish that I was a beautiful princess.”

As the sun set we could hear a lone bagpiper playing a melancholy tune from the steps of COSI (The Center of Science and Industry) across the river.

/by
,

Stratford Ecological Center

Learn about farm life at nature preserve

It was a warm spring day, and I wanted to spend it outdoors exploring a new place with my 2-year-old son, Max.

I discovered the Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware, Ohio, while flipping through a county visitor’s guide.

I had never before heard of this educational farm and nature preserve, located a half hour’s drive north or Columbus. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to educating children and adults about the relationships between living things and their environment.

[wowslider id=”13″]

Situated on 236 acres, the center includes a 95-acre state nature preserve, 3 miles of hiking trails and a small organic farm with cows, sheep, chickens and pigs. The farm is open to the public for exploration, and also contains gardens, greenhouses, an orchard and a maple-sugaring operation.

Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday. So Max and I were in luck for our impromptu adventure.

I eagerly drove out to country with my car windows down. But when we arrived, if felt as though we were the only ones around at what appeared to be a private, family farm.

I stepped inside the information center and met volunteer coordinator Jane Walsh, who encouraged us to explore the property on our own. She also invited us to tag along with a group of 60 home-schooled children, who’d be arriving soon.

“You’ll want to see our crop of new lambs,” Walsh said.

I couldn’t refuse.

When the children arrived, the place lit up with laughter and excitement. Other volunteers began to appear out of barns and greenhouses. The children and their parents were divided into groups for a tour. Max and I fit right in, joining one of the groups.

Volunteer Bethanie Bidinger led our group, beginning with a tour of one of the greenhouses. It smelled of fresh rosemary, lettuce and spinach.

Bidinger, a graduate of Ohio State’s natural resources program, plucked a beet from the dirt. She then cut open the red, edible root and dabbed a bit of its juicy flesh on her cheeks and lips.

“Beets make a wonderful, natural makeup,” Bidinger said.

The children laughed and then clamored to have their own faces and hands painted red, too.

Bidinger then led us to a fenced-in area full of colorful, roaming chickens. She opened the gate and we headed inside, along with the strutting roosters and hens.

“Does anyone eat chicken nuggets?” Bidinger asked, to my surprise.

Many of the children raised their hands.

“Well, this is where they come from.”

Bidinger also taught the children where eggs, beef, ham and milk come from. Upon leaving the chicken coop, she instructed everyone to thank the chickens for all they give us.

“Thank you, chickens,” the children said.

Max and I ended our adventure in the farm’s big red barn, where we met 18 lambs, dairy goats and a llama with a serious under-bite.

It was the perfect ending to an impromptu adventure.

The Stratford Ecological Center is located at 3083 Liberty Rd., Delaware. It offers children’s farm and field trips, adult tours, family programs and farm camps that teach youngsters, ages 3 to 17, how to care for animals and raise a garden.

There is no cost to visit, but a donation is suggested.

For more information, including upcoming activities and costs of specific programs, call 740-363-2548 or visit www.stratfordecologicalcenter.org.

/by

The Homestead

Get into water-gun battle around wooden fort

Entertaining youngsters and cooling them down on a hot day is easy at the Homestead in Hilliard. That’s because the 44-acre park, at 4675 Cosgray Rd., is full of fun things for kids to explore, including a wooden fort with water guns.

The Homestead, operated by Washington Township Parks and Recreation, offers an array of recreational activities for people of all ages and abilities. The park has a farm-like atmosphere with white picket fences, a pair of barns, apple trees and a 2-acre pond stocked for fishing. There’s also a covered bridge, a train station and a caboose.

The play equipment, though, is what attracted this mother of two young children. We recently visited the park on a warm, drizzly afternoon, which proved to be a good move since the rain appeared to keep others indoors.

The wooden Fort Washington looks like the set of a Western movie, except it’s child-sized. There are three water hoses with trigger-activated nozzles. Two are located at the base of the fort and one is on top, which makes for a good three-way water battle.

My kids didn’t seem too interested in getting wet. They just liked running barefoot on the pebbles and ducking in and out of passageways throughout the fort.

Near the fort is another play area with water features for children ages 5 and younger called Norwich Toddler Farm. Bordered by a picket fence, this area contains wooden cutouts in the shapes of farm animals, little slides and shallow water troughs, best controlled by adults.

The Homestead also has basketball and sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, and two playgrounds linked by a tunnel that my kids enjoyed more than the slides, swings and climbing apparatuses. A third play area is wheelchair accessible.

Circling the property is a paved path, which links to the adjacent the Heritage Rail Trail that stretches 7 miles from downtown Hilliard to Plain City.

For more information, visit www.wtwp.com/parks-and-recreation/facilities/the-homestead-park.

/by