The Perfect Morning: Local Coffee & Snacks, 12,000 Roses and a Toddler Friendly Playground

A lot of people have the Friday night tradition of pizza and movie. One day we will add that into our rotation, but until then – we are on a local coffee + toddler friendly playground Saturday morning tradition. Well, I am not sure if it is a tradition yet. I think I still need to convince my husband to wake up early every Saturday and go exploring.

Last weekend, we decided to go to Park of Roses to finally see the flowers in bloom. On the way, we passed one of my favorite coffee shops – Crimson Cup. Not only do they have the most delicious drinks, they have the FRIENDLIEST baristas out there.

“The coffee house features a one-of-a-kind brew bar with single origin craft coffees brewed by the cup, nitro cold brew on tap, and innovative, seasonally inspired beverages. Our menu features all your favorite espresso drinks, a wide selection of iced and frozen drinks, and loose-leaf teas.”

I am not typically a creature of habit when it comes to ordering food/drinks, but I ALWAYS get the Iced Crimson Cup Mocha and my husband the Frozen Crimson Cup Mocha. Between the whipped cream and the caramel swirls, I would say this is on the sweeter side and a perfect way to start your day.

While I’ve never ordered food, I could not pass up the new sandwiches they carry from Tupelo. When she said the dough was made with their doughnut batter (forget the exact description she said because I zoned out after doughnut…), I knew we had to try it! I went with the Turkey Foccacia – turkey , roasted red pepper, swiss cheese, arugula and pesto topping on DOUGHNUT FOCCACIA bread. You can probably see from the picture below, but it was FABULOUS. The flavors paired perfectly together. They also offer a vegetarian sandwich which is made up of a zucchini fritter, portabella mushrooms and chipotle mayo on a doughnut baked bun. If you’re not interested in a sandwich, they also have Tupelo doughnuts!

After snacks and the necessary coffee were secured, we made our way to Park of Roses. They are about 1 mile away from each other. When you see Whetstone Library, you turn right and follow the road all the way back until you see the sign/parking lot. We always park by the playground vs. right by the entry of Park of Roses because we typically are leaving from the park. Just one less step when leaving.

Park of Roses is a hidden gem in Columbus. It is actually one of the largest public rose gardens in the U.S. with more than 12,000 rose specimens, located within the 149-acre and Whetstone Park and is managed by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department

Fun Fact: Once part of a horse farm, the land was used by area residents for victory gardens during WWII.

The girls loved visiting. They are in a phase right now where they say, “Wow!! Wow!!” and get quite amazed by everything. There was not short of “WOW! WOW!” while exploring the garden. I aways mention this in my blog posts, but it truly is the best thing to see the world through your children’s eyes. It makes everything much more magical.

I guarantee they’re all plotting on how they can jump out of the stroller and run to the water in this picture!

There are more than one mile of paved walkways with benches throughout the park, making it very stroller friendly.

This age has such big rewards with it, like watching the sweet innocence of her smelling the rose.

Another one of my favorite things about the park is seeing all the different quote plaques, as well as the dedication of flowers to family members and friends.

Gotta stop and smell the flowers, of course.

“Girls, stand by each other and smile!” 1 second later, they’re all going in different directions. Can’t blame them!

Harper loves to wave at everyone, including all animals!

Once you’re done visiting with the roses, the adventure isn’t over. Just behind the parking lot, you’ll find a huge, open field – perfect for running and picnics. Just next to that, there is a wonderful playground and pond typically filled with lots of ducks!

This has been one of my favorite playgrounds for quite some time. It isn’t anything fancy, but it sure does have everything you need! I love that their is a toddler playground, as well as a bigger structure for older kids (with the tallest slide I’ve seen in Columbus). There are plenty of swings and everything is pretty well spread out. It is not near any major roads, which is a plus. There is a TON of parking, as well as porta potties. If porta potties aren’t your think (raises hand), you can venture up to the Library or Rec Center. However, they are not quick walking distance. There is plenty of room for picnics, as well as a few picnic tables.