Visit Dublin provided us a gift card to Katzingers and Sweetwater in exchange for sharing details on our visit! As always, thoughts, opinions & pictures are my own!
This perfect Saturday Morning included us picking up coffee at Sweetwater at Bridge Park, grabbing carryout at Katzingers for a picnic and exploring two playgrounds + a creek at Coffman Park.
Last Saturday, we decided to head to Dublin, OH for our morning outdoor adventure. Did you know Dublin has more than 100 miles of bikepaths and 60 parks that offer playgrounds, soccer fields, cricket fields, baseball and softball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, disc golf courses, skate parks and dog parks? A lot of times when I am looking for toddler friendly parks, Dublin pops up in my search. That made this a no-brainer location, plus, Visit Dublin reached out to me to see if I wanted to partner to share more on their new Picnic Packs. Of course, I said yes because (1) Visit Dublin is the best and I love working with them. (2) We were already planning to head over to Dublin. Win-Win.
Local Coffee
Number one rule of Saturday mornings? Stop and pick up local coffee to re-fuel from the busy week and well, fuel up for the busy day ahead! We chose to stop at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea at Bridge Park. I have been a big fan of since the opened and have been missing my favorite drink – Crème Caramel. It is a delicious caramel coated vanilla latte topped with whipped cream. The perfect mix of sweet and rich. Iced, of course.
When we pulled up, I was slightly surprised that there were so many people. I soon realized it was because the Dublin Farmers Market officially opened back up. While the line was decently long, everyone was socially distanced and they had a TON of safety precautions in place. One thing I noticed while in line is that they do offer order ahead if you download the Sweetwaters app! If you head over to their FB page, they have more info + details on their HH, were you can get BOGO triple drinks!!
Picnic Food
The Dublin Picnic Packs are the newest creative way they’re helping us get out and support local while exploring. Dublin restaurants have rounded up some of their best finger foods for you to enjoy outdoors. The idea is to order your meal to-go and head to one of many dining areas in downtown Dublin or set up in a scenic picnic in one of their 60+ parks. They’ve even listed their Top 10 Scenic Parks for a Picnic, as well as asked their staff their perfect combinations. They’ve taken all the hard work out of it!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE MAP
With all of the options, I thought it might be hard to choose. I mean Dublin is home to some of our favorite spots. However, as soon as I saw Katzingers – my mind was immediately made up. Wait did you not know there was a Katzingers in Dublin? Surprise! There is and it is deliciously awesome. I knew there was one in Dublin, but for some reason I thought it was a small shop at Bridge Park?
Delicious sandwiches and sides, curbside pick-up in picnic friendly containers? If this does not scream PICNIC, I’m not sure what does! If you’re not familiar, Katzinger’s Delicatessen is an award-winning traditional New York-style delicatessen + they offer specialty foods store featuring artisan cheeses, meats, dry goods and breads.
I can’t wait to actually dine in, but for now – carryout was absolutely perfect. I called ahead before we went to get our coffee and they let me know it would be about 25 minutes. When we got there, I walked in and it was ready for me on the counter. Easy Peasey.
Fun Fact: I just learned that they offer Thunder Kiss Coffee, which is a local coffee brand! Also, did you know they created a special sandwich just for Dublin? They had a contest letting their Deli guest submit names then their management team voted on all the names submitted. It’s the #84 and it’s called “Derek & Denise’s Dublin Deli Date.” It is corned beef on rye, emmental Swiss, yellow mustard and both garlic and regular pickles sliced. Pretty sure they don’t typically have their AMAZING pickles on their sandwiches, just on the side – so, that is awesome. It sounds delicious. I think I might have to go back this week to try it.
I was very fancy and put our perfectly wrapped sandwiches & sides into our $3 picnic basket I picked up at the thrift store months ago. I knew one day it would come in handy. As you can see, the girls couldn’t wait to dig in!
Here is what we ordered….
- Traditional Potato Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Fruit Salad
- Kids Soft Salami, PB & Preserves and Oven-Roasted Turkey. All were served on challah (a soft, egg bread)
- Neal’s Let’s Make a Meal – Rosemary and garlic roast beef, slow-cooked brisket, Vermont white cheddar, creamy coleslaw, Russian dressing grilled on rye.
- Phil’s Katzinger Club – Homemade chicken salad, applewood smoked bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, Honeycup mustard on rye.
- Emily’s Carrot Cake (OMG, do yourself a favor and order this. Absolutely amazing)
- Stealer Brownie – a turtle brownie maxed with an additional layer of peanut butter filling…even gooier. INCREDIBLE.
They girls enjoyed all of their food. The salami and turkey they ate on its own (no bread), but the PB & Preserves was eaten as it came (on bread). The fruit and potato salad were big hits with them, too. I couldn’t cut the fruit up fast enough and they were grabbing the potato salad out of the container!! The sandwiches were not kids size to me, which means I did probably didn’t need to order three. However, with that being said, I am glad that I did! We have lunch ready for the next day. Ha.
Okay, I am NOT exaggerating when I say this is probably the BEST sandwich I have ever had. Stephen, who does not care for chicken salad, reluctantly took a bite. You should have seen his eyes light up! He was thoroughly impressed and disappointed that he decided to try it when the sandwich was pretty much gone. I love that they use big chunks of chicken. The thing that truly brings this sandwich together is the mustard!! It was divinely spicy, uniquely sharp and decadently delicious. Holy smokes. I need this sandwich in my life more often. That would be my number one suggestion on what to order.
You can view their entire carryout menu here. Give them a call at (614) 389-8444 to order.
Coffman Park
We picked Coffman Park for our picnic spot/playground. It was less than a mile and half away from Katzingers, which was the perfect distance. Coffman Park is located adjacent to the Dublin Rec Center. If you’ve visited the Rec Center, you turn right (vs. left) and you’ll see parking on your right, just around the corner.
Quick Facts
- The 105-acre park at 5200 Emerald Pkwy. encompasses land that was once the farm of one of Dublin’s first settlers, Fletcher Coffman and his wife, Marinda. Their house, which was built between 1862 and 1867, remains on the land and is now home to the Dublin Historical Society.
- It’s an art gallery and the grounds of the famous Dublin Irish Festival.
- Park amenities include: basketball courts, bocci, fishing, ice skating rink in the winter, playground (x2), grills, public art, recreation paths, RESTROOMS, shelters/gazebos, tennis and volleyball courts.
First Playground
This is the first playground you come up to when you turn into the park. It is AWESOME. As you can see, it is VERY shaded, making it perfect for a hot summer day. This playground is pretty much built into the woods/trees, you are completely surrounded by nature.
There are two main parts to this playground. The first thing you’ll see when walking up is a bigger climbing structure. This is for older kids. There are slides, a few unique climbing structures, plastic rock wall and more.
Just behind this, you’ll find the toddler friendly area. It is decently spread out and features a house, tunnel, swings, two unique toys that spin/rock, a huge bee and a few other things. It is pretty flat, but there are a few stairs. Luckily, they’re not too steep!
Both, Harper and Stephen enjoyed going through the tunnel. Okay, maybe not Stephen so much, but, he made it through and that’s all that counts.
Second Playground
The second playground was just a short walk from the first. We walked on the path towards the tennis courts, passing the parking lot we parked in. You’ll follow the path around the Gazebo/bathrooms, seeing a small bridge in the distance. As soon as you get around the corner, you can’t miss the park! We did not feel the need to move our van, but I did see parking right next to it.
I think this playground is VERY toddler friendly. Everything was pretty easy to climb on, there is a little musical area that they could reach almost everything on and there are a few slides. For the girls, I didn’t let them climb up alone and I promise it’s not because I am super helicopter (spoiler alert, I sometimes am), its because there were a few spots that if they fell off – it wouldn’t be great. There are railings on the side, but they’re pretty open. Other than that, I felt there was a lot they could do independently.
Bonus Park Feature
Across the field from the second playground is a small creek. A friend of my mentioned it to me, so I was prepared with towels and back up clothes if needed! This is me preparing you. 😛 Also, I don’t technically know the rules of getting in the creek…..so, this is also my disclaimer that you might want to check the rules first?
Another bonus feature of Coffman Park is all of the wonderful green space to run and dance through! Perfect for fast toddlers because typically by the time they head towards something they shouldn’t – you’re able to catch up!
Locations
Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea – 4587 Bridge Park Ave, Dublin, OH 43017
Katzingers – 7160 Muirfield Dr, Dublin, OH 43017
Coffman Park – 5200 Emerald Pkwy, Dublin, OH 43017
Dublin CVB
For all things Dublin, they’ve got you covered!
Location: 9 South High StreetDublin, OH 43017
Phone: (614) 792-7666
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PS – If you’re looking for a girls day, you’re going to want to check this blog post “GIRLFRIENDS GUIDE TO THE PERFECT DAY IN DUBLIN”
