This post was written in partnership with Ohio. Find It Here.
A few weeks ago, we were itching to get out of the house and explore somewhere new – but didn’t want to drive too far. As we were thinking of kid-friendly places, I remembered a few people mentioning Mount Vernon. Not being familiar with the area, solely knowing it was less than an hour away and came suggested by many – I decided that is where we would go!
Less than an hour from Columbus, Mount Vernon is the perfect day trip. We were able to spend the entire morning into the afternoon outdoors. We explored a fantastic, well designed, all-inclusive playground. We fueled up with perfectly flavored iced lattes, homemade doughnuts, and sandwiches – just before exploring a 250-acre civic park that offers a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors of all ages. It was an excellent combination of playing, eating, and exploring.
Play: Harmony Playground
Our first stop on our day trip was Memorial Park. Memorial Park is home to Harmony Playground. Harmony playground was built to be all-inclusive – meaning it contains equipment that is accessible for people of all ages and abilities. The playground sits on 10,000 square feet, providing a ton of space to explore.
Harmony Playground was a vision that started with Crossfit1808 then a few years later thanks to collaboration of the Mount Vernon community, it became a reality.
You’ll find a wide variety of modern equipment on the playground, which you can view here. A lot of the equipment I hadn’t seen before and wasn’t sure how it worked. If you find yourself in the same boat, don’t worry. There are also QR codes on each piece of equipment. You can use your smartphone camera to pull up a mobile guide that shows how to use the item .
The park is very interactive and has several sensory activities incorporated throughout. Another great feature of the playground is the rubberized flooring they used. Itโs bouncy, colorful, and had a little give to it, which was nice. Plus, there was no mulch to pick up – meaning it was very toddler friendly.
There wasn’t a specific toddler playground, but everything was relatively toddler friendly. The girls loved being able to safely climb up to the slides on their own.
This incredible, all-inclusive playground isn’t your final stop at Memorial Park. There is much more to discover. A few older playgrounds instantly bring back childhood memories, many swings, a skateboard area, basketball court, baseball field, and picnic shelter.
As you can see, there is a long list of things to explore at the park.
A bonus to the park is the location. It sits in front of Kokosing River, which provides beautiful views and a lovely paved path – perfect for strollers and bikes. We walked a bit and waved to all the ducks, even seeing a blue heron before heading back to the van to continue our adventure.
Address: 108 Mount Vernon Avenue, Mount Vernon, OH 43050 in the back of Memorial Park.
Eat: Everlasting Cup
Everlasting Cup is a local bakery & restaurant that offers freshly roasted espresso drinks, scratch-made donuts, Breakfast Sandwiches, Gyros, and more – all made fresh daily. It was an excellent option for us because it offered everything we were looking for in one stop. We were able to order online, with the possibility of going inside or through the drive-thru to pick-up.
I went inside to pick up our online order and was pleased to see their health and safety measures. They offered contactless payments, hand sanitizer, socially distant markers on the floors, tables spaced out, very clean environment, all staff wearing gloves and masks, and even had signs with procedures and rules.
Creative donuts mixed in with classics 
PSL + Almond Milk 
Fresh/Delicious donuts
We enjoyed their food. The selection was great, the ingredients tasted very fresh, and everything had great flavor. We took it to Ariel Foundation Park for a picnic, which was less than 5 minutes away.
Address: 510 S Main St, Mt Vernon, OH 43050
Explore: Ariel-Foundation Park
Ariel Foundation Park is a must stop when visiting Mount Vernon, especially when looking for a socially-distant, safe activity for the entire family. The sprawling, 250-acre park was built on the former grounds of a glass factory. It features hiking trails, a museum, multiple lakes, a bike path, picnic tables, historic brick facades, structures from the factory and more.
The park is divided up into different sections, with each section providing something unique. We started in The Lakes. The park has three beautiful large lakes that were once gravel quarries. There are seven pavilions located around the lakes, which make it the perfect spot to picnic.
We stopped at the first small pavilliion we saw, which had two picnic tables under it. It faced a gorgeous lake and had a few parkings spots just behind it.
The area of the park where we picnicked had a kayak launch. While looking up details, I found out that it is an ADA-accessible kayak launch. Paddle for Heroes raised nearly $35,000 to fund the launch. The launch is one of only two in Ohio to be 100 percent ADA-accessible,
After we finished eating our lunch, we loaded up the girls and started exploring. We left our car in the parking spot because everything in the park seemed very connected. They have beautiful, very stroller friendly paved paths throughout the park.
Located in The Lakes is a historic bowstring truss bridge named Red Arched Bridge. It leads you to Mavis Island via a limestone-lined isthmus. The red stood out beautifully and caught our eye from far away.
After crossing the bridge, you arrive at Mavis Island. This island was dedicated to Mayor Richard K. Mavis, celebrating and honoring his vision and leadership in the development of Ariel-Foundation Park.
We ventured over to The Ruins next. This part was incredible. You can walk among the partial remains of the massive glass-making facility that once stood there. You’ll find historic brick facades, stair and elevator towers, a giant smokestack, and other beautiful structures left standing in the parkโ both aesthetically pleasing and historically interesting.
It was neat to see the old remains of the glass factory incorporated into the park. While currently closed due to COVID, one of the old warehouse buildings is an open-air event that they used for concerts, larger gatherings, weddings, etc.
Unique, but maybe not little kid-friendly is the Rastin Observation Tower. The observation tower is a steel, spiral staircase that coils around the tallest structure in Knox County. The tower is 280 feet high with the observation deck at 140 feet. It offers a beautiful, unique view of Mount Vernon.
We ended our walk at The Terraces/River of Glass. I had seen pictures of the River of Glass before, but seeing it in person was just something else. Absolutely stunning. It pays homage to PPG Works No. 11, honoring the significant contributions of the family members who worked for PPG. It almost looks like a waterfall of crushed glass.
We weren’t able to explore the entire park, but are already planning another trip back this fall. I can’t wait to see the Wildflower Garden/Arboretum in the fall. It is a newer part, comprised of 16 acres, located on the park’s western side. There are over 50 native tree species of Ohio and numerous different wildflower species. Plus, they have even more plans for the future.
Address: 10 Pittsburgh Ave, Mt Vernon, OH 43050
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