Family Fun in the Heart of Nature: Our Blacklick Woods Experience

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of our Metro Parks, but I’ll admit, sometimes I tend to stick to the ones closest to home. And in Central Ohio, none of them are really that far – so there’s no excuse this year! The girls and I decided to shake things up and explore Blacklick Woods in Reynoldsburg, and boy, did we have a blast.

Blacklick Woods features 652 acres of woods, fields, seasonal swamp ponds, a small prairie and a golf course. It has one of the best remaining beech-maple forests in central Ohio along with a buttonbush swamp. The forest areas are laced with trails that wind through a swamp forest with oak and white ash along with red maple, elm, shagbark, bitternut hickory and dogwood.

We initially went for the newly renovated nature center, but we ended up staying for the beautiful grounds and playground! Have you been? It’s definitely climbing to the top of our favorites list, which, let’s be real, pretty much includes all of them.

The Nature Center

Nature Centers are seriously the best, and let me tell you about our adventure at Blacklick Woods! It’s hidden at the very back of the park – seriously tucked away. I kept scanning for signs that we’d missed it, but nope, it’s just way back there. Once you finally make it to the back of the park, you’ll park your car and take a super short walk up to the nature center.

Although they were closed for most of February for renovations, including installing a brand new floor, when we visited, they were still in the midst of sprucing things up. Despite the ongoing updates, they welcomed visitors like us with open arms. Oh, and since we’ve never actually been before, we weren’t sure about the exact changes, but we loved it!

Inside, it’s this big, open room, kinda circular, and jam-packed with cool stuff. Think tanks with fish, fun activities like matching animal tracks, and even puppet shows! Plus, they’re updating the bathrooms and getting ready to host all sorts of programs. Oh, and there’s this massive bird viewing window where we spotted tons of birds and squirrels.

But wait, there’s more! Puzzles, coloring pages, books – you name it, they’ve got it. And it was just the right size for the girls, with enough to keep them busy without going overboard.

Of course we had to find a playground….

We drove over to the playground, but it looks like you can stroll there from the Nature Center according to the map. With the ground a bit muddy, I didn’t want to chance the girls not wanting to walk back. And trust me, there’s no way I could’ve carried them all! (Ha!) There are two parking lots, one on each side of the playground area, and you can hop onto pathways from either lot straight to the playgrounds.

An added bonus….

The playgrounds are surrounded by tons of green space, as well as small covered picnic table areas. As per the Metro Park website, check out these awesome non-reservable shelters at the Meadows Picnic Area, perfect for a chill summer picnic.

They’ve got six cozy shelters enclosed on three sides, each seating about 16 folks and decked out with grills. Plus, there are two open shelters, big enough for around 64 peeps each, with four grills to fire up. The layout surrounding the playground, coupled with convenient parking and well-marked pathways to each shelter, making it the perfect setting for a great afternoon with your family!

Coming Soon….

They’re putting up an accessible canopy walk! Imagine wandering through the beautiful beech-maple forest, but this time, you’re walking high up in the trees, like 35 feet high! And get this – there’s going to be an observation platform that’s even higher, like 50 feet up! Plus, they’re adding cool stuff like a cargo net, fire pole, playhouse, and a rope bridge for some serious fun! You can either take the stairs or hop on the elevator to get there. Can’t wait for it to open – maybe this spring? Keep you posted!

Things to Know….

• Address
  • Blacklick Woods – 6975 East Livingston Ave., Reynoldsburg OH

• Park Hours
  • April 1-September 30: 6:30am-10pm
  • October 1-March 31: 6:30am-8pm

• Nature Center Hours
  • April-September: 9am-8pm
    October-March: 9am-6pm

• Hikes
  • We didn’t hit any official trail walks, but according to the website, there are six different trails, all labeled as easy. The ones around the playgrounds were all paved, which made them stroller-friendly! You can find more information and check out interactive maps here.

Our recent trip to Blacklick Woods Metro Park was an absolute blast! From exploring the nature center to playing on the playground, we couldn’t have asked for a better day. We laughed, we explored, and we made memories that will last a lifetime. And let me tell you, the anticipation for the upcoming canopy walk has us practically bouncing with excitement! We’re already planning our next visit to experience even more of the magic that Blacklick Woods has to offer.

P.S. Koffee Paradise is a few minutes down the road and totally worth the visit for a delicious coffee drink or treat! We didn’t order it, but heard they have a great Ube Latte. Check out this video here.

Anything else you want to know!? Questions you have? Send me a DM on Instagram or email me at eatplaycbus@gmail.com.