Last year, while visiting family near Phoenix, Ariz., my wife and I decided to take our kids, 5 and 7, to Camelback Mountain. We didn't know if we'd make it to the summit, which is higher than the Empire State Building. The path is steep and rocky. Posted signs rate the trail "extremely difficult."
We are privileged and pleased to share the results of our 2015 Teachers of the Year contest, brought to you by KEMBA Financial Credit Union. Special thanks also to Sylvan Learning, with centers in Lewis Center and Grove City, who was our premier prize sponsor, as well as United Art & Education, our supporting prize sponsor.
Jill Prout and her husband, Zack, moved to Clintonville in 2008, looking for the best of both city and suburb. The pair, whose family now includes 4-year-old son, Lee, and nearly 1-year-old daughter, Zoe, have found it.
Quiet streets, whimsical shops, rugged brick facades and historic charm are hallmarks of Tipp City, a small city of about 10,000 residents, just north of Dayton.
Sitting at the convergence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, the city of Marietta makes for a fun one-day trip from Columbus. As the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory, Marietta covers less than 9 square miles but its quaint downtown provides a glimpse of life during the 1700s.
I used to have a vision of my children turning 18: Me with a sentimental tear running down my cheek as I load up the U-Haul and they move out of my house for good, off on their journeys as adults.
When it's time to get out of the house and go somewhere, plenty of daytrip destinations await, just outside central Ohio. Just be sure to check their websites for the most current dates and hours of operation.
It only seems like yesterday there was no such thing as a play café. Now just about every community in central Ohio has one of these indoor play spaces that also offer seating, food and beverages for grownups. How did we ever live without them?
These are the destinations that are tops on many central Ohio families' lists for family fun. Best of all, they're fun to visit throughout the year, thanks to imaginative programming and/or the changing seasons.
When the temps and precipitation start to drop, parents know it's time to head indoors. Below are some of our favorite indoor play spaces in central Ohio - that also happen to be free!
Central Ohio is home to a variety of park systems, which provide both green space and family-focused (and usually free) programming. We have written about some of these locations and included links to those articles beneath the listings.
What follows are some of our favorite splash pads and water-play parks that are free and open to the public, and we've included links to articles if we've written previously about a destination.
Whether we're celebrating food, music, art, our shared heritages or the bounty of the season, Columbus families know how to throw great fairs and festivals.
