This excerpt is from a past edition of OhioTraveler
Have an Urban Adventure in Grove City
Summertime means longer days and more time to do the things you love. Spend time outdoors and have an urban adventure this summer in Grove City.
Explore Central Ohio’s Scioto Grove, which is situated along the picturesque Scioto River. Follow the winding river as you hike along miles of trails. Scioto Grove is the first park in the U.S. to be sponsored by outdoor retailer, REI, which helped to fund the creation of a backpacking trail along the river with five campsites. The REI River Trail allows visitors to experience an overnight backpacking trip, while still being close to the city.
Get your game on in Grove City at LVL UP Sports and Kickmaster Footgolf. LVL UP Sports is a paintball adventure park featuring unique paintball fields and courses, including wooded courses, themed fields, and x-ball. Kickmaster Footgolf is the first dedicated footgolf course in the U.S. Never heard of footgolf? It’s basically golf, but played with a soccer ball. There will even be glow-in-the-dark footgolf on Friday and Saturday nights.
Awaken your senses at Gantz Park as you walk through the Gardens of Yesterday, Today, or Tomorrow, where you can learn about horticulture through time, including how plants were used for fragrance, medicine, dyes, and culinary purposes. Then, venture through the arboretum to learn about different tree species.
Get up-close and personal with nature at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, where you can see a herd of eleven bison roam restored prairie fields. Then, learn about the history of the land at the state-of-the-art Nature Center, which features an interactive living stream. For your next adventure, paddle down the Big Darby Creek River, a National and State Scenic River. Begin your trip at Trapper John’s Canoe Livery, where you can rent a canoe, kayak, or inner tube. Then, enjoy a leisurely ride down the river and see if you can spot any unique animals or plants along the way–it’s a highly preserved riparian ecosystem with tons of biodiversity.
After your urban adventure, quench your thirst at Hop Yard 62, a craft beer taproom boasting twenty one rotating taps. Visit them on a Friday night, when they have live music and a food truck or check out their other unique events during the week. Or head to Plum Run Winery, where their vintages come from the only working vineyard in Franklin County. Have a flight or food and wine pairing while you enjoy beautiful weather on the patio. The winery will soon have a new neighbor–the Grove City Brewing Company, so stay tuned for even more craft beer coming to Grove City!
Whether you’re into backpacking, green living, paintballing, footgolf, bison, or kayaking, Grove City is a place where you are free to roam. Plan your urban adventure trip to Grove City and book your stay now!
