On a shitty weather kinda day (below 20 degrees!!) I decided to head off on my one day journey through Central Ohio with 7 state parks, Dublin, OSU Main Campus for a doughnut stop, and German Village. A very packed day!!

Mount Gilead State Park

Info:

  • Has a 13.5 acre lake
  • Has a campground
  • Numerous Trails
  • Has a playground and outside movie projector

Where is this located? Morrow County near Mount Gilead

1.5 hours from Mount Union, I drove in the snow with extremely salty windows. When I arrived, the wind was whipping! I drove through an area that had a playground, an outdoor movie area, and I believe part of a campground. I spotted the lake down the hill from where I parked. As I was walking to the start of a trail down to the lake an officer pulled up to me and light-heartedly asked, “are you insane??” and I laughed and said “yeah.” As the day progressed, I was beginning to think I was.

I slipped a few times down to the hill and finally was on a flat surface where I didn’t have to worry about falling. My face was already frozen and my fingers immediately became numb right after taking my gloves off to take photos. The lake overall was nice and vast with a bridge and a bench nearby. There was also a boat ramp. It was too cold to hike and a shame I couldn’t explore more but I said goodbye to Mount Gilead and headed on to Delaware State Park!!

Delaware State Park

Info:

  • Is a combo of woodlands, meadows, and a reservoir (that’s 1300 acres)
  • Has swimming, biking, and disc golf
  • Can boat and camp

30 minutes from Mt. Gilead lays the expansive woodlands of Delaware State Park. I parked on the gravel near the entrance of the Delaware Wildlife Area and braved on through the winds. This area was more of a meadow feel with brush. There really wasn’t much to see in this area except a few spots of water. You also walk near some houses.

I did enjoy the openness of the area and saw that you could hunt here.

Alum Creek State Park

Info:

  • There’s a dam!
  • Is a popular boating and camping destination
  • Has bridle, mountain bike, and hiking trails
  • About 30 minutes from Columbus

Where is this located? Delaware County near Columbus

About 25-30 minutes later I arrived at the ‘Out of Africa’ trail at Alum Creek. Besides the playground and large field, there’s the Alum Creek dam! It had water flowing down it and I could hear the rushing of water from where I was parked (only a little ways away lol). There was one other person here who was jogging up and down the stairs.

There was really nothing here to see but the dam; however, there was a playground to play on. The ‘Out of Africa’ trail (that was BEYOND freezing for me to hike) is a 2.8 mile out and back trail that takes you from the dam to along the lake with an open landscape. I’m sure it would’ve been a joy to walk-but we have more than 45 state parks left to do that! Overall, though, I was happy to see the dam.

Scioto Park

Where is this located? Dublin, OH-a Columbus neighborhood

Home to the Columbus zoo and is considered one of the best places to live in Ohio, I got awhile ago a travel guide on Columbus and flipped through and saw quaint Dublin, OH. Even though I had very little time to explore everything there was in Dublin, I decided to give Scioto Park a try after I saw the Indian head made from rocks.

After a non-stressful drive when I really thought it would be, I saw that Dublin had some nice homes and smooth roads…it really did look like a nice place to be/live. I arrived at Scioto and BAM I saw the Indian head. Honestly, I thought I had to walk some distance to get there but no, it was right there. There were two other cars here.

I was disappointed that the park was smaller than I thought but, oh well. Deciding to brave the cold and explore more, I walked down to what happened to be a river. There was even a bench to sit and take in the views. I stood and listened to the ripples come along the shore looked all around me and then I decided…time to get a DONUT!

Now, there’s so much to see in Dublin like Bridge Park, Downtown, and of course the Columbus Zoo.

For more info: https://www.visitdublinohio.com/

Buckeye Donuts

Where is this located? 1998 N. High St., Columbus OH

An item on my bucket list for awhile now, I decided I’d make the visit before I headed to German Village. The drive; however, was a NIGHTMARE. I later called my mom about it and she told me, “well, Isabella, it is a city within a city (talking about OSU)” and later I found out that my good friend Palmer lived right near. I’ll have to go and visit her sometime soon!

I parked in a reserved spot at a McDonalds and walked amongst the many students walking around town (as I could blend in very easily haha). I saw the sign and headed in. A donut shop on one side and a diner on the other, I really liked this small space. It was jam packed but I felt at ease (when I usually don’t in small spaces).

The donut tray tempted me with many kinds of donuts but I ended up choosing their staple-the Buckeye Donut. It was a glazed donut topped with lots of chocolate frosting and a peanut butter gloop in the middle.

I quickly walked back to my car and tried the donut. Oh my Lord, it was truly the best donut I’ve ever had. The base of the donut was moist and scrumptious while the chocolate frosting was just enough and not too sweet. The peanut butter also tasted exactly like JIF and I love JIF.

Alright, now we are driving on down to the red brick roads of German Village.

German Village

One of the better known neighborhoods of Columbus and home to Schmidt’s I decided what to see what this neighborhood was all about (with the short period of time I had). Parking was easier than I thought with many spaces on the street. The streets are hella narrow though. Not only are they narrow, but they are brick roads! I thought that was cool.

The first thing on my agenda was to go to Winan’s coffee and chocolates.

Only a minute from where I parked, I walked along the small and cute houses that were mostly brick. It was such a nice little village. I walked into Winan’s and it was a nice and simple interior but cozy.

I decided I’d go for a hot Wurtle which, I believe, is caramel, mocha, and praline syrup with whole milk. There were two couples sitting when I was there and the place smelled sweet. I also got their famous meltaways. LET ME TELL YOU it was the best damn chocolate I’ve ever eaten. It was a dark chocolate coating and a dark chocolate nougat that did, indeed, melt in your mouth.

After that, I walked on to Schiller Park which had many sights to see such as a stage area,

a statue of a man (I couldn’t get closer because someone was having a photoshoot),

and 2 ponds with statues of a rower and 2 statues of people chiming in the wind (and with the wind I was having, boy were they chiming!).

Overall, a very pretty park. By the time I walked past more houses and looked at Schmidts, it was near 2:30 and I had 2.5 hours (sunset was around 5:20) to check out 4 more state parks!

Buckeye Lake State Park

Info:

  • Ohio’s oldest state park
  • 3100 acre lake
  • Trail at North Shore and Lieb’s Island
  • Great for boating, kayaking, etc

Where is this located? Licking County near Millersport

About 35 minutes from German Village lays Ohio’s oldest state park. A large lake drawing many from the central Ohio area, this reminded me of Lake Milton-a park known for water activities. Although I was here for a brief time, I could see people having fun on boats, kayaking, and even tubing here. Not to mention, there’s some shoreline trails and the Queen of the Lake (a sternwheeler).

A.W. Marion State Park

Info:

  • Has a trail looping Hargus Lake (145 acres)
  • Can boat, swim, etc.
  • Rural and consists of woodlands

Where is this located? Pickaway County near Circleville

A 50 minute drive from Buckeye Lake I arrived! The lake lay before me after some distance of land covered in autumn leaves. I used the restroom (which was actually decent). This was a place that would be nice to just sit and relax. This is also the start of the Hargus Loop Trail which is near 4.5 miles!

As I walked to the gravel part of the path, 2 geese were honking at each other as if they were arguing. It was sorta funny. I kept along the gravel straightaway with the lake to my left and a hill to my right where some lake water was.

The wind was still whipping and my face was absolutely frrrrozen. As I sped-walk back to my car I noticed a boulder with a plaque talking about the Hargus Lake dam and a flag pole/memorial for AW Marion (the first ODNR Director).

Time to head to Deer Creek!

Deer Creek State Park

Info:

  • Has a lodge
  • 1277 acre reservoir to boat on
  • Has a golf course near the lodge
  • Has multi-use trails and a nature center

Where is this located? Pickaway County or “in the heart of Ohio’s agricultural country”

Before I arrived, I did not know they had a lodge and the parking was near full! I liked the sign saying ‘Deer Creek Lodge’ with deer figurines around it.

The lodge was big and I read later that it had separate cabins. They also have a tennis court (that I parked next to).

I walked on the Van Horn trail for a hot minute then turned to go into the openness/the area behind the lodge.

Tied with A.W. Marion, this was one of the best state park views of the day.

The area had at least 3 benches to sit on before I came across the outdoor lodge seating area with built in fireplaces.

The views I took in looked like I was at a beach but I’m pretty sure it was just the lake somewhat drained. I’ll let the photos speak for me.

Madison Lake State Park

Info:

  • Picturesque
  • 106 acre lake
  • Has a mini dam
  • Has a 1 mile trail

Where is this located? Madison County near London

About a 30 minute drive from Deer Creek, I finally arrived on the road of Madison Lake and drove past, to my surprise, a mini dam. It was a tiny waterfall. When I parked, it was nearing sunset so I walked down to the edge of a small, narrow dock and looked at the lake against the sunset and was grateful that this was my final view of such an adventurous day.