We had such a fun time hiking at Hocking Hills, that we decided to continue our outdoorsy weekend exploring Scioto Audubon Metro Park in downtown Columbus. It was once an industrial site that how now been transformed into 120 acres of wildlife preserves, walking trails, a dog park, kids playground, obstacle course, and huge rock climbing wall. I had no idea what to expect, but we weren’t disappointed!

The kids playground is small and mainly has climbing features with one slide, but Eli and Ava were so excited for the obstacle course, that we only spent a few minutes on the playground anyways. The obstacle course was spread out in its own area, and each station was designated with a sign and instructions on what to do. We quickly learned its not your run-of-the-mill kids course!

Station one was flipping tires – not just car tires!! – and high-stepping through tires on the ground. Let’s just say the tires are heavier than they look! Ha! With Sam, Eli, and myself, we managed to lift the second largest tire there, but we couldn’t even budge the largest tire.

Station two was a cargo net to climb up and over. Last summer we went to a different park with a cargo net even taller and steeper than this one, and Ava was the only one to make it over the top and down the other side. This time, she was backing it down after just a few steps and Eli made it completely over!

The other stations consisted of a balance beam log, crawling up and over a wood wall, going across a set of monkey bars, jumping over and under elevated logs and strings, and making your way across a pile of roughly chopped logs. 9 stations total!

After the obstacle course, we climbed the tall water tower and attempted to locate a geocache hidden somewhere around the tower, but we couldn’t find it. By this time, the kids were getting hungry and it was chilly out, so we looked as best we could but snacks in the car were calling us 🙂

Things to know before you visit:

• This park is rather secluded, so take a friend or two when you go. I would not have been comfortable by myself with the kids.
• There’s an upper and lower parking lot – the lower one being nearest the kids area
• If you want to pack a picnic, there are several shelter houses and picnic tables