Each month I will be featuring a local parent who will tell us about three places they love to take their kids in Columbus! Thanks to Eryn for sharing 3 of her favorites with us this month!
1. Cambridge Tea House
My oldest daughter and I love Cambridge Tea House. It is our go to spot for mommy/daughter dates, lunch before our annual Christmas shopping trip, to celebrate good news, really any excuse to leave the boys at home and escape for some girl time. 🙂 The experience is everything, we have so much fun chatting about Kindergarten over scones and tea. I hope we will be able to continue this tradition through her high school years and into adulthood. You can’t go wrong with anything on their menu – my daughter loves the Princess Tea (complete with a tiara to wear during your time there), we both love the scones and they have THE BEST tea. I’m kind of a tea snob so I promise you’ll love it. Note: They are closed on Mondays and I highly recommend making reservations.
2. Columbus Metro Parks – Prairie Oaks and Inniswood Are Our Current Favs
You can’t really go wrong with any of the wonderful Metro Parks in Columbus but I am just sharing my top two because I could talk for days about all of them. 🙂 Prairie Oaks is our go to for those moments we need to get out of the house, donut picnics on Saturday morning, or nature walks – it’s about 10 minutes from our house and even on the weekends there is a max of 4 other families there with us. My kiddos love the playground and I love that I can see both of them even if one is playing on the jungle gym and one is climbing the hill to the slides. We also really enjoy exploring the walking paths and the lakes.
Inniswood Metro Gardens is a favorite for family pictures, exploring, and nature walks. They offer GREAT summer programs which is a huge bonus. They offer so many educational programs year round but the summer programs are some of our favorites. Inniswood is so beautiful, while walking around we talk about colors, bees, types of flowers, dirt, gardening, and so much more. It really opens up so many wonderful conversations with my kids.
3. North Market
I am passionate about sharing my love for shopping and eating local with my kids and The North Market is one of the best places for me to share that passion with them. From picking up fresh flowers or grabbing a bite to eat while we’re downtown, or heading to the Farmers Market there on Saturday morning, we can’t get enough. We each have our favorite spots in The North Market but really you can’t go wrong. I love Little Eater and Dos Hermanos, my husband is obsessed with Hot Chicken Takeover (but come on who isn’t?), my daughter goes back and forth between Destination Donuts and Taste of Belgium, and my son loves Sarafino’s. We also love exploring the area using this scavenger hunt from one of my fav local bloggers. Make a day of it and head just a few steps away to explore Goodale Park or take your picture in front of the infamous teal and orange wall.
We are so lucky in Columbus to have so many amazing opportunities to explore, learn, and play. My husband and I are passionate about showing our kids the world and giving them plenty of opportunities to explore. We are proud to live in a city that gives us the opportunities to do and share so much with our kids so effortlessly. When Julie asked me to write about our top three favorite places – I knew it would be a challenge because we love so many places but I think I’ve narrowed it down pretty well. Above are our top 3 favorite places but it needs to be said we also love going out for ice cream, hiking, exploring art exhibits, attending the theatre, and so much more. Make sure to follow along with me over at 614 Mom (Facebook and Instagram as well) to learn more about the places we love.
