Ohio truly comes alive in the spring.
With colorful wildflowers, roaring waterfalls and lush shades of green all around, it’s one of the best seasons to get out and discover something new. From little-known parks to adventurous trails, there’s always something to explore in the Buckeye State. Here are 12 places that belong at the top of your spring bucket list this year:
- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (Cincinnati)
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden/Facebook During the month of April, this popular zoo is a tulip wonderland. There are more than 100,000 tulips that cover the ground during the month of April and it’s truly spellbinding. You’ll also find daffodils, hyacinths, flowering shrubs and more. For directions and more information, click here.
- Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve (Heath)
Rumiana K/Trip Advisor The Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve features a 4-mile-long sandstone formation that the Licking River flows through. It’s truly incredible to see. Along the trails, you’ll find signs that explain the history of the area. For directions and more information, click here.
- Jane Coates Wildflower Trail (Put-In-Bay)
Lake Erie Islands Conservancy/Facebook The Jane Coates Wildflower Trail on South Bass Island in Put-In-Bay, Ohio is a hidden gem most people don’t know about. This half-mile loop trail features a gorgeous variety of wildflowers and even some migratory songbirds. For directions and more information, click here.
- Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens (Akron)
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens/Facebook Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens is a national treasure in Akron, Ohio that’s open to the public from April to December. Since 1912, this mansion has enchanted locals and visitors alike who’ve walked its halls and strolled its gardens. For directions and more information, click here.
- Cedar Bog Nature Preserve (Urbana)
Cedar Bog Nature Preserve/Facebook Preserving more than 400 acres in Champaign County, this hidden gem of a nature preserve is a little out of the way—but definitely worth the drive. At the bog, you’ll likely forget you’re in Ohio. The sedge meadows, wildflowers and rare plants make an enchanting setting. For directions and more information, click here.
- Cox Arboretum and Gardens MetroPark (Dayton)
May-Ree N/Trip Advisor With multiple nature trails, specialty gardens and even a butterfly house, there’s always something beautiful to explore and photograph at Cox Arboretum. While you’re here, you’ll want to climb the 65-ft. tree tower. It features stunning views of the garden’s grounds. For directions and more information, click here.
- Hayden Falls Park (Dublin)
shellyb1979/Trip Advisor If you’ve ever heard rumors about an enchanting, emerald-hued waterfall hiding in Columbus, you should know it really does exist—and it’s calling your name this spring. The gorge where the falls are located features a boardwalk and overlook area, making the waterfall easily accessible to visitors. For directions and more information, click here.
- Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve (Marshallville)
Ohio Hiking Trails and Historical Sites./Facebook Tucked away in Wayne County, you’ll find more than 200 acres of some of Ohio’s oldest trees at Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve. According to the ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, some of the trees have grown to be 120 ft. tall with a diameter of 4 - 5 ft. Most of them are 400-years-old. For directions and more information, click here.
- Glenwood Gardens (Cincinnati)
Highfield Discovery Garden - Glenwood Gardens/Facebook When you’re looking for something fun to do with the family on a spring day, consider visiting one of your local, little-known parks. Discovery parks are full of hands-on activities and exhibits. Glenwood Gardens in Cincinnati is one of Ohio’s hidden gems just waiting to be explored. For directions and more information, click here.
- Topiary Park (Columbus)
topiarypark.org Few people know about the quaint, seven-acre park in Columbus that features one of Ohio’s most unique gardens, where art and plant life blend. The topiary garden depicts Georges Seurat’s famous painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grand Jatte”—and it is the only known topiary representation of a painting. For directions and more information, click here.
- Holden Arboretum (Willoughby)
Kevin T. Quinn/Flickr Visitors can observe this beautiful garden year-round, but it’s especially beautiful in the spring. Holden Arboretum features a display garden, a crabapple collection, a hedge garden, a butterfly garden, a rhododendron garden, and conifer and magnolia collections. There’s also a stunning canopy walk that gives you a truly unique perceptive. For directions and more information, click here.
- Worden’s Ledges Loop Trail (Hinckley Reservation)
Brian T/All Trails Worden’s Ledges Loop Trail in Hinckley Reservation is a true hidden gem to Ohio explorers and hiking enthusiasts. It’s a 0.7-mile loop trail that features one-of-a-kind carvings from the 1940s. Stumbling upon this in the middle of the woods feels like you’ve uncovered a secret. For directions and more information, click here.
How many of these places have you explored? What other parks, trails or gardens would you add to this list? Let us know!
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden/Facebook
During the month of April, this popular zoo is a tulip wonderland. There are more than 100,000 tulips that cover the ground during the month of April and it’s truly spellbinding. You’ll also find daffodils, hyacinths, flowering shrubs and more. For directions and more information, click here.
Rumiana K/Trip Advisor
The Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve features a 4-mile-long sandstone formation that the Licking River flows through. It’s truly incredible to see. Along the trails, you’ll find signs that explain the history of the area. For directions and more information, click here.
Lake Erie Islands Conservancy/Facebook
The Jane Coates Wildflower Trail on South Bass Island in Put-In-Bay, Ohio is a hidden gem most people don’t know about. This half-mile loop trail features a gorgeous variety of wildflowers and even some migratory songbirds. For directions and more information, click here.
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens/Facebook
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens is a national treasure in Akron, Ohio that’s open to the public from April to December. Since 1912, this mansion has enchanted locals and visitors alike who’ve walked its halls and strolled its gardens. For directions and more information, click here.
Cedar Bog Nature Preserve/Facebook
Preserving more than 400 acres in Champaign County, this hidden gem of a nature preserve is a little out of the way—but definitely worth the drive. At the bog, you’ll likely forget you’re in Ohio. The sedge meadows, wildflowers and rare plants make an enchanting setting. For directions and more information, click here.
May-Ree N/Trip Advisor
With multiple nature trails, specialty gardens and even a butterfly house, there’s always something beautiful to explore and photograph at Cox Arboretum. While you’re here, you’ll want to climb the 65-ft. tree tower. It features stunning views of the garden’s grounds. For directions and more information, click here.
shellyb1979/Trip Advisor
If you’ve ever heard rumors about an enchanting, emerald-hued waterfall hiding in Columbus, you should know it really does exist—and it’s calling your name this spring. The gorge where the falls are located features a boardwalk and overlook area, making the waterfall easily accessible to visitors. For directions and more information, click here.
Ohio Hiking Trails and Historical Sites./Facebook
Tucked away in Wayne County, you’ll find more than 200 acres of some of Ohio’s oldest trees at Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve. According to the ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, some of the trees have grown to be 120 ft. tall with a diameter of 4 - 5 ft. Most of them are 400-years-old. For directions and more information, click here.
Highfield Discovery Garden - Glenwood Gardens/Facebook
When you’re looking for something fun to do with the family on a spring day, consider visiting one of your local, little-known parks. Discovery parks are full of hands-on activities and exhibits. Glenwood Gardens in Cincinnati is one of Ohio’s hidden gems just waiting to be explored. For directions and more information, click here.
topiarypark.org
Few people know about the quaint, seven-acre park in Columbus that features one of Ohio’s most unique gardens, where art and plant life blend. The topiary garden depicts Georges Seurat’s famous painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grand Jatte”—and it is the only known topiary representation of a painting. For directions and more information, click here.
Kevin T. Quinn/Flickr
Visitors can observe this beautiful garden year-round, but it’s especially beautiful in the spring. Holden Arboretum features a display garden, a crabapple collection, a hedge garden, a butterfly garden, a rhododendron garden, and conifer and magnolia collections. There’s also a stunning canopy walk that gives you a truly unique perceptive. For directions and more information, click here.
Brian T/All Trails
Worden’s Ledges Loop Trail in Hinckley Reservation is a true hidden gem to Ohio explorers and hiking enthusiasts. It’s a 0.7-mile loop trail that features one-of-a-kind carvings from the 1940s. Stumbling upon this in the middle of the woods feels like you’ve uncovered a secret. For directions and more information, click here.
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