Goodale Park

This is a pretty little park with a waterlily pond and gazebo near the North East corner with a few scattered picnic tables around. There are benches near the pond. A kids' play area with a shelter and picnic tables are tucked back in the South West corner. There are also tennis courts and a basketball court back in that corner. It's very dog and kid and GLBT friendly. :) This is the home of the Community Festival for the last 35 years with all of it's funkified music, foods from local restaurants and any left leaning political activism you can think of. It's a nice place to eat your lunch in good weather, or walk around the paved paths and people watch. This park is right behind the heart of the Short North area, famous for it's first Saturday of the month Gallery Hop, so parking gets tight on first Saturdays around dinnertime. Pros: Very nice park, well maintained. Tall trees, mellow people abound and lots of doggie play dates happening. Usually pretty easy to find parking. Cons: Dogs are almost always off leash, so if you have a thing about dogs running up to you, be ready for that. more

Franklin Park and Conservatory comprises 98 acres in the middle of the city. The conservatory maintains 33 of these acres as beautiful floral gardens tended to all season long for nearby residents and visitors to appreciate. The conservatory's palm house and seasonal display are free to the public all year long. These combined with the beautiful falls at the southwest corner of the park make Franklin Park a much more inviting and restful place that Goodale's crowded 33 acres. Pros: close to shops, tennis courts, concets Cons: crowded, to many dogs, litter, weeds more