There is an old saying that we seldom recognize the beauty that is in our own backyard. Nothing could be more true of this than my situation having grown up within walking distance of a metro park and never really taking the time to make the trek over and experience the beauty for myself. The older I get the more I realize the power of nature and being outside in it; taking a walk outside is not only good for you physically but it rejuvenates you emotionally and relaxes you mentally. Now that I have an understanding of this I have made a much better effort to make the time to take the walks that I should have done a long time ago.

This past weekend was really fantastic! Our friend came down to spend the entire weekend with us and explore the city (thanks for coming down here, Steve!). One of the highlights of the weekend was taking a stroll around that same metro garden that I lived by growing up, Inniswoods Metro Park. Of course, I hadn’t been there in quite some time…but it was even more beautiful than I had remembered. The weather was perfect for us, 75 degrees with low humidity and plenty of sunshine. We thought that the park was going to be busy and overcrowded because of the gorgeous weather, but it was strangely empty– which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because we didn’t have to play duck-and-dodge ‘em with joggers (specifically joggers with strollers). After doing a celebratory jig for the nice weather and lack of people, our journey began into the park.

The park is set up through a system of walking trails and featured gardens such as the Sisters’ Garden, which is built around the original house of the two sisters, Grace and Mary Innis (now used as an educational building) and the surrounding area is filled with plenty of things to discover. They also have a rock garden, an herb garden, a memorial garden and a rose garden. The trails between the gardens are set throughout the forest, which provides a nicely shaded walking path compliments of the canopy of leaves overhead. Not only is it nice to walk in the shade, but the forest is gorgeous! The trees are so beautiful and the natural pattern of the different tree bark and leaves is a sight to see, it’s art in nature. Another great aspect of the forest is the balance between man-made and natural landscaping such as a bridge with terracotta pots filled with beautiful flowers in the middle of the forest connecting one path to the next.

My favorite part of the park is the herb garden, which features an array of beautiful flowers, pots of herbs, and blankets of thyme. Within this featured garden also has a bee garden with a cute little ceramic bee hive that is surrounded by bee-friendly flowers. One of the most extraordinary things about this mini garden is the movement of the flowers from the bees moving around from flower to flower, typically…I’d be a little freaked out at all of the bees, but it really was a beautiful site. The herb garden’s entrance and exit is adorned by an ivy covered arch with flowers peeking out and is so inviting, you truly get a feel for the rest of the garden as soon as you walk through the arch and gaze out into the garden of herbs, benches, statues, and gazebos.

I also love that there are so many diverse landscapes within one park and you get to experience them all as you walk along the trail. You begin with the entrance, which is a lot of open land with islands of beautiful flowers and strategically placed benches in plenty of shade under big trees. Then you start down one path, still surrounded by beautiful flowers, and begin your journey underneath the canopy of trees. You then venture through the variously featured gardens and see the lovely landscapes offering different species of flowers, plants, and plenty of ornamentation that properly supports the beauty of the nature. There are plenty of benches along the way in the forest that overlook picturesque scenes of nature at it’s finest.

Our entire visit at Inniswoods was spent taking pictures of nature, ourselves, and ourselves in nature. We were so impressed with the balance of the park from the relationship of man-made installations and nature, but also the idea of keeping the park clean (the paths were spotless) while allowing nature to play it’s role by allowing vines to overgrow onto trees and moss to prevail against the rocks along the ponds. There is also a seamless transition from one scenery to the next; you are walking through the forest and you approach a clearing that resembles a valley of tall grasses and wild flowers…you can then continue out into an open area or a route that leads you onto the Wet Lands Trail. Whichever route you take, it’s destined to be beautiful and you won’t be disappointed.

If you are visiting Columbus and want to experience something beautiful in nature or if you live here and want to see a beautiful park, pay a visit to Inniswoods Metro Park in Westerville, OH. The park is open daily from 7 a.m. to dusk and you may want to bring some bug spray as you are in the woods, and also some water (they do have water fountains there, as well as restrooms). For more information you can visit: metroparks.net.

Here’s to enjoying the great weather and the beauty of natural surroundings, especially with great friends!

-M.