We love all fun things there are to do in Dublin, Ohio! Outdoor art, beautiful architecture, parks galore, riverboxes, fairy doors, and more! Here’s a guide to make your trip easy.
Downtown Dublin is brick lined and I love the historical feel and charm. Easily walkable and pleasing to the eye. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from and cute shops to find the perfect gifts. We enjoy attending the Irish Parade that is held around St. Patrick’s Day and the Independence Day Parade in July.
Field of Corn 🌽
4995 Rings Rd Dublin
Field of Corn is a publicly funded art installation with 109 concrete ears of corn positioned in rows. My girls enjoyed running around and through the statues. And it’s a great ‘corny’ photo op.
Riverboxes
We love hiking with our girls. The river boxes are a wonderful way to encourage kids to keep going to get a stamp in their passport. The trails are pretty and the riverboxes are unique and interesting.
Dublin Arts Council has commissioned the creation of Riverboxes™, artist-created vessels that are inspired by the hobbies of letterboxing and geocaching which combine map-reading or GPS skills and artistic pursuit with delightful ‘treasure hunts’ in beautiful, scenic places.
Riverboxes contain a unique artist-made stamp, journal and historical and environmental information for visitors to discover in Dublin parks along the banks of or connected to the Scioto River and its tributaries. Clues to the whereabouts of the discreetly installed Riverboxes can be found on this site.
https://dublinarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/RiverboxBooklet.pdf
Irish Fairy Door Trail
I loved the magic that this experience provided my girls. And they love wearing the t-shirt they won for finding all 12 fairies! It was nice for me to be able to shop while they looked for the fairies in the businesses. Win-win!
https://www.visitdublinohio.com/things-to-do/fairy-door-trail/
Watch House & Circle Mound
5200 Emerald Parkway, Dublin
The Watch House is a cool experience – you’ll love discovering all the little artistic details with beautiful nature all around you. Read all about the history and significance to Dublin here…
Restaurants
Fuel up with a few of our favorite places to eat in Dublin.
La Chatelaine French Bakery & Bistro
65 W. Bridge Street, Dublin
We traveled to France before our girls were born. I loved the feeling of the walking into this restaurant. Staring at all the delicious choices through the glass. Smelling the aromatic soups and entrees. And indulging in a trip down memory lane.
Our Cupcakery
54 S High Street, Dublin
Any young baker would love to create a delicious cupcake to eat. They have you covered with options galore. We are trying the Frozen Winter Cupcake Decorating Kit next.
Includes 6 cupcakes
3 icing bags of frosting
Snowflake winter sprinkle mix
Paper towel square for embossing a design in the frosting
Popsicle stick for spreading frosting
Waterfalls
Hayden Falls Park
4326 Hayden Run Rd. Dublin
Calling all Dora/Diego fans and nature lovers! You have to check it out! It has a short walk on a boardwalk after a large flight of steps. Get a workout in!
Indian Run Falls
700 Shawan Falls Drive, Dublin
The lookout points are fun to explore. The trail is a bit more challenging and a great way to wear the kids out.
Parks
Kiwanis Dublin Riverway Park
6245 Riverside Dr. Dublin
We visited last Fall for the colorful leaves. Add a boardwalk to a hiking trail and there are no complaints about hiking from my girls, added fun! There’s hidden art on the trail and a view of 2 Dublin bridges. Then take a 2 minute drive to walk on the Bridge Park pedestrian bridge. It made a nice little outing.
Dublin Park Pedestrian Bridge
6634 Riverside Dr. Dublin
We enjoy the Dublin Market at Bridge Park on Saturdays May-September.
Ballantrae Community Park
6350 Woerner Temple Rd, Dublin, OH
The Dancing Hares of Ballantrae Park are also refered to as the “Bunny Hill” or “Bunny Park”. They are 24′ tall and were created by artist Sophie Ryder from London, England. Rabbit courtship is represented in the ‘boxing’ used to claim their mate or territory.
On the other side of the hill there is a spray fountain area that is enjoyed by many during the warmer months, including my 3 girls. The whimsical bunnies on the top of the hill are a fun sight!
Ted Kaltenbach Park
5985 Cara Dr. Dublin
A newer park to entertain younger and older kids with 2 separate playgrounds. It has fun climbing features for older kids. We loved the bright colors and softer rubber ground underneath. There are basketball courts and sand volleyball, bring some sand toys.
Coffman Park
5200 Emerald Parkway Dublin
We love the climbing features for younger kids. It’s hard to find smaller play structures with all this park has to offer. And it feels like you are in the woods, surrounded by nature. A merry go round ride and a hamster wheel contraption to experiment with, a bee to climb on and use your imagination, a little house that we like to pretend is an ice cream shop, an ant hill to crawl around in or on, and the cutest toad stool picnic table to have lunch or a snack on.
Emerald Fields Park
4040 Wyandotte Woods Blvd, Dublin OH
A universally accessible playground that has a variety of things to play on including a teeter-totter, spin cup, music station, places to balance and bounce, and a rope climb ladder and rock wall.
https://www.cbus4kids.com/emerald-fields-park/
Amberleigh Park
4715 Vista Ridge Dr. Dublin
This is a small, fun little park! We like to make an ice cream store and pass out to friends. Musical instruments and unique climbing feature are also included.
ML “Red” Trabue Nature Reserve
or
6835 Avery-Muirfield Dr. Dublin
We visited this Nature Reserve last year and will make the trip to visit again this year. There are nice paved paths for walking and biking. My girls loved the pond with the boardwalk dock. And also the meadow grass path around the pond. The log cabin was a fun surprise.
M.L. Red Trabue Nature Preserve is destination for any outdoor enthusiast. Walk its boardwalk to find fishing, scenic views and benches for relaxing day out. Keep an eye out for several species of birds and other wildlife like frogs and salamanders. This park is also home to the Fleming Cabin built in 1865.
Park amenities include:
- Fishing
- Historical features
- Nature area
- Recreation and walking paths
Scioto Park and Leatherlips Monument
7377 Riverside Dr. Dublin
I wanted to check out the Chief Leatherlips stone statue and learn his story. We were happy to also find a cute little park by the Scioto River. You can go behind the statue and stand for a picture(little ones will need a boost).
Old Sawmill Park
2500 Sutter Parkway, Dublin
Two playgrounds for varying age groups, the big kid playground is huge! It has lots of the old school favorites(eagles nest, merry go round) as well as a newer set too. My girls could have played on the smaller castle playground all day, princesses at heart. This was a short drive from the Northwest library which was a nice surprise when I looked on the map.
📍This is at a school, so be respectful of in school session times.
Glacier Ridge Metro Park
9801 Hyland-Croy Rd. Plain City
I have a super climber, well, let’s just be honest, I wanted to experience it! You must go!
Along with these Ninja Warrior obstacles, there’s a nice little playground. There are picnic pavilions and a bathroom. I will warn you, this Metro Park is out there and with it comes more insects. The ticks can be abundant. So, please make sure you check yourself and kids before you get in the car to leave.
And don’t forget to check out the
Dublin Library
75 N High St. Dublin
I love the beautiful architecture and bright airy space. It has the standard bus to pretend in, fish tank, lots of fun reading seats and new technology.
Explore Downtown Dublin’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area
What is a DORA?
A Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) allows patrons ages 21 and older to purchase an alcoholic beverage from an approved, liquor-permitted establishment, then sip, stroll, shop and explore within the designated boundaries.
