A Nature Walk through Inniswoods
Inniswood Metro Gardens is located within a scenic nature preserve in Westerville, Ohio. There are trails and paths that lead you through woods and several theme gardens, past streams and ever changing flowers. We love making the trip to Inniswoods periodically throughout the seasons to see how the scenery is changing.
My daughter recently began to notice the changes that take place in the fall – she has especially been interested in picking up the leaves and acorns that have been falling from the trees. With her increased interest in the changing seasons, I thought it would be the perfect time to print off this toddler scavenger hunt for fall from Raising Seraphin and head out on a nature walk through Inniswoods.
We labeled each picture on our scavenger hunt sheet and then went in search of real life matches. Our walk through Inniswoods did not disappoint. The gardens and surrounding woods were showing off for fall with a variety of colored leaves, bushes filled with brightly colored berries, and acorns and other seeds spread across the paths.
Our scavenger hunt took us through both the wooded trails…
… and paths through the curated gardens that Inniswoods offers.
We ended our nature walk in the Sisters’ Garden – A tribute garden “designed to celebrate the complexity of nature and the inquisitiveness of childhood, The Sisters’ Garden aspires “to nurture the nature of the child in everyone”.” We spent time searching for the mystical tree house nestled in the woods and in the playhouse. My daughter’s favorite part in this section is the interactive water feature pictured below.
After we finished our nature walk, we brought our scavenger hunt finds home to do some more sorting and matching. I cut apart the pictures from our scavenger hunt and taped them to a larger piece of paper. Each item my daughter pulled out of her basket we labeled and then matched to the picture. She had such a great time with this activity we had to head to our yard to collect more materials to sort.
Inniswoods offers something for everyone no matter the season. The details are as follows if you are planning a visit:
Directions: 940 S. Hempstead Road in Westerville, Ohio. From I-270, take exit 29, the State Route 3/Westerville exit. Drive south on State Route 3 to Dempsey Road and turn left. Continue on Dempsey to Hempstead Road (second traffic light) and turn left. Continue on Hempstead approximately one-quarter mile – stay on Hempstead Road as it turns right just past the Blendon Township Community Complex. The entrance is approximately one-tenth mile on the right-hand side.
Hours: Inniswood Metro Gardens is FREE and open daily throughout the year from 7 a.m. to dark.
Some additional tips:
- Restrooms are located to the right of the main entrance and again next to the Sisters’ Garden
- A stroller is manageable if you stick to the path through the gardens, not so much if you venture into the woods
- Food and picnics are not permitted in the formal gardens
- Be sure to check the events page for upcoming events for the whole family