Goodale Park

Goodale Park is a 30 acre park near downtown Columbus in the Victorian Village. It's the site of the Music in the Air concerts, the annual ComFest and a great place to watch Red, White and Boom. Goodale is the oldest park in Columbus and was donated to the city in 1851 by Lincoln Goodale, for whom the park is named. To learn more about the history of the park, watch these History Videos with Terry Sherburn on the Friends of Goodale Park website.

The first time Kenneth and I visited Goodale Park was to watch Red, White and Boom in 2010. It was our first summer here and one of our first memorable experiences in the city. Before we moved from Columbus to Cincinnati last month, we made a visit to Goodale Park before going window shopping and public art searching in the Short North. 

My favorite feature in the park is the adorable elephant fountain! I took more photographs than necessary of these stone pachyderms, they're so cute! Around the pond we spotted Canada geese and a few Mallard ducks, who seemed unfazed by the sudden spring downpour we were caught in. Kenneth and I waited under the gazebo until the rain ceased, before continuing our exploration of the park.

We saw beautiful flowers, spunky squirrels and a few American Robins. In the late 1800s, the park contained more exotic animals than the Ohio natives we saw last month. From 1873 to 1886, bears, wolves, foxes, rabbits and an eagle called Goodale Park home. 

In addition to the large pond, fountain and gazebo, we saw several playground areas, outdoor chess tables and a tennis court. Goodale Park would be a great spot for a long run or walk, the trees are old and large enough to provide a lot of shade! The Friends of Goodale Park have identified 169 unique species of trees in the park.

Check out my photos from our most recent visit to the park! Goodale Park is conveniently located near the Short North, Kingmakers Board Game Parlour, zpizza and Mission Coffee Co. and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.