The City of Dublin

Dublin Parks offer Winter Activities

When the weather gets tough, the tough go to the park

Winter weather does not mean you have to hide inside by the fire — or even get your exercise on a treadmill. Dublin parks offer some terrific opportunities to get outside and enjoy a winter wonderland of exercise, scenery and fun.

	Scioto Park, 7377 Riverside Drive, is home to Dublin's sledding hill. Weather permitting, sledding is available from 7:30 a.m. to dusk. Safety regulations are posted at the park, and restrooms are available. Parents should supervise their wee ones—but there's no reason adults shouldn't whip down the slopes themselves. And surely a few trips pulling a sled back up the hill are as much exercise as riding a stationary bike!
	When temperatures dip below freezing for several days in a row, the City opens the ice skating rink at the Coffman Park Pavilion, Coffman Park Drive. When weather permits, the rink is open: Weekdays 3 to 8:30 p.m. Weekends 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. If there is no school the rink will open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. No skate rentals are available, but fireplaces are kept stoked in the pavilion for warmth. Hockey is not permitted. Ice skating is not permitted on Dublin ponds and lakes. Signs posted along Coffman Park Drive inform residents when the rink is open. For additional information, contact Parks & Open Space at 614-410-4700.
	Glacier Ridge Metro Park, just northwest of Dublin, offers opportunities to enjoy wildlife, go bird watching, take a serene walk in the snow and explore nature. It's also a great place to take a camera and get pictures of deer, cardinals or other wildlife.
	Dublin's Disc Golf Course, 5720 Norn St., remains open during the winter months. Bring your flying discs and a good pair of boots and try your luck at winter-style disc golf. Wearing a parka or other heavy coat just adds to the challenge!

Or, grab a half-dozen or more kids and pick any of Dublin 's larger parks for a rousing game of fox and geese—a game Dublin 's pioneer children once played in fields of new-fallen snow.

Children make trails in the snow like a large spider's web: a few circles and several radial lines. Two kids are selected as foxes; the rest are geese. With everyone staying on the trails, the foxes try to tag any of the geese. Each child that is tagged also becomes a fox—with the last “goose” becoming the “fox” for the next game!

So don't just stay inside and drink cocoa. There will be plenty of time for that later! Get outside and enjoy the season!