Splash pads in Lewis Center, Ohio

Highbanks Metro Park is where you take kids who want both nature and a water break in the same trip. The splash pad is small but well-shaded with gentle ground sprays, perched at the edge of a 100-foot bluff over the Olentangy River — the trails to the overlook are stroller-friendly. Free parking, clean restrooms, and the visitor center has nature programs most Saturdays. Best on weekday mornings before 11am. Parent gotcha: the splash zone is the appetizer, not the main event — bring hiking shoes for the trail to the river overlook. Pack a picnic. Central Ohio nature day done right.