Award-Winning Westerville Parks & Recreation: National Gold Medal Award for Excellence

Westerville is situated amongst 6,000 acres of parkland, including city parks, metro parks and Hoover Reservoir, owned by the City of Columbus, and 44 miles of leisure trails. We are truly a City within a park!

Westerville Community Center

Check out the Westerville Community Center. Visit the website for more information about passes, indoor pool, fitness room and track, gymnasium, climbing wall, sprouts room, birthday parties or a tour of our center.

350 N. Cleveland Ave.
Westerville, OH 43082
Phone: (614) 901-6500
Fax: (614) 901-6523
Sports: (614) 901-6888
TDD: (614) 901-6413

Hoover Adventures

Hoover Adventures offers visitors the opportunity to rent canoes & kayaks on the Hoover Reservoir! PLUS, visitors can also enjoy Tours, Classes & Events!

8401 Oxbow Rd, Westerville, OH 43082
(614) 423-9234

Highlands Park Aquatic Center

245 S. Spring Rd.
614-901-POOL

Stay cool this summer at Highlands Park Aquatic Center. The pool features an interactive slide tower, a zero entry toddler and leisure pool, a sprayground, lazy river and an eight-lane, 25-meter pool with a diving well. The facility was created with a natural, relaxing environment in mind for those wanting some fun in the sun. This design mimics the Aquatic Center’s surroundings, where you can stop by and look for local wildlife in the adjacent wetlands.

Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks in the Westerville Area

Sharon Woods Metro Park

6911 Cleveland Ave.
Westerville, OH 43081
Phone: (614) 891-0700

With 761 acres of forests and open fields, Sharon Woods is a place of quiet beauty on Westerville’s western border. Families will enjoy the playground areas and picnic shelters. Bicyclists and joggers will enjoy the park’s four miles of paved trails. Those seeking a quieter walk can explore the 320-acre Edward S. Thomas State Nature Preserve or loop around the 11-acre Schrock Lake on nearly 3 miles of gravel nature trails. Numerous seasonal pools associated with the swamp forest communities are present and provide critical spring breeding habitat for amphibians and other wildlife.

Inniswood Metro Gardens

940 S. Hempstead Rd.
Westerville, OH 43081
Phone: (614) 895-6216

Inniswood Metro Gardens was once the 37-acre estate of sisters Grace and Mary Innis. Today, Inniswood is a 123-acre scenic botanical garden that is a continual source of inspiration for central Ohioans of all ages. Streams and woodlands filled with wildflowers and wildlife provide a majestic backdrop to the beautifully landscaped gardens and lawns. Inniswood Metro Gardens is free and open daily throughout the year from 7am to dark. Visitors will enjoy the seasonal beauty of the gardens and natural areas as they stroll along the trails and paved pathways.

Blendon Woods Metro Park

4265 E. Dublin-Granville Road
Westerville, OH 43081
(614) 891-0700

Blendon Woods contains spectacular stream-cut ravines with exposed ripple rock sandstone and open fields surrounded by beech-maple and oak-hickory forests. The 653-acre park is a great place to see a variety of songbirds, waterfowl and other wildlife, especially the flock of wild turkeys meandering about in search of food. The 118-acre Walden Waterfowl Refuge with its 11-acre Thoreau Lake provides a sanctuary for hundreds of birds, ducks and other wildlife. Open year-round, it features two elevated observation shelters with spotting scopes for viewing waterfowl. Visit the Nature Center and have a picnic at one of the reservable or first-come first served picnic shelters. Winter activities include a skating pond, a cross-country ski trail, and a kid’s sled hill.

Rocky Fork Metro Park

7180 Walnut Street
Westerville, OH 43081
614-891-070

Rocky Fork Metro Park opened in August 2015 and features more than 3 miles of walking trails that wind through woods and fields. There is a bridle trail, dog park, an off-leash trail for dogs, a play area for kids, and a large shelter for family picnics. Enjoy sitting in the big wooden chairs as you look for wildlife in the open fields.

Operated by Columbus Recreation and Parks, Columbus Division of Water and the Nature Preserve Advisory Council

Hoover Reservoir and Nature Preserve

7701 Sunbury Rd.
Westerville, OH 43081
(614) 645-3300

Hoover Reservoir Park offers over 4,700 acres of peaceful and serene landscape on the eastern edge of Westerville. The park and lake provide guests with a range of recreational activities including picnicking, hiking, boating and fishing. For the bird watching enthusiasts, the park offers a wide variety of bird types ranging from common to rare. This includes frequent sightings throughout the year of the American Bald Eagle. The park also features the 27-hole Brent Hambrick memorial Disk Golf Course. Hoover was the City of Columbus’ first Nature Preserve adopted in 1987 and is part of the only city nature preserve program in the state of Ohio.

But Wait! There’s More!
Westerville is just 5 miles from Char-Mar Ridge Park, one of the Preservation Parks of Delaware County, where you’ll find excellent birdwatching opportunities and a Natural Play Area.