The Great Local Outdoors

New Albany offers several options to get some sun

Rocky Fork Metro Park

By Brandon Klein

The Great Local Outdoors

Although vaccinations are on the rise and becoming more accessible, social distancing is still important to keep you and your family safe. With the weather warming up, it’s worth taking some time to visit these outdoor attractions in New Albany including more than 53 miles of leisure trails.

Bevelhymer Park

New Albany Parks and Recreation opened the park in 2001. The hub of the park district’s activities, the 145-acre park offers 32 fields for baseball, softball, soccer, football and lacrosse. There are tennis courts, a paved walking trail, concession stands and playgrounds.

Thompson Park

Sports enthusiasts can enjoy the nearly 60-acre park and its tennis and basketball courts, walking trails, a playground and full-size athletic fields. The

Swickard Woods

Wexner Community Park

open-air pavilion is available by reservation for groups of 20 to 50 people.

Wexner Community Park

The 2.2 acre park features a pavilion with a fireplace, serving kitchen, restrooms and adjacent multi-age playground. Park grounds include the Davis Commons formal lawn and the Karr Family Pergola.

The pavilion is available for rent and can accommodate up to 50 people. Residents can use the pavilion’s fireplace, but make sure to bring your own firewood.

Rocky Fork Metro Park

Enjoy the park’s three-plus miles of walking trails that wind through woods and fields. Check out the bridle trail for horseback riding, the dog park, an offleash trail for dogs, a play area for children and a large shelter for family picnics. It also offers non-reservable shelters such as Millstone Picnic Area, which ac-

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commodates up to 68 people, a nearby grill pad in the woods with a picnic table for six and a dog park shelter for up to 14 people.

Ealy House & William Resch Park

In 1830, George and Christina Ealy moved their family from Pennsylvania to a 73-acre parcel where the house and six-acre park are now located. The Ealys cleared land for farming and built the house in 1860. The house has Greek Revival and Italianate styles in its architecture.

The New Albany-Plain Township Historical Society acquired the house in 2004. The park is named after local environmentalist William Resch.

Community Parks

In New Albany, you may not have to drive far to enjoy the park experience. The city’s neighborhoods offer parks such as Lambton Park and Ratchford Fens Park.

Lambton has leisure trails, a large pond for fishing, vast open space and a playground. Ratchford Fens’ leisure trails and bridge create a passive open space.

In addition, Rose Run Park is now mostly open to the public. It includes or will include leisure trails, a child nature play area, and a hub for bicyclists to fix and repair their bikes.

Arboretum at Swickard Woods

The arboretum includes more than 30 different species of trees, some of which are 300 years old. Naomi Swickard, a descendant of one of New Albany’s founders, and her husband, Jim Fodor, wanted to share their love for the beauty of their land with future generations. In 1994, they sold what is now known as Swickard Woods to what was then the Village of New Albany and New Albany-Plain Local Schools on the condition that the woodlands be preserved in a natural setting.

Swickard Woods

Located just north of the high school football field, this area has a nature observatory building, a rock circle, kiosk, shed and duck aviary featuring the wood duck breeding program. It’s also home to the oldest tree in New Albany, a red oak that’s more than 300 years old.

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Rose Run Park

Plain Township Aquatic Center

Though the pool was closed for the 2020 season because of COVID-19, be on the lookout if anything changes this year. The center offers an outdoor pool, water slides and children’s water park.

Join the Club

The New Albany Country Club is an activity center for all ages. It features a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus golf course, a 50,000-square-foot club house with three restaurants; a 250-seat ballroom; a 30,000-square-foot, full-service health club; five swimming pools and 18 tennis courts.

There’s also the New Albany Links club and golf course that features an 18hole golf course, club house with dining, banquet facilities and workout facilities, an outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts.

Brandon Klein is an editor. Feedback welcome at bklein@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

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