The Battelle Darby Creek Nature Center was recommended by a few of my friends, and I am so glad I took that recommendation. Over our winter break the kids and I checked it out and it is fabulous! Full of interesting and interactive displays, informational games for the kids, and lots of living and taxidermy animals to study. Also, the bison were directly outside of the center – my hopes of seeing them were fulfilled. This was a fun and FREE way to spend the afternoon with my kiddos. Battelle Darby Creek is off of Broad Street out 270 W, about 35 minutes from Columbus.
The nature center was unveiled in 2010, so it is fairly new and built to be interactive. My favorite display was of life-sized videos from the park projected on a wall.
Patrons choose if they want to see video taken in the woods, a running stream, or other nature scenes. The kids enjoyed the puppets, games, and animal pelts of bobcats, black bear, fox, etc – they have a crazy amount of pelts! Once we got our fill of the center, we took a short drive to the main entrance of the park and followed Cobshell Trail to the water. There was a lookout where we sat and had a snack and listened to the birds. We saw what I think was my first sighting of a Pileated Woodpecker (I’ve seen other types but never a Pileated!).
It was a lovely way to enjoy nature in the winter and spend time with my children. We love learning 
about nature and experiencing what the great outdoors has to offer. Parkscope is a great resource, too. It lists activities available at the metro parks for families and children. Here is my post from a hike we did out the Greenway Trail from a few years ago: Bison at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park.
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
1775 Darby Creek Drive
Galloway, OH 43119
