Westerville

Westerville combines extensive recreational trails with gardens, natural areas and historic sites. The Westerville Bike and Walkways (B&W) include 51 miles of recreational trails: they run through parks, wooded areas and fields, cross rivers and roads, and follow streets and pass through residential neighborhoods. As a result, both natural and urban spaces are part of the trail network. If you choose Westerville for a stay, you can consider whether cycling, walking or jogging should be the main focus—or whether history and gardens should also be part of your plans.

Recreational trails through varied landscapes

The B&W trail system is Westerville’s recreational route network for cycling, walking or jogging. Markers are placed at half-mile intervals; information boards are located at the Westerville Sports Complex and Spring Grove North Park. The signs and board locations help you find your way around the trail system. The different trail sections pass through parks and wooded areas as well as fields, cross rivers and roads, and run through residential neighborhoods. When planning your trip, it is therefore worth considering your preferred activity and the variety of surroundings together, rather than associating Westerville with just one type of outing.

Woodlands, fields and themed gardens

Rocky Fork includes more than 1,000 acres of woodland and fields. Its amenities include an equestrian trail, a dog park, an off-leash dog trail, a paved trail and nature trails. There are also wetlands and a picnic shelter. These different features make Rocky Fork a distinct nature-focused option during a stay in Westerville: you can consider which type of trail or aspect of the landscape will be most appealing to your travel group. The description ranges from horseback riding and trails to wetlands; it does not present all these experiences as the same activity.

Inniswood Metro Gardens offers another way to experience nature: this 123-acre garden is located in a nature preserve with streams and woodlands filled with wildflowers and wildlife. More than 2,000 plant species, specialty collections and several themed gardens define the site. Those with a particular interest in plants and gardens will find a clear contrast here to Rocky Fork’s woodlands and fields. Families looking to accommodate different interests can consider these nature-focused options as separate ideas for their stay, without combining them into a single outing.

Discover Westerville’s history

The city’s history offers another way to experience Westerville. The Temperance Row Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized by the National Park Service as an area of national significance. Leaders of the Anti-Saloon League of America lived there and raised their families, and in 1919 they secured the prohibition of the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating alcoholic beverages. This connection between personal stories and a political turning point gives the historic district a distinct significance.

At Heritage Park, visitors can take a guided tour of Everal Barn & Homestead, which includes a historic barn and a historic 19th-century house. The Westerville History Center tours offer a different way to explore: self-guided walks through Westerville’s cultural, historical and architectural heritage. When planning your trip, you can weigh a guided tour at a historic site against a self-guided walk as different ways to discover the city’s history.

Which vacation rental fits your travel plans?

When choosing a vacation rental in Westerville, your interests can help you decide: are the B&W recreational trails the main draw, are you interested in Rocky Fork and Inniswood Metro Gardens, or would you like to include historic sites and walking tours? These priorities can help you organize the experiences you want for your trip. If you’re traveling with family, you can discuss together whether nature trails, gardens or history are most important to everyone. Westerville offers a range of themes, so you don’t have to limit yourself to just one way of exploring.

More places: Groveport, Gahanna, Dublin, Hilliard, Worthington, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington, Canal Winchester.

For the broader travel overview: Franklin.