If you’re looking for a shooting location downtown with a lot of variety, head straight to Scioto Audubon! Located on the Scioto River just south of downtown, it’s the newest Metro Park. Looking north, there’s a great view of the Columbus skyline. Facing south, it’s all trees and river.

At the center of the park is the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. It houses classrooms, rentable space, a library overlooking much of the park, bird guides, a gift shop, and more. It’s one of many Audubon Nature Centers in the US, but one of only a few located in a downtown urban environment.

For the nature photographers, there’s a wooded trail, ponds, and an observation deck that overlooks the Scioto river. Among these habitats, you’ll likely find shore birds, birds of prey, and wetland birds.
If action photography is your aim, Scioto Audubon boasts a huge rock climbing structure, accessible trails, sand volleyball, an obstacle course (think boot camp), and open fields. Overlooking the activity area is a large water tower, with a couple large platforms accessible by stairs.

Working with kids? There’s a pretty awesome-looking playground and an electronic interactive game system. Inside the center, there are activity bags! “Rent” one for free and get some great shots of the young ones exploring and learning about nature.

As an added bonus, there’s a CoGo Bike Share station right in front of the Audubon Center. So don’t worry about packing up your bike if you’re making the drive!

 Where
400 West Whittier Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Park Hours
Apr-Sep, 6:30 am – 10 pm
Oct-Mar, 6:30 am – 8 pm

Audubon Center
505 West Whittier Street (in park)
Mon: closed
Tue-Fri: 10 am – 5 pm
Sat: 10 am – 3 pm
Sun: 12 pm – 3 pm
Hours may be longer depending on the month. Confirm hours on their website before going.

Scioto Audubon Park • Park Events • Grange Insurance Audubon Center

Pictures on Flickr tagged with “Scioto Audubon”