Sunny 95 Park (Amelita Mirolo Barn)

What to expect at Sunny 95 Park (Amelita Mirolo Barn)

Sunny 95 Park sits on Carriage Hill Lane off Reed Road in the northern reaches of Upper Arlington, and it is the park locals send visiting families to first. Two things set it apart. The first is the playground, one of the largest and newest in the city, with separated toddler and older-child zones, safety surfacing, climbing structures, swings and shade. The second is the Amelita Mirolo Barn, a restored timber barn that the city moved to this site and rebuilt as a public event venue, giving the park a genuine landmark rather than a shelter roof. The park name is unusual and honest about its origins: it acknowledges the Columbus radio station Sunny 95, whose listener fundraising helped pay for the park. The rest is space, lots of it, with open lawns for kites, dogs and the sort of long summer evenings the neighbourhood turns out for.

The visit divides into three parts. You park, you walk to the playground, and if children are with you that is most of your visit; the equipment is good enough to keep a six-year-old busy for an hour without prompting. Adults circle the lawns, which are broad and gently graded with young trees maturing along the edges, and there is a path system that gives you a short walking circuit rather than a hike. The barn dominates the middle distance, white boards and a steep roof, and it photographs beautifully in evening light even if you cannot go inside. When a wedding or a city programme is running, the barn doors stand open and the lawn around it is roped for the party; the rest of the park stays open regardless.

Plan around the barn if it matters to you, because you cannot simply walk in. The interior is a rented venue and a city programme space, so unless there is a public event on the calendar you will only ever see the outside. Weekends from May to October are almost solidly booked with weddings and receptions, which is worth knowing both if you want to look at it and if you want a quiet park. The playground is best in the morning before the heat and at the end of the afternoon; between noon and three in July it is exposed and hot. If you want the wide-open feel with nobody in it, come on a weekday morning outside school holidays and you will have most of the lawns to yourself.

It is a drive, and a straightforward one. From Tremont Center, head north on Tremont Road and then north-west via Reed Road; the trip is around three and a half miles and takes eight to ten minutes. Carriage Hill Lane runs off Reed Road and the free lot is signed at the park entrance, with overflow on the lane itself when a barn event is running. From downtown Columbus, drive SR-315 north to the Henderson Road exit and head west, roughly eighteen minutes in total. There is no bus service into this part of the city; COTA lines run along the arterials further south and east, with a $2.00 local fare and a $4.50 day pass, but you would face a walk of well over a mile. Cyclists find Reed Road manageable but not calm.

Entry costs nothing, parking costs nothing, and the playground costs nothing. The only significant charge here is the Amelita Mirolo Barn, which the city rents out as an event venue; rates vary sharply by day and season and by whether you are an Upper Arlington resident, running from a few hundred dollars for a weekday block to well over $1,000 for a peak Saturday, with deposits on top. Picnic shelter and field reservations follow the usual city fee scale of roughly $50 to $150. There is nothing to buy inside, no cafe and no vending, so bring water. For refreshments afterwards, the nearest options are back down Reed Road and around Kingsdale, eight to ten minutes south.

The rhythm of the week is unusual here because of the venue. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are quiet all year. Weekday evenings in spring and early summer bring families after school and work. Weekends from late spring through autumn bring both families and events, and if two things coincide the lot can be full by mid-afternoon on a Saturday. Seasonally, May, June, September and early October are ideal; midsummer afternoons are hot and the playground offers only partial shade; winter is bleak but the lawns are good for a brisk walk and after snow the gentle slopes get sledders. There is no closed day, only dusk closing, and the barn's own calendar dictates whether you see its interior.

This is the best choice in Upper Arlington for children between two and ten, and the playground is the reason. Wheelchair users get a level lot, paved approaches and firm surfacing at the play area, which is better than most parks in the city. Photographers and anyone who likes vernacular architecture should come for the barn at golden hour. It works for a ninety-minute gap in the day. It is a poor choice on a rainy afternoon, since there is no indoor refuge you can walk into, and a poor choice for teenagers, who will find it too young. Anyone hoping to tour the barn casually should skip it altogether: without an event or a booking, the doors are shut.

Fold it in with the north end of the city. Smith Nature Park is a few minutes away for a wooded walk; Thompson Park is five to eight minutes south-west; Griggs Reservoir Park and the Scioto water sit about ten minutes to the west via Fishinger Road. Kingsdale Shopping Center handles lunch and supplies eight to ten minutes south, and the historic Old Arlington streets are fifteen minutes down Tremont Road if you want architecture with your afternoon. The honest caveat concerns the barn: photographs online make it look like an attraction you can visit, and it is not. It is a rental venue on public land. Come for the park and the playground, admire the barn from the lawn, and treat any open door as a bonus.

Plan your visit TicketsFree Free entryYes Time needed1-2 hr visit WhereRidgeview Opening hours Park daily dawn to dusk Playground: same hours Amelita Mirolo Barn: private hire and city events only, bookings Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00 Hotels near Sunny 95 Park (Amelita Mirolo Barn)

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