Just get out of the house and visit this May-September destination to see fairy house design and construction at it finest. When they ask you where the fairies are, just tell them they are on vacation at their beach homes and “No we can’t drive there today, but maybe someday!” Your will love to see how their imagination sparks the most amazing questions and concerns for these magical creatures and maybe get inspired to create your own fairy garden at home.
We drove 30 minutes east of Columbus to Infirmary Mound Park in Granville, Ohio. A part of Licking Park District, the name of this park makes me think of a hill of dead or sick people and not Fairies, but if your parent brain needs an image to help you remember the name the next time someone asks you “Hey, what was that fairy garden thing you went to…” You can think about Fairies dressed in nursing uniforms, healing the sick with their magical dust.
My family is spoiled in their fairy garden experiences as we have many neighbors with exquisite little trinkets in their yards, free for anyone and everyone to look, touch and move. Some gardens even change themes each season. We had pretty high expectations going here and when I realized we weren’t supposed to touch anything, I almost cancelled the trip and took them around the block.
To get there, start by putting “Infirmary Mound Park” (remember fairy nurses) in your Google maps and follow a pretty straightforward route to the park. When you enter, you will need to notice the signs for different Shelters, continue to drive to Shelter 6 next to a small lake with a set of swings, bathrooms, and picnic tables. The moment my kids saw the swings, I knew that their swing-addiction was firing up and there needed to be an immediate intervention. We acknowledged the swing set with a deep breath and committed to trying them at the end of the day before we headed home. I put all this effort into planning a unique day trip and was NOT going to have it ruined by some basic swings. The bathrooms are basically high class porta potties, so if your kids are new these flush-less toilets where you “wash” your hands with sanitizer, then be prepared to explain the inner workings of the porta potty and possibly hold their hands so they don’t fall in. (My kids are girls…four and six, and they prefer bathrooms without amenities because the noises are too loud.) We had lunch at the covered picnic table area while we watched families and their dogs kayak in the tiny lake (there is a bougie dog park at Shelter 1 if you are into that).
There are multiple little signs pointing you along a trail to actual the fairy trail, so follow them all. This is the sign you will see before the actual fairy house splendor begins…
As you follow the trail you can enjoy reading a beautiful picture book about a girl named Mimi that really wants to see fairies – “The Fairy Garden” written by Georgia Buckthorn, and illustrated by Isa Bancewicz. The book is pretty long with a lot of words for the younger ones, so we actually skipped forward to the houses and went back to read the book after we completed the loop. There are SO MANY houses, up high, down low, big and small with a variety of themes and colors from a senior community center to a three story office.
You are not supposed to touch anything, which was definitely harder for me than my kids. Kids want to touch everything. Always! I am extremely curious and simply must experience art with all five of my senses. I am known for sneaking a feel or getting too close to art, which often ends with security guards triggering my fight then flight response. Luckily at this experience, there are no stoic guards staring you down just waiting for you to fail. My kids are excellently trained members of society (thanks husband!) and take the rules very seriously. There were a few times I just got super excited about the tiniest cutest sets of outdoor furniture that had fallen over, and simply had to put them right side up. The family proceeded to remind me of the rules loudly enough for the whole forest to hear, and I assured them that the fairies wouldn’t mind.
Halfway through the trail there is a Fairy Post Office with a cute activity you will definitely want to explore and when you loop back to the beginning don’t forget to read the story about a girl named Mimi, who just wants to meet real fairies! Finally, end your trip at the swings and make the kids push themselves so the adult members of the group can relax in front of the beautiful little lake.
If you don’t have a hot glue gun at home, order it from amazon on your way home and make your own fairy garden…check out ours in progress below, everything we are using is from our backyard!
Top Three Tips!
- Empty all bladders before the trail!
- Save the swings for the end!
- Order a hot glue gun on the way home!
By Giselle 