A sweet little game for sweet little folks. Photo: Troy Smith/Axios
👋🏾 Troy here, out on another adventure with my little ones.
The intrigue: The Penitentiary Glen Reservation in Kirtland (Lake County) has a life-size version of Candy Land, the board game we all enjoyed in during our formative years.
And the best part is, it's free!
State of play: You travel down a walkway of colorful squares as you learn about the rare creatures of Ohio's wildlife.
There's a small play area and a spiral slide at the finish.
Pro tip: My 7- and 9-year-olds were too big for the play area, so I sent them on a scavenger hunt for the game's hidden purple newt.
They earned stickers for finding it.
Between the lines: Aside from the game, the reservation's nature center houses a craft room, interactive exhibits and a gift shop.
You can enjoy animal chats and s'mores at a campfire on Saturdays, and educational animal demonstrations on Sundays.
If you go: The nature center is open 9am-5pm daily, except on holidays.
