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Columbus' newest Metro Park officially opens in a month — but visitors can already enjoy some of it as progress continues.

Why it matters: Great Southern Metro Park adds green space to an underserved South Side neighborhood and will eventually connect to downtown via the Scioto Trail.

The latest: The site is in "soft opening" mode, with a ceremony scheduled for April 1, Metro Parks spokesperson Jill Snyder tells Axios.

Zoom in: About 27 acres is accessible, and several folks were already exploring the trails when we stopped by recently.

Obstacle course stations are installed, along with restrooms, a soccer goal and an observation deck and swing overlooking a limestone quarry.

Some of the land is being reclaimed, marked by "prairie in progress" signs.

A playground and more picnic tables are coming this month, Snyder says.

A person rides a bike on a paved winding path through a grassy area with leafless trees under a partly cloudy blue sky, with utility poles and a white building in the background.

A biker enjoys a new trail, with a "prairie in progress" to his right. The Great Southern Shopping Center, right, abuts the Metro Park.

The big picture: Great Southern is one of two Metro Parks set to open this year, the system's 21st and 22nd.

Bank Run Metro Park, between Lockbourne and Obetz, will open May 16.

The 166-acre site will focus on big gatherings with a 300-person event space, 5K trail and performance stage.

Explore an interactive map. Data: Metro Parks; Note: Excludes Clear Creek in Hocking County; Map: Sara Wise/Axios

Context: Both new sites are on the smaller side, with Metro Parks owning about 70 acres at Great Southern.

Highbanks is around 1,200, for reference, and Scioto Audubon and Inniswood are 120.

Flashback: The new projects are behind an initial 2024 timeline, with land agreements and site work taking longer than anticipated, Snyder says.

Great Southern encompasses land that was once Columbus' Heer Park and a well-known homeless encampment.

Bank Run is formerly a quarry and the Hoover YMCA Park.

Follow the money: A 10-year levy approved in 2018 is helping fund development.

It costs homeowners just over $33 annually for every $100,000 of home value.

Wooden railing overlooking a calm pond surrounded by leafless trees and dry grass under a partly cloudy sky reflected in the water.

The view from the overlook area, over a retention pond and active quarry in the distance.

💭 Alissa's thought bubble: Situated along the backside of a shopping center and near a sewage pumping station, Great Southern isn't your typical postcard park — yet.

I saw the potential during my visit, amid the prairie grass and saplings taking root.

There's lots of room for growth, and eventual access to the nearby Scioto River will be huge for the area.

Go deeper: City Winery and other development happening on the South Side

A young tree with red leaves protected by a wire cage near a winding paved path with bare trees and a partly cloudy sky in the late afternoon sunlight.

Like this sapling, Great Southern Metro Park is poised to grow into something great.

Wooden bench swing with metal brackets on gravel by a paved path in a park area with leafless trees, picnic table, and partly cloudy blue sky.

A swing bench and an overlook in the distance, facing an area where the park should expand south. 

Brown field with sparse grass under a partly cloudy sky, a red sign saying "Prairie in Progress," and a winding paved path on the right, bordered by bare trees and power lines in the distance.

A "prairie in progress," with the overlook area in the distance.

Outdoor fitness area with a wooden cargo net climbing structure on wood chips, a sign labeled "Cargo Net," grass field, and overcast sky with scattered clouds.

One of several obstacle course stations installed at the park.

Gravel path winding through a leafless forest under a blue sky with clouds, power lines running alongside the path.

A quiet "Canal Trail" through the woods, which will eventually connect to the Scioto Trail. 

Forked paved paths in a grassy park area under a blue sky with scattered white clouds. Leafless trees and distant buildings are visible in the background.

The "Heer Loop," on the former Heer Park site. 

Outdoor public restroom building with three red doors and two small chimneys, surrounded by leafless trees, rocks, and a winding paved path under a cloudy sky.

The park restrooms are near the parking lot and already open. 

City Winery and other development happening on the South Side

You can now explore Columbus' newest Metro Park

Great Southern Metro Park on the South Side officially opens April 1.

Sign for Great Southern Metro Park with park hours 7:30 AM to dark, surrounded by large light-colored stones, a boulder, bare trees, grassy field, and a partly cloudy sky with the sun low.

The entrance to Great Southern Metro Park, 3447 Hirst Drive. Photos: Alissa Widman Neese/Axios

Columbus&#x27; newest Metro Park officially opens in a month — but visitors can already enjoy some of it as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="progress continues" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/03/15/great-southern-bank-run-metro-parks" data-vars-content-id="2f4aceb8-8817-47d8-9f9d-274cedde0623" data-vars-headline="You can now explore Columbus&#x27; newest Metro Park" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/03/15/great-southern-bank-run-metro-parks" target="_self">progress continues</a>.Why it matters: Great Southern Metro Park adds green space to an underserved South Side neighborhood and will eventually connect to downtown via the Scioto Trail.

News

Things to Do

The namesake of Columbus' newest museum was an "exceptional leader" who built "a progressive legacy in Columbus," per a sign outside the building.

Catch up quick: The Rev. James Preston Poindexter was born in Richmond in 1819 and moved to Columbus in 1838.

He's known for being a longtime Baptist pastor and Underground Railroad conductor, but his impressive resume doesn't stop there.

Zoom in: Poindexter was elected our city's first Black city council member in 1880 and first Black school board member in 1884.

He advocated for integrated classrooms and equal opportunities for Black students and teachers many decades before systemic desegregation.

The intrigue: Also an entrepreneur who owned a barbershop across from the Statehouse, Poindexter was "a barber to all, from presidents to Pullman porters."

Black historical marker about James P. Poindexter leading the anti-slavery Baptist Church near red brick building, snow on ground, overcast sky, sidewalk and leafless trees nearby.

An Underground Railroad history marker at Second Baptist Church, 186 N. 17th St., where James Preston Poindexter was pastor for 40 years. Photo: Alissa Widman Neese/Axios

Later, he became a trustee for the state School for the Blind and for Wilberforce University, a historically Black university near Dayton.

He was also a delegate to the 1876 Republican National Convention and a respected writer for the Ohio State Journal.

Poindexter lived to be 87. He died in 1907 and is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery.

His last words, reportedly: "I have served God, my country and mankind to the best of my ability."

Who was James Preston Poindexter?

Columbus' new museum honors a pastor, activist and civic leader.

Black and white etched portrait of a man with wavy hair wearing a suit and bow tie, labeled James Poindexter.

An 1887 portrait of the Rev. James Preston Poindexter, from "Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising" by William J. Simmons. Photo: Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images

The namesake of Columbus&#x27; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="newest museum" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/02/25/poindexter-village-museum-black-history" data-vars-content-id="39875f5d-8723-45fd-a465-ba289d7902b0" data-vars-headline="Who was James Preston Poindexter?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/02/25/poindexter-village-museum-black-history" target="_self">newest museum</a> was an &quot;exceptional leader&quot; who built &quot;a progressive legacy in Columbus,&quot; per a sign outside the building.Catch up quick: The Rev. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="James Preston Poindexter" data-vars-click-url="https://www.columbus.gov/Government/Mayors-Office/City-of-Columbus-Hall-of-Fame/Rev.-Dr.-James-Preston-Poindexter" data-vars-content-id="39875f5d-8723-45fd-a465-ba289d7902b0" data-vars-headline="Who was James Preston Poindexter?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.columbus.gov/Government/Mayors-Office/City-of-Columbus-Hall-of-Fame/Rev.-Dr.-James-Preston-Poindexter" target="_blank">James Preston Poindexter</a> was born in Richmond in 1819 and moved to Columbus in 1838.

History

Surrounded by blocks of matching, modern apartments, two historic brick buildings on Champion Avenue stand as anchors to another era.

Why it matters: They're the last remnants of Poindexter Village, one of the country's first public housing projects and a cornerstone of the local Black community.

They'll soon house the Poindexter Village African American Museum, preserving the structures and an important story of community and hope in King-Lincoln Bronzeville.

The latest: Progress remains on schedule for a May 6 museum groundbreaking, Ohio History Connection spokesperson Neil Thompson tells Axios.

Catch up quick: President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to town to dedicate the once-sprawling Poindexter Village federal housing project in 1940.

It was named for the Rev. James Preston Poindexter, a prominent local abolitionist and longtime pastor of Second Baptist Church in King-Lincoln Bronzeville.

The site once housed 35 buildings, but the area suffered from disinvestment.

Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority demolished most beginning in 2013 and replaced them with contemporary housing.

Red brick building with colorful stained glass windows and green door canopies, snow on ground and canopies, a sign reading "Windows of Stories Youth Art Challenge" and address 290 N. Champion.

Art by Columbus City Schools students fills the Champion Avenue building's windows as an homage to famed Black artist Aminah Robinson, who grew up in Poindexter Village.

Friction point: Preservationists wanted more buildings saved, but to manage costs, the authority ultimately settled on two connected by a courtyard.

Follow the money: The Ohio History Connection acquired them in 2017 and began planning the $25.9 million museum with the James Preston Poindexter Foundation.

Last year, they hired local architect Moody Nolan, the country's largest Black-owned firm, to design it.

Zoom in: Specifics will be revealed in May, but plans include a recreated 1940s apartment, interactive exhibits and community gathering spaces.

The museum is also expected to connect to the adjacent Union Grove Baptist Church, which Poindexter helped organize in 1888.

Ultimately, the goal is to "link the national history of public housing and Black heritage to Ohio," per a history connection statement.

What they're saying: "It really helped shape the city, and especially those neighborhoods on the Near East Side, after the 1940s," Thompson says.

"It provided stability, it provided community — for the residents of that time and then for generations of residents thereafter."

What's next: The museum is expected to open in early 2028 as the Ohio History Connection's 59th historic site statewide.

Snow-covered sidewalk between bare trees and residential buildings, with a historic red brick Poindexter Village building ont he left and and modern multi-story homes on the right, under an overcast gray sky in winter.

The Poindexter Village buildings, left, stand in contrast to the modern apartments surrounding it.

Snow-covered ground with two red brick buildings, one with stained glass windows and the other with white columns, under a cloudy sky in a quiet street corner.

The Union Grove Baptist Church, right, which Poindexter Village namesake, the Rev. James Preston Poindexter, helped organize. The two buildings will be connected, per the museum's plans.

Brick building with two brown doors under a snow-covered green awning. Colorful murals decorate four windows. Snow covers the ground and window ledges.

Poindexter Village was "the kind of community where hard-working families flourished," Aminah Robinson said.

The latest on Columbus' new Black history museum

The future museum will preserve part of historic Poindexter Village.

Snow-covered brick building with green awnings and signs announcing the future site of Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Center in cloudy weather.

One of two remaining Poindexter Village buildings, at 290 N. Champion Ave. Photos: Alissa Widman Neese/Axios

Surrounded by blocks of matching, modern apartments, two historic brick buildings on Champion Avenue stand as anchors to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="another era" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2025/02/18/bronzeville-ohio-black-history-month" data-vars-content-id="94455647-9ce7-4d7e-b64a-b914b317829d" data-vars-headline="The latest on Columbus&#x27; new Black history museum" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2025/02/18/bronzeville-ohio-black-history-month" target="_self">another era</a>.Why it matters: They&#x27;re the last remnants of Poindexter Village, one of the country&#x27;s first public housing projects and a cornerstone of the local Black community.

Development

Ohio high school athletes have been legally able to strike name, image and likeness deals for a few months, but a proposed law could make the practice short-lived.

Catch up quick: Ohio, like nearly all other states, allows high schoolers to profit off of such deals, which the NCAA has permitted for college athletes since 2021.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced the new rule in November to align with national trends — and in response to legal pressure from a top OSU football recruit, junior Jamier Brown, from Huber Heights, near Dayton.

Friction point: Two Ohio House Republicans introduced a bill in late January that would ban middle and high school NIL deals in Ohio.

What they're saying: "Ohio high school sports should be about a learning experience that is an extension of the classroom," Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) said during a news conference.

"We don't spend public taxpayer money on stadiums and on weight rooms and on gymnasiums in order for them to be able to earn an employment and earn an income."

What's next: House Bill 661 has a second hearing scheduled Tuesday.

Ohio lawmakers may ban high school NIL deals

Currently most states allow teen NIL deals, but that may change.

Illustration of a letterman jacket with a dollar sign on it.

Ohio high school athletes have been legally able to strike <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="name, image and likeness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/26/high-school-athletes-nil-deals" data-vars-content-id="b421c559-109c-4d2f-83e1-69fdde964704" data-vars-headline="Ohio lawmakers may ban high school NIL deals" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/26/high-school-athletes-nil-deals" target="_self">name, image and likeness</a> deals for a few months, but a proposed law could make the practice short-lived.

Sports

Education

Great Southern Metro Park is just one example of renewed interest in South Side redevelopment.

The latest: An entertainment venue, tentatively called "Rambling House South," is preparing to break ground this summer following a 2022 announcement, John Lynch tells Axios in an email.

Lynch is the former owner of Rambling House bar in Old North.

The project site is a mile north of Great Southern, across the street from South Drive-In and along the Scioto River, for water recreation access.

What he's saying: "Our hope is to create something that feels authentic to the area — a place where people can spend time outdoors, support local business and experience live music," Lynch says.

Another mile up the road, the Steelton Village mixed-used development keeps expanding, with a new brewery and additional housing planned.

City Winery announced plans to open there in 2022, but the project is behind schedule.

Owner Michael Dorf told the Dispatch in 2023 "We are 100% committed to opening."

Meanwhile, new housing developments continue to pop up, including more affordable options.

The latest on "Rambling House South" and City Winery

Here's where the two delayed South side projects stand now.

Gray building with large windows and two garage doors, labeled "CITY WINERY" with address number 2108, under a bright blue sky with a visible moon. Two handicap parking spaces in front.

City Winery, an entertainment venue chain founded in New York City, is coming to the former Via Vecchia winery space. Photo: Alissa Widman Neese/Axios

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Great Southern Metro Park" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/03/02/great-southern-metro-park-soft-opening" data-vars-content-id="eee973ce-da5a-41a4-94e8-e52f748206aa" data-vars-headline="The latest on &quot;Rambling House South&quot; and City Winery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/03/02/great-southern-metro-park-soft-opening" target="_self">Great Southern Metro Park</a> is just one example of renewed interest in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="South Side redevelopment" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2024/10/17/south-side-projects-to-watch.html" data-vars-content-id="eee973ce-da5a-41a4-94e8-e52f748206aa" data-vars-headline="The latest on &quot;Rambling House South&quot; and City Winery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2024/10/17/south-side-projects-to-watch.html" target="_blank">South Side redevelopment</a>.The latest: An entertainment venue, tentatively called &quot;Rambling House South,&quot; is preparing to break ground this summer following a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2022 announcement" data-vars-click-url="https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/2022/03/02/rambling-house-south-entertainment-complex-planned-south-side/6976634001/" data-vars-content-id="eee973ce-da5a-41a4-94e8-e52f748206aa" data-vars-headline="The latest on &quot;Rambling House South&quot; and City Winery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/2022/03/02/rambling-house-south-entertainment-complex-planned-south-side/6976634001/" target="_blank">2022 announcement</a>, John Lynch tells Axios in an email.

Alissa Widman Neese

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