The Conservatory

Miami University Hamilton

1601 University Boulevard, Hamilton, OH  45015

(513) 785-3184

www.ham.muohio.edu/conservatory

A gift from the Richard J. Fitton family of Hamilton funded the construction and operation of a botanical conservatory on the west side of the campus, between Phelps Hall and the Gymnasium. The 7,000 square foot multi-use facility consists of educational, research and public display components with about 4,460 square feet under glass. Within the building, 4,200 square feet is used for botanical displays and meeting space. The remaining 2,800 square feet is used for instruction, research, and service purposes. A plaza, formal gardens and outdoor art enhances the entrance to The Conservatory.

Gilmore Ponds Interpretive Preserve

7950 Gilmore Road, Hamilton, OH  45015

(513) 867-5835 or 1 (877) PARKFUN

www.butlercountymetroparks.org

This park is home to abundant wildlife and waterfowl, supporting an intricate wetland ecosystem in the county. A popular destination for birders with viewing decks and an observation tower, nature trails weave throughout 195 acres showcasing native plants and trees.

Hamilton Parks and Recreation Department

One Renaissance Center, Hamilton, OH 45011

(513) 785-7060 or www.hamilton-city.org

Hamilton's large network of parks offers recreational opportunities for everyone - active or leisure. Nearly 25% of its parklands are in natural wooded settings, ranging from dense forests to open picnicking lands. You will find miles of peaceful hiking and walking paths and trails in Crawford Woods, Joyce Park, Miami Woods, Millikin Woods and Sanders Park. The new Riverside Natural Area, adjacent to the Hamilton Bike Path along the Great Miami River offers more than 150 acres of natural beauty. It includes a shaded lagoon, a wooded trail, large areas of prairie grasses and wildflowers. Here you will discover a surprising array of wildlife and waterfowl. Few cities in the country have accessibility to such expansive natural areas - over 300 acres, all located within a short distance of downtown Hamilton!

MetroParks of Butler County

2051 Timberman Road, Hamilton, OH 45013

(513) 867-5835 or 1 (877) PARKFUN

www.butlercountymetroparks.org

The park district features 19 public parks for everyone who enjoys natural and cultural history. The parks offer quiet forests, scenic streams, interesting historical sites, and many outdoor recreation opportunities. Call for a park brochure or information on special events and programs.

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum

(office) 222 High Street, Hamilton, OH 45011

(513) 868-8336 or www.pyramidhill.org

Located on Hamilton-Cleves Road in Ross Township just south of Hamilton, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum is a 265-acre sculpture park and outdoor museum overlooking the Great Miami River that combines the lure of nature with the dynamic presence of monumental art. With an arboretum, hiking trails, lakes, and picnic areas, Pyramid Hill is a setting where landscape and art come together in natural galleries among vast meadows and woodlands. "The 265 acres here, in the midst of rolling hills, are surely the most beautiful natural setting of any art park in the country"- Atlantic Monthly.

Rentschler Forest Preserve Miami Erie-Canal

5701 Reigart Road, Hamilton, Ohio 45011

(513) 867-5835 or 1 (877) PARKFUN

www.butlercountymetroparks.org

This scenic natural area encompasses 350 acres along the Great Miami River, and bank fishing is permitted. It offers nature trails, playgrounds, a fitness court, soccer fields, picnic shelters (by reservation) and a bike path. Connection to the Hamilton bike path will be completed in 2002. Remnants of the Miami-Erie Canal cross the preserve. A park ranger is on site for assistance.

Riverside Natural Area

c/o Hamilton Parks and Recreation Department

One Renaissance Center, Hamilton, OH 45011

(513) 785-7060 or www.hamilton-city.org

Adjacent to the Hamilton section of the Great Miami River Bike Path, the Riverside Natural Area offers more than 150 acres of natural beauty. It includes a shaded lagoon, a wooded trail, large areas of prairie grasses and wildflowers, and natural vegetation. Here you will discover a surprising array of wildlife and waterfowl.

American Discovery Trail (ADT)

Oxford, OH  45056

(513) 523-4851 or (513) 529-4617

ADT Society 1 (800) 663-2387

www.discoverytrail.org

Feel like going for a walk – a nice long one? America’s first coast-to-coast hiking and riding trail runs right through Butler County Ohio! Overall, the trail guides visitors through 14 national parks, 16 national forests and more than 10,000 fascinating sites, including this charming part of the Midwest.

Bull’s Run Arboretum

Rosedale Road, Middletown, OH

(513) 424-5815

The Arboretum property contains the last free-flowing section of Bulls Run, which marked one of the original boundaries of Middletown when it was first platted in 1802. The Arboretum serves as a land laboratory for area schools, garden clubs, conservation groups and wildlife enthusiasts. The name for the stream comes from the property’s use as a grazing area for bulls in the mid-1800s. A color slide show is available with a naturalist narrating. Open year-round daylight hours.

Dudley Park

Yankee Road, Liberty Township, OH

(513) 777-4761

This park encompasses 11.4 acres with 7.5 acres natural hiking trails in the woods and around a pond, one picnic shelter with some playground equipment. Primarily used to preserve nature and provide a home for native wildlife, hiking and family activities.

Fairfield City Parks & Recreation

701 Wessel Drive, Fairfield, OH

(513) 867-5348

www.fairfield-city.org

The City of Fairfield features more than 22 public parks for everyone who enjoys nature and the outdoors. William Harbin Park, located at 1300 Hunter Road, is the largest park in the system and contains hiking/biking trails, picnic shelter areas, and nature trails. Harbin Park is home to one of the most spectacular views in the City of Fairfield. The park's scenic overlook provides a bird's eye view of the City of Fairfield, looking north into Hamilton. Park visitors will enjoy the area's landscape from this elevated point, highlighted in the fall with autumn foliage. With its excellent visibility from the surrounding areas, Harbin Park is also the site of the Red, White & Kaboom fireworks show, held annually on July 3rd. Additionally, Harbin Park abounds with trails and paths. Bikers and hikers alike will appreciate the paths Harbin Park has to offer. The mountain biking trails consist of two loops - an orange marked trail and a green marked trail. With 95% wooded single track, there are less than six miles of trail. Bring the family for a bike ride or take in all that nature has to offer while hiking through Fairfield's largest park. A new addition to the Fairfield Parks System is the Muskopf Nature Preserve, located at the end of Muskopf Road. A gift to the City of Fairfield, the preserve is an oasis for nature and wildlife.

Governor Bebb Preserve

1979 Bebb Park Lane, Okeana, OH

(513) 867-5735 or 1 (877) PARKFUN

www.butlercountymetroparks.org

A touch of nostalgia, the smell of fresh air, and a bit of historical flavor are just of few of the ingredients found at this preserve. This 264-acre park fills almost every appetite from its hearty, hardwood forest and abundant native wildlife to its circa 1850 covered bridge and historical pioneer village. The park includes nature trails, rustic camping, group-use cabin, picnic areas, a picnic shelter (by reservation), playgrounds and restroom facilities. Several special events are held here each year. The entrance is just off SR 126 in Morgan Township. A park ranger is on site.

Hueston Woods State Park

Oxford, OH

(513) 523-6347 or 1 (800) 282-7275 www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/tabid/745/Default.aspx

With an enormous wealth of natural resources, limestone bedrock of the area is evidence of an ancient shallow sea that once covered Ohio. Fossilized remains of ancient marine animals are concentrated in the limestone… so many that people from all over the world come to Hueston Woods to collect them. Rich soils of the area are part of the glacial till plains of western Ohio that attracted early settlers due to their tremendous agricultural value. When settlers arrived, the land had to be cleared of the dense woodlands that covered most of Ohio. Nearly all of Ohio's original forest has since vanished. However, one unique stand of old-growth timber remains at Hueston Woods. Over 200 acres have been protected and provide visitors with a glimpse of Ohio's primeval forest. Stately beech and sugar maple tower above the abundance of ferns, wildflowers and other woodland species. In 1967, the 200-acre forest was designated a National Natural Landmark by National Park Service. A year-round educational program is provided at the nature center that includes live animal displays, nature hikes, bird and flower walks, slide talks, movies, and fossil hunts.

Voice of America Park

8070 Tylersville Road, West Chester Township, OH

(513) 867-5835 or 1 (877) PARKFUN

www.butlercountymetroparks.org

West Chester Township and MetroParks of Butler County own and manage a total of 530 acres of the former 625-acre federal Voice of America Bethany Relay Station. When broadcast operations ceased in 1994, this acreage was conveyed, at no cost, to the local community by the federal government for park and recreation purposes. West Chester Township’s 330 acres, known as Voice of America Park, is home to a variety of grassland bird species and other wildlife. The site has over six miles of mowed walking/jogging trails. Butler County MetroParks’ 200 acres at the Voice of America is being planned for development with a 30-acre recreational lake, featuring fishing, paddle boat and canoe rental, multipurpose paths and trails, picnic sites, interpretive features, and restored natural areas.

Walking Trail at Miami University Middletown

4200 East University Boulevard, Middletown, OH

(513) 727-3200 or www.mid.muohio.edu

Enjoy a stroll through the beautiful woods just inside the campus of Miami University Middletown. While walking through the woods you will enjoy a variety of sculptures by regional artists. Open-year round daylight hours.

The Wetlands Park

6400 Princeton Road, Liberty Township, OH

(513) 777-4761

A 42-acre park of which 36.4 are natural with wetland, almost 1-1/3 miles of mulched trails through the wetland and wooded areas, and almost one mile of hard surface paths on the north side of the park. Primarily used to preserve nature and provide a home for native wildlife, hiking/biking, and bird watching, the park stretches from Vangorden Road, south of State Route 129, to east LeSourdsville-West Chester Road.

William E. and Cora Dudley Woods

5591 Hankins Road, Liberty Township, OH

(513) 867-5835 or 1 (877) PARKFUN

www.butlercountymetroparks.org

This 64-acre natural area offers hiking trails, a picnic shelter and scenic Gregory Creek.

Woodside Cemetery & Arboretum

1401 South Woodside Boulevard, Middletown, OH

(513) 422-3291

Recipient of the National Grounds Maintenance Grand Award for Cemeteries 1993-1994, Woodside has over 5,000 annual flowers and 5,000 fall pansies in plant beds and large pots. Woodside began naturalizing daffodils and narcissus in the grassy areas in the late 1970s. Woodside currently has over 75,000 naturalized bulbs, and adds at least 10,000 more each fall. One of the purposes of the Arboretum is to teach young and old what plants flourish in this area, and give individuals an idea of what a mature plant would look like in their yard, as well as to broaden the plant material used in the community. Tours of the Arboretum are available to groups of 10 or more.

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