I’ve always loved the small town feeling. I love the “everyone knows everyone” feeling that I get from the small town experience. I’m from Dublin and before you ask -- no, not Dublin, Ireland. Dublin is a small city outside of Columbus, Ohio. I’ve always lived in Dublin, although I moved from one side of Dublin to the other. There are so many great things about this city that I absolutely love! Here are 11 reasons why I love my home town.

1. Dublin City Schools

I went through the Dublin City Schools system my whole life. Dublin City Schools has 12 elementary schools, four middle schools, and three high schools. I graduated from Dublin Coffman High School which has a fantastic academic program, great athletic programs, a great theater programs, and amazing music programs which include different skill levels of choir programs, orchestra programs, band programs ( jazz bands, marching band and concert bands), and a full orchestra for the more experienced players. All three high schools offer these great programs. Many students who graduate from Dublin high schools end up at The Ohio State University and some even end up at Ivy League schools. According to the Dublin City Schools website, it is the 11th largest district in the state. Within the 11 largest districts, Dublin has the highest college preparedness ACT score which averages out at 25.4, the highest college preparedness SAT score which averages out at 1156, and has the second highest graduation percentage which is 96.1%. I am very proud to say that I have attended Dublin City Schools my whole life.

2. The Dublin Community Recreation Center

Dublin is home to the the DCRC, which has an indoor pool, hot tub, and a separate lap pool. The DCRC is also home to many camps. The biggest camp is Wyandot Camp, which I attended when I was younger. Wyandot Camp is for kids ages 6-12 and is full of fun, swimming, and weekly field trips. Wyandot Camp is held at two campsites: Wyandot Elementary School and Scottish Corners Elementary School. Since I attended Wyandot Elementary School before my family moved to another part of Dublin, I was at Wyandot for camp! I loved going to camp when I was younger and I always looked forward to the weekly field trips.The DCRC has many other camps for younger kids all the way up through teens. There are also fun classes held during the days and evenings, such as karate and ceramics. There’s a great gymnasium in the DCRC as well. Another fun event that goes on at the DCRC is Dublin To The North Pole. I always enjoy volunteering for this event because I get to dress up like an elf (which is always the highlight of my winter breaks!). Little kids come dressed in their pajamas and ride the trolley (or train- whatever you wanna call it) up the the Abbey Theater, which is located inside the DCRC, The kids sit down in the theater with a bag of popcorn and watch The Polar Express on a big projection screen. I, being the daredevil (not really) that I am, I sit in the catwalk above the the screen and, at the perfect moments, I drop fake snow. I love watching the kids’ reactions and I love seeing how happy the kids are about Christmas time. The DCRC is full of fun events, camps, and classes and they are a huge part of what makes Dublin, Ohio such a fantastic place to live.

3. The Memorial Tournament

Every year, the PGA Tour holds its annual Memorial Golf Tournament in Dublin’s beautiful Muirfield Village. The tournament is played at Muirfield Golf Club on the Championship course. People come from all over the country (and even the world!) to see this event. In 2013, Dublin had the chance to host the President’s Cup, which was a massive even for Dublin!

4. Dublin Irish Festival

The Dublin Irish Festival is probably my most favorite event of the year. This 3-day event occurs every year on the first full weekend of August. There are 5 stages on the grounds where you can watch musicians and dancers all day long. There are so many activities for people of all ages and it’s a fantastic way of getting the feel for Ireland without the major traveling, although it’s nothing like the real thing. Along the festival grounds are different booths where you can check out some pretty awesome Irish instruments (I recently purchased an Irish flute and have been learning to play it) and you can listen to great speakers. Every year, there is always a sand sculpture being made on the grounds right before your eyes. It’s definitely something worth checking out! If you’re more into the rock music, check out the Celtic Rock stage! Some of the best bands usually play on that stage, including Gaelic Storm! Lots of people from all over the country and the world to see this amazing group! There’s also lots of shopping, food (like the ever-so-amazing funnel cakes), and so much more to check out! Like I said before, this is probably the best event of the year and it’s definitely worth the trip to come check it out!

5. The Field of Corn

I know what you’re thinking. “Why is this girl talking about a field of corn? It’s just corn.” Here’s the deal. It’s not just corn. It’s a field of giant stone corn. Yeah, you read that correctly. I’m not entirely sure why it was ever built (probably because Ohio is known for its corn) but it’s Dublin, Ohio’s very own Corn Henge (get it? Like Stone Henge?). I just happen to work right across the street from the field, so I see it every day! Every time I drive by it, there’s always people out there taking pictures with the corn or trying to sit on top of it. I know, it sounds so stupid, but it’s definitely worth walking around if you happen to be in the area!

6. Historic Dublin

Believe it or not, Dublin has an old historic section of the city. Most of us call it Old Dublin. This is a great place to walk around and hang out with friends/family. There’s some shopping, great places to eat, and some great ice cream places! If you don’t check out anything else in Dublin, this is the one place you need to go. During the 4th of July and St. Patrick’s Day, the parades go straight through Old Dublin and the streets are completely lined with people. In my opinion, this is a fantastic place to go people watching! There’s great restaurants such as Mezzo, J Liu’s, Tucci’s, Oscars, Brazenhead, and The Dublin Village Tavern (otherwise known as DVT). This area is definitely worth checking out!

7. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Okay, so it’s technically not in Dublin, but it’s pretty close! The Columbus Zoo is one of the top zoos in the country! It’s also home to Zoombezi Bay! This is a super cool area to check out since it’s rated so highly. Our zoo is home to polar bears, elephants, and the newest exhibit, The Heart of Africa! This is especially cool because you’re able to get very close to the animals out on the safari by looking through the huge glass window at the lions! You can feed the giraffes and you can even ride a camel! This part is definitely worth checking out! The zoo also has a manatee exhibit (one of my personal favorites) and it’s so much fun to watch them swim around with some fish and stingrays. Another cool part about the zoo is Jungle Jack’s Landing. There’s some fun rides to enjoy, bumper cars, a roller coaster, you name it! The coolest part about this is Stingray bay. This is a small building where you can pet, touch, and even feed the stingrays! The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and Zoombezi Bay is a really cool area in town that I highly suggest checking out! Make sure to set aside a whole day for it! There’s a lot to explore!

8. Indian Run Falls

The falls behind Indian Run Elementary School are absolutely beautiful no matter what time of year it is! The walking trail is super nice and it has a couple of viewing areas where you can overlook some of the falls and the creek that runs through it. It’s a great place to get some exercise as well! I highly recommend it! There are other parks that are nice to walk around and exercise, but I think this is definitely one of my favorites!

9. New Waterfront Development

Coming soon to Dublin, there’s going to be a brand new hotel, a shopping center, and a walking bridge over the scioto river! This area is going to be a huge attraction to Dublin and it’s going to be super cool to be able to walk across the bridge to Old Dublin! Once this is finished, it’ll be a great place for people to hang out, eat, and go shopping!

10. Parades

On St. Patrick’s Day and the 4th of July, Dublin always has huge parade that start by Graeter’s Ice Cream on Frantz Rd and travels through Old Dublin and finishes towards the back side of Old Dublin. It’s a fantastic time for everyone! I’ve participated in multiple ways, but I think my most favorite was when I marching with the Dublin Coffman Marching Band every year for both parades! I always enjoy watching the floats and big balloons go by! It’s always a good time!

11. Emerald City Music Games

If you love the biggest drum corps from Drum Corps International, then this event is for you! Every year, Dublin Coffman High School’s football stadium hosts the Emerald City Music Games. This is a competition for some of the biggest drum corps in the nation! Being in marching band, I’ve always loved going to this event and seeing some of my favorite groups (Santa Clara Vanguard is my absolute all time favorite) perform some amazing shows and play really cool music! If you’re into band and music as much as I am, I’d definitely come check out this event!

Dublin is a pretty cool little city that I want to share with everyone! It’s a beautiful place filled with lots of fun, laughter, and joy. There is so much to see and much to do here and I hope that everyone gets a chance to see some of these cool events and places at some point in their lives!