TOP 30 Ohio prairies in Swanton, Ohio

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Oak Openings Preserve Metropark is a stunning park and tourist attraction located at 4139 Girdham Road in Swanton, Ohio, United States. This expansive park is the largest of the Metroparks, spanning over 5,000 acres of diverse natural habitats. Visitors can explore oak savannas, wetlands, and vegetated sand areas, making it a unique destination for nature enthusiasts. The park gets its name from the surrounding region, which is 23 times larger than the park itself. Pioneers named this area the "Oak Openings" due to the widely-spaced oaks in vast prairies, providing a beautiful and easily navigable landscape. Oak Openings is also home to the only public treehouse village in the nation, as well as campgrounds and cabins for families to enjoy a nature-filled getaway.

Kitty Todd Nature Preserve, located at 10420 Old State Line Road in Swanton, Ohio, is a beautiful park and tourist attraction that showcases the unique Oak Openings Region. This 1,400-acre preserve is a model of land management practices and is a key part of the Green Ribbon Initiative, a partnership working to protect the natural beauty and biodiversity of the region. Visitors to Kitty Todd Nature Preserve can explore the Oak Savanna and Cactus Loop trail, the Salamander Flats Wetland trail, and the Sandhill Crane Wetlands viewing area. The preserve is home to a variety of habitats, including prairie, oak savanna, woodland, and forest, and is known for its population of rare and endangered species such as the Karner blue butterfly and wild lupine.