As a part of the $1.6M Millstone Creek Park the Nature Play area strives to provide a place for children of all ages and abilities to explore nature in a safe environment. Building upon its growing expertise in the field of natural play and environmental education, POD Design completed a master plan for the nature play portion of the site in 2009. A detailed design request for a gateway, boardwalks, stone bridges, stream crossings, tunnel, arbor, and custom water trough feature followed almost immediately. City staff worked tirelessly toward a May 2010 grand opening and they park has since received a tremendous response from the community for creating a place that balances the plastic and metal play components with opportunities for self directed play in a natural setting. The unique combination caught the attention of the Columbus Dispatch and was described as the highlight of the overall play area in the park in an article that appeared on the day of the parks dedication.

Highlights of the design include a boardwalk over shallow wetlands where kids can hunt for tadpoles and frogs, gravel beaches where kids can get their feet wet, skip rocks and search for critters under larger rocks, a native plant area with a willow tunnel and vine covered arbor hang-out, sand and dirt to dig in, large boulders and fallen logs to climb on, a council ring for programmed and impromptu gatherings, a wooden water trough with dams and moveable channels to re-route water flows and a wide path with inset animal footprints that winds through the entire play area.