Things to do in Columbus
Columbus is known for its distinctive variety of experiences, which you must personally explore to really appreciate. Top attractions in the city regularly change, introducing new pop-up experiences, showcasing new artwork, and holding events that draw both locals and tourists. There is truly something for everyone here, and there are plenty of enjoyable activities!
Peaceful horseback riding, scenic kayaking, live music, lip-smacking delicious food, great parks, and tidy, pleasant lodgings, and more. Below is a list of top attractions, foods, and activities in Columbus and just in case you have any pest issues, here’s our information to contact us for some help.
Outdoors and Active
1. Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
The Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens are popular tourist destinations in Columbus thanks to their magnificent greenhouses and more than 400 different species of plants and flowers. But why not take advantage of your trip by signing up for a class?
The conservatory offers a range of regular workshops, including instruction in yoga and Zumba as well as topics like building a terrarium for your house, glassblowing, growing plants, and many others. Your surroundings are inspiring, with the 88-acre conservatory complex serving as your backdrop.
If you don’t have time for a class, you can still visit the conservatory on a regular day to learn about the ecosystems like that of the Pacific Islands, the desert, and tropical rain forests.
The conservatory offers a range of regular workshops, including instruction in yoga and Zumba as well as topics like building a terrarium for your house, glassblowing, growing plants, and many others. Your surroundings are inspiring, with the 88-acre conservatory complex serving as your backdrop.
If you don’t have time for a class, you can still visit the conservatory on a regular day to learn about the ecosystems like that of the Pacific Islands, the desert, and tropical rain forests.
2. Columbus Park of Roses
The Park of Roses in Columbus is a hidden gem that is awe-inspiring to anybody who visits. It is situated in the center Clintonville as part of Whetstone Park. More than 12,000 roses of every variety and colour can be seen at the in the Park of Roses.
The 13-acre park is the world’s biggest city-owned rose garden park. Volunteers look after areas with hybrid roses, herb gardens, and sections with varieties grown without the use of fertilizers.
Let yourself be swept away by the breathtaking sights and scents as you stroll over the park’s numerous pathways and take breaks on one of the available seats. One should take the time to explore the park’s many themed parts, including formal, heritage, herb, and backyard garden.
Get ready to enjoy the beautiful colors of flowers in this park with vibrant butterflies and fluttering birds, while you find flowers, native plants, and trees and of course, BUGS!
Visit the observation tower to enjoy the panoramic view of the garden, savor the aroma of more than 100 herb plants, and take a self-guided walk through the dogwoods to see blossoms all year long.
In fact, a trip to this park is the perfect way to unwind and escape the city even when you’re in Columbus.
The 13-acre park is the world’s biggest city-owned rose garden park. Volunteers look after areas with hybrid roses, herb gardens, and sections with varieties grown without the use of fertilizers.
Let yourself be swept away by the breathtaking sights and scents as you stroll over the park’s numerous pathways and take breaks on one of the available seats. One should take the time to explore the park’s many themed parts, including formal, heritage, herb, and backyard garden.
Get ready to enjoy the beautiful colors of flowers in this park with vibrant butterflies and fluttering birds, while you find flowers, native plants, and trees and of course, BUGS!
Visit the observation tower to enjoy the panoramic view of the garden, savor the aroma of more than 100 herb plants, and take a self-guided walk through the dogwoods to see blossoms all year long.
In fact, a trip to this park is the perfect way to unwind and escape the city even when you’re in Columbus.
3. Hiking in Scioto Audubon Metro Park and other Columbus Metroparks
Set near just southwest of downtown Columbus in a wildlife area of approximately 120 acres, you’ll find diverse landscapes of valleys, grasslands and wetlands at Scioto Audubon Metro Park.
This park is the ideal location for getting outside and spending time in nature while taking a walk, biking, canoeing down the Scioto river, fishing, or rock climbing. It has plenty of paved trails for the winter and has a dog park too.
Despite the fact that Columbus is a developing metropolis and the 12th biggest city in the US, there are 20 metro parks and over 28,000 acres of greenspace in the city. From hiking, rock climbing, fishing and horseback riding to snowy activities like sledding and ice skating in the winter, each park offers something special.
Many parks also have free events like movies in the park on Fridays or Saturdays at Highbanks Metroparks. So come early, bring a picnic, grab your frisbee and spend the afternoon learning about Ohio’s natural environments and stay late for some family evening fun
This park is the ideal location for getting outside and spending time in nature while taking a walk, biking, canoeing down the Scioto river, fishing, or rock climbing. It has plenty of paved trails for the winter and has a dog park too.
Despite the fact that Columbus is a developing metropolis and the 12th biggest city in the US, there are 20 metro parks and over 28,000 acres of greenspace in the city. From hiking, rock climbing, fishing and horseback riding to snowy activities like sledding and ice skating in the winter, each park offers something special.
Many parks also have free events like movies in the park on Fridays or Saturdays at Highbanks Metroparks. So come early, bring a picnic, grab your frisbee and spend the afternoon learning about Ohio’s natural environments and stay late for some family evening fun
4. Topiary Park
When in Columbus, make sure to visit Topiary Park, a spectacular sight that has been there since the 19th century. This park is fascinating as its an exact reproduction of the famous painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of LaGrande Jatte” by Georges Seurat.
To get Seurat’s perspective as he created the iconic work of art, make sure to stand near the marker that reads “As He Saw It.” This space offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to enter a three-dimensional representation of the French artist’s work since it is the only topiary park in the world to depict a painting.
You will be immersed in a mystical world at this park with the topiary, ponds, and tree-lined horizon.
To get Seurat’s perspective as he created the iconic work of art, make sure to stand near the marker that reads “As He Saw It.” This space offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to enter a three-dimensional representation of the French artist’s work since it is the only topiary park in the world to depict a painting.
You will be immersed in a mystical world at this park with the topiary, ponds, and tree-lined horizon.
Kids
1. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
The renowned Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is one of the main tourist attractions in the city. Children and adults alike have a ton of fun while exploring the zoo’s various habitats, which include the Congo, Asia, North America, and Africa.
Visiting the zoo is made even more enjoyable by the abundance of daily public exhibits and seasonal activities. In addition to regular zookeeper talks, where you can learn more about the habitats and maintenance of animals like lions, polar bears, and penguins, the zoo offers a variety of interesting activities, such as feeding giraffes and petting stingrays.
Take a close look at the laughing kookaburra, observe the enormous size of the Alaskan moose, watch the polar bears swim, or watch the red panda climbing while chatting with your friends. The zoo offers an unusual chance to purchase a work of art created by one of the animals in addition to the habitats you can see, which feature canvases that show everything from paw prints to brush strokes.
You can also pay extra for unique activities like tours of the cheetah exhibit, sea lions, and or to see a separate reindeer area. The zoo also has a sizable aquarium where you can walk through and see many different aquatic animals, like fish, sharks, and turtles. A must-see event is the Columbus zoo’s annual winter Wildlights display, which takes place around the holidays and covers the whole zoo grounds in millions of LED lights and opens up special exhibits to the public. The things you will witness at this incredible zoo and aquarium are infinite, so don’t miss the chance to go.
Visiting the zoo is made even more enjoyable by the abundance of daily public exhibits and seasonal activities. In addition to regular zookeeper talks, where you can learn more about the habitats and maintenance of animals like lions, polar bears, and penguins, the zoo offers a variety of interesting activities, such as feeding giraffes and petting stingrays.
Take a close look at the laughing kookaburra, observe the enormous size of the Alaskan moose, watch the polar bears swim, or watch the red panda climbing while chatting with your friends. The zoo offers an unusual chance to purchase a work of art created by one of the animals in addition to the habitats you can see, which feature canvases that show everything from paw prints to brush strokes.
You can also pay extra for unique activities like tours of the cheetah exhibit, sea lions, and or to see a separate reindeer area. The zoo also has a sizable aquarium where you can walk through and see many different aquatic animals, like fish, sharks, and turtles. A must-see event is the Columbus zoo’s annual winter Wildlights display, which takes place around the holidays and covers the whole zoo grounds in millions of LED lights and opens up special exhibits to the public. The things you will witness at this incredible zoo and aquarium are infinite, so don’t miss the chance to go.
2. Center of Science and Industry (COSI)
The Center of Science and Industry in Columbus is a fantastic destination to take your family, as it is both entertaining and educational. Located just west of Downtown Columbus at 333 W Broad St., the museum has more than 300 interactive displays, from a replica of a space station to an ocean exhibit where you can visit a submarine laboratory.
One of the best exhibits is filled with water, an interactive area where you can study the vortex and water bells. Visit Poseidon, the God of Water, his statue and exhibit where water shoot out of the ground and there are waterfalls a plenty.
Before continuing on to the 1962 iteration of the Columbus, visit Progress, a renovated 19th-century town with a dress, telegraph office, and groceries that houses a department store, a gas station, and a diner.
When you visit the dinosaur exhibit, you’ll be stepping back 100-million years exploring when the dinosaurs romed the earth. There are pieces of fossilized amber, a T-Rex skeleton, and an 8-foot-long titanosaur femur that puts into perspective how big dinosaurs really were.
You won’t regret visiting the Center of Science and Industry as it will inspire the imaginations of both you and your kids.
One of the best exhibits is filled with water, an interactive area where you can study the vortex and water bells. Visit Poseidon, the God of Water, his statue and exhibit where water shoot out of the ground and there are waterfalls a plenty.
Before continuing on to the 1962 iteration of the Columbus, visit Progress, a renovated 19th-century town with a dress, telegraph office, and groceries that houses a department store, a gas station, and a diner.
When you visit the dinosaur exhibit, you’ll be stepping back 100-million years exploring when the dinosaurs romed the earth. There are pieces of fossilized amber, a T-Rex skeleton, and an 8-foot-long titanosaur femur that puts into perspective how big dinosaurs really were.
You won’t regret visiting the Center of Science and Industry as it will inspire the imaginations of both you and your kids.
3. National Veterans Memorial and Museum
Across the street just north of COSI is the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. Newly constructed in 2018, it is a remarkable tribute to the armed forces and a great educational place to visit, leaving you with lifelong memories.
The museum was not just built as a war memorial or military museum but as a memorial to all the men and women who served in every branch of the American Armed Services. The individual tales of veterans are highlighted in this museum by artifacts and documents of their experiences, which are housed in a beautifully designed structure, emphasizing the value of what is inside.
As you read the tales of military personnel dating back to the American Revolution, you may also see military decorations, footlockers, and personal letters of those who served.
Spend some time exploring this unique museum and immerse yourself in the history of the men and women who have battled for our nation.
The museum was not just built as a war memorial or military museum but as a memorial to all the men and women who served in every branch of the American Armed Services. The individual tales of veterans are highlighted in this museum by artifacts and documents of their experiences, which are housed in a beautifully designed structure, emphasizing the value of what is inside.
As you read the tales of military personnel dating back to the American Revolution, you may also see military decorations, footlockers, and personal letters of those who served.
Spend some time exploring this unique museum and immerse yourself in the history of the men and women who have battled for our nation.
4. Ohio Expo Center and State Fair
You won’t want to miss a trip to the Ohio Expo Center and the State Fair, a one million square foot complex that features a variety of activities year-round.
The fair grounds hold plenty of live music, equestrian competitions like All American Quarter Horse Congress, gymnastic competitions, home and garden shows, and of course the yearly Ohio State Fair. There are more than 200 events held annually at the Ohio Expo Center which contains many historic buildings including cattle facilities, an ice rink, a basketball court, and more.
If you’re lucky enough to stay in Columbus at the state fair in the summer, you should take the time to explore exhibits, ride some of the rides, enjoy fair food like a corn dog, giant roasted turkey legs, or some funnel cake, and watch some of the great shows. You will undoubtedly enjoy yourself if you visit to the State Fair or any event at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus at 717 E 17th Ave.
The fair grounds hold plenty of live music, equestrian competitions like All American Quarter Horse Congress, gymnastic competitions, home and garden shows, and of course the yearly Ohio State Fair. There are more than 200 events held annually at the Ohio Expo Center which contains many historic buildings including cattle facilities, an ice rink, a basketball court, and more.
If you’re lucky enough to stay in Columbus at the state fair in the summer, you should take the time to explore exhibits, ride some of the rides, enjoy fair food like a corn dog, giant roasted turkey legs, or some funnel cake, and watch some of the great shows. You will undoubtedly enjoy yourself if you visit to the State Fair or any event at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus at 717 E 17th Ave.
Indoors, Arts, and History
1. Tap on Your Inner Artist at the Columbus Museum of Art
A few blocks north of the Topiary Park at the corner of E Broad and Washington Ave are several of the city’s artistic institutions like the Columbus Museum of Art. It is well recognized and houses a large collection of sculptures, photographs and paintings including works by Picasso and Cézanne, among others like Columbus natives Elijah Pierce, George Bellows, and Aminah Robinson.
It was founded in 1878 and now occupies a beautiful Second Renaissance Revival-style structure with a wonderful modern wing that was completed in 2015 along with the new walkable campus of the Columbus College of Art and Design. Impressionist and expressionist pieces are displayed in the light-filled hall, along with modernist paintings and sculptures, as well as wonderful works by American and European artists.
Columbus encourages artists and the arts, which includes music as well as visual, performing, and literary arts. Spend a day in Columbus admiring the art by visiting the Columbus Museum of Art. The museum and arts are a focal point of local Columbus culture including other local places like the Wexner Center for the Arts on The Ohio State University campus or the Short North on High Street where there are other local galleries and artists.
It was founded in 1878 and now occupies a beautiful Second Renaissance Revival-style structure with a wonderful modern wing that was completed in 2015 along with the new walkable campus of the Columbus College of Art and Design. Impressionist and expressionist pieces are displayed in the light-filled hall, along with modernist paintings and sculptures, as well as wonderful works by American and European artists.
Columbus encourages artists and the arts, which includes music as well as visual, performing, and literary arts. Spend a day in Columbus admiring the art by visiting the Columbus Museum of Art. The museum and arts are a focal point of local Columbus culture including other local places like the Wexner Center for the Arts on The Ohio State University campus or the Short North on High Street where there are other local galleries and artists.
2. Ohio History Center
If your more of a history buff than one of the best things to do in Columbus with family is to immerse yourself in the history of Ohio at the Ohio History Center near Historic Crew Stadium at 800 E 17th Ave, Columbus, OH 43211. You can learn about the state’s natural history as you visit the displays of regionally extinct fauna and animals, or the skeletal remains of a mastodon.
You will get the chance to see exhibitions that highlight Native American culture, the architecture and fashion of the 1950s, the history of sports in Ohio, and much more. Even better, you and your family will be able to attend an exhibit showcasing the strangest items in the museum’s collection, each of which has a fascinating backstory.
View pictures of Ulysses S. Grant and his family, discover the background of some of Ohio’s most well-known cartoonists, and discover the past, present, and future of Ohio archaeology. With an area of over 270,000 square feet, you can take your time exploring the many exhibits highlighting every aspect of the state’s formation and history.
Come visit this museum with your family to learn about the tradition and history of Ohio.
You will get the chance to see exhibitions that highlight Native American culture, the architecture and fashion of the 1950s, the history of sports in Ohio, and much more. Even better, you and your family will be able to attend an exhibit showcasing the strangest items in the museum’s collection, each of which has a fascinating backstory.
View pictures of Ulysses S. Grant and his family, discover the background of some of Ohio’s most well-known cartoonists, and discover the past, present, and future of Ohio archaeology. With an area of over 270,000 square feet, you can take your time exploring the many exhibits highlighting every aspect of the state’s formation and history.
Come visit this museum with your family to learn about the tradition and history of Ohio.
Conclusion
Columbus, which is conveniently located in the heart of the Ohio, welcomes guests with a variety of entertainment alternatives. Greenery, amazing museums, renowned theatres, neighbourhood markets, delicious restaurants, fresh bakeries, and more. The city’s welcoming culture welcomes people from all around the world. Make memories through travelling and soaking in the atmosphere. We hope you enjoy your time in Columbus and if you need pest control services, don’t be afraid to reach out.