Columbus, Ohio offers a lot for visitors to see and do. I’m sharing some of my favorite stops in Columbus that I would recommend checking out.
Food & Drink
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (multiple locations in Columbus)- Jeni’s is one of my FAVORITE stops in Columbus. The ice cream is extremely creative and the smaller portions allow you to try more than one flavor without the guilt.
Columbus Food Adventures– Get the best of both worlds by sampling the best foods from all over the city with Columbus Food Adventures. The themed tours showcase the best foods to try at multiple stops and give you an education while you eat. Make sure you arrive on an empty stomach because you will leave the tour FULL! You will also leave with a list of places that you will want to go back to.
Schmitt’s Sausage Haus located at 240 E Kossuth St, Columbus.
Schmitt’s Sausage Haus has incredible German food along with amazing giant cream puffs. Save room for the cream puffs!
Schmidt’s Fudge House located at 220 E Kossuth St.
You might as well try out a few sweet treats before or after your visit to Schmidt’s Sausage Haus. I’m a fan of their buckeyes.
The Thurman Cafe located at 183 Thurman Ave, Columbus.
You can join other names on the wall at the cafe known for GIANT burgers. This is a very popular destination so I would suggest to try to visit at an odd time to avoid a long wait.
Hass located at 7370 Sawmill Rd, Columbus.
Authentic Mexican food located less than 10 minutes from the zoo. It tastes even better than it looks.
Nida’s Thai on High located at 976 N High St.
The best of Thai cuisine, with accents from Japanese, Vietnamese, and Western traditions. I really enjoyed the Pad Thai that had great flavor and a good amount of heat. (at my request)
Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails located at 73 E Gay St.
Wonderful pot roast and a relaxed atmosphere downtown.
North Market located at 59 Spruce St.
More than 30 merchants are under one roof at this downtown market. Make sure that you try a macaron from Pistacia Vera.
Parks I’ve enjoyed
Scioto Audubon Metro Park located at 400 W Whittier St, Columbus.
This park has wonderful paved trails, COGO bike rental access, scenic nature views, outdoor rock climbing wall, playground, and more.
Columbus Commons located at 160 S High St, Columbus.
This outdoor space downtown is a great spot to watch a concert or catch a frisbee.
Topiary Park located at 480 E Town St, Columbus.
This beautiful park brings an impressionist picture to life with garden sculptures that were inspired by George Seurat’s famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte.
Columbus Park of Roses located at Hollenback Rd, Columbus.
There are more than 12,000 roses of 400 varieties at this beautiful park. This is a great park to take pictures at.
ZipZone Canopy Tours located at 7925 N High St, Columbus.
Enjoy adventure and nature at the same time on this zipline tour.
Museums
Ohio History Center located at 800 E 17th Ave, Columbus.
Find out more about Ohio history and check out rotating special exhibits that bring history to life.
COSI (Center of Science and Industry) located at 333 W Broad St, Columbus.
Kids AND Adults will find HOURS of fun in this hands on science museum. Make sure that you allow a lot of time for a visit. Trust me, there is A LOT to discover here!
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium located at 4850 W Powell Rd, Powell.
Wear your good walking shoes because the Columbus Zoo is really big. The layout is fantastic and there are a lot of great animal exhibits.
Other Points of Interest
World’s Largest Gavel located at 65 Front Street.
Check out the interesting architecture on campus, art museum, and football stadium at Ohio State University.
Architecture and Street Art Downtown
This picture shows the former location for the Arnold Statue. The new location is at 486 N High St.
The Short North Arts District located north of downtown Columbus, centered on the main strip of High Street. You will find great shopping, art, restaurants and bars there.
The Book Loft of German Village located at 631 S 3rd St.
There are 32 rooms of books inside the unique book store in the German Village part of town.
Where do you like to go when you visit Columbus?
Let me know if there are some other places that I need to add to my list for my next visit.
[…] 6. Make the most of your weekends or days off. You can still create mini vacations with daytrips and mini roadtrips. A few of our favorite local daytrips have been to Columbus- Indiana, Columbus-Ohio, and Red River Gorge. […]