Ohio's capital is a city that rewards the curious. Columbus pairs the energy of a booming, youthful metropolis — anchored by one of the largest universities in the country — with a genuine sense of neighborhood character, from the cobblestone lanes of German Village to the gallery-lined sidewalks of the Short North. It is a place where a world-class science center, a nationally ranked art museum, and a mind-bending immersive-art warehouse all sit within a short drive of one another, and where the food and craft-beer scene has quietly become one of the Midwest's best.
Whether you're here for a weekend or putting down roots, the city offers an unusually deep bench of things to do. You can spend a morning among tropical butterflies in a Victorian glasshouse, an afternoon wandering a thirty-two-room bookstore, and an evening catching a show in a restored 1920s movie palace. This guide rounds up the 25 best things to do in Columbus, spanning its landmark attractions, green spaces, entertainment districts, and the quirky originals you won't find anywhere else.
Quick facts about Columbus, Ohio
It's the largest city in Ohio and the 15th-largest in the United States, with a population of about 906,000 — bigger than Cleveland and Cincinnati combined.
Because it's seen as such a demographically "typical" American city, national retail and restaurant chains routinely use Columbus as a test market for new products before rolling them out nationwide.
Wendy's was founded here in 1969, when Dave Thomas opened the first location downtown and named the chain after his daughter.
Columbus is home to Ohio State University, one of the largest single-campus universities in the country — its energy shapes the city's food, arts, and nightlife.
The brick-lined German Village district, just south of downtown, is the largest privately funded historic restoration on the National Register of Historic Places, with some 1,600 lovingly renovated 19th-century buildings.
Tucked inside a former big-box store on the east side, Otherworld is a sprawling, 32,000-square-foot immersive-art experience unlike anything else in Ohio. Visitors wander freely through more than 40 rooms and interactive installations — a mix of surreal science-fiction sets, glowing environments, and hidden passageways — touching, climbing, and playing with the art rather than viewing it from behind a rope. Part playground, part gallery, part choose-your-own-adventure, it invites you to piece together a loose narrative as you explore.
The beauty of Otherworld is that no two visits feel the same; kids chase secret doors while adults linger over the intricate craftsmanship and lighting. It's a genuine Columbus original, dreamed up and built by local artists, and it has become a magnet for anyone who loves the strange, the tactile, and the wonderfully weird. Come with a sense of play and plan to lose track of time.
2. Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
A short drive east of downtown, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is one of the city's most beloved institutions and a highlight in any season. Its centerpiece is a soaring Victorian-style glasshouse dating to the 1890s, where distinct biomes — a Pacific island rainforest, a desert of towering cacti, a Himalayan mountain room — transport you around the globe in the space of an afternoon. A permanent collection of Dale Chihuly glass sculptures threads through the plantings, catching the light in vivid ribbons of color.
Beyond the glasshouse, acres of outdoor gardens, a community-focused edible landscape, and rotating seasonal exhibits keep the grounds fresh year-round, from a summer butterfly release to a dazzling winter light display. It's a place that appeals equally to serious plant lovers and to families looking for a peaceful, beautiful morning out. The Conservatory anchors Columbus's cultural life as much as any museum in town.
On the city's west side, Hollywood Casino Columbus is the region's full-scale gaming and entertainment complex, a glossy destination built around a movie-glamour theme. The vast floor holds thousands of slot machines and a wide spread of table games, from blackjack and roulette to a lively poker room, while a dedicated events space hosts touring acts, comedy nights, and viewing parties.
Even if you're not there to gamble, the casino works as a night out: several restaurants and bars range from a buffet to steakhouse dining, and the atmosphere hums with energy well into the evening. It's the kind of one-stop entertainment hub that anchors a big night in Columbus, whether you're chasing a jackpot or just meeting friends for dinner and a show.
Consistently ranked among the very best science museums in the United States, the Center of Science and Industry — universally known as COSI — is a downtown riverfront landmark and a rite of passage for any Columbus family. Its hands-on exhibits sprawl across multiple floors and themes: you can trace the workings of the human body, explore space and flight, tinker in an experimental gadgets gallery, or step back into a re-created early-1900s street.
What sets COSI apart is a partnership with the American Museum of Natural History that brings blockbuster dinosaur fossils and traveling exhibitions to the Midwest, plus a giant-screen theater and daily live demonstrations. It's engineered to make curiosity contagious for all ages, and even adults find themselves genuinely absorbed. Few attractions capture the city's inventive, education-minded spirit as completely.
There is no bookstore quite like The Book Loft of German Village. Set in a cluster of pre-Civil War buildings on a brick side street, it winds through 32 individual rooms, each dedicated to a different genre and each playing its own soft soundtrack. Navigating it feels like exploring a friendly maze — you'll turn a corner into a low-ceilinged nook, climb a narrow stair, and stumble on a subject you never knew you wanted to browse.
The shelves are deep and heavily discounted, and half the fun is simply getting lost among them for an hour or two. It's the sort of place that turns a quick errand into an afternoon, and it perfectly captures the old-world charm of the surrounding German Village neighborhood. For book lovers, The Book Loft alone is worth a trip to Columbus.
The beating heart of downtown's entertainment scene, Nationwide Arena is home to the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL and the anchor of the lively Arena District that grew up around it. On game nights the neighborhood fills with fans spilling out of restaurants and patios, and the energy inside the bowl — especially when the home team scores and the cannon fires — is genuinely electric.
Beyond hockey, Nationwide Arena is one of the city's premier concert and event venues, hosting major touring musicians, family shows, and marquee events throughout the year. Its central location means you're never more than a short walk from a pre-show meal or a post-game drink, making it an easy and reliable pick for a big night out in Columbus.
The Columbus Museum of Art blends a distinguished permanent collection with a welcoming, contemporary spirit that keeps it from ever feeling stuffy. Its holdings are especially strong in early European and American modernism, and it has a deep collection of works by Columbus-born artists, alongside a growing roster of photography and folk art. Light-filled galleries and a sculpture-dotted garden make it a pleasure simply to wander.
The museum has earned a national reputation for putting visitor experience first, with interactive spaces designed to spark conversation and creativity rather than passive viewing. Rotating special exhibitions bring in ambitious work from around the world, and the on-site café and courtyard offer a relaxed spot to pause. It's an approachable, genuinely enjoyable art museum that suits first-timers and enthusiasts alike.
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A jaw-dropping survivor from the golden age of movie palaces, the Ohio Theatre opened in 1928 as a lavish cinema and has since been restored to its full, gilded splendor. Step inside and you're surrounded by Spanish-Baroque opulence — hand-painted ceilings, crystal chandeliers, ornate gold leaf, and a mighty theater organ that still rumbles to life before select screenings. It's designated a National Historic Landmark, and deservedly so.
Today the Ohio Theatre is the official state theater of Ohio and a cornerstone of the downtown arts scene, hosting the Columbus Symphony, touring Broadway productions, ballet, and a summer classic-film series. Even if you can't catch a full show, a performance here is worth planning around; the setting alone turns an ordinary evening into an occasion.
9. Scene75 Entertainment Center
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When the weather turns or the kids need to burn off energy, Scene75 Entertainment Center delivers a massive indoor menu of fun under one roof. This family-entertainment complex packs in multi-level laser tag, indoor go-karts, mini-golf, bumper cars, and a huge arcade stocked with the latest games, plus attractions that rotate to keep regulars coming back.
It's built for groups of every age, with enough variety that a birthday party, a date night, and a big family outing can all happen in the same building. There's food and drink on hand so you can make a full afternoon or evening of it. As one of the largest indoor entertainment centers in the region, Scene75 is a dependable rainy-day answer in Columbus.
For a reliably good night of laughs, the Columbus Funny Bone brings a steady stream of national touring headliners and rising comics to its comfortable club near Easton. The intimate, cabaret-style room puts every seat close to the stage, and the classic dinner-and-a-show format — full menu, drinks, and live stand-up — makes it an easy, low-effort night out.
The lineup spans household-name comedians on tour and sharp up-and-comers you'll be glad you saw first, with multiple shows most weekends. It's a Columbus staple for date nights, group celebrations, and anyone who just wants to laugh for a couple of hours. Book ahead for the bigger names, grab a table, and settle in.
More an outdoor district than a conventional mall, Easton Town Center is a sprawling, walkable village of shops, restaurants, and entertainment on the city's northeast side. Laid out along tree-lined streets and gathering squares, it mixes flagship national retailers with local boutiques, a huge range of dining from quick bites to upscale tables, a cinema, and open plazas that host seasonal events and live music.
Easton is designed for lingering: fountains, patios, and comfortable public spaces encourage you to slow down and make an afternoon of it rather than dash in and out. It's one of the region's top shopping and leisure destinations, popular with locals and visitors alike, and it works just as well for a serious shopping trip as for a casual stroll and a meal.
The Scottish craft-beer giant BrewDog chose the Columbus area for its U.S. headquarters, and BrewDog DogTap Columbus is the flagship taproom at the heart of that operation. Set beside the brewery itself, the cavernous bar pours dozens of beers straight from the source — its famous Punk IPA alongside experimental small-batch brews you often can't find anywhere else — in a lively, dog-friendly space.
Beyond the taps, there's a full food menu, a large patio, and frequent brewery tours that pull back the curtain on how it all gets made. The scale and energy of the place make it a destination in its own right, and it has helped cement the region's reputation as a serious craft-beer hub. It's an easy, fun stop for anyone who appreciates a great pint.
13. Shadowbox Live
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One of the most distinctive entertainment venues in the country, Shadowbox Live is a resident theater company that fuses live sketch comedy with an in-house rock band for a high-energy, cabaret-style show. Housed in the Brewery District, it's the nation's largest resident theatre of its kind, staffed by a versatile ensemble who write, act, sing, and play across an ever-changing slate of original productions.
A typical night blends original comedy bits with full-throttle live music, food, and drinks served right at your table, making for a night out that feels equal parts concert, theater, and party. The company also stages ambitious full-length musicals and seasonal shows. Homegrown and one-of-a-kind, Shadowbox Live is exactly the sort of creative original that defines the Columbus arts scene.
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Another gem in Columbus's remarkable collection of historic theaters, the Palace Theatre opened in 1926 as a vaudeville and movie house and remains a stunning, ornate venue downtown. Its French-inspired interior — sweeping staircases, gilded detailing, and a grand chandelier — makes any performance feel like an event, and its excellent sightlines and acoustics keep it in constant use.
Managed alongside the city's other landmark stages, the Palace Theatre hosts a busy calendar of concerts, comedy, dance, and family programming throughout the year. Catching a show here is one of the more elegant ways to spend an evening in Columbus, wrapping big-name entertainment inside a beautifully preserved slice of the city's history.
For sheer bouncing, flipping fun, Big Air Trampoline Park is a high-octane indoor playground north of the city. Wall-to-wall trampolines connect into a maze of attractions — foam pits, a ninja-warrior obstacle course, dodgeball courts, slam-dunk lanes, and battle beams — that keep kids and energetic adults happily airborne for hours.
It's a go-to for birthday parties, weekend outings, and any day the weather won't cooperate, with dedicated sessions and areas so younger jumpers can play safely. Between the variety of attractions and the constant motion, it's easy to burn off a whole afternoon here. Big Air is one of Columbus's most dependable options for family fun that doubles as a genuine workout.
Escape rooms have become one of the city's favorite group activities, and Breakout Games is among the most polished operators in Columbus. Teams are locked into an elaborately themed room — a heist, a museum mystery, a hostage rescue — and race the clock to find hidden clues, crack puzzles, and work out the sequence that sets them free, usually within about an hour.
The scenarios are cleverly designed and genuinely challenging, rewarding communication and lateral thinking over brute force, which makes them ideal for friends, families, coworkers, and first dates alike. Whether you break out with seconds to spare or come up just short, the shared adrenaline makes for a memorable outing. Breakout Games is a reliably fun way to test how well your group really works together.
Named for the towering shale bluffs that rise more than 100 feet above the Olentangy River, Highbanks Metro Park is one of the finest pieces of nature in the Columbus Metro Parks system. Miles of well-maintained trails wind through mature forest, ravines, and meadows to scenic overlooks, past ancient Native American earthworks, and down to quiet riverside stretches rich with wildlife.
It's a favorite for hiking, trail running, birding, and simply escaping the city for a few hours, with a nature center and observation deck that make it welcoming for casual visitors and serious naturalists alike. The park changes character beautifully with the seasons, from spring wildflowers to blazing fall color. Highbanks proves how much natural beauty sits just minutes from downtown Columbus.
At the center of the downtown riverfront, Bicentennial Park is the sparkling jewel of the Scioto Mile, a stretch of parkland and promenades along the Scioto River. Its signature feature is a huge interactive fountain with more than a thousand jets choreographed to lights, where kids and grown-ups alike cool off on hot afternoons, ringed by lush landscaping and public art.
The park hosts free concerts and festivals through the warmer months and connects to a network of riverside trails perfect for a stroll or bike ride. With the city skyline as a backdrop, an adjacent event lawn, and an inviting café pavilion, Bicentennial Park is one of the most pleasant public spaces in Columbus and a lovely place to watch the city go by.
Part upscale bowling alley, part sprawling entertainment hub, Rule 3 reinvents the classic night out on the southeast side. Beyond the polished lanes you'll find an enormous arcade, virtual-reality experiences, a full bar, and elevated food, all wrapped in a stylish, modern space designed for adults and families to mingle.
The idea is simple — there should be something for everyone — and Rule 3 delivers, whether you're rolling frames with friends, chasing high scores, or just settling in for drinks and a bite. It's become a popular pick for group celebrations and casual evenings alike, and it shows how far the humble bowling alley has come. For a lively, do-a-bit-of-everything outing in Columbus, it's hard to beat.
For escape-room fans who want top-tier production values, The Escape Game Columbus sets the bar high with immersive, movie-quality sets and inventive puzzles. Located near Easton, its themed adventures — think a prison break, a gold heist, or a mission gone wrong — surround you with rich detail that pulls you fully into the story from the moment the door closes.
Each 60-minute game is built for teamwork, layering surprises and clever mechanisms that reveal themselves as you progress, so the challenge stays fresh even for experienced players. Friendly game guides keep things moving and nudge you along if you get stuck. Whether it's a first attempt or your tenth room, The Escape Game is one of the most satisfying group activities in Columbus.
No visit to German Village is complete without a meal at Schmidt's Sausage Haus, a Columbus institution serving up hearty Bavarian fare since the early 20th century. The restaurant occupies a historic livery building, and the atmosphere is warm and boisterous — think communal tables, live oom-pah music on many nights, and platters piled high with the house's famous Bahama Mama sausage, schnitzel, and sauerkraut.
Save room for the legendary cream puffs, oversized pastries that have become a destination unto themselves. Generations of families have made Schmidt's a tradition, and its enduring popularity speaks to both the food and the genuine old-world hospitality. It's a delicious, only-in-Columbus taste of the city's deep German heritage.
Widely regarded as one of the best minor-league ballparks in the country, Huntington Park is the home of the Columbus Clippers and a summer-evening delight in the Arena District. The intimate, fan-friendly design keeps every seat close to the action, with a lawn berm, open concourses, and skyline views that make catching a game feel like a proper event rather than an afterthought.
Beyond the baseball, the ballpark is known for a strong lineup of local food and drink, giveaway nights, and postgame fireworks that pack the stands. Tickets are affordable and the vibe is relaxed and family-friendly, making it one of the easiest, most enjoyable ways to spend a warm night in Columbus. Even non-baseball fans tend to leave charmed.
A bustling public market with roots stretching back to the 1870s, North Market is Columbus's food hall par excellence and a must-visit for anyone who loves to eat. Under one roof, dozens of independent vendors dish up everything from fresh produce and artisan cheese to Vietnamese street food, wood-fired pizza, hand-pulled noodles, and — famously — the very first scoops of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.
Grazing your way through the stalls is the whole point; you can assemble a globe-spanning meal and eat it at the communal tables amid the happy chaos. As a downtown gathering place that champions local makers and small businesses, North Market captures the city's food-obsessed spirit better than anywhere else. Come hungry and plan to sample widely.
A striking spiral of concrete and glass on the downtown riverfront, the National Veterans Memorial and Museum is the only institution of its kind dedicated to honoring the personal experiences of veterans across every branch and era of American service. Its award-winning architecture — a series of intertwining arcs rising to a rooftop sanctuary and garden — is a landmark in its own right, well worth seeing even from the outside.
Inside, the exhibits move away from hardware and battles to focus on human stories: enlistment, service, homecoming, and remembrance, told through personal artifacts, film, and firsthand accounts. It's a moving, thoughtfully designed experience that resonates with visitors regardless of their connection to the military. The National Veterans Memorial and Museum is one of Columbus's most significant and quietly powerful attractions.
A genuine piece of American soccer history, Historic Crew Stadium opened in 1999 as the first soccer-specific stadium built for a Major League Soccer club — a milestone that helped shape the modern game in the United States. For decades it was the fortress-like home of the Columbus Crew and the site of legendary U.S. men's national team wins, earning a devoted place in supporters' hearts.
Though the Crew have since moved to a new downtown ground, the historic stadium lives on as a venue for matches, concerts, and community events, and it remains a pilgrimage for soccer fans who want to stand where the sport's American roots run deep. For anyone interested in the game's history, Historic Crew Stadium is a meaningful and evocative stop in Columbus.
