There’s so much to do in Columbus that it’s impossible to list all of them. Here are some fun things to do in this great city!
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- Festivals, festivals, festivals! Here’s a list of over 300 festivals around Columbus! Overwhelmed by this list? Check out my favorites below this list.
- Zoombezi Bay – Water park at the Zoo
- Picnic with the Pops Concert Series at the Columbus Commons
- Free Outdoor Movies under the Stars – late spring through early fall
- Free or Cheap Indoor Summer Movies
- Bar Crawl – Make you own path; Grandview, Short North, Arena District, Clintonville
- Short North Dessert Crawl – this doesn’t exist, but would be easy and tasty to do on your own!
- Movie and Beer Tasting at Studio 35 – various Sundays
- Rocky Horror Picture Show at Studio 35 – 1st Saturday of every month
- Wexner Center – lots of exhibits and events to check out (free on Thursday evenings and the first Sunday of the month)
- Columbus Museum of Art – free on Sundays and lots to do for all ages, including the littles!
- Topiary Garden
- Picnic in Goodale Park w/food from North Market
- Columbus Park of Roses
- U Pick Berry Farms – let me know your favorites!
- Worthington Farmers Market – one of the bigger, more diverse markets that runs all year
- Over 30 Farmers Markets during the growing season
- Columbus Commons events – concerts, movies, family activities, food trucks, fitness classes and more!
- Scioto Mile events – Fountainside, Rhythm on the River, Movies on the Mile, Jazz & Rib Fest, and Grand Illumination
- Whole Foods Five after Five – Fridays, both locations: 5 wine and 5 food samples for $5
- Market District Giant Eagle Food and Wine Fridays– Fridays: 6 wines and 6 samples for $6
- Columbus Zoo – admission is $9.99-$14.99
- Columbus Gives Back Events – lots of volunteering opportunities with an equal amount of fun
- Gallery Hop – 1st Saturday each month in the Short North
- Brothers Drake Mead Tasting – Mead is honey wine = delicious!
- House Wine – Thursday Night Tasting ($10) or your own tasting from the ergonomics machine.
- Candle Lab – Create your own scent and pour your own candle; group events available and in combination with House Wine in Worthington or Powell Village Winery; shops also located in Grandview.
- Canoeing, Kayaking, or Rafting: try Hocking Valley Canoe Livery (Logan) or Trapper John’s (Grove City) – trips start around $14/person for canoe rental.
- MetroPark Hikes – organized or non-organized, there is lots of ground to cover
- BalletMet – lots of wonderful shows throughout the year
- Shadowbox Live – Sketch Comedy – like you’re watching SNL in person, with a kick-ass rock and roll band and dancers
- Columbus Clippers Baseball – Huntington Park is AWESOME, tickets are cheap, lots of promotions
- Columbus Crew Soccer – Season starts in March
- Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey – People who don’t think they like hockey probably have only tried to watch it on TV. Much better in person. Much.
- Ohio State Fair – concerts, butter statues, deep-fried everything…and now, Ohio Beer and Wine!!!!
- Wyandotte Winery Tasting – 6 great wines for $5, staff is awesome. Go big and taste all 12! Oh, and taste a piece of Wine Cake!!!
- COSI – Take your child or borrow someone else’s (ask first, of course). There are tons of great exhibits and events at the Science Center!
- Explore the Book Loft in German Village – This bookstore is as long as a city block – don’t get lost!
- Pecha Kucha – speaker present 20 slides and talk about each for 20 seconds each on their topic of choice
- Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo – the Zoo becomes a Winter Wonderland with millions of twinkling lights: mid-November to early January.
- Find the Fairy Doors on the Fairy Door Trail in Dublin – Follow the path on your trail guide through Historic Dublin to 8 different businesses to find tiny magical fairy doors. Find the name of each resident fairy and get a t-shirt!
- Explore the new “it” area in Columbus with Franklinton Fridays and 400 Market on the 2nd Friday of each month
- Head to S. 4th Street for some of the best little eateries and entertainment with Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace, Little Palace, El Camino, and 16-Bit Bar+Arcade.
- Sunlight Market (3rd Sunday afternoon) and Moonlight Market (2nd Saturday night) of each month April-October on Gay Street. Or skip the markets and check out the great places to dine and shop on Gay Street anytime.
Favorite Festivals Through the Year:
- First Night Columbus – Family-friendly NYE celebration in the Arena District/Downtown
- Wendy’s Chili Open – Fundraiser at the Zoo in February – food, beverage, music
- Arnold Sports Festival – In March, each year. Even if you aren’t into sports/fitness, GREAT people/meathead watching.
- Columbus Arts Festival – June
- Zoofari – June: Expensive, but fun: fundraiser with over 100 Columbus restaurants, drinks, music and more
- COMfest – June if you’ve never gone, you have to try it at least once
- Red White and Boom – July – Huge firework show: if you can deal with the crowds, go. If not, watch from a “safe” distance.
- Doo Dah Parade – July 4 – Best and craziest parade every in the Short North.
- Dublin Irish Festival – Everything Irish: August
- MicroBrew Festival – Craft beer tasting each year at the North Market for $15: September
- Circleville Pumpkin Show – October
- High Ball Halloween – check out the incredible and crazy costumes in the Short North: October
Take a little ride
- Put In Bay – the closest to island life you’ll find near Ohio; hotels are expensive, camping is cheap
- 20+ things to do with kids in Cincinnati
- Hocking Hills – lots of hiking, waterfalls, and nature; close enough for day trips w/ camping, cabins, and teepee’s available