Columbus City Adventures Holiday Lights Tours

Get ready to go on an adventure to find the best sights, sites, tales, and lore – whether you’re a tourist, local, or newly relocated. Columbus City Adventures is the first full-service city tour provider, and they have some fun options coming up.

From exploring the landmarks and attractions of Columbus, to a stroll through the city’s historic neighborhoods, and holiday-themed tours – there’s something for everyone with Columbus City Adventures Tours.

Holiday Lights Tours

Immerse yourself in the holiday spirit with a drive through Central Ohio’s twinkling winter landscape with a Holiday Lights Tour. Downtown will be alive with festive energy of hundreds of thousands of lights, including the Grand Illumination along the Scioto Mile, the Festival of Lights at Columbus Commons, and the beloved tradition of Christmas Corner.

This 2 hour tour will include the viewing of the many light displays and decorations laced through the downtown area as well as the recounting of stories of Central Ohio holiday traditions.

Special stops include a stroll through Christmas Corner, take in its life-sized Nativity display details about the cherished history of its annual exhibition.

You’ll also enjoy the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s annual Huntington Holiday Train Display. A new stop will be at the The Museum of Catholic Art and History for a private tour of their beautiful Nativity Display.

All tours start at the Hotel LeVeque, 50 West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215. Arrive early to explore the lovingly refurbished Columbus architecture icon, grab a coffee or cocoa at Starbucks, or dinner and a drink at The Keep.

The minimum age for this tour is 12, proof of vaccine is required, and masks must be worn while in the vehicle and inside buildings. The tour is also available for private groups.

This tour is 2.5 hours long and starts at 5pm. The cost is Adults $45, Children 12-17 $30, Seniors and Full Time Students $40.

Tours are available for booking on Fridays and Saturdays in December 2021. Make your reservations for the Holiday Lights Tour now!

About Columbus City Adventures

Central Ohio’s first full-service city tour provider – was born of a passion for telling the stories of the city, and a drive to reveal the best sights, sites, tales, and lore, to tourists, locals, and the newly relocated.

Looking for all of the holiday fun in Columbus? Check out these pages!

Find more seasonal events below…

Past tours in 2021

Fall Walking Tours with Columbus City Adventures

Spooky, Secret, and Historic outdoor walking tours. Escape for an evening or two with Columbus City Adventures’ October Walking tour series. They’ve teamed up with a unique group of partners for 3 tours featuring the creepier and secret side of Columbus plus new times for our Downtown History tour.

Secrets of the Statehouse Square

Friday, October 29, 2021 at 6:30pm.
Tour- $35, Tour and Autographed Book – $56. Reservations required

Who knew that there are so many secrets about the city of Columbus right in the heart of downtown? Columbus City Adventures and former television news anchor Anietra Hamper, author of the award-winning book Secret Columbus: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure, have teamed up again with a walking tour around Capital Square to uncover city secrets that most never knew existed! From the city’s first (and still existing) air raid bunker to local secrets about candy, join us for a fun small group walking tour in downtown Columbus.

History and Haunts of Fort Hayes

October 23 and 31, 2021 at 6:30 pm
Tour $35. Reservations required

Join WCBE, central Ohio’s original NPR station, and Columbus City Adventures as we explore the campus of Fort Hayes. For almost 150 years Fort. Hayes served as an arsenal, recruiting, induction, and training center for the military. Today Fort Hayes is owned by the Columbus City Schools and occupied by district offices, the Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center and the WCBE radio station. Join us to as we learn the history and hear about the spooky side of this campus. A portion of the proceeds benefit WCBE.

photo: Columbus City Adventures

Tales of the Arena District

October 21 and 30, 2021 at 6:30 pm
Tour- $35. Reservations required.

Today, the Arena District, home to Huntington Park, Nationwide Arena and the popular North Market, and is a destination for sports, concerts, and fun. However many who live and work in this vibrant area just north of downtown, are unaware of its long, dark history of crime, scandal, violence, and death. Come with us as we reveal these stories while strolling among the remnants of the Ohio Penitentiary, Union Station, and much more.
About the guides- Having spent 30 years in correctional facilities, including the Ohio State Reformatory and the Columbus’s Ohio Penitentiary, guide David Meyers has plenty of stories to tell. Author of over a dozen local histories including “Inside the Ohio Penitentiary”, “Historic Columbus Crimes”, and “Wicked Columbus”, join David and CCA owner Jeff Lafever on this walking tour of the district Autographed books will be available for purchase.

Downtown Walking Tour, A Visit To Ohio’s Capitol

Fridays 1:30 p.m. / Saturdays 10:00 a.m. through October, 2021
$25-$30. Reservations required.

Architecture and History abound on our walk downtown! Downtown is home to Ohio’s government and filled with a variety of architectural styles. We will explore this area with a visit to Columbus’s first skyscraper, see our most iconic building, stroll along the refurbished riverfront while learning its history. We will also stop by the Ohio Statehouse, home of Ohio’s government, and learn about Ohio’s most important building.