Birding, Adventures, and more at Grange Insurance Audubon Center

The Grange Insurance Audubon Center offers fun events and activities for all ages to connect with nature. The Audubon Center is located in downtown Columbus within the Scioto Audubon Metro Park, but you’ll feel like you are away from the city and immersed in nature along the Scioto River. 

Grange Audubon Center offers STEAM-based programming for youth, birding and conservation experiences, as well as indoor and outdoor fun.

Upcoming Fun at Grange Insurance Audubon Center

Beginner Bird Hike

Every other Saturday, March 8 – May 31, 2025
Take a guided hike with our Grange Insurance Audubon Center Educators or Columbus Audubon Volunteers to see what birds you can find in your Scioto Audubon Metro Park each Saturday at 10 am.

Guided hikes will give you the basics of birding and help you learn about areas in our park that are great for birdwatching! You can enjoy self-guided hikes in the park anytime during open hours.

Register at the link here.

Spring Wildflower Walk

Saturday, May 24, 2025 from 10 am – 11:30 am

Join us for a leisurely guided walk discussing and identifying some spring blooms throughout Scioto Audubon Metro Park! Begin outside Grange Insurance Audubon Center lobby at 10am for an approximate 2 mile walk. Registration is free!

OBSERVER Documentary Film Screening

Saturday, May 24, 2025 from 1:30 pm – 4 pm
PART 1 ( 1;30PM-3:00PM): View a special screening of the new documentary film “OBSERVER” directed by Ian Cheney.
PART 2 (3:00PM-4:00PM): Participate in an OUTDOOR observation session with observation kits containing a small red square, hand lens, dice, pencil, notebook, and a color game manual filled with observation games from the film.

Observation Kits are available to the first 50 people that register and attend this FREE film screening event! Adults Only Please

Music In Nature Summer Concert Series

June 14, July 11 and August 16, 7pm to 9pm.
Featuring nature-inspired music by American composers. This Art at Audubon event is suitable for families and people of all ages encouraging a connection between the arts, nature and community.

In addition to the live orchestra music the concert series will include outdoor activities for children and food trucks. Attendees are welcome to bring their own picnics and non-alcoholic beverages. Attendees are required to bring their own blankets and/or chairs as seating will only be provided if the concert moves indoors due to inclement weather.

Tickets are $30/each for non-Audubon members and $20/each for Audubon members ages 12 and up. Children under 12 are FREE. Each paid ticket comes with a $5.00 off coupon to use at the food trucks during the concert. Book here.

Relax. Paint. Reflect

Saturdays, June 21 (free for Juneteenth), July 19, August 16, 2025

A Monthly Mini Workshop: Painting Things in Nature. Designed for all skill levels, this session will focus on observing and capturing elements of the natural world such as flowers, leaves, landscapes, and wildlife.

Participants will leave with a completed painting and a deeper appreciation for nature’s artistry. Instructor MahLeah Cochran will guide you through your painting experience. All supplies are included. Guests can also sign up for Beginner Bird Walk held before this event to get inspiration for paintings.

Tickets are $20; purchase here. 

Reserve a private playtime!

Small indoor play room with books, bird watching, costumes, climbing structure and cave.
Reserve your playtime! Have an adventure while engaging in imaginative play in the Grange Insurance Audubon Center Forest Room Playroom and Climbing Area with your family and/or playgroup. No more than 40 in the group (infants included).

Reservations are $25-$40. Birthday parties can add an additional party space with tables and chairs where you can have birthday treats and beverages for $100. See website for details and cancellation policies. Reserve your playtime here.

Grange Insurance Audubon Center
505 W Whittier St. Columbus OH 43215
614-545-5475
website | Facebook
Hours change seasonally; see details here.

Past events at Grange; tba for 2024

Preschool Adventures

TBA 2025. Each Thursday morning at 10:00 am kids enjoy nature-themed, read-alouds and maybe sing a song or two. Stay after to visit our ambassador animals, check out an adventure backpack or just enjoy our gardens and some outdoor play time in the surrounding Scioto Audubon Metro Park.

Registration is required, program is free. 

Native Plant Backyard Garden Tour 2024

August 25, 2024 from 11am-2pm

Community members are opening up their native garden spaces for you all to visit and learn about, as well as connect with other local native plant gardeners and enthusiasts!

Touring participants will be able to visit 5 different local gardens on a come-and-go basis during the allotted timeframe. Details.

Monarch Watch

September 3, 10, 17, 2024 from 9 am – 11 am. The Monarch Watch Tagging Program is a large-scale community science project that was initiated in 1992 to help understand the dynamics of the monarch’s spectacular fall migration through mark and recapture.

Join them for capturing, tagging, and releasing monarch butterflies in Scioto Audubon Metro Park. Register here. 

Good Trees for Birds

September 14, 2024 at 11 am. While many non-native trees can beautify our landscape, and some may provide limited wildlife services, nothing compares to our native trees and shrubs when it comes to providing food and cover for our feathered friends. This program will identify native Ohio trees that are particularly attractive to local and migratory birds.

After a short indoor presentation, participants will visit some native trees of value to birds on the grounds of the Audubon Center. These trees will have new signage that identifies them and describes their benefits to birds. Registration. 

Fall Family Fest and Trunk or Tweet

Sunday, October 29, 2023 from 5-9pm
This FREE event will feature live entertainment/music, trunk or tweet, hay rides through the park, a self-guided scavenger hunt, Ohio Wildlife ambassador animals and more!

More details here.

Winter Solstice Celebration: A Free Event for the Whole Family

Saturday, December 21, 2024 from 5:30p-8pm

Enjoy an evening of seasonal activities including painting, guided lantern walks, poetry reading by the indoor fire, hot chocolate bar/cookies, live music by the Worthington Chamber Orchestra Quartet, and winter/nature themed crafts to make and take.

Event is free, but some activities require separate registration or fee. See details and register for event here. 

28th annual Great Backyard Bird Count

Saturday, February 15 at 10 am 

During the  hike, participants will walk around the Scioto Audubon Metro Park to watch, learn about, and count all of the birds we can. All of the birds counted will be submitted on eBird to contribute to the GBBC!

Meet inside the center at 10am. Birders of all experience levels are welcome, and bringing binoculars is encouraged. If you don’t have binoculars, we have pairs that can be checked out with a valid ID at the center. Sign up here.

Bows For Birds

January 18-March 9, 2025
An outdoor winter challenge! Explore the Scioto Audubon Metro Park this winter while learning about and identifying six Ohio bird species.

Grab a scavenger hunt form inside Grange Insurance Audubon Center, find six handcrafted wooden birds throughout the park, then mark the location of each bird on your form and turn it back in for a chance to win a prize! 

Buckeye Birding Series

November 9th, December 14th, January 11th, February 8th, March 8th, and April 12th 11:00am-12:30pm.

Saturday, February 8 from 11 am – 12:30 pm
Where and When to Look: Understanding Seasons, Habitats, and Diet

Saturday, March 8 from 11 am – 12:30 pm
Birding by Sound

Tickets are free for members; $10 for nonmembers. Register here. 

Birds and Brews: Trivia Fundraiser

Saturday, March 22, 2025 from 6 pm – 8 pm at Nocterra Brewing Co. – Audubon, 516 Maier Pl

For the Birds! A fundraiser for Grange Insurance Audubon Center, sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited and Nocterra Audubon. With $15 ticket purchase, all attendees will receive one beer, a gift bag from Wild Birds Unlimited, a DIY birdhouse from Grange Insurance Audubon Center, and a chance to win more prizes!

There will be bird trivia, a bird ID quiz, and more fun-filled activities. REGISTRATION REQUIRED! There is a 40 person limit for this event. Please register here to reserve your ticket. 

Columbus Audubon Monthly Program

Join Columbus Audubon each month for a free in-person series in partnership with and located at Grange Insurance Audubon Center. Events include speakers, conservation education and updates, prizes, and refreshments. Held of the 4th Tuesday of the month through May. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Find future themes and register here. 

Birds, Brews, and Burgers

Friday, May 2, 2025 from 6 pm- 8:30 pm

COSI Science Festival event hosted by the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. Take a bird walk throughout the Scioto Audubon Metro Park with our educators and learn how to use the Merlin Bird ID app to explore the world of birding!

After the bird hike, participate in a beer tasting experience sampling 5 Nocterra Brewing Company Beers and Hard Ciders while enjoying sliders. Bird trivia and games will also be featured. Participants must be 21+ years old.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Current members are $35 each, non-members are $45 each.