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, 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.
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Winter Lantern Walks
Join us on select Saturday evenings and every Wednesday evening from 6:30-8pm this winter for lantern walks around the Grange Insurance Audubon Center grounds and surrounding Scioto Audubon Metro Park. After a 45 minute walk with lanterns in hand, we’ll gather by the fire inside the center and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate to warm up.
Tickets are $5. Participants over the age of 2 must have a ticket. Be sure to dress for winter walking (we’ll be following paved paths but those paths may be slick). Click on the links below to purchase tickets.
January 8
January 22
February 12
February 26
Wednesday Winter Lantern Walks
Wednesdays, January 5 – February 23
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Bugs, Birds & Brews! Exhibition Opening Reception
Saturday, January 15, 2022 from 6-8 pm. View the exhibition, meet the photographers and enjoy a little beer tasting with Nocterra Brewing!
The Bugs and Birds exhibition features the work of photographers Richard Schnuerer and David Greenberg. The exhibit is available through March 13.
Richard Schnuerer’s work includes 20+ pieces showcasing Ohio Raptors, including Hawks, Owls, Eagles and Osprey. A special feature of the Snowy Owl “Hedwig” who visited the Delaware area last winter becoming quite the celebrity is also included. Richard’s photographs also include is a special exhibit of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
On the creepy side of things, David Greenberg’s work will include 20+ photographs presenting mostly insects but also included will be spiders, millipedes and other multi-legged, chitin-encased creatures, some flying, some eating (or being eaten), or just staring at you suspiciously from their faceted buggy eyes.
General admission to the reception is FREE and open to the public, but registration is required.
If you plan to participate in the Nocterra Brewing Company beer tasting, you must be 21 and tickets must be purchased in advance. Beer tasting is $20 which includes 5 tickets. One ticket can be used for a 5oz tasting or two tickets can be combined for a full 12 oz glass. A selection of 5 brews will be featured. Purchase here.
Weekly/Monthly Fun at Grange Insurance Audubon Center
Turtle Tuesday
Each Tuesday morning at 11:30 am. Learn about some of the animals that call the Grange Insurance Audubon Center home! You’ll get to learn about each of our turtles, their habitat, diet and behavior and then watch as their food is prepared and served in front of your very eyes!
Please be sure to check in at the front desk when you arrive and our greeter will send you in the right direction. Pre-registration is required due to limited space at this time. Register here.
Preschool Story Time
Each Thursday morning at 10:00 am for nature-themed, read-alouds and maybe sing a song or two. Stay after to enjoy outdoor play time in our play space located near the native plant gardens or visit the turtles inside. Registration is currently required, program is free. Register here.
Birdwatching for Beginners
Saturday mornings from 10 – 11:30 am
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.
Registration is currently required on Eventbrite to limit attendance. Please bring binoculars, or you can borrow a pair at the center if you leave your driver’s license at the desk for the loan. Register at the link here.
First Friday’s Let’s Do Yoga Together
First Friday’s Let’s Do Yoga Together is the fall/winter alternative to the popular Let’s Go Birding Together Yoga and Bird Walks held in the spring and summer. This indoor, fireside yoga class is intentionally welcoming of the LGBTQIA+ community and the people who support them. It is designed to be a space where people can be themselves without fear of judgment.
The program will include 1 hour of yoga, led by Andy King, with the crackling of a fire as the backdrop inside the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. Bring a mat or towel to use during the yoga class.
The Let’s Go Birding Together Yoga and Bird Walks will resume on the outdoor decks of the Grange Insurance Audubon Center overlooking the Scioto Audubon Metro Park and downtown Columbus skyline in the spring of 2022.
Use this registration for the following dates:
Friday, November 5th, 2021 6-7 pm
Friday, December 3rd, 2021 6-7 pm
Friday, January 7th, 2022 6-7 pm
Friday, February 4th, 2022 6-7 pm
Registration is $10 per person. Please email Allison Clark at allison.clark@audubon.org the day of the program to see if space is still available the day of if you’d like to come last minute. Please be sure to check in at the front desk of the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. Check-in will be available starting at 5:30 pm the day of the event.
Hikes and Walks
Lots of hikes! Check out the event page for upcoming hikes, including Fall Sunset Discovery Hikes, Bird Walks, and more.
Adventure and Discovery Backpacks
The center offers a variety of nature-themed backpacks for family exploration at the park! Adventure Backpacks are geared to school-aged children and Discovery Backpacks are geared to preschoolers. Families can check out a backpack for an hour and a half from Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays between the hours of 10:30 am and 2 pm (10:30 – noon only on Saturdays).
Pre-registration is required, items in the bag will be sanitized before your arrival and again after the bags are returned.
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 15 in the group please (infants included).
Reservations for a party with a member is $30. Reservations for non-member groups is $40. 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
OPEN Tuesday & Thursday 10a-7p, Wednesday & Friday 10a-5p, Saturday 10a-3p, Sunday 12p-5p
CLOSED MONDAY
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Past events at Grange
Trick or Tweet
Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 10 am and 11:30 am
Join us for some not-so-scary fun! Spook up some fun with this not-so-scary nature themed, family fun, fall celebration! Enjoy crafts, games, a scavenger hunt, a short hike and meet some animal friends. Costumes are encouraged for a fun costume parade during the event. Be sure to stop by story time where you can listen to some fun stories in our library
The event is free, but pre-registration is required due to limited attendance numbers at this time. Each registrant, age 2 and over must have a ticket. Please bring your ticket receipt/s to the program sign-in area to gain entrance. Due to our current limited numbers, please be sure to sign up for either the 10 -11 am session or 11:30 am – 12:30 pm session.
12 Days of Audubon: Yuletide Holiday Celebration Series
Enjoy 12 days of seasonal activities including night hikes, wine tasting events, holiday music, programs, movie night, gingerbread house decorating, painting, a last-minute pop-up art shop and much more!
Many events are free, while others have a small fee to cover the supply costs. Registration is required; find details and links to register on the website.
Friday, December 10: Holiday Wines Part 1
“12 Holiday Wines” featuring wine tasting with Wine Trends’ Chris Engelman from 6-9 pm. Learn about six wines, the grapes used to produce them and stories relating to their origins while pairing them with your favorite charcuterie board fixings! After exploring the wines, enjoy our indoor fire and enjoy live music from a string duo of VIVO Music Festival.
Cost per person is $40 or $75 for 2. Deadline to register for this ticketed event is 5:00 pm on December 6, 2021. Guests must be 21 and older to attend this event
Saturday, December 11: Christmas Bird Count for Kids
Learn about the history and importance of the Christmas Bird Count as well as basic bird id and binocular use before heading out to take community science action. Participate in a bird count and gather data while using binoculars and fields guides at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center bird feeders and native plant demonstration gardens and then around the surrounding Scioto Audubon Metro Park. After the count, gather back inside to report out bird sightings while warming up with a cup of hot chocolate.
Binoculars and field guides will be available to borrow during the event. This drop off program is free and open to children 6-12 years old. The deadline to register is 5 pm, Thursday, December 9th.
Sunday, December 12: Sip and Paint with Wine and Canvas
Enjoy an afternoon of sipping and painting with Wine and Canvas from 2-4 pm! Paint a Partridge in a Pear Tree during this instructive painting session at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. Enjoy an indoor fire with an assortment of beverages to sip while creating your masterpiece!
Cost per person is $30 and deadline to register is Friday, December 10 by 5 pm. Guests must be 18 or over to attend. For guests 21 and over, alcohol sips available (id required for wristband); otherwise non-alcoholic provided.
Monday, December 13: S.T.E.M. Science: Holiday Edition
Jump into some fun by carrying out hands-on science experiments and learning projects with a holiday twist! Sign up to receive links to 8 virtual science lessons led by the Grange Insurance Audubon Center education and engagement team.
If you want to pick up a pre-packaged kit with most of the items you’ll need (beside household items), you can purchase a kit when registering for the event. Each kit is $15 with enough supplies for a family of 4 and an additional $8 for an additional 2 family members. Kits are available for pick up at the center from Saturday December 4th – Sunday, December 12th during open hours. You’ll get the virtual links to activities on the morning of Monday, December 13. See full details on the website for what the kit contains and what items are needed from home.
Tuesday, December 14: Gingerbread House Decorating
Get creative while decorating gingberbread houses using candy from our candy bar from 6:30-8 pm. Houses will be assembled and ready to decorate! Participants are welcome to bring additional candy décor from home as well to add to their creations. At the end of the night, participants can submit their gingerbread house to be put on display at the center through the end of December.
Cost is $25 and participants can register as an individual or household (each registration will receive one gingerbread house).
Wednesday, December 15: Family Winter Lantern Walk with Story Time and Hot Chocolate by the Fire
Winter lantern walks on the Grange Insurance Audubon Center grounds and in the surrounding Scioto Audubon Metro Park will leave at 6:30 and 7:15 pm – meet inside the entrance of the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. Warm up with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace inside the center where you can enjoy a few winter themed read-alouds after the 6:30 pm walk or before the 7:15 pm walk.
The event is free. Families are invited to bring a blanket or two to warm up with in front of the fire during story time. Deadline to register is Tuesday, December 14th by 5 pm. Spaces are filling up quickly.
Thursday, December 16: 12 Holiday Wines – Part 2
Enjoy Part 2 of “12 Holiday Wines” featuring wine tasting with Wine Trends’ Chris Engelman. Learn about 6 more wines, the grapes used to produce them and stories relating to their origins while pairing them with your favorite chocolates and chocolate covered treats. December 16th just happens to be National Chocolate Covered Anything Day! After exploring these wines, enjoy our indoor fire and live music.
Cost per person is $40 or $75 for 2. Deadline to register for this ticketed event is 5 pm on December 13, 2021. Guests must be 21 and older to attend this event.
Friday, December 17: Family Movie Night: The Polar Express
Jump into your pajamas, pack a peanut-free snack to go, grab a pillow and blanket and head to the Grange Insurance Audubon Center for family movie night from 6:30-9 pm. Everyone will feel just like they’re joining the fun on the train when served a cup of hot chocolate and a tasty, special holiday cookie!
This event is free but registration (1 per family) is required by the deadline of 5 pm, December 16th.
Saturday, December 18: Winter Lantern Walk and Holiday Sing Along by the Fire with Heather Evans
Find your Ugly Holiday Sweater and join the fun on Saturday, December 18th from 6:30-8:30 pm for a winter lantern walk on the Grange Insurance Audubon Center grounds and in the surrounding Scioto Audubon Metro Park. At the conclusion of the walk, warm up with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace inside the center where you can join Heather Evans in a holiday sing along. Heather is a returning favorite from our 2020 Virtual 12 Days of Audubon and we know she’ll get you in the holiday spirit!
This event is free. Registration will close at 5 pm, December 17th.
Sunday, December 19: tba
Monday, December 20: Winter Kahoot
Join a live virtual Kahoot trivia game with a winter theme. If it has to do with winter (and of course birds) be ready to answer! This will be done over Zoom and you’ll need to download the Kahoot app on your computer or phone to participate.
RSVP by December 18 at 9pm – Link and Kahoot information will be sent out to participants December 19th.
Tuesday, December 21: Quiet Candlelight Winter Solstice Celebration
Celebrate the start of winter on the shortest day with the longest night! Sip on mulled cider or hot chocolate while enjoying candlight and quiet with relaxing music playing throughout the halls of the center. Luminarias will light the way to the luminaria & evergreen labyrinth outside on the front lawn. Bring a blanket to enjoy a seat near the outdoor fireplace or find a spot to enjoy the indoor fireplace if you’d like to be a bit warmer.
Join a lantern walk every 1/2 hour at 7, 7:30 and 8 pm (maximum of 20 per lantern walk – meet inside the front doors of the center). At the conclusion of the evening, help officially welcome winter with staff from the Grange Insurance Audubon Center as they partake in the seasonal changing of the bird at the front desk.
This event is free. Registration will close at 5 pm on Monday, December 20th.
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