Special exhibits, tours and holiday events at Ohio Statehouse and Museum

The stunning Capitol Square complex sits in the middle of downtown Columbus, surrounded by Broad, High, State, and 3rd Streets. Capitol Square includes the Ohio Statehouse, Senate Building and Atrium.

The buildings are working government offices, and monuments to the people and the period during which Ohio’s democracy was founded and formed.

Besides the business side of day-to-day activity, there is plenty for the public to enjoy at the at the People’s House, our Ohio Statehouse, including events, tours, and more.

Ohio Statehouse Tours

Guided tours are offered Monday through Friday every hour on the hour with the first tour beginning at 10 a.m. and the last tour beginning at 3 p.m. Guided tours are available on on Saturday and Sunday from 12 pm – 3 pm. Meet in the Map Room on the hour for tours. 

Visitors may also take a self-guided tour. Start your tour using the self-guided tour brochure and the cell phone tour available in the Map Room, which is easily accessible from the Third Street entrance,

The House and Senate Chambers are kept locked, and are only available to be viewed during guided tours.

Cell phone tours

Learn about the people and places that the Ohio Statehouse monument collection pays tribute to. Visitors can explore the 10 acres of Capitol Square and dial in on their cell phone to specific predetermined phone numbers and listen to descriptions about the monuments and sculpture. The cell phone audio tour is FREE, except for air-time minutes according to each visitor’s cell phone calling plan.

The Ohio Statehouse Monument Cell Phone Audio Tour begins with the outside monuments and gardens on Capitol Square. Inside the Ohio Statehouse, phone messages describe the rooms and artworks of the Capitol. This allows guests to tour in their own time. Pick up a paper brochure in the ground-floor Map Room.

Museum Education Center

Museum exhibits are closed for health and safety precautions until further notice. Follow along on Facebook to learn from home!

Shop at the Statehouse Museum Shop

The Museum Shop located on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse and is open to the public. The Shop accepts all Statehouse Market Place on-line orders, telephone orders and email requests.

The Shop specializes in unique gifts with an Ohio or political theme. Most gifts are made by Ohio artists or businesses, and many items are exclusive to the Museum Shop. Gifts range from wine and pottery, to lapel pins, clothing and even those hard-to-find postcards. The Museum Shop has the perfect gift no matter what the occasion!

Hours are Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Dining at the Statehouse

HouseTacos at the Capitol Café opened in December on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse. 

Breakfast pastries and coffee are served from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.  Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for dine-in and carry-out tacos, salads and more.  Closed weekends. 

Head Chef Zach Martin suggests that customers pre-order and pay online to make service quick and efficient.  See the online menu for details. Kiosk ordering is also available in the Café.  Curbside pickup and delivery are available until 6:45 p.m. weekdays. 

Upcoming Annual Statehouse Events and Exhibits

Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center exhibits are now open to the public every day. Visitors are welcome!

Fossil Tour for Earth Day 2022

Saturday, April 23, 2022 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Explore the building stones of Ohio’s Capitol with special guests Dale M. Gnidovec, Curator of the OSU Orton Geological Museum, and Mark Peter, paleontologist with the ODNR Division of Geological Survey.  

This special tour is free and open to the public.  Registration is not required.

See fossil specimens from the collection of Orton Geological Museum, and then find similar fossils in the limestone walls and steps of the Ohio Statehouse.  The booklet, Statehouse Fossils:  A Guide to Fossils of the Ohio Capitol, will be available free to participants along with other informative literature and posters.  

Exhibits

The State Fossil Fish is Dunkleosteus

October 29 – April 30. A relplica of the State fossil fish of Ohio, Dunkleosteus terrelli, is dispalyed at the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center.  This 2021-2022 exhibit is courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.  Dunkleosteus became the official State fossil fish on March 24, 2021.  

The Ohio Revised Code says, “Dunkleosteus terrelli, a species of extinct arthrodire placoderm fish that lived in the seas that covered parts of Ohio during the Late Devonian period, about three hundred fifty-nine to three hundred eighty-two million years ago, is hereby adopted as the official fossil fish of the state.”

Student Art Exhibit

April 5 – April 28. The Ohio Statehouse will highlight works of art in this special exhibition featuring students K – 12 from Ohio’s public schools. The student exhibition recognizes the talents, creativity and innovation of students who receive high quality arts education instruction as part of their academic experience in school.

Ohio Women in World War II

March 15 – July 17; Map Room. Motts Military Museum presents an exhibit about the history of Ohio women during World War II.  The display features uniforms and associated gear of two central Ohio women who served during the war:

1st Lt. Inez Miller from Reynoldsburg, Ohio who served as a nurse with the 118th Station Hospital in Japan.
Mary Ellen Keil from Columbus, Ohio who was a WASP (Women Air force Service Pilot).

Pysanky: Ukrainian Easter Eggs on display

March 26 – May 6: Pysanky are also called Ukrainian Easter Eggs. The traditional art has been practiced for thousands of years in celebration of spring and new life.  

This exhibit of decorated eggs is presented by the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery and the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center. The eggs are displayed in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda, and more eggs can be seen at the Riffe Gallery, which is across High Street from the Statehouse in the Riffe Center.  

Weddings and Celebrations

Your wedding, photo session or special event can be historic at the Ohio Statehouse. See details at the events tab or the weddings tab. Contact specialevents@ohiostatehouse.org or 614-466-2125.

Parking at Capitol Square

Parking is available at the facility’s underground parking garage for an hourly or daily fee. This convenient and affordable parking solution offers direct sheltered access to the Ohio Statehouse and Senate Building. Enter garage via Broad St. until the completion of construction near State and Third Street entrances. You can also park at meters or other public parking in downtown Columbus. Remember, meters are FREE on Sundays in downtown Columbus!

The Ohio Statehouse
1 Capitol Square
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed on holidays; see website to verify closures.

Annual Events tba for 2022

Family Day Festival for Ohio Women’s Suffrage Centennial

August 1, 2021 2:30 PM – 6:30 PM. Ohio celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for the Ohio Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission Family Day Festival at the Ohio Statehouse.

The festival kicks off with a presentation of the 2021 Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the event will feature family activity booths from COSI, Girl Scouts, Girls on the Run, Ohio Library and more! There will also be food trucks, live music, statehouse tours, and other family entertainment will occur throughout the day culminating with a free concert by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra at 5:30pm. 

9/11 Memorial Flags 20th Anniversary on Capitol Square

September 9, 2021 5:00 PM – September 13 – 12:00 PM. The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will commemorate 20th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001 with a memorial flag display on the west lawn of the Ohio Statehouse. On Thursday, September 9, 2021, a short program will begin at 5 p.m. on the West Plaza of the Ohio Statehouse.  After the program, volunteers from across central Ohio will install the 2,977 flags that comprise the memorial.

The flags represent the 2,977 victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93. When seen from above, the design represents the World Trade Center towers, with a space in the shape of the Pentagon and an open strip representing the field in Pennsylvania. Located on the West Lawn of the Ohio Statehouse, the memorial will be open to the public from 7 p.m. Thursday, September 9 until 12 p.m. Monday, September 13, 2021.

Volunteers are welcome for installation.  Please contact Dayna Jalkanen, djalkanen@ohiostatehouse.org or 614-728-2697 to sign up for this event.

National Fossil Day Tour for Earth Sciences Week

October 13, 2021 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Explore fossils in the building stones of the Ohio Statehouse with special guests Mike Angle and Mark Peter of the Ohio Geological Survey, ODNR, and Dale M. Gnidovec, Curator of the OSU Orton Geological Museum. Celebrate Earth Science Week with a public tour of the Ohio Statehouse. The tour is free and open to the public.

Visitors will receive a free copy of the new booklet, Statehouse Fossils: A Guide to Fossils of the Ohio Capitol, by Mark E. Peter.

Haunted Ohio Statehouse Tours

October 15, 16, 22, and 23, 2021. Tours were cancelled in 2020 and online stories were available for viewing. Details for 2021 will be updated in early fall, and tickets will go on sale in September.

Veterans Parade 2021 Cannon Firing at the Ohio Statehouse

November 5, 2021 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM. The 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A will fire a Civil War cannon at 11:30, 11:45 a.m. and 12 p.m. to begin the 2021 Veterans parade in Columbus. After the cannon has been fired three times, the parade starts at noon.

Ohio Statehouse Tree Lighting

December 2, 2021, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM. The holiday season opens in Ohio with the annual holiday Statehouse event. Kickoff the holiday season with this family tradition. Historical characters and modern dignitaries will be on hand to greet guests, including Santa himself. Details for 2021 will be updated in late fall.

Ohio Statehouse Holiday Choir Performances

December 3-21, 2021. Get into the holiday spirit with FREE lunchtime holiday choir performances on weekdays by Ohio musical groups in the Museum Gallery at the Ohio Statehouse. The concerts are open to the public and will begin at noon. Details for 2021 will be updated in late fall.

Red Carnation Day Exhibit

January 28 – January 31: Dayton, Ohio, native Lewis G. Reynolds founded the Carnation League of America in 1903. The League encouraged all Americans to wear a red carnation on William McKinley’s birthday, January 29.  The observance will include a small exhibit in the Rotunda on the history of Carnation Day and the life and legacy of Ohio Governor and President William McKinley.

Wear red or a red carnation on January 28 and get a 20% off discount at The Statehouse Museum Shop. Some exclusions apply: postage, wine, food, nylon flags, consignment items, dated Statehouse ornaments, and the books, Art and Artistry of the Ohio Statehouse and From Cornerstone to Cupola.

Friday, Jan. 28 at noon: Public Tour. The staff of the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center will offer a free public tour in honor of the Red Carnation.  The special tour of the Ohio Statehouse will talk about architecture, art, history, and state government throughout the building. President William McKinley and his important roles in Ohio and the United States will be featured during the noon tour on January 28.  The event is open to the public, and no reservation is required.  

Grande Winter Ball

Not scheduled for 2021 or 2022. Hosted by Civil War re-enactors, 1^stOhio Light Artillery Battery A. All ages welcome. Dress in Civil War period attire or in your regular clothes and learn to reel or waltz (or just watch). Details for 2022 will be updated closer to the event.

February: Black History Month

The Ohio Statehouse celebrates Black History Month in February with free historical performances on select Tuesdays at noon. The live performance are 45-minutes, followed by 15 minutes for Q&A. The events are free and open to the public.  

Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022
FROM THE HEART, SO MUCH TO DISCOVER: The Heritage of Ohio’s Black Voices. Performance by Lyn Ford, storyteller and author

Here in Ohio, and across the nation, the voices of the state’s African American poets, novelists, and storytellers of all kinds wait to be discovered or remembered by a larger population.  Experience the heritage of promise, strength, humor, and hope in the lives and words of a few of Ohio’s Black voices, shared by one of the state’s Affrilachian storytellers and authors, Lyn Ford.

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022 
OF MEMORY AND HISTORY:  An Affrilachian Storyteller Speaks. Performance by Lyn Ford, storyteller and author

Humor and heart are rooted in our family’s storytelling traditions. Affrilachian culture, stories and folktales are shared by one of Ohio’s Affrilachian storytellers and authors, Lyn Ford.

Capitol Cafe is Open for Statehouse Guests with discount

In honor of the Black History Month presentations, HouseTaco at the Capitol Café will offer a discount of 15% off food orders on Tuesday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Patrons may use the promo code 1522 with online orders of $5 minimum.  HouseTaco is located on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse. 

President’s Day Programming at Ohio Statehouse

Ohio Statehouse Tour Celebrates Ohio Presidents
Friday, Feb. 18, 2022 at 12 p.m. In recognition of Presidents’ Day, join the Ohio Statehouse Museum and Education Center staff for a free tour at noon on Friday, February 18, 2022.  The public tour of the Ohio Statehouse features the eight presidents of the United States who called Ohio their home.  

The Statehouse is closed on President’s Day.