I am the tourist, and this is my guide to Columbus, OH. I don’t live in Columbus, so it will never be a local’s guide, but many of the things on my tourist lists are recommendations from locals. If I’m missing anything, please drop it in the comments and I’ll add it to the guide.
Food and Drinks
- Schmidt’s– This German restaurant is a must-do for anyone who loves German food. Grab some Buckeyes from their store. These chocolate covered peanut butter balls are an Ohio staple.
- North Market– 148 year-old public market with standout such as the original Jeni’s Ice Cream and incredible Polish food
- Land-Grant Brewing– Great brewery with fun games and a huge outdoor space
- Ash & Em– Bar with old school games and axe throwing
- The Pearl– Awesome restaurant in the Short North Arts District. The deviled eggs come out on the cutest chicken display. For my Tampa locals, this is the same Pearl as on Water Street (the only one outside of OH)
- Standard Hall– Casual bar and restaurant with tons of space, great happy hour, and a super fun brunch
- The Cheesecake Girl– delicious-looking cheesecake that ships nationally. We didn’t have time to try but it was on the list!
- Barley’s Brewing Company– Located in the North Market area, we wanted to check it out but ran out of time
- Watershed Distillery Kitchen + Bar– Distillery with a great menu that we also didn’t have time for
- Paulie Gee’s– Pizza spot in the Shore North area
- Mandrake– Rooftop bar with sushi, highly recommended by our Airbnb host
- Lincoln Social– Another rooftop bar and restaurant that came highly recommended but we didn’t have a chance to check out
- Jackie O’s– Downtown brewery
- Pin’s Mechanical Company– Bar with games, including giant Jenga, duck bowling, and life-sized beer pong
Things to Do
- Topiary Garden– This was my favorite thing in Columbus. This seven-acre park is designed to look like Georges Seurat’s famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, but with topiary sculptures. It was really cool
- The Scioto Mile– The downtown riverfront that feels new and modern, with walking paths and lots of places to sit and enjoy the view
- The Book Loft– A HUGE bookstore in the German Village, so big you need a map to discover all the rooms and find what you’re looking for. If you’re a bibliophile, save a few hours for this bookstore
- Prologue Book Store– This newcomer to the North Shore Arts District is much more manageable that The Book Loft and a great spot to find a indie book
- Columbus Crew– MLS team
- COSI– Science museum with awesome rotating exhibits
- The Columbus Zoo-The zoo is on the outskirts of Columbus and was made famous by Jack Hanna. It was a nice zoo but we’re spoiled by living near the Tampa Zoo, one of the best zoos (in my opinion)
- Visit The Ohio State– It’s worth a drive by a minimum, just to see how huge and beautiful the campus is
- Make some time to walk the Short North Arts District and German Village. There are tons of great restaurants and shops to check out. Definitely something for everyone!
Normally I include hotel recs, but everything was booked up for a marathon when we went, so our only option was an Airbnb. It was actually really nice and was in the perfect location.
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