Popular Activities Around Columbus and Campus
Parks, museums, riverfront walks, and the small city moments worth putting on your weekend list.
There's more to do in Columbus than most people realize until they've lived here a year. Between campus, downtown, and the neighborhoods in between, the weekend list basically writes itself once you know where to look.
Start outside. The Scioto Mile downtown is a stretch of riverfront park with fountains, a boardwalk, and free summer concerts at Bicentennial Park. The Olentangy Trail runs straight from campus down to the Scioto Mile — a perfect bike ride at sunset. Highbanks Metro Park (20 minutes north) and Scioto Audubon (10 minutes south) have real hiking, climbing walls, and river views.
Museums and culture: the Wexner Center on campus rotates in some of the best contemporary art shows in the Midwest, and it's free for students. The Columbus Museum of Art has one of the finest Impressionist collections you'll find outside a major coast. COSI is worth the ticket for the planetarium and the traveling exhibits alone, and the Franklin Park Conservatory does incredible seasonal light shows in winter.
Neighborhood exploring: the Short North Gallery Hop happens the first Saturday of every month — galleries stay open late, streets fill with music, and it's free. German Village is a Sunday-morning walk through brick streets to Katzinger's for a sandwich and The Book Loft for hours of browsing. Clintonville has the Sunday farmers market at the Clintonville Farmers' Market, running May through October.
Sports and events: Ohio State football on Saturdays needs no introduction, but don't sleep on Columbus Crew SC soccer at Field, Blue Jackets hockey at Nationwide Arena, and Clippers baseball at Huntington Park — some of the best cheap-seat sports in the country. Add in the Columbus Arts Festival in June and Pride weekend in the Short North, and your calendar fills itself.
