What's round at the end and hi in the middle?
July 20, 2018 6:30 AM Subscribe
What to do in Columbus, Ohio after work?
I am travelling to Columbus, Ohio for work soon. I will be working til 5ish each night and only there Monday-Friday.
What should I absolutely try to see and do while I am there? I will be travelling alone. I don't really feel like going to clubs or anything. More just looking for interesting places to check out, bookstores, museums, cool cafes etc. With the caveat that they have to be open in the evening.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
I am travelling to Columbus, Ohio for work soon. I will be working til 5ish each night and only there Monday-Friday.
What should I absolutely try to see and do while I am there? I will be travelling alone. I don't really feel like going to clubs or anything. More just looking for interesting places to check out, bookstores, museums, cool cafes etc. With the caveat that they have to be open in the evening.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
If you like wandering around large state university campuses, Ohio State is hard to beat. If you take a bus there from downtown, you can hop off along the way to wander through the Short North neighborhood/arts district and the Victorian Village
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:54 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:54 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
If I worked downtown columbus I would go to the 16 bit and the little restaurants nearby and booze it up every night and play old arcade games!
posted by bbqturtle at 7:04 AM on July 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by bbqturtle at 7:04 AM on July 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Seconding everything above.
Jeni's and Graeter's are local favorites for ice cream. The North Market might be a good place to grab dinner one evening. The Gateway Film Center is a wonderful independent movie theater showing a wide variety of movies, and is at the southern end of OSU's campus.
Columbus Underground has a calendar of events going on around the city.
posted by noneuclidean at 7:18 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Jeni's and Graeter's are local favorites for ice cream. The North Market might be a good place to grab dinner one evening. The Gateway Film Center is a wonderful independent movie theater showing a wide variety of movies, and is at the southern end of OSU's campus.
Columbus Underground has a calendar of events going on around the city.
posted by noneuclidean at 7:18 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Pretty comprehensive advice so far! It should be noted that, if you're interested in attending a Clippers Game, Huntington Park is generally considered one of the best stadia in Minor League Baseball. It's pretty new (~10 years, wow, time flies), and the outfield opens to a nice view of the downtown skyline.
Summer is a good time to visit campus, because you don't have 60,000 kids running around. It's quieter and you can actually enjoy it, but there are still enough people to play frisbee with and stuff. The Wexner Center for the Arts has a summer outdoor big-screen movie showing once a month; the next one is August 14th.
I would add Deaf School Park, behind the main library downtown. There's a topiary recreation of Seurat's Grande Jatte, although honestly, that's the part of the park I spend the least time in. It's just a nice, serene place to sit and chill, but you're still in the middle of everything. It is literally the backyard of the main library, which is cool, and a couple of blocks from the art museum, which, honestly, isn't all that great.
In terms of coffee shops, the best is Stauf's in Grandview.
Also going to throw a shout to my favorite place in the city, the DK Diner on Third, also in Grandview.
A combination of things make Columbus a really great food town. First, because it's a microcosm of the country, it's a common test market. People test new concepts and products there to see if they'll fly. Second, because of the high student population, there's a greater sense of adventurousness. It adds up to a pretty interesting scene. I'm not much of a foodie, but if you're so inclined, you'll find plenty of spots to eat. Don't sleep on the food trucks; they're really good!
posted by kevinbelt at 8:31 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Summer is a good time to visit campus, because you don't have 60,000 kids running around. It's quieter and you can actually enjoy it, but there are still enough people to play frisbee with and stuff. The Wexner Center for the Arts has a summer outdoor big-screen movie showing once a month; the next one is August 14th.
I would add Deaf School Park, behind the main library downtown. There's a topiary recreation of Seurat's Grande Jatte, although honestly, that's the part of the park I spend the least time in. It's just a nice, serene place to sit and chill, but you're still in the middle of everything. It is literally the backyard of the main library, which is cool, and a couple of blocks from the art museum, which, honestly, isn't all that great.
In terms of coffee shops, the best is Stauf's in Grandview.
Also going to throw a shout to my favorite place in the city, the DK Diner on Third, also in Grandview.
A combination of things make Columbus a really great food town. First, because it's a microcosm of the country, it's a common test market. People test new concepts and products there to see if they'll fly. Second, because of the high student population, there's a greater sense of adventurousness. It adds up to a pretty interesting scene. I'm not much of a foodie, but if you're so inclined, you'll find plenty of spots to eat. Don't sleep on the food trucks; they're really good!
posted by kevinbelt at 8:31 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Go to German Village and eat fantastic German Food, both authentic and re-imagined. Please eat some sauerkraut balls for me; they are so, so good. Also, beer.
Columbus has an art museum; I saw an exhibition of work by Kehinde Wiley, the artist who painted Barack Obama's fantastic presidential portrait, so I was able to be all Oh yeah, I've seen his work which is, of course, critical to my coolness.
There are rivers, the Scioto and the Olentangy. There are hiking and walking opportunities.
It's Ohio, so it's pretty flat. If you like leisurely bike rides, perfect.
posted by theora55 at 9:28 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Columbus has an art museum; I saw an exhibition of work by Kehinde Wiley, the artist who painted Barack Obama's fantastic presidential portrait, so I was able to be all Oh yeah, I've seen his work which is, of course, critical to my coolness.
There are rivers, the Scioto and the Olentangy. There are hiking and walking opportunities.
It's Ohio, so it's pretty flat. If you like leisurely bike rides, perfect.
posted by theora55 at 9:28 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm not a local, so am probably missing out on better things. But, North Market is worth a visit or a meal. The Ohio History Center is a truly weird place: a fantastic and strange building, some truly lovely Pre-Colombian local artifacts, and more gaudy 1950s kitsch than you've ever seen, presented with exactly the same attention to detail as the ancient history. I'm not sure it's good, but it's definitely interesting. (Also n'ting Stumbling around German Village until you find an appealing restaurant.)
posted by eotvos at 11:45 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by eotvos at 11:45 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
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The Book Loft in German Village is open late; you can also swing by The Sycamore for dinner and a drink while you're down there or Pistacia Vera for a coffee/snack. There's a bunch of other restaurants down there as well.
If you're there on the right day, the Children's Science Museum, COSI, is open late one Thursday night a month. The Columbus Art Museum is also open late on Thursdays.
Check the schedules to see if the Columbus Clippers or The Crew are playing. Note that the Clippers are easy to get to via free public transit (and you can also explore the Brewery District); the Crew are not.
You can also just wander around the Ohio State Campus. Go up to the 11th floor of the Thompson Library for a view of campus/the city; looks like they're open until 8 in the summers. There are also some small exhibits on the first floor.
To get to all these places-- assuming you're someplace on the route, there's a free circulator, the CBUS that goes between the Short North and German Village.
posted by damayanti at 6:53 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]