Our family is always up for an adventure – both near and far. We spent our last weekend of summer vacation exploring Columbus, Ohio with Experience Columbus. This capital city has oodles of family-friendly activities, gardens and museums to explore, along with some of the most delicious restaurants I’ve ever been to, too!
I’m rounding up highlights from our trip and sharing a family-friendly guide to the city – pointing out where to stay, what to do and what to eat when visiting Columbus with kids.
Where to Stay: Hotel LeVeque
This elegant downtown boutique hotel is dripping with all kinds of art deco glam. The location can’t be beat, the beds are oh-so-comfortable and the stylish waterfall shower feels like a dream after a long day spent adventuring.
But I have to tell you, there is something extra special about Hotel LeVeque that I haven’t seen anywhere else on our travels. Each room comes with a light-up projector boasting the night sky’s star constellation on the ceiling. I can’t tell you how much my little ones loved shutting the curtains, turning off the lights and seeing the Big Dipper and Milky Way Galaxy aglow on their ceiling!
What to do: Franklin Park Conservatory
Only minutes from downtown Columbus you can get lost in expansive botanic gardens and art exhibits at Franklin Park Conservatory. This was a highlight of our recent trip!
The Children’s Garden blew us away with its interactive elements. Kids can water the garden’s plants, build structures with logs & sticks and splash in the pond in the center of it all.
Inside the conservatory, we explored hidden trails through beautiful blooms and admired the Chihuly glass artwork above and throughout. The park is open daily with childrens under 3 admitted free.
What to do: Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
You could easily spend a day (or two) at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. With over 10,000 animals and 600 different species from around the world, there’s something exciting to see around every corner. Our children loved the different destination-themed areas. The Heart of Africa exhibit boasts a mixed species savannah spanning several acres. The polar bears snoozing amongst the frigid waters of the Polar Frontier was also a sight to see!
But our favorite animal friend we saw during our visit was the manatee. We happened to stroll past these magnificent creatures during the lettuce lunch break.
The zoo is open daily and there is even a water park next door! Admission starts at $18.99 with a discount ticket option for locals.
What to do: COSI
The Center of Science and Industry, or COSI for short, is a top-tier hands-on and interactive museum for families. Visitors can explore the vast reaches of space, study up on paleontology or even marvel a “Marvel.” There are daily IMAX shows, a water play area and even a special space designated for the youngest of explorers.
We loved stopping for lunch at COSI’s museum restaurant, Atomic Cafe. It made for a delicious dining spot with creative & healthy lunch options for children too.
This summer, COSI is hosting a , a traveling exhibit with the world’s largest collection of Marvel memorabilia on display. Visitors can get an up close & personal glimpse of Iron Man, Spiderman’s suit, all sorts of props, special edition comics and more.
The Marvel exhibit runs through Labor Day while COSI is open everyday. Tickets start at $25.
What to do: Columbus Museum of Art
It’s easy to associate art museums with quiet whispers and stuffy collections children couldn’t get anywhere near, right?! Columbus Museum of Art is no such place! They even offer a special center for creativity for the smallest of visitors to have a more hands on experience.
Our kids loved seeing the modern colorful pop art the most. I, myself, enjoyed seeing the Raphael Renaissance tapestries on display. The Raphael exhibit will be CMOA through October.
The museum is closed Monday and offers free admission on Sunday.
Can’t Miss Activity: Ice Cream & a Carousel Ride Downtown
Isn’t it such a good feeling when you stumble upon something unexpected and exciting while traveling?! In the search for tacos, we spotted a colorful carousel right in the middle of downtown Columbus. Of course, we had to check it out!
The Carousel is part of the Columbus Commons, an open outdoor space downtown that hosts various concerts, festivals and events throughout the year. The carousel is free to ride (yippee!!) and there is even a Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream shop nearby. A must visit for families in Columbus!
Where to Eat: Family Friendly Restaurants for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Breakfast
Roosevelt Coffeehouse offers delicious lattes and pastries in downtown Columbus. Our children have allergies so we appreciated seeing vegan baked options.
One of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a while was at Freedom a la Carte Cafe & Bakery. The candied bacon – yum! The Rosemary Breakfast Sandwich was truly delightful too.
Lunch
Atomic Cafe sits inside COSI and the kids menu items are clever, cute & tasty! The Do-Re-For-Me is an allergy friendly sun- butter and jelly sandwich cut in the shape of piano keys!
We stumbled upon Condado Tacos in Downtown Columbus and had to try out this new-to-us taco chain. Can’t say enough good things about their Street Corn Dip!
Dinner
I will recommend the meatloaf at Cap City Fine Diner for the rest of my life! This retro-style diner served up larger than life dishes and the most delicious blue cheese potato chips I’ve ever had!
Another spot I would go back to in a heartbeat is Marcella’s. Words can not describe how delicious their eggplant parmesan is!! Our server suggested ordering a side of Fettuccini Alfredo with it to mix in with the red sauce – which in turn created a pink perfection! I will be thinking about this dish for a long time!
Everywhere we ate in Columbus was overly accommodating to our children. Both dinners even delivered colorable kids menus with crayons. Little touches like that make dining out all the more enjoyable with small children.
—
If Columbus is on your upcoming adventure list, hope this guide gives you some great ideas to make the most out of your trip!
—
Big thank you to Experience Columbus for sponsoring this post and hosting up in your lovely city. As always, all opinions are my own.
—
xo, alice
