This park comes with programming. That is what makes it a destination and brings me back on a weekly basis. On Wednesdays at lunch time they have local businesses come in and do a cooking demonstration. My son and I attended the Three Babes and A Baker demonstration and received a free cupcake and scoop of ice cream! They have days devoted to kids so my son comes out and plays soccer, frisbee and does the parachute thing with dozens of kids. If you watch carefully, they have days where the carousel is free to ride. We love to bike up there. Bike parking is free parking, even downtown! I love having the ability to take my son downtown, to see all the big buildings and play in a safe, large, grassy area in the middle of everything. Besides all that they have surprisingly good food for their little vending areas. There is free wi-fi, lawn games, picnic tables with umbrellas and it's a great place to listen to music when they bring it in. One thing that would be a huge improvement would be a little shade. It's been uncharacteristically hot lately and the sun really beats down on you. Luckily it's only a block away from the Bicentennial fountains so you don't have an excuse to not go. read more

Columbus Commons is a fantastic space! Super excited for this new addition to the city. Honestly I wish they would hold the Pride festival here or an Electronic Music show (hint, hint if anyone wants to organize one with me). It would be a great space for it. I saw THE GIRLS! play there recently and they totally rocked it out. The sound of the stage (not the band...just to clarify) could be much improved. Overall, I love this idea. If you've not been go. Especially great for young kids who want to run around in the city and not get hit by a car. read more

Recently saw Rick Springfield there. Got seats on the grass. Great venue for a nice summer concert. Awesome that you can bring your own food and beverages (including alcohol ). No worries about spending a fortune on food or drinks while there. Speaking of food, they do have some food if you want to buy it, but very limited and over-priced. Only bad thing was bathrooms, lines can get extremely long for portapottys and people can really see if they are open or not. read more

my fiance and i went there this past weekend for the food truck festival and i have to admit that it was also my first time being there at all. we had a ball there. i cant wait to go back again read more

For those residing in Columbus, and those visiting Columbus, the Columbus Commons is a must-see. A beautifully manicured, grassy field is perfect for a walk, a jog, a picnic, or quality me-time. I love walking/ biking home from work in the spring, passing the Commons, and catching a glimpse of one of many community events taking place. Last week, I saw Comedy of Errors, a play by Shakespeare by the Ohio Actors Theatre. Packed myself a bottle of wine, some Chipotle, and a beach towel and voila! A most enjoyable May evening. I look forward to more Shakespeare plays here, and in Schiller Park. Additionally, there are Food Truck Thursdays (I have yet to go), weekly Zumba/yoga/boot camp classes, periodic Pops concerts by the Columbus Pops Orchestra, and other occasional musical performances. The Commons has helped Columbus hone in on the arts and unify the community. Check out the CC calendar for a full listing of events. The construction of the new apartments and/or condos going up are currently a bit of an eyesore. I anticipate a blossoming of new businesses to revitalize the Downtown area, which I am excited about. This makes the construction more tolerable, for the time being. The random yet comely carousel on the south side of the Commons, and the pavilion that houses Mikey's Late Night Slice offer good cheer and other reasons to get over the construction and enjoy the damn park. Three cheers for a successful transformation/beautification of space, from the former home of the Columbus Mall, to a thriving, cultural park. read more

A great park right in the middle of downtown Columbus. I've been to quite a few events here and love it. There's plenty of parking nearby, and plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance to hit up before or after. The amount of good free shows here is a huge draw as well! read more

I am downtown this week for jury duty. I went for a walk during lunch today. The Commons is really a nice park in the center of Columbus. Its open green space provides a respite from the hectic business and political world that surrounds the park. I grabbed a bite to eat from a local restaurant and took it to go. Many of the flowering bulbs were in bloom. It was nice to have the park to relax and eat my lunch. So, if you are downtown, take some time to enjoy the new green space. read more

I'm glad there's a park downtown, but this is definitely a seriously ugly one with a definite lack of trees. Not only that, but it closes at night. And Occupy and other protests aren't allowed to display signs there. How can something called "the Commons" be so closed? read more

So it's almost been two years since my last review, and two years has seen a lot of change and improvement in the park. They ditched the farmers market (whatever, it sucked), Mikey's late night slice has setup shop in the space formerly occupied by the lackluster burgers dogs and fries. They've built gates, bike racks, planted trees, landscaped the crap out of it (franklin park conservatory team did the work), and kept it absolutely beautiful. The two biggest changes are that the pavilion is done now, so events are happening on a regular basis, and of course, the construction of the new condos and retail that is in progress on the side of the park facing High st. I walk my dog here almost daily, and it's a great place to take it slow and stop to smell the pizza. Looking forward to the continued enhancements. read more

I have to give the park a 5 in order to support the vendors. However, I give Columbus a 1 for making it so tough on them with high rent and prohibiting them from selling water or other drinks. read more

This place is definitely a step up from City Center Mall or whatever it was called. Here is a reason for people to gather in the Columbus downtown after hours and act like the fun-loving, hard-working, down-to-earth people they are. My husband and I watched fireworks here the night before our wedding, went to a food cart fest that was sadly a bust, and just enjoyed a free concert on the lawn, chowing down on some fast food fried chicken. (I know, I know, no gourmet roasted chicken for us tonight. We went good ol' deep fried fast food goodness.) It was a lovely night. We'll be back. read more

The Columbus Commons is great they have so many places to get food. On wensdays there is lunch on the lawn its great I got the best hot dog pop and donuts. The problem is every time it is crowed which is good/bad the bands are not all that popular which I under stand they can not get someone like Justin beiber that is too popular to some people and famous. overall this place is great. Also to the kids did I mention there is a carousal with a fish on it that you can ride. I think who ever is reading this should go on wensdays or friday thouse are the dayz they have cool stuff and activities!!! read more

Kempt park with open space, parking is convenient, it's a great place to bring the kids, they have about 6-8 food trucks at lunch time on Thursdays, carousel, foam blocks for kids to play with, and they have a large stage for concerts. read more

I think this is a really great space! I was here for Earth Day 2012, and even with the cold weather a lot of people showed up. This is so much better than just leaving an old building to take up space. I wouldn't come here unless there was an event, but that is only because it isn't near my home or workplace. Very nice Columbus! read more

Its a great renovated space. Kids and adults both love. I take the kids down weekly for activities. The holiday events are wonderful too.

I'm glad that this space in downtown Columbus is no longer empty, but I thought it could be so much better! I know it's still new and growing, but I was expecting more, I guess. I do enjoy going to events here and I think if I was a kid, I would like the carousel. And you can get Jeni's here, so that's always a plus. It'll be interesting to see how the Columbus Commons grows and shapes itself. read more

Great for families, couples, kids. There's always do many great things happening @ cbus commons.

Great greenspace that is used well in Columbus. Too bad half of it is going away and apartments are going to be covering up the park.

Amazing central location and had food trucks (Thursdays in summer and fall). Things for the kids, soft grass, big screens playing the Olympics. Had I known I would've brought sunscreen and stayed all day!! Gonna go again next Thurs! read more

I'm still going here and still loving it, although I now work farther away and can't get it here as often. I think the biggest secret is the heat. It seems to bounce off the surrounding buildings and roast you when you are on on the green! That being said, I LOVE the kickboxing. The current instructor, Alex Chang, is really motivating and inspiring. I wish I had time to come for the food trucks on Thursday. The pizza place has such a long line on any other day that you have to have at least 30 minutes to wait and order and wait some more. With a 45 minute lunch, it is impossible. However, I'm not reviewing the pizza place, I'm reviewing the overall park. The new electronic fitness system is super fun...I can't remember the name right now, but everyone should try it and, furthermore, everyone should Google it and learn about it. It does rope you in. My friend and I came here for 'Pints and Pies' a few Friday nights ago and got sucked into competing with each other on the electronic game, seeing who could tap the lights out the fastest. Parking across the street is only $2 for 2 hours and you totally can't beat that. Plus it's only a block away from the new fountains. I am so happy with what is happening on this side of downtown right now! read more

So impressed by this new city resource. I wish I worked downtown so I had an excuse to spend more time in it. It is amazing how great a green space can be when it is engineered to facilitate growth instead of being an afterthought. There is ample parking with a garage underneath and across the street. There is programming to ensure a good time after work Thursday-Sunday all summer or just grab a salad from Market 65 and enjoy it on the lawn. read more

Very nice park in the middle of the city. We went for the Food Truck get together during the summer. It was great. I was worried about parking, but with the garage across the street it was very easy. read more

Beautiful park! Events are fun but can get very overcrowded and I feel that some of the events could be organized better to accommodate such large crowds. It was beautiful this Christmas with the big Christmas tree and lights too. It is such a same the apartment blocks the beautiful park view from high street now. read more

Saw the Beatles live by shadow box here. Great free show in a nice venue. The couple of restaurants nearby seem very cool too.

I visited the park on Wednesday afternoon and was very pleased to see Columbusites dining on food truck fare, walking, spending time with family, reading, riding the carousel, getting fresh air on their lunch breaks, and most of all being downtown! Parking was super easy and inexpensive at the Rich St. garage. As much as I miss the glory days of City Center, they have passed and this is a great transformation! If you want to reminisce, just check out all the city center signage remaining in the garage and use your imagination (it still sends you to the bridge that no longer exists). Then open your eyes and check out what we've got in its place! The park has free concerts, pretty flowers, fitness classes, a reading area, cafe, carousel, corn hole, and more! The only thing it's really lacking is shade. The trees are so small now, but will be great when they are more mature. Can't wait to spend more time at Columbus Commons! read more

Wanted to give Columbus Commons a shout out for their FREE outdoor group fitness classes! So fun and love that Columbus offers this. I especially like the outdoor yoga. It is so freeing to be outside with tons of personal space (unlike a lot of indoor yoga studios) stretching with your eyes closed and breeze blowing through your hair and the sun shining on whatever part of you that is facing up at the moment. It's also fun when the Columbus Segway Tour comes through while you're bent over at the waist :) If you haven't tried a free group fitness class, what are you waiting for? read more