Capital City Tours, our city's only formal tour company, offers a handful of specialized overviews…read moreof the city: it's churches, gardens, public art- and even tea-houses. A few times a year, they organize special holiday, reunion and couples or women's tours. If you (or your company) is interested an in-depth driving tour of the city, or perhaps want to organize a custom tour, contact Jean, the owner. She has conducted step-on bus/ coach/ van tours of the city for the past ten years. I can recommend her personally for her knowledge of the city and engaging personality.

My husband and I are planning to relocate to Columbus from the Washington D.C. Metro area in the…read morenear future. Having only visited here a handful of times, I considered myself pretty clueless about Columbus so I googled city tours and found Capital City Tours. I was interested in the City Overview Tour. So, I emailed the owner, Jean, and she was very prompt in getting back to me with available times, which, fortunately, fit our schedule. My in-laws live in a suburb of Columbus, so they joined my husband and me for the tour. Jean was very sweet, especially with making some special accommodations for my semi-handicapped father-in-law. Anyway, if you're looking to move here - or have lived here all your life, even - this tour is a must-see. Jean has been here 50 years and knows SOOOO much about the history of the city and its various eclectic neighborhoods! And, she's very witty, and had us laughing a good bit. An excellent time was had by all! The tour costs $25 per person, which was more than fair, I think. Her van was impeccably clean and she even used a little microphone while speaking during the tour. At first I thought the microphone might be overkill, but I'm glad she used it because my husband, who sat in the back, could hear her very well. The tour lasted a little over 2 hours. I was so happy I found Jean. I got to see parts of the city I may not have been ready to explore on my own, including Victorian Village, German Village, downtown, Franklintown, OSU's campus, and several others. She has experienced a lot and READ a lot in her 50 years here. It makes me want to learn even more about this great city I will soon call home. And it makes me want to get here all the quicker! I highly recommend this tour. My father-in-law even loved it, and he's hard to please. :)

This crisp industrial building is a perfect backdrop for gatherings, events, and connecting with…read morethe community. The roominess of the accessible space is afforded by lofted ceilings in both of the large gathering areas. The front area offers a few tabletop and lounge seating arrangements flanked by gallery art and a generous open air kitchen with large Island. The back room has a high-top bar to the side and a generous floor space and stage for live music and readings. Columbus is lucky to have a space like this accessible to our community and vibrant arts scene.

We stopped into Wild Goose Creative during Franklinton Friday. We accidentally passed it the first…read moretime we walked by because we were so distracted by looking at the art on display in the tents and the performance art taking place. Happily, we noticed the space with its large door open on our next pass and we popped into view an interesting comics exhibit. They had a nice art activity set up on a stage in the corner, which a number of kids were enjoying. The space is nice - very high ceilings make it feel pretty roomy. The staff at the desk were very welcoming and helpful.

If you aren't sure what all Columbus has to offer, this small store at Easton should be your first…read morestop. They have brochures from so many places, and free event magazines. Or maybe you've been busy seeing the sights and forgot to pick up a souvenir. There is a small selection of souvenirs, shirts, etc. from many different Columbus hot spots.

Had to wait 45 min before anyone showed up after the "back in " sign said someone would be there…read more Caused me to be late to a reservation.friendly service when they are actually there though.

Really cool space! Not sure why they've never gotten ratings on here but a lot of people step in…read morehere during Franklinton Fridays. It's a smaller warehouse than 400 W Rich, but still worth seeing. Lots of rooms and hallways. You can peak into different artistic expressions such as photography, paintings, drawings, and all sorts of things. The art is expensive but they've got more talent than I do! It's free to visit! There are a few parking lots right by it, as well as street parking. Totally coming again!

While in the area for the Franklinton Friday event, we decided to do some additional exploring as…read morewe heard about the 400 W. Rich rebranding as 400 Square which now encompasses 400 West Rich, Strongwater Events, Chromedge, The Photo Lab at Chromedge Studios & The Vanderelli Room. As this was our first time there, we took our time to explore each of the studios that were open & the beautiful pieces within. The artists, or a representative for the artist, were on hand to assist visitors as well as share information about their art & inspiration. There is definitely variety to be found, something for everyone indeed. With this new formation, those visiting any of the aforementioned spaces can use the large parking lot on the corner of Rich St. In the event that that is full, I saw plenty of street parking in the area. Hours for the artist's studios do vary, but I strongly recommend attending their events such as Welcome Wednesdays (every 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month) & Franklinton Fridays (2nd Fridays monthly) where you can see upwards of 150 local artists & their beautiful work. I am curious to also check out the 400 Market & Urban Scrawl events in the future! There are live demos, open studios, tours, shops, and more!

I've been involved with planning the tour for three years now, and it is one of the most unique…read moretours in the whole city. Olde Towne East was built at the turn of the century by a who's who of state and local politics, entertainment, and business. It features some of the largest mansions and most historically significant homes in the whole city. I highly recommend checking it out each year.

I love a holiday crafts festival and this is one of the great ones. It took us hours to walk…read morethrough and see all of the vendor booths. Parking was $6 and entrance fee was $7 per person. The crowds weren't too bad - definitely steady and busy but not overwhelming. They had everything from hand painted chocolates and local dairy cheese, to art pieces selling for thousands of dollars. Some of the art work on display was unbelievably beautiful. There are many things I would have liked to have taken home (with a much bigger budget.) Most of the artisans were really friendly and helpful with any questions. Many also said they sell on Etsy and will ship online orders. I look forward to making this an annual holiday outing.

This year I visited Winterfair for the first time. I didn't really know what to expect as far as…read morethe quality of craftsmanship or the scale of the event. I knew from a quick bit of research that it was a long-standing tradition and spanned a long weekend of Thursday through Sunday each December. I went on Sunday, the last day of the event. We paid (I think) $5 for parking. Admission was $7 on the first visit, free on each visit after that. I arrived as soon as doors opened at Noon and stayed until we were forced out at 5p. I walked nonstop the entire time and did not see nearly everything there was to see. There were hundreds of artisans. I saw mainly the same styles of crafts: wooden bowls, ceramics, jewelry, some watercolor, etc. The level of craftsmanship was pretty consistent throughout, which was a good and bad thing. The good thing was that there were no real schlubs. The bad thing was that I often felt like I was seeing more of the same. We bought a lot, mainly Christmas gifts. Winterfair merchants must make a killing off people looking for unique gifts. I got a beautiful pair of earrings from artist Charles Pinckney. Charles' booth stood out to me because it was understated. Whereas many merchants faux walls were crammed top to bottom and edge to edge with merchandise, Charles' spot featured one glass display case with maybe 25 pieces of jewelry. I stopped to talk with him. He had a voice like James Earl Jones and a very endearing personality. Charles told me that his inspiration comes from his childhood. Each of his abstract pieces has a story, and he shared several of them with me. I inquired about one specific pair of earrings and became more enthralled with them after hearing their tale. I just had to have them. I put them on immediately and took a picture with Charles to commemorate the occasion. I found another noteworthy crafter near the entrance, a husband and wife who make ceramic bird sculptures. It doesn't sound so interesting, but the sculptures are dead on! The eyes were phenomenally real. And you should see the feathers; they look pillowy and soft. I couldn't control myself and ended up touching three of the birds, only to be disappointed by their actual hard surfaces. They looked so lifelike. While scoping out one merchant's items, I got a whiff of something deliciously sweet. I soon pinned the smell: roasted nuts! I followed my nose to a stand with a variety of handmade chocolates and freshly roasted nuts. I split a bag of pecans, a bag of almonds, and a bag of cashews with my cohort. Absolutely wonderful! The Sunday show wasn't overly crowded, but I did have to deal with a lot of nudging. That's one thing I hate about craft shows. People elbow and crowd around you to see what you're looking at. And to get a good view of anything, you have to do some elbowing yourself. Another thing that makes me a bit uncomfortable about craft shows is that the person who made the piece is sitting right there. So, you have to pull back your reactions. If you hate something, it's best to wait to say so until you're away from the stand. On the other hand, I had some marvelous conversations with vendors who were eager to tell me how they make their crafts and why they make their crafts. They were thrilled that someone was interested in knowing the stories behind their works. When I entered the building, I took my time looking at every stall. But as the minute hand on the clock spun, I found myself merely glancing at the stalls towards the back of the annex. I wish I would've budgeted my time better. I feel like I missed some really good stuff. It wasn't until the doors were getting ready to close that I discovered the food section of Winterfair. Jams, dips, syrups, drinks, mixes, and baked goods are housed in the far front corner. Almost every stall offers free samples of everything they sell. It was a heyday! I had some great raspberry hot chocolate, a fluffy banana cream pie dip, several creamy salsas, amazing maple syrup, and more. The sample areas were very clean, and the merchants enforce the use of tongs and a strict no double-dipping rule. Much appreciated. If you're going, I suggest wearing a light jacket because the building gets hot. Carry a light purse as well because, no matter the actual weight, it will feel like a million pounds by the end of the day and you'll be adding the weight of your purchases to that. Bring plenty of cash as the goods are sometimes expensive (though less so than other venues I've been to), and many of the merchants don't have the capability to process credit cards. If you're buying something heavy, don't fret; most merchants will hold your purchase until you're ready to go. Do eat lunch in the building, and do sample as much of the food in the sales area as you can. And remember that you don't have to see it all in one day; if you plan to come back, get a ticket on the way out and bring it back with you for free re-entry.

Baby K somehow guessed where we were going on the way. I pled ignorance, so she was still a little…read moresurprised when we walked around the corner and saw it. She headed straight for the newest Paw Patrol character, and thankfully didn't want anything more (she said lots of things were neat, but didn't push.) The basic doll is a little expensive, but of course you have to get some clothes, etc., so it adds up. We ended up spending $75, but I was ready for about that amount. The filling process is quick, the heart insertion is super cute (get your video rolling,) and she loves it. Not something to do every day (it has been two years for us since the first one we got) but a nice occasional splurge. There are a ton of character options, and the smaller ones are reasonably priced, especially during a sale. You can go over the top with roller skates for a freaking stuffie, a chair for them, whatever, but you can get out for $25-$50 if you're firm.

So, I have walked by many of these spots but finally my daughter dragged me into here so we could…read moreget our bears-a-built.. Now, I am not a doll kind of person but I did like the setup. When you first walk in the least expensive bears are right in front so if your child is somewhat small you could sneak out of there for around $20 if your really wanted.. I was surprised to find a 'Hello Kitty' doll we could build and for my little one it was all over.. You pick out the doll, they stuff it for you according to how soft or firm your kiddo wants it and finally you can dress and name the animal. Overall the experience was pretty good and the staff was friendly but you sort of get nickeled and dimed (the dress and shoes for ours were sold separately) and you can easily get stuck in a long line if your there on a Saturday afternoon.

Believe it or not I've been coming to the convention center for years and I have never seen the…read morestore before until recently. The staff here was moderately friendly and they have a great selection of snacks, drinks and gift items. What I didn't like about the store was that everything is grossly overpriced . A liquid death that's $2 at any other gas station is somehow almost $5 or one can here. The store wasn't very clean either. I will give it a star though because I did think it was cool that they sold cigarettes and beer here . Overall, I wasn't too big about the store nonetheless .

Pricey little market conscience store located downstairs inside the Columbus convention center…read moreright across from the food court area. We didn't end up purchasing anything but they did have a smorgasbord of necessities, souvenirs and snacks. So I'm sure it's useful to people who need it.