This is a cute little museum featuring exhibits, shows, and interactive stations related to…read morescience, history, technology, and more. There is a very nice little planetarium (the Scidome), and viewing a show is included in the price of admission. We saw "From Earth to the Universe," which provided a crash course on astronomy throughout history and a look at our galaxy and the universe. The first floor of the space features a lot of interactive and hands-on activities, such as building a circuit, learning about your body, building and racing cars from objects like Legos, plus a 6-and-under play area. The hot shop is also located in this area, and it was very interesting to watch them work with the hot glass (and a very pleasant space to be in on such a cold day!) Upstairs is a wealth of local and regional historical information for Newark and Licking County and its citizens and discoveries. A giant mastadon skull greets you as you come up the stairs, as the Burning Tree Mastadon was found in the county. The Jerrie Mock exhibit, complete with a flight simulator and a replica of her airplane, the Spirit of Columbus, was extremely popular with the kids. (Jerrie Mock, a Newark native, was the first woman to fly solo around the world). A little historic village, complete with cash registers, scales, and games is also available to walk through on this level. Given the weather, we didn't spend as much time out in the courtyard as we probably would have otherwise, but we definitely made it over to the building housing the interurban railway car, the back end of which you can walk in and look around the interior of. There's also a really well done mural on the topic out by the parking lot. Staff was friendly and welcoming, and the museum was clean and comfortable. There is plentiful parking outside. A small gift shop, including items made in the hot shop, is available near the entrance.

My niece loves to go to another children's museum in a nearby city. Unfortunately, it's a little…read morepricey for what it has to offer beyond your 1st visit & there is very little for adults to interact with & engage. We recently went to Cosi 1 weekend instead. The Works is hands down a better experience than the other children's museum. This is now her favorite of the 3 places we've been. Unfortunately, the glass blowing was closed for routine maintenance & we have plans to return when open again. The bottom floor houses the small planetarium & hands on exhibits & play areas for kids & upstairs is more informative displays of the local area, the Works history & a brief technology over view. I've heard there's a café associated with the museum across the outdoor area but we didn't look into that the day we were there. 10/10 recommend a visit if you're in the area & looking for something new, fun & educational for kids to do.

Stopped in to see the museum and listen to one of their special concert series. This is a great…read moremuseum with some special artwork. Great place to visit and stop.

Beautiful location, excellent choice in art displays, very nice gift shop. I miss the Sunday open…read morehouses that the Beaux Arts club used to host.

Simply put, Otherworld is OUT OF THIS WORLD! Don't even finish this review. Load up the car and go…read morethere now. I did zero research before going here. It was a place on my wife's "must see" list and so we went. Pulling up to the experience is underwhelming. It's located in an old mall that looks like it's auditioning for a post-apocalyptic dystopian zombie future. But, this is a perfect example of don't judge a book by its cover. From the moment that the experience starts, you're transported to another world and you're on a choose your own adventure that doesn't disappoint. The individual exhibits are all unique and so well thought out. You keep thinking "I can't believe I'm seeing this" and "I can't wait to see what's in the next room". This is certainly a place that we'll travel to go see again, and I've already told my friends and family about how special it was. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Now off to see their Philadelphia location...

The kids kept asking to come here, so we finally did. Good…read moreplace for families, and it was pretty busy when we went. The lighting made me a little dizzy afterward, but the kids had a good time.

Home of the Licking County Historical Society, this well preserved historic home has their offices,…read moreplus artifacts from various eras. Downstairs there's a large event space, with a kitchen, for meetings, weddings, and more. Staff are super friendly and knowledgeable. Open quite a bit for a museum, though call ahead to check. Well worth a visit for anyone interested in local history, and history in general.

I can't believe we've been wasting our time at Cosi lol, this is so much more spacious and my 2…read moreyear old can literally touch every thing. Everyone was so nice as well, both patrons and staff. I'm also glad they make you keep your shoes on unlike momiland which smells like feet. I love how clean everything was as well. We drove 40 minutes and we will be back! I wonder if they have memberships?? I have never seen her so upset to leave somewhere before. I love that the water table was her height level too, at cosi the kids her age have to stand on stools which isn't very safe for the kids or relaxing for mom.

COSI too far? Too expensive? Just need a safe place for your kiddo to play indoors and stretch…read moretheir legs and imaginations? This is for you! This place is essentially like the kids space at COSI. Different areas for them to play and get creative. Dress up, read, sing on the little stage, climb on the construction equipment, pretend to grocery shop, play on the splash table and build a pipe line for the water to travel through, and much more. My sister and I took our little ones here on a rainy day, and they definitely enjoyed themselves. We (unfortunately) went on a day when a HUGE daycare or playgroup was also visiting, so about 15 mins after arriving, this swarm of over 50 adults and kids came in and it just got insane. I overheard another mom say that she's never seen so many people in there, so it reassured me that it's not always like this. This place isn't super fancy, and I did wonder about their sanitation procedures because I didn't see any buckets or bins for toys to go in if a kid had put it in their mouth. My LO being under a year, and my nephew being 18 months, you know everything goes in the mouth. They had a little "plop zone" which is the sacred safe space for babies under 2 to not get trampled. My daughter liked it, and liked chewing every toy, which takes me back to the germs... Butbi tried to let it go. The one thing I truly disliked about this place is that you have to pay to get in, even as an adult. $8 for me to supervise my own kid? Okay... Luckily my daughter was free because she was under 1, but I thought it was kind of ridiculous that adults have to pay for their child and themselves. It would make me think twice about coming here regularly once she's over 12 months because I don't think $16 is worth it. As of right now, all she can do is sit in the little baby plop zone. So if you really need something to do on a rainy day, definitely come here. It's safe and the kids for sure have fun. But if it's not a rainy day or you have a lot of kiddos, weigh out all your options, lol.

An amazing museum. I'm not into glass, but can appreciate the art and craft, well displayed here…read more Lots of different types of glass, from various eras, perfectly preserved and shown in well lit cases. Some knockoffs and more recent production, especially in the basement under the historic house. Another basement room is for meetings but also has artifacts from the factory and explains the glassmaking process. Staff are friendly and helpful. There's a gift shop with actual Heisey glass for sale, plus souvenirs and books. Parking out front, with this in the middle of the museum complex and park. Well worth a visit for anyone interested in local history, industry, art, and decor.

This is another "hidden gem" of an attraction. We went to Newark specifically to visti the…read moreNational Heisey Glass Museum but it was much much more than we expected. This is an amazing look at the history of glass and the incredible run of the Heisey Glass Company. The collections are organized into various eras - clearly labled - that show the development of Heisey Glass over the years. Other collections are based on the type of glass - i.e. the introduction of different colors and styles. There are also exhibits illustrating Heisey's "animal glass". The staff is not only VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE but also EXTREMELY PRSONALBE and VERY WILLING (EAGER) to talk about the collections. There is a very informative (approximatley 20 minute) video that you shouldn't miss. Having spent 4 summers working in a glass plant while working my work through college, seeing and hearing the stories behind the Heisey glass was especailly fasicnating. The gift shop is loaded with pieces of "original Heisey glass" for sale at very resonable prices.

Went on a Saturday around 12, started to get pretty busy around 12:45-1:30. Which makes the…read morecave/cavers very tight to walk through. While your down there your using a provided map to guide yourself around and match the corresponding areas ( Ex; A to A or 1-1 ) We went after it had just rained the night before, so everything was VERY wet. Wear waterproof/walking shoes if you plan on exploring. Be prepared to get dripped on by very cold water coming off nearby rocks, and the "ceiling". Coming down the initial very steep stairs is a beautiful view of different levels of rocks decending into a tunnel/cave where the rest of the cavers are. Tons of puddles all over the ground from collected rain water and the "droplets". Most the areas are about big enough for one person to walk through the tunnel areas at one time, and if your a larger person i DO NOT recommend going down there. Some areas are extremely tight and really only accessible to someone under 4'5 and around 100 pounds or less. (Im 5'4, 140 and some areas i almost got stuck cause it was too tight going through the rocks. It is neat to see though, i dont think id want to do it again as it is just wet rocks and the furthest tunnel was closed from the previous year that occurred from some heavy rain water. (The water collected, over time causing a collapse). So that was kind of a bummer but i get it for safety reasons. The gem mining was fun, definitely loaded with a lot of "gravel" type rocks so that was new for me, Ive only ever had ones with dirt/sand that yield rocks/gems/shark teeth. We found some really interesting gemstones in each tray. The petting zoo was great. I thought it wad Going to be boring and smelly, and i was happily wrong. The goats were adorable, when we came in a baby jumped through the fence and was following our group. And when we came inside the "pen" to pet them he ran back in it was very cute! The deer were a little skittish but very sweet and gentle. The treasure hunt/maze was VERY fun we enjoyed getting different prizes snd trading them within the group.

It's really a great place for people of all ages there's mining for gems there's a cave. Our…read morefavorite part is the animal petting zoo. It's mostly comprised of goats with a few pigs and Zoe the cow "Queen of the barnyard!" It's not exactly conducive for people in wheelchairs. It has a lot of gravel which can make it challenging when you go into the petting zoo. The restrooms are NOT handicap accessible. Which was annoying but we had a work around thankfully. My experience was a five star, but the lack of handicap parking and all the gravel and no handicap accessible bathroom. I have to give it a 2 but because it was so much fun I give it a 5.

Impressive park that preserves "the Great Circle" which received a UNESCO World Heritage site…read moredesignation in 2023. I came here for a quick stop while driving to Columbus, OH in mid-June 2025 for a conference. Lot of pluses in visiting this park. First, it's an important ceremonial site built between 100BC and 400AD by the Hopewell Indians with a link to astronomical patterns. It was later used as a county fairground (which allowed it to be preserved). Second, parking is free and plentiful. Third, you can walk freely around the outdoor complex and read some of the signs and displays (the scale of the Great Circle is massive). Be sure to stay off the mounds. The only downside was that the museum was closed on a Monday. I did not see a restroom facility available when the museum was closed.

There is a nice welcome center that gives you a better understanding of the Earthworks and the…read morearea. We were fortunate to talk with Chris who was on staff there the day we went and he gave us a fantastic overview of the Earthworks in the area. There are signs throughout the area there that have information if the welcome center is closed.

If you enjoy art then you will enjoy spending time at the Columbus Museum of Art. They have…read morerotating exhibits plus a large collection of modern art. The staff is warm and welcoming. As a family level member of the Cincinnati Museum of Art my wife and I were able to get in free. Sundays are free to everyone I believe. They do charge $10 for parking but if you make a purchase in their gift shop or cafe the parking fee is reduced to $5. It was a great way to spend the morning and a membership not only saves you money but also supports the arts.

You know, I was never a fan of being dragged to the art museum as a kid. It was boring! Who wants…read moreto stand around looking at pictures all day? But I think if the museum had been like it is now, I would have loved it. Even as an adult, it adds so much to the experience to have the themed activities in nearly every gallery. There are games, writing and drawing prompts, books to read, and more to really connect people of all ages with the artwork and keep you coming back. The free admission on Sundays and $5 Thursday nights are great, too! Whether you're local or visiting, it really is worth your time to spend a few hours at one of the most accessible museums in town.