We live in Pittsburgh, but love going to Columbus to visit its many family-friendly experiences…read more The Cosi is always on our list. Each of the attractions are so engaging and unique from one another. I love the town of Progress and the water play area with Poseidon. We ate at the cafeteria on our last visit and the food was better than expected. It's much better to go when it's not crowded as it can be a bit overwhelming when it's busy.

10/10 if you live in Columbus or are just visiting! I came here for my birthday and they gave me a…read morebirthday button to wear. We visited the museum and it was so cool. There were lots of interactive pieces that make it great for kids. We got tickets for the special Pixar exhibit as well. Very much worth it to see how animations are created from ideation to seeing it on tv. The staff were all very friendly and helpful especially when we got turned around. They have a lab in the museum where actual experiments are being done which was super awesome to watch. Overall this place was amazing and I can't wait to bring friends and family here!

Took K here for the Barbie exhibit. She loved it, and wanted half the Barbies (and knew some of…read morethe history already.) Housed in a nice historic building, it's just three small rooms. But they are nicely arranged and chock-full of interesting dolls, some almost 200 years old. There's a printed guide, and a treasure hunt sheet. The staff are super friendly and talked to Baby K a lot, about the displays and about her dolls. There are furnished rooms with interesting artifacts as well as antiques for sale, but we barely saw those. Definitely worth a visit if you are anywhere nearby, and a detour if you are at all into dolls like some K.

During the family trip to Columbus and while my brother was taking the exam for his insurance…read moreagent's license, my mom and me decided to explore. I told her there was this great antique store I wanted to try and brought her over to The Doll Museum at the Old Rectory as a surprise. My mom loves dolls. Still owns several of them. She used to have a ton of them. I never really liked them, they used to creep me out as a kid as I sometimes felt they were watching me. Still she absolutely loves them and I thought it would be a fun surprise for her to visit a Doll Museum. Anyway she realized the surprise as soon as she saw the sign. I laughed when she said... you lied! You said this was an antique store... well its both i responded! We walked in and were greeted by two sweet ladies who are part of Worthington Historical Society. They told us a bit about the society as well as the history of the building we were in, which was built back in 1845 as the Rectory of St.Johns Episcopal Church. It now holds the Doll Museum which has 19th and 20th Century dolls from all over the world and also has an antique/consignment store attached. They took us on a tour of the place and talked about the dolls they had on display. My mom was so happy throughout the tour, and made the entire trip to Columbus worth it. Once we were finished we shopped in the antique store where i found an antique porcelain figurine from Denmark, a few items i thought would make my living room look nicer, and some jewelry I bought for my bestie. I got her this vintage turquoise bracelet! Also the proceeds help fund the historical society, so it was for a good cause! My whole experience here was wonderful. Although I will never love dolls... i love antique stores. By the end, we left with a smile on our faces ready to continue enjoying our family trip. If you are into dolls or antiques, definitely come check this place out!

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.

Pros: Able to book tickets in advance…read more Amazing choreography Show rolls in loop in case you miss anything Cons: Not much general seating; need to sit on the ground High prices Parking can be a challenge Pro tip: Don't need to get the set cushion or poster. Save your money.

We got tickets to this for my MIL's bday and it was really cool. She enjoyed it and overall it was…read morea great time. It's basically a huge room with Van Gogh's artwork splayed on the walls by a projector in an animated form. We enjoyed sitting in different positions to view alternative perspectives. There was also a lot of information about Van Gogh's life and family shared during the experience which was really interesting. Those are the pros. And here are the cons. After seeing some of Van Gogh's artwork in museums and attending other immersive art experiences, there could have been more to it for the price per person. Including fees it was a little over $50 per person which seems high considering we waited in line for our reservation for 30 minutes which was about the same as the loop ran. The prices in the gift shop were also pretty outrageous. Logistically where the building is located is also kind of a mess which isn't the fault of them per say but waiting to safety leave onto Polaris Parkway without a traffic light also added another 30 minutes to our evening plus the waiting for our reservation to start wasn't ideal. Having said all that, my MIL loved it which was the entire point of the evening. I also probably would have had FOMO had we not gone while it was here. I would recommend checking it out, but make sure to leave extra time in your night as well as tempering your expectations a bit.

This botanical garden and conservatory is fabulous! We had such a good time my son wanted to go…read moreback a 2nd time during our trip. The Chihuly exhibit is perfect and such an amazing fit that it seems like every conservatory should have a blown glass exhibit. The inside of the building has a lot under construction, but even still was really amazing. The outside gardens are beautiful and really wonderful for kids. They have a great children's garden section, as well as a fantastic model train section. On top of all of that, they also have a glad blowing workshop outside in the summer and you can watch an artist at work blowing glass. I found that fascinating, and definitely bought a piece from the gift shop after watching it! The pieces on the shelf outside in the workshop are really beautiful. Oh, and on top of everything else they have a great cafe with actually good food! I wish this was in my city, because I could come here all the time!

I am a member of the Holden arboretum and Cleveland botanical. And while in Columbus I decided to…read morestop and visit their botanical garden. And I inquired if a discount is given if I am a member of Cleveland. And they informed me they do reciprocal. So I was able to attend with my membership for no additional charge. I must admit that this place is currently under construction. But that just means more great botanical fun is heading there way. I am excited to see it when it opens in 2027 fall. My time here today was great. I had a ton of fun here. I was pretty excited to see their train garden. Where they have many different models of trains going through a garden. There are so many different things to see and do. They have many hands on experiences for children as well. You need to get here and bring those kids to have fun.

A lovely little museum on the OSU campus. It's totally free and you don't need to spend much time…read morethere, but you will learn a lot. They have a great display of fossils and gems found locally, in the US, and around the world. I also loved that they give you information about how the science of geology and paleontology has evolved in recent years, how scientists put together dinosaur skeletons, and even how to distinguish a fossil from a non-fossil. I enjoyed my time there! Parking is limited, so make sure you check signs before walking away from your car.

Located on the Oval at The Ohio State University, Orton Hall Geological Museum is the second oldest…read morebuilding (1893) on the campus. It houses a museum, library, The Din-O- Store shop, offices and laboratories. The museum holds 54,000 specimens and a research facility which has been visited by those in the Earth Science field from around the globe. The Hall is of the (Richardsonian Romanesque style) and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Geological Museum is part of the School of Earth Sciences. It's founder Edward Orton was the first president of the University and Professor of Geology. Research, teaching and outreach is conducted here. During the hours of 8am-5pm, there is usually someone in the museum that will identify a rock, mineral or fossil that you bring to the museum. Many of the specimens were discovered in Ohio. Today, Ohio is situated at 40 degrees North but at one time it was 20 degrees south of the Equator about where Australia is today. Consequently, Ohio has outcroppings that date from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras which contain exotic fauna and flora. A special note, the museum has a bell tower and plays chimes which I always enjoyed except at 8 am in the morning.

Some of the exhibits might be showing their age, but it's always quiet and climate controlled and a…read moregreat place to bring out of town guests for a little overview of Ohio and the opportunity to hang out in a Lustron House. There are often activities and presentations on the weekends, which add an extra bit of fun to your visit. As with most things, membership is an excellent value - you'll get free admission to 50+ sites around the state with the basic level and can upgrade for free event tickets and NARM reciprocity.

We started the morning visiting the Ohio state capital, and then we decided to learn more about…read moreOhio. The Ohio history center is located a few miles north of downtown Columbus. We started walking through the nature of Ohio and then moved on to the galleries. We ended up walking the galleries in the wrong order but the galleries were not really connected. We learned some great Ohio history. They had cool things on display like a mastodon skeleton and a Lustron house. We sent about 2 hours walking around the museum. The one negative I found with the museum, a lot of the information was older. Like some of the information panels only went up to the early 2000s. They have a village exhibit outside but it was closed when we visited. They also had a gift shop that was closed the Saturday we visited. Also they have a small cafe on the top floor but it didn't have many options for actual food, just some snacks.

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.

Had an awesome evening at the Immersive Monet & The Impressionists exhibit. Featuring work of…read moreMonet, and Renoir, Degas, and some others. We went to the 7:30pm show and spent about an hour there. There was plenty of parking and a real easy guided checkin and entrance. The exhibit itself loops so it is nice that you can walk in at anytime and not miss anything. This was different than the immersive Van Gough exhibit as the Monet had some bold and more integrated transitions. We definitely felt a bit more immersed. This was the Second Immersive exhibit we have been too and it made for such a nice evening. We went for the Basic Admission and it was perfect. You can upgrade for $10 more for a rental cushion and more but we didn't think it was necessary. I would recommend checking it out, especially if you are a fan of Monet, Impressionist paintings, or these type of exhibits. It is really well done but would highlight it is not a virtual reality metaverse type of exhibit but it did not disappoint.