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.

Construction began on the flat domed Ohio State house in 1839, and was completed at the opening of…read morethe American Civil War. In some states upon returning from the war soldiers pushed to have rounded domes placed on top of their state houses. It was not the case in Ohio, and the original Greek revival architecture remains. The building is a showpiece and focal point at the center of the capital city. It has been restored to its original grandeur and is carefully maintained to ensure historical accuracy. The grounds are well manicured and contain a variety of historic themed statues. There is an active and thriving bee apairy located on the north side of the grounds. Beneath Capitol Square, and the statehouse there is a multilevel parking facility. Be aware that the maximum height of your vehicle may be too tall for this garage. There are warning indicators at the entrances, but pay attention to the height nonetheless. Security is of Paramount concern, as this is a working capital for the statewide officeholders, including the governor, and both houses of the general assembly, Senate and House of Representatives. It is not just a museum, or a ceremonial building. This is the actual working seat of government for the state of Ohio. it is necessary for all visitors to be screened by security prior to entrance. And an active and robust security presence is maintained by the Ohio Highway Patrol. Throughout the halls can be found portraits of governors and legislative leaders, statutory representing the history of Ohio as well as large paintings of historic events in the rotunda. Of important historic note, after his assassination, the Ohio Statehouse was a location where President Lincoln lay in state and for days tens of thousands of Ohio's paid their respects. Lincoln spoke here on occasion, and actually received official word that he had been elected president, while visiting here. A brass marker is placed at the location where he spoke to the public in the atrium between the main Statehouse building and the Senate building. The Ststehouse Atrium has not always been here, but some years earlier was an open outdoor area. As is their habit, pigeons had taken up residence at the upper regions of the building and it was necessary sometimes to run between the Statehouse and the Senate building so as not to be "christened" by pigeon waste. The area became known as "pigeon run." If you look above the door/entry entryway to the Senate building in the atrium, you will see a historic reminder of those days in the form of a taxidermy pigeon. Those days are of course, long gone, and the atrium is now home to a variety of public and private events. Many select the statehouse and grounds as a location for wedding photo shoots, and actual weddings. Schedules of House and Senate sessions, and committee sessions are available online and open to the public. In the basement of the atrium and Senate building there are a variety of historic interpretational displays. Also found there is a small café, and a gift shop.

The Ohio Capital is architecturally different from many other states. In many states the capital…read moresits high and is easy to see, but in Columbus you might accidentally drive right by. In a way I guess it is more approachable for the people. I also liked the fact there was plenty of downtown underground parking.

In an unassuming storefront in downtown Plain City, the Historical Society collects artifacts,…read moredocuments, and photographs from the surrounding area. The volunteers can answer questions or guide you to the appropriate reference. Most of the people grew up nearby, so they can fill you in on local stories, etc. Definitely worth a visit from anyone interested in history, or who just lives nearby and wants to know more about their house or town.

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.

The staff at Thurber do a great job with events. This was my third time attending one on-site to…read moresee an author, and the second time on the lawn with a boxed meal. Their events at other venues are wonderful too. I also participate with their Book Bar events (different locations) where readers can get together to socialize or just sit and read. There is catered food and drink tickets for beer or wine. Always a nice evening. They offer writing classes for both adults and kids.

I've been visiting the Thurber House regularly since my very first trip to Columbus back in the…read moresepia-tinted year of...1989? No sorry, 1990, my mistake. It's never failed to inspire--and a national literary landmark like this is deserving of 5+ stars once you see what the site offers. Been a dyed-in-the-wool "Thurberian" since my 8th grade literature teacher assigned us to read "My Life and Hard Times".... When the class got to the chapter on "the night the bed fell", it took 20 minutes to restore order in the classroom because we were laughing so hard! Any author who writes a book that causes cynical 8th graders to almost die laughing 44 years after publication, says much more than any eloquent words can. Humor is the hardest thing to write for posterity since linguistically much syntax shifts/morphs with every generation. It's was my fascination with Thurber that propelled me to study the whole "Algonquin Roundtable" era of US 20th century literature that included such American icons as E.B. White, Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, etc., and if you are able to read some of Thurber's key works (and the more scholarly bios by Rosen, Kinney, etc) prior to visiting this site, it will make your visit to the Thurber House more enjoyable. Sorta like if you read about the Battle of Gettysburg before visiting Little Round Top, you'll gain more insights and meaning from the experience. Some must sees: 1) the stairs leading up to "grandfather's" bed in the attic (now fully renovated and serves as the quarters for selected "writers in residence"); 2) his mother's bedroom window where she threw her shoe; 3) the kitchen where the deranged cook chased his father because she thought he looked evil.... Check the web link for the latest in events, closures and COVID policies. Parking is metered along the street. OSU is fairly close by ... within view (they also have an extensive Thurber exhibit), but you have to "buck" traffic (pun intended) since access is bisected by the now prevalent interstate highway. "Buck! Your time has come!"......... to get up out of your chair and go visit the Thurber House. Thank you so much for reading my review.

As others have stated, this is the place for train fans! You enter through a small building, which…read morehas a small memorabilia display, the ticket counter, and a small gift shop-type area (the small engines seem to be a big hit with all the kiddos we saw), as well as the restrooms. You head out through the back to the tracks to see the trains. There's a variety of them out there, and there is a combination of signage and enthusiastic volunteers who will guide you around the different engines and cars. They do preservation, rather than restoration, so you can definitely see the age on some of them, but it's fascinating to learn more, such as about the mail delivery car. Train rides run every hour at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 and last about 20 minutes. You get unlimited rides for the entry fee on the day of your visit, if you want to hang around for them. A volunteer walks up and down and provides narration about what you're seeing, some train facts, and info about where you're going. If you want to know in advance which train is running, you can check their facebook page the day of your visit. There's a small snack shack and a cute picnic area, alongside a train table for the youngsters - signage indicates you can bring a train with you or buy one in the shop. Hours are limited - Sundays 12-4 from May-December. There's a decent sized gravel parking lot out front. They also offer special events, such as haunted rides in October and holiday rides in December. Neat place! You can definitely tell it's a labor of love for the volunteers.

I'm sad to say that I've lived in Columbus almost 30 years and this is the first time we've visited…read morethe Ohio Railway Museum. The museum is only open from March through October AND ONLY on Sunday from noon until 4pm. My grandkids were in town from Colorado and we were looking for fun things to do. The museum certainly meet the need. The grandkids had a great time exploring the exhibits and going for a trolley ride (twice). The trolley runs at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 and makes about a 2 mile run. The museum's website says that their primary goal is PERSERVATION and not RESTORATION - although it's apparent they do some restoration of their rolling stock. Everyone associated with the museum is a VOLUNTEER and there are NO paid employees. All proceeds from ticket sales and concessions goes back into the museum's mission. They have a 4-6-2 steam locomotive that is open to the public, along with a passenger car, a railway mail car, and a streetcar. And, there is the interurban trolley used for the 2-mail excursions. Most of the rest of their stock is in various states of perservation or restoration. With 4 and 6-year grandkids in tow, we spent almost 2 hours at the museum. As someone noted - this is a nice small train museum that's well worth a visit but probably not a place for repeat visits.

Chief Leatherlips monument is a large stone faced public art piece located in a beautiful park in…read moreDublin just outside of Columbus Ohio. My family and I was in town from Lousiville visiting Columbus for my second oldest daughters cheer competition. One of the things we always do when visiting other city and towns is check out the local public art scene. This was a piece we had circled before we made our trip. Overall a very great and fun piece. Me And the kids enjoyed the cool Photo ops that we had with the piece and it was in a beautiful park as well.

I have lived in OH for over 15 years and cannot believe I've never visited this site! Enjoyed…read morereading about how the sculpture came to be. The QR code lets you listen to a recording of the sculptor himself. The 12' sculpture can be climbed on from the rear and presents a nice view of the area. Lots of areas for picnicking and amphitheater for concerts.

Best hotel! Best staff just best of the best! You will be spoiled by the time you leave her :)…read morethey are so pleasant so attentive the extra mile they go!!! Thank you fir taking care of us :) the Jarrett's

My stay here was fabulous. Room was spotless and gorgeous. The staff were welcoming and gave a warm…read moregreeting. One of the most excellent places I've ever had the pleasure of staying at.