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.

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.

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.

Why have I lived in Columbus my whole life and never known this existed until my nephew visiting…read morefrom out of town suggested it?? We went yesterday just in time to see the 'best of 2026' show and we loved it! It is indeed more that just crafts, it was also kinds of works of art done by craftspeople and there were lots of beautiful pieces to look at. Loved that we were also able to interact with voting for our favorite, and also a scavenger hunt (with stickers as prizes). Such great things in the gift shop and loved the silent auction section too. I know for sure I'll be back every time they have a new show- it's free to enter, walk around and see great art. And the employee working was so friendly and told us all about it and gave us lots of helpful info and attention. Highly recommend, we were there about an hour, lovely way to spend some time during a hot afternoon.

On a whim I reserved a spot for an autumnal crown making event. It was wonderful! Lots of fun,…read morecreativity, snacks, and laughter. The instructor was great and other participants even shared supplies. I look forward to another event!

It's been years since my last visit to Perkins Observatory back in my childhood. During our recent…read moretour, we were enlightened with a fascinating lecture on Jupiter and Saturn. Despite the disappointing overcast weather which hindered telescope viewing, we enjoyed the numerous educational displays and space facts scattered across the ground floor and basement. The historical charm of the building dating back to the 1920s adds an extra layer of allure to the visit - a worthwhile trip just 20 miles to the north of Columbus!

Lots of great museum exhibits…read more Telescope viewing was underwhelming, both outdoors (thank you to the generous volunteers who let us see through their telescopes) and upstairs through the 32" lens. We viewed Saturn both outdoors on the lawn and upstairs through the big telescope. I was surprised how small Saturn looked through even the big telescope. Oh well. Makes you appreciate the Hubble telescope photos as well as close-ups taken be fly-by missions. I enjoyed seeing the 4 Galilean moons for the first time, but was surprised how tiny Jupiter looked through the telescope on the lawn with the Dobsonian mount. Wasn't much bigger than what I see with my naked eye. But, of course, I can't see those moons without the telescope. My favorite part of the visit was viewing the many artifacts, posters, atlases and astronomy books while waiting for the telescope viewing to begin

Great place to go and learn arts like pottery and more. . Teachers are very knowledgeable and…read morehelpful. You will make lasting friends.

Interesting place to go to for art classes or free events!…read more I came with some friends to listen to an artist talk about her work featured in the current exhibition. It's a pretty low key place with friendly staff. They've got lots of trees and flowers outside and one of the ladies told me that they do weddings here. Very cool! Can't wait to return!

Wow, what a fun event! There is something interesting to see around every corner and gallery space!…read moreJust walking by open doors reveals music, activities, and a huge variety of art. In addition the galleries and restaurants, there were a ton of pop-up tents, amazing stiltwalkers walking around, food trucks and stands, and more! Parking is available in a lot, and there is also nearby street parking. Despite the numerous places we popped in, including 400 Square (the galleries of 400 West Rich and Chromedge Studios), Wild Goose Creative, ROY G BIV Gallery, the Slingshot, and wandering amongst the numerous tents, there is still more we need to go back and check out - not to mention the new art that is always being created! Artists and gallery owners were friendly and welcoming, and the sheer variety of art was stunning - painting, costumes, interactive, jewelry, pottery, photographs, soap bombs, comics, and more! The whole area was buzzing with energy. This is really neat and well worth a visit.

Now THIS is a gallery hop…read more If you want to see what's really happening in the Columbus art world, it's time to head west to Franklinton, the epicenter of the creative and innovative communities. If you're new to this burgeoning neighborhood, the perfect opportunity to have a buffet of experiences is Franklin Fridays -- the second Friday of each month. You'll get to sample a little bit of everything, and then figure out where you want to spend more time. My biggest suggestion is to use franklintonfridays.com to plan your trip; the website is super helpful and comprehensive. From a personal perspective, I think the best way to experience it is to start to Idea Foundry, followed by a tour of 400 West Rich, then stop at a few galleries, and concluded with drinks at either Strongwater, Land Grant, or Rehab. I love how truly art and science-focused Franklinton is. I guarantee you'll see something weird and beautiful, and you'll see things from a different perspective, both literally and figuratively. One last word of advice: If gritty adventures aren't really your thing, maybe sit this one out. For the rest of y'all, see you at the next Franklinton Fridays for one of the coolest things happening in Columbus.

Really cool hidden gem on the outskirts of town. A very unassuming building, but inside is a…read moretreasure of historical artifacts! I could go multiple times and still find something that I did not see before. A great variety arranged in chronological order, I think there is something here for all to enjoy.

It was my first time at Motts Military Museum in Groveport where I learned more about what happened…read morewith different wars and many of our military heroes came from Ohio. I got to see history and old uniforms that reminded me of movies and television shows featuring different wars and heroes from our history. I found out more about Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I aviator whose replica of his boyhood home on the ground while the original home on East Livingston Avenue is currently in decay and that needs to be saved because of the history of him. I was glad that to briefly meet Warren Motts, who started this museum in his home, and the land it is on was owned by a fellow veteran who leased the land to Mr. Motts for $1 year until his death and Mr. Motts and his museum own the land. I amazed on the sacrifices that they made to keep America the land of freedom and saddened on the soldiers who did not come home from duty in the services. Motts Military Museum is worth check out along in Groveport and the National Military Museum and Veteran's Memorial in Downtown Columbus. Mr. Motts and his volunteers of former soldiers and sailors keep the place going with history of the United States Military and the wars that the USA and world was in.