What To Do In Columbus Ohio This Weekend | A Brief Ohio Travel Guide

Dec 11, 2024

Last Updated on: Jul 8, 2025

Travel Guides

As someone in her early thirties and a big foodie, Columbus Ohio has always been the biggest draw for me. 

Now, you may be curious about the connection between my age and the city. The city is a bustling hub of college-goers. So, whenever I visit here, I relive the days I have just left behind.

So, if you ask me “what to do in Columbus Ohio,” it’s like soaking in nostalgia for me. 

Again, the foodie in me cannot avoid the allure of the North Market or Budd Dairy Food Hall. These are some of the biggest hotspots for gastronomic delight in the city. 

Furthermore, the Worthington Farmers Market, with 100s of food vendors from Columbus, is a gem in the food tourism landscape of the city. It is, in fact, the best of the best on the “10 USA Today Readers’ Choice 2024” list.

However, the things to do in Columbus Ohio are beyond exploring the food landscape. So, here, I have curated the activities you can do this weekend. 

What To Do In Columbus Ohio This Weekend | You Cannot Miss These Fun Activities 

What To Do In Columbus Ohio This Weekend  You Cannot Miss These Fun Activities

The scopes of what to do in Columbus Ohio are endless. So, no wonder Columbus is a city that a tourist will fall hard for. 

Exceptional dining opportunities and the vivid local culture have helped Columbus get the tag of the “Fastest Growing City in America” by the Bank of America Institute. 

Moreover, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission or MORPC has predicted that Columbus will continue to grow at 1% annually till 2050. 

Now, thanks to the thriving scenario, the city naturally has been a prominent tourist attraction for people from different corners of the USA. 

So, in case you, too, are visiting Columbus Ohio this weekend, these are the things you can try. 

The word is getting out that Columbus is an ideal place to visit, whether you’re coming with friends or family, for a special event or for business travel. While you’re here you can immerse yourself in our award-winning, chef-driven food scene, spend time outdoors along our expansive riverwalk and abundant green spaces or explore our unique and walkable neighborhoods.” 

Sarah Townes, ECI, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at Experience Columbus.

1. Exploring The Local Breweries

With many local breweries and wineries around, you don’t need to think much about what to do in Columbus Ohio. So, you can explore the following vineyards and breweries here.

High Bank Distillery
Address: 1051 Goodale Blvd ColumbusContact Number: (614) 826-5347
Land Grant Brewing Company
Address: 424 W Town St ColumbusContact Number: (614) 427-3946
Jackie O’s On Fourth
Address: 171 N Fourth St ColumbusContact Number: (614) 929-5265

2. Strolling Through The North Market To Explore The City’s Food Scenario

Address: 59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215, United States

Phone Number: +1 614-463-9664

Hours Open: 9 AM to 7 PM

North Market is the place where you explore the best of Coumbus’s food scenario. The place bustles with farmers, makers, vendors, and food merchants. Further, you can try here various food items, including Tibetan, Polish and Vietnamese. 

Nevertheless, when you are at North Market, you can try the best food items at the following Tour and Travel favorite restaurants.

Name of The RestaurantAddressPhone Number
Momo Ghar North Market (Nepalese Cuisine)59 Spruce St, Columbus+1 614-495-6666
Hubert’s Polish Kitchen59 Spruce St, Columbus                                                    +1  614-220-8787
Dos Hermanos Taco Truck59 Spruce St, Columbus  +1 614-670-4239
Preston’s: A Burger Joint59 Spruce St, Columbus  +1 614-400-1675

So, when in North Market, you can explore whatever you crave! 

3. Visiting The Columbus Museum Of Art

Address: 480 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215, United States

Phone Number: +1 614-221-6801

Hours Open: 10 AM to 5 PM (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday-Sunday), Thursday – 10 AM to 10 PM, Monday – Closed

The Columbus Museum Of Art is the go-to place if you want to see the biggest collection of local maestros like Elijah Pierce and George Bellows. Furthermore, you will find many collections here as examples of modernism in America and Europe.

Also, a tour of the museum will make you familiar with contemporary technology, art and photographs. Moreover, you can collect small souvenirs from the Museum Gift Store.

Moreover, the collections of the museum are updated daily and the museum hosts events on a regular basis.

4. Kayaking Along The Scioto River

Kayaking Along The Scioto River

If you want to know what to do in Columbus Ohio, you can kayak through the Scioto River. Kayaking in the river is also a great way to enjoy the vistas of bustling city life on the river banks.

Further, once you are done kayaking in the river, you can visit Scioto Mile. It is a brilliant example of “environmental rehabilitation.” In fact, USA Today has named it one of the top 10 riverwalks in the country. 

5. Taking A Tour Of The German Village

If any dark academia fan asks me what to do in Columbus Ohio, this weekend? I will suggest them visit the German Village. The village is idyllic and built in 1820, it is a prominent example of Italianate architecture. 

However, for me, the Book Loft is the biggest attraction in the German Village. You will get to explore here 32 rooms of books. You can bargain the prices and even get some aesthetic greeting cards from here. 

Furthermore, German Village is a foodie’s paradise. You can explore the following restaurants here.

Restaurants In German Village, Columbus OhioAddressPhone Number
Schmidt’s Sausage Haus Restaurant240 E Kossuth St, Columbus, OH 43206, United States+1 614-444-6808

Katzinger’s Delicatessen
475 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215, United States+1 614-228-3354
The Thurman Cafe183 Thurman Ave, Columbus, OH 43206, United States+1 614-443-1570

Stauf’s Coffee Roasters
627 S 3rd St #1060, Columbus, OH 43206, United States+1 614-221-1563

Moreover, there is a Brewery District in the West German District. It is very crucial to the beer scenario of Columbus.

6. Spend Some Time With Plants At Franklin Park Conservatory

Address: 1777 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43203, United States

Phone Number:  +1 614-715-8000

Operating Hours: 10 AM to 4 PM every day, 5-9 PM (Monday-Thursday and Sunday), 5-10 PM (Friday and Saturday)

The Franklin Park Conservatory functions with the tagline of “Life Happens Here.” I am a plant mommy, and for me, the Gardens and Collections are the best sections of this conservatory. 

You will find here more than 400 species of plants. Further, the glasswork of Dale Chihuly and horticulture places make this conservation center a unique fusion of nature and aesthetics. 

Along with the conservatory and the greenhouses, you will also come across the following hotspots at Franklin Park.

  • John F. Wolfe Palm House and Dorothy M. Davis Showhouse, constituting the oldest part of the conservatory
  • The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden
  • Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Community Garden Campus
  • Chihuly Collection
  • Botanical Gardens
  • Bonsai Collection
  • Light Raiment II
  • Cardinal Health Gallery, etc. 
Entry to the Franklin Park Conservatory is free on Sundays for the residents of Columbus and Franklin County. 
However, on other days, the park charges an entry fee of $23.50 (10 AM to 5 PM) for people aged between 13 and 59.
Further, seniors aged above 60 need to pay $19.50, and children between 3-12 years need to pay $16 for the entry. 
Moreover, for museum visits and special occasions, you will have to pay $3. 

So, with the best sample plan for what to do in Columbus Ohio this weekend, you can now pack your bags and get going! 

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Meet Sibashree Bhattacharya, a travel enthusiast who has a decade-long experience in transcending virtual barriers with her words! Her deep love for travel is apparent from her travel escapades to the mountain, often taking her readers on a journey, her words acting as Portkey! Fun fact: Sibashree loves to dive deep into the history of the places she is about to visit, making her travels even more wholesome. If you were wondering how her articles are not short of time travel, this answers it!

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