Columbus, OH – With more than 300 free activities and events, visiting Ohio’s capital city is surprisingly affordable. And the resulting memories are priceless. Columbus can help families, couples and groups of friends create great vacation getaways without breaking the bank, with a complete list of FREE activities found at ExperienceColumbus.com.
While some of the FREE activities are seasonal events, such as the Columbus Arts Festival (June 3-5) or the Midwest’s largest Independence Day celebration, Red White & Boom! (July 2), many items on the long list of no-cost offerings are available to anyone, anytime. And some are brand new. Just a few of these unique experiences include:
· Opening May 26, Columbus Commons Park will offer free Wi-Fi, an outdoor reading room, free events, a hand-carved carousel and nine acres of lush urban green space.
· Opening July 7, the Scioto Mile is a crown jewel of downtown Columbus. This spectacular riverfront park, located in the heart of the city, is a green corridor that winds through downtown Columbus featuring lush green spaces, a charming promenade and mesmerizing water features along with plazas, paths and bikeways. Rhythm on the River features an eclectic series of touring artists, local musicians and arts. Movies on the Mile presents crowd pleasing box-office hits, along with cinematic classics and family favorites. On Wednesdays through the summer, kids can take part in water play and special interactive programs at FountainSide.
· Grange Insurance Audubon Center gives guests a remarkable opportunity to experience some of nature’s most spectacular creatures in a thriving urban setting. Thousands of migrating birds from Central and South America use this spot as a stopover point during migration.
· Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park just recently introduced six bison to 45 acres of gloriously pastoral open land. Construction has also begun on an observation tower and a new nature center at the site of the bison territory, providing excellent viewing of these magnificent animals.
· The Topiary Garden presents a dazzling landscape interpretation of George Seurat’s famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte. A visitor favorite, the garden is open daily from sunrise to sunset and creates a dramatic backdrop for picnics and family or group photos. Free, one-hour PBJ and Jazz concerts take place on summer Saturdays and are designed to introduce kids to jazz in this gorgeous park setting.
· The Book Loft, located in historic German Village, boasts 32 rooms filled with books, music, cards and gifts and is open seven days a week. While the books aren’t free, visitors will find room after room of great deals, and no-cost browsing is encouraged.
· Homestead Park, a hidden secret, is loved by kids of all ages for its unique squirt gun park. Forts, towers and working water squirters create a battleground for unforgettable squirt gun fights. (It’s recommended to bring your own squirt guns to add to the wet and wild fun.) The park also provides plenty of grassland for roaming and playing and has a large picnic pavilion for family reunions, picnics and events.
· Inniswood Metro Gardens is tucked into a 121-acre, scenic nature preserve. Beautifully landscaped streams and woodlands are filled with wildflowers and wildlife, offering a majestic backdrop to the perfectly manicured flowerbeds, rock gardens and lawns with than 2,000 plant species, specialty collections and theme gardens, all surrounded by miles of trails and paved pathways.
· Travelers can experience the art of candy making first hand at the Anthony Thomas Chocolate Factory. This 152,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art factory invites guests to observe eight lines producing 25,000 pounds of chocolates per shift. Free open house tours are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m.
· Easton Town Center hosts year-round events, many designed for children and families, including outdoor concerts, parades, holiday lighting and events, arts festivals and seasonal fun. Beyond the many events, this one-of-a-kind destination mall with cobbled streets and indoor and outdoor features, also offers a play fountain that’s a favorite with kids, as well as great people watching and window shopping at some of the world’s top retailers.
· “Field of Corn with Osage Oranges” is a whimsical half-acre park filled with 109 six-foot-tall cement ears of corn. This commissioned art work has the corn statues arranged in a dramatic pattern of rows, surrounded by a row of old Osage Orange Trees that anchor the west side of the park. The attention-getting display makes for great fun photos, as subjects dart between the mammoth ears of corn.
Columbus is a city unlike any other. Vibrant and alive, Ohio’s capital city is known for its unique style: an uncommon blend of neighborhoods, events, attractions and accommodations. Free visitors guides, maps and complete information about visiting Columbus are available at ExperienceColumbus.com or by calling 1-866-397-2657 (1-866-EXP-COLS). The website offers on-line booking at more than 125 hotels. Dynamic information on the city’s vibrant local food scene is found on the Columbus Food Scene Facebook page.
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Additional information, fact checking, color images, and press trips available.
Contact Amy Weirick, (614) 848-8380 or [email protected].
