Columbus With Kids
If you’re looking for some things to do in Columbus with kids, you’ve come to the right place!
For the last couple of years, we’ve snuck away to Columbus for mini weekend trips a few times each year. We love that Columbus is only a two-hour drive from Cleveland, and for our family, it’s the perfect, affordable, fun little getaway.
In this blog, you’ll find some of our favorite spots, including where we stay, our favorite free and paid activities, and some of our favorite dessert/coffee spots. Hopefully, it inspires you to plan your next family getaway without as much of the stress of having to find all the best places to check out.
Where We Stay in Columbus With Kids
Sometimes, we just do day trips to Columbus since it’s so close. When we do stay overnight, our go-to is the Drury Hotel in Polaris. When our kids were younger, we’d mostly do AirBNB (Columbus has lots of great options), but as AirBNB prices have risen, and as our kids got older and started wanting a pool, we found Drury to be a great and affordable option. Drury is seriously the most kid-friendly hotel we’ve found.
Our rooms have always been clean and super spacious. They offer complimentary breakfast, free kickback hour (basically dinner), popcorn nightly in the lobby, and three complimentary adult beverages each night. As I said, the pool and hot tub are a huge plus. My husband also enjoys using the weight room.
You can learn more about stay in this short video. 👇
Favorite Free Activities In Columbus For Kids
Glacier Ridge Metropark
9801 Hyland-Croy Rd, Plain City, OH 43064
This is one of the coolest metro parks we have visited. It has a challenge course and a natural play area.
The challenge course features 12 challenging stations surrounded by a half-mile paved trail.
The Natural Play Area features cedar structures with towers, ramps, ropes, ladders, and a zipline. Students from the Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture designed and built it. Learn more about it here. You can also see our last visit below. 👇
Woodside green park
213 Camrose Ct, Gahanna, OH 43230
This park has a large nature play and a traditional playground. 🛝 Win-win! Some trails looked nice, but we didn't have enough time to explore them when we visited.
The park is tucked away from busy roads, which I have always loved. My daughter loved the traditional playground, and my son loved the nature play. It really seems like there's something here for every age. You can see more pictures from Woodside Green Park below. 👇
Inniswood Metro Garden
940 S Hempstead Rd, Westerville, OH 43081
Okay, listen. When I tell you that walking through this garden feels magical—you have to believe me! I know it sounds so corny, but that’s really how my husband and I felt when we stumbled on Inniswood Metro Garden during a getaway without our kids. I had to wait almost a year before we were able to go back with our kids, but it was so worth it!
My husband is a big Narnia fan, and he said certain parts felt like what he imagined the Pevensie kids experienced walking through the Narnian wood.
It’s really big, with more than 120 acres to explore and more than 2,000 plant species on site.
Johnston-McVay Park
480 S Hempstead Rd, Westerville, OH 43081
This was the cutest nature-themed park. It features a huge hawk that the kids can climb inside. The hawk also has a nest and eggs that can be played in.
They have two roller slides, which my kids love, and then down by the swings, they have a huge stand-up rope swing. That’s my personal favorite. 🤪
Also, down by the swings is a large wooden butterfly to climb and explore. 🦋
They also have a storywalk.
Favorite DESSERT SPOTS IN COLUMBUS WITH KIDS
Graeter’s Ice Cream (Bethel Location)
2136 Bethel Rd, Columbus, OH 43220
The kids were super excited when they realized there was a playground inside. They loved it almost as much as the ice cream!
We have a few Graeter’s locations in Cleveland now, and I’m hoping there’s one coming with a playground like this. More photos of the play space below. 👇
Gelato at piazza pelino
772 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215
We stumbled upon the most DELICIOUS gelato shop during our last visit. I was in love from the minute I stepped through the front door.
The vibes immediately brought me back to when my husband and I spent a week in Italy. 🇮🇹
The housemade focaccia sandwiches and creamy gelato were so on point I nearly couldn’t believe it. I’m dreaming of the day when I get to return for another tasty treat. 😋
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES THAT REQUIRE ADMISSION IN COLUMBUS WITH KIDS
COSI (CENTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY)
333 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215
There is so much to do and see at COSI, which makes it easy to stay from open to close. There are three levels to explore, and if your kiddos love STEAM activities, or you’re hoping to introduce them to the concept, then you really can’t go wrong with a visit to COSI.
A few of our favorite exhibits were:
🌊 The Ocean Room:
This one was a family favorite and really blew our minds! You can play with water cannons, learn how to redirect water, climb into a submarine, and even learn how waves work and make your own with the wave tank.
🦾 Gadget Cafe:
Learn all there is to know about gears and gadgets through play. This space is absolutely amazing! We loved launching balls into the air and then watching them work their way down the gadget wall.
🛝 Kids Play Space: The top level has some incredible imaginary play elements, a splash room, and an arts and crafts room.
See more of our visit below.
columbus zoo & aquarium
4850 W Powell Rd, Powell, OH 43065
We had so much fun visiting the Columbus Zoo this past fall. It was a bit colder than I was anticipating, so we mostly hung out in the indoor areas, which they actually have a lot of. A couple of our favorite things from the day were the stingray touch and watching the sea lions swim. 🦭
The Columbus Zoo is one of my favorite zoos! We recently bought a zoo membership, and I’m super excited to come back in the summer and explore the areas that were closed for the season.
Legoland Discovery Center
157 Easton Town Ctr, Columbus, OH 43219
Our kids are Lego fans, and they really enjoyed visiting the Legoland Discovery Center. If you’ve been to Legoland Florida, it’s definitely not the same thing. Legoland Florida is an amusement park. The Legoland Discovery Center in Columbus is an indoor discovery center where kids can immerse themselves in the Lego world. While there are a couple of smaller indoor rides, it’s not really meant to be an amusement park. It’s more like a hand-on interactive exhibit where kids can interact with and build Legos.
We’ve been to both Legoland Florida and to Legoland Discovery center and really enjoyed our time at both. If you have Lego fans in your family, we think it’s definitely worth a visit. You can read a more in-depth review of our trip to Legoland Discovery Center at our blog here.
FAVORITE Coffee Spot in Columbus
Fox in the Snow
multiple locations in columbus
Last but not least is a place near and dear to this coffee-lovin’ mama’s heart—Fox in the Snow. It’s by far my favorite coffee shop and bakery in Columbus — nope, that’s not right. It’s my favorite coffee shop in the COUNTRY. It’s so good! All of these years later, I still get amazed each time I visit. Their pastries are incredible. The atmosphere is wonderful (though often very crowded, FYI). If you go, my recommendations are the cinammon roll, blueberry galette, and ham and swiss croissant.
That’s our list! I hope you’re able to make it out to Columbus soon! And if you find any other hidden gems, be sure to send them our way. ❤️
