Columbus Zoo - Where to Stay?

[DisneyMissy318]

We wanted to take DD on a long weekend trip before school starts next month. We gave her the choice - where do you want to go? (We're going to Disney in December!) She chose the Columbus Zoo! So... at the end of the month, we'll be heading in a NW direction to Columbus. We plan to stay in the area for about 3 nights.

Our main focus will be on the zoo - it looks huge and we might want to spend more than one day there - anything else? We haven't been to the area before and I'm going a quick check of "things to see and do".

Also - when I'm looking for hotels - what area do I look?

Any tips would be great! Thanks!

 

[thop529]

Any Hotel you stay at in the Dublin area will be a decent hotel.

Other things to do around the area:

Longaberger Basket Factory in Dresden, maybe about 1.5 hour drive from Columbus

The Hocking Hills in Logan about a 1 hour drive

COSI (Center of Science & Industry) I believe they still have the Titanic exhibit there

Easton- Shopping and restaurants, it's always a good time there

Hope you have a good time....Welcome to Ohio

 

[HM]

Definitely go to COSI.
I think one day at the Zoo may be plenty.
I've always wanted to do the Indian Caves north of town, but have never fit that in to a trip.
We always stayed with relatives when in Columbus, so I have no imput on the hotel, sorry.

 

[hockeyprincess]

Don't forget about Zoombezi Bay (I might have spelled that wrong) the waterpark next to the Zoo itself! She may see the waterslides and want to spend a day there as well. Check online for passes and prices, not sure how much it is but we will be visiting there this summer sometime as well! (We're a bit north of Columbus, so still a bit of a drive to get there)

Have fun! Columbus Zoo is one of the best I've been to.

 

[bobcat]

Zoombezi bay tickets include zoo admission. Krogers may have discount tickets. The new polar bear exhibit looks awesome this year.

Cosi is worth a day visit. Easton is also worth a stop, evenings are fun in the summer as it is mainly outside. They have a Lego store, build a bear, all the limited brand stores, Tiffany's.

 

[kpauley]

I too would suggest hotels in the Dublin area. You should be able to see all of the zoo in one day. They recently opened a new polar bear exhibit that is amazing. As someone else suggested, Zoombezi Bay water park shares the same parking lot as the zoo.

Someone else also mentioned Hocking Hills State Park. This park has awesome recessed caves and hiking trails. While not associated with the state park, zip lining is close by. My kids did this last year and enjoyed it.

http://www.hockinghillscanopytours.com/home.html

Since you are heading NW to get to the Col’s area, you might be close to King’s Island amusement park near Cincinnati OH.

 

[DisneyMissy318]

AWESOME tips! Thanks to everyone for taking your time to respond! Looks like we'll have more than enough to keep us entertained for a few days! I'm going to search hotels in Dublin - see what that turns up.

Thanks again.

 

[manda1322]

I agree with the others Cosi is a must do. You didn't say the age of your daughter but she may actually get bored during the Cosi exhibit. It requires alot of reading to get the most out of it. I loved it but I don't think kids would unless older.

Zoombezi bay is indeed beside the zoo. You actually get free admission to the zoo for the day included with your purchase of admission into Zoombezi bay. Although this sounds like a great deal splitting your time between the two in one day would be very difficult if you don't visit often. You can buy discounted tickets to both of these I believe at all local Korgers stores.

There are daily shows at the zoo including Animals on Safari. IT IS A GREAT SHOW!! Don't miss it. Kids absolutely love it...and so do I . They have taken many animals (some adopted from local shelters) and made a great show. It is actually quite similar to a show I seen at Sea World in Orlando. The polar bear exhibit is new this year. It has an under water viewing area which is quite neat if they are actually in the water.

Also connected to the zoo is Jacks Landing which has a few rides similar to ones you would find at a fair and a few others. Admission into this area is free, you jsut pay 1.00 per ride. The have rides for all ages so check it out.

All three of these share the same parking lot so you wil be abe to check each one out before making a decision if you wish.


If you have ANY questions let me know and I can try to help you out. I have been a zoo member for the last 3 years and a little bit of knowledge and can try to help you out.

 

[ceecee]

I also would vote for COSI, one day at the Zoo should be enough. We go to Columbus for long weekends and I usually use Priceline for a downtown hotel. We also go shopping and eat out!

 

[DisneyMissy318]

Wow! Thanks for that info! DD is 12 - and she is ALL about the animals! We live in VA - we have a season pass to Busch Gardens & Water Country - and she hasn't shown any interest in going to a Water Park - being an only child, I'm sure it would be more fun with a friend.

I'll definitely show her the website for COSI and see what she thinks. The State Park sounds good too!

Thanks for all of the zoo info! She was looking over the website last night and was very excited - now we are all looking forward to it!

I did see that Columbus has a Disney Store - does anyone know how far Polaris is from Dublin or the Zoo area? I try to get my fix whenever I can!

Loving all of the responses! Thanks again!

 

[cjnix29]

You could also check hotels in the Polaris area. Lots of shopping around there, and just a zip up from the zoo. You can find discounts for zoombezi at Kroger, AAA, and the entertainment book. We were just in the Shenandoah Valley for our vacation, come up to my neighborhood for yours!

 

[mom2cinderella]

does anyone know how far Polaris is from Dublin or the Zoo area?

It's only 15 - 20 minutes. Enjoy your trip!

 

[littlbugmom]

If you stay in the Polaris Parkway area, you will be within easy reach of all of those things. Nothing is right next to each other but Polaris Parkway is not far via freeway to downtown columbus for COSI, not a far drive to the Easton area, the Polaris Mall (with Disney store) is right there and the zoo is not far.

We love the zoo.

The Indian Caverns are awesome....very interesting and it stays cool down there, even in the summer heat.

The Ohio State Fair runs July 28th-Aug 8th. Not everyone's cup of tea but very popular!


If you google "hotels polaris parkway columbus", you will get a list of hotels, all of them are nice. Also, check out experiencecolumbus.com for lists of things to do in and around Columbus. They also list package deals for a lot of the hotels.

 

[kpauley]

If you are coming to Columbus via I-70, there is another “animal” option in eastern Ohio, The Wilds http://thewilds.org/ This is conservation setting in a rural area and have hippos, rhinos, giraffe, etc.... They use open-air safari type vehicles to take you out to see the animals. I haven't been there in years so maybe someone with recent experience can comment on their experience. The Wilds is two hours from Columbus so this could be a stop prior to arriving here.

 

[manda1322]

Oops in my earlier post I said she would get bored at Cosi...so not true. I meant to say she may get bored at the Titanic exhibit. She would LOVE Cosi...sorry about that.

 

[DisneyMissy318]

I am SO in with all of you!! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge of the area with me! I can't wait to get home and discuss all of these great places with the family!

 

[KCMiller]

Theres so much to do in Columbus! The zoo is wonderful, and I heartily recommend Pricelining a hotel in Dublin, as they're all VERY convenient to the Zoo (and everything else, really!). Zoombezi Bay and the Zoo are adjacent to each other - check out Google for discount coupons for these great family fun places!

Polaris isn't far at all, although if you're going on a weekday, you'll deal with some serious rush hour traffic. LOTS of shopping out there, and some great restaurants. Easton is another fun shopping location - it's an outdoor upscale 'mall' - hard to describe, but Google it and see.

If you PM me, and let me know what your dates are, I'd be happy to send you a list of fun things to do in town during your visit!

KC

 

[alicia080979]

I wanted to bump this bc we are going to the Columbus zoo for the 1st time in a couple weeks. I live in Cincy and have been wanting to go up there for a while. I am trying to find discount tickets also but our Kroger doesn't have anything for the Columbus Zoo...everything is Cincy Zoo here!

I had read somewhere that Kroger will sometimes have a travel booklet or flyers that have coupons/discounts on them and I was wondering if any locals could tell me what the discount is or if they see one. We are driving up so if I had to, I could try to find a Kroger on our way to get the discount.

Thanks!

 

[kpauley]

I haven't seen any flyers or coupons. I purchased the actual zoo tickets at the customer service desk at Kroger. Can't remember the exact price, but I think it was around $1 off regular admission.

 

[Sarah7401]

LOving this thread, too because we are heading to Columbus for a long weekend in August! What about the Jack Hannah Columbus Family Fun deals? That gets you 2nights in a hotel, 4 tickets to each the zoo, Zoombezi and COSI and some other discout coupons for around $400, give or take. Could I do better on Priceline?