ot-anyone ever been to columbus?

[dana1003]

ok so we were one of the jetamercia victims who are not flying now!!! anyway- so no disney-so we decided on niagara falls but they just changed their policy and you need passports now which we dont have- so my brother who lives in ohio asked us to drive to him for vacation. its a 9 hour drive from where i am so im not very excited about that . hes only been there a couple of months so hes not sure of the whats around him. anyone that can tell me whether this will be a place five year old twins would like? any ideas for things to do? thanks..

 

[disneyfan007]

Two places I can think of right off hand are the COSI Science Center and the Columbus Zoo.

 

[catbertdave99]

COSI is a great suggestion -- you could spend all day there if you wanted and still have fun -- as long as the twins held out!

The zoo is also good.

 

[tjcrabb]

I dont know when you planned on arriving but our state fair starts next week and I am sure the children would enjoy it. We are also not too far from Wright AFB and they have an airplane museum. There are several retail tours you can do as well. Graters, which is an ice cream store and you can watch them make their ice cream. Anthony Thomas also does tours and they make candy. There is magic mountain and it has go carts, mini golf (I think) etc. If you come in the fall you could always attend an OSU football game. There is also a replica of the Santa Maria that you can get on and explore. I havent done all of these myself but it gives you a few suggestions on what you can do
~Tricia

 

[Mom2SamandJames]

You've got Ohio Amish county about an hour and a half away also. You can't go wrong at the restaurants there and the shops are pretty neat. I took my son at 18 months, and he had an absolute blast.

 

[Illuminations_Rocks]

Along with what was suggested, you can take the 1 1/2 hour drive south to King's Island amusement park (north of Cincinnati) - they have a GREAT Nickelodeon kid's area - really fantastic.

You could also head to Buckeye Lake state park or Alum Creek state park and rent a boat for a bit, or hang out at the "beach", take a hike, or go picnicing.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Next to the zoo is a waterpark, Zoombezi Bay. I'd also recommend COSI. In addition to Kings Island near Cincinnati, there is Cedar Point about 2 hours north of Columbus in Sandusky. I prefer Cedar Point over Kings Island, but it is a little bit further away.

 

[dana1003]

great suggestions...thank you. im going to research them now!!!

 

[worm761]

I prefer Cedar Point too but I think that Kings Island is better for 5 years olds. The zoo in Columbus is one of my faves! COSI is sooo much fun. Think hands on science. Very cool. I would love to go to Magic Mountain again. I used to love going there. Columbus is a fun place to visit.

 

[bowlingchicaroo]

ok so we were one of the jetamercia victims who are not flying now!!! anyway- so no disney-so we decided on niagara falls but they just changed their policy and you need passports now which we dont have- so my brother who lives in ohio asked us to drive to him for vacation. its a 9 hour drive from where i am so im not very excited about that . hes only been there a couple of months so hes not sure of the whats around him. anyone that can tell me whether this will be a place five year old twins would like? any ideas for things to do? thanks..

Hocking Hills is a must do...very, very beautiful...lots of hiking trails, waterfalls...you will love it...it is about 45 mins S.E. of columbus on St. Rt. 33

 

[BuckeyeFanDan]

Well, since I live in the Columbus area, I will chime in.....I have a 4 year old daughter and if you do nothing else, you should go to the Columbus Zoo. We have annual passes and go frequently and she never gets tired of seeing all of the animals there. It was also recently voted as the best zoo in the country. You can easily spend the whole day there.

COSI, as others have said, is a good option for preschoolers too.

If deciding between Cedar Point and Kings Island, I would lean toward Kings Island for preschoolers. The Nickelodeon area is very good for that age and the water park (which is included in the admission) is fun for them too (if you are coming yet this summer). Cedar Point is fantastic, but in order to enjoy the best rides, which are the numerous roller coasters, it is better for older kids.

If you are coming in the fall, Hocking Hills is nice for viewing the leaves changing and for taking a walk in the woods. There are also numerous metroparks in the Columbus area for this as well. Another good activity for kids in the fall is visiting a farm for a hayride, picking pumpkins, maybe a corn maze and other fall harvest-related activities. I'm sure you can do an internet search that would give you the closest options for this to where your brother lives.

I could probably go on more, but if you have any other specific questions about the Columbus area or Ohio, feel free to PM me.

 

[cjb1879]

This isn't child-specific, but if you have anyone in your group who likes to shop, you CANNOT miss Easton Towne Center. Easton is just outside of Columbus and it is the only reason we visit our family in Columbus with any regularity (not really, but it helps). SOOOO many shops, restaurants and fun things to do that we could easily spend days here and not run out of things to do. I live in the Philadelphia area fairly close to lots of great shopping, but this place is probably the best shopping center I've ever been to (haven't been to Mall of America, however!). Easton is like a mall, but almost all of the shops are situated outdoors, making it a great place to while away a few hours. I always see families with small children playing in the splash fountains, people listening to the occasional live entertainment or merely sitting on a bench with an ice cream cone soaking up the sunshine. There's also a huge movie theater.

If you decide to go, make sure to stop at the information desk inside the station and pick up your vistor coupon book- we got lots of great discounts that way.

Hope this helps!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

This isn't child-specific, but if you have anyone in your group who likes to shop, you CANNOT miss Easton Towne Center. Easton is just outside of Columbus and it is the only reason we visit our family in Columbus with any regularity (not really, but it helps). SOOOO many shops, restaurants and fun things to do that we could easily spend days here and not run out of things to do. I live in the Philadelphia area fairly close to lots of great shopping, but this place is probably the best shopping center I've ever been to (haven't been to Mall of America, however!). Easton is like a mall, but almost all of the shops are situated outdoors, making it a great place to while away a few hours. I always see families with small children playing in the splash fountains, people listening to the occasional live entertainment or merely sitting on a bench with an ice cream cone soaking up the sunshine. There's also a huge movie theater.

If you decide to go, make sure to stop at the information desk inside the station and pick up your vistor coupon book- we got lots of great discounts that way.

Hope this helps!

I live in Columbus and was just going to suggest this too. There's a fun McDonald's there also for small children.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We love Columbus.

The state fair is fun and is an all day event.
COSI is great.
The zoo is one of the top 2 we have visited. The waterpark is nice too.
Easton is great, Polaris is nice too.
Magic Mountain is fun for the kids and adults.
There are many parks around to enjoy.
I prefer Kings Island over Cedar Point too. The Wilds park about an hour east is another option.

Hotel rooms are fairly cheap through Hotwire and Priceline. Enjoy the trip.

 

[poohteacher]

I drove with my mom and two girls out to Columbus last October (They were 4 and 1, almost 5 and 2). The trip was long, but we broke it up. We took route 80 W to 79S, to 70W. North of Pittsburgh, there is an outlet center in Grove City. It had a playground and was a good place for them to blow off some steam and for us to grab something to eat. Pennsylvania also had a lot of nice rest areas where they could run around in the grass a little.

If you are going in late September, you may want to check out Barnesville's Pumpkin Festival. (Take the route 800 exit off of 70W about 2 hours east of Columbus). It's a small town festival with rides, crafts, all sorts of contests (hog-calling, tobacco spitting, tall-tale telling, pie eating etc), and the pumkins are huge. Sometimes the King Pumkin reaches 1000 pounds.

Have fun. My familydrove out to Ohio every summer when I was a kid to visit my mom's family. The long car rides gave us a chance to be silly and creative and to get to know each other better. Some of our best vacation memories are from the car ride alone.

 

[Deffenm]

Depending on when you come you could check out some sporting events. We have a new stadium for our baseball team (Columbus clippers) and Soccer Stadium (Columbus Crew). My kids love to go to the games.

There are several parks that have water play areas. We pack a picnic and then let the kids play for free. There is one in Dublin off of Avrey Rd, one in Downtown columbus - Northbank Park, Homestead park in Hilliard. I am not sure where your brother lives in the Columbus area. If you don't want to spend the money for the water park at the zoo you could also look into Big Splash in Grove City. It has 2 waterslides and then a smaller slide for younger kids. It is only like $7 and my kids love it.

Our metro parks also have some really good free events during the summer so you could look up their schedule and see if there is something going on while you are here.

There are so many things to do in the area and it does not have to cost you alot.

 

[maraki527]

I live in Columbus and there is alot of things to do for the kids. The columbus zoo, cosi, easton (for adults as well). if you decide on going to kings island pm me and i will be happy to mail you some discount vouchers (my job gives them away for free) if they are for the dates you will be here.

 

[minniebeth]

Well, it's really nice of you to come to Columbus to visit! I have family and friends in NJ that won't make the 9 hr. drive, it's not that bad, really! Like many other pps have said, there is a lot to do here, especially for 5yos.
Depending on which resource you read, the Columbus Zoo is rated the #1 or #2 best zoo in the country! So, that is a must do I'd say. You can spend a whole day there, and like others have said, there is Zoombezi Bay, a brand new water park attached with some rides located in between them. You can bring your own food/picnic into the zoo, which I would suggest to do. Bring a cooler/snacks/lunch.
We have a brand new baby elephant who's fun to see!
I have a coupon for a free child's admission from our summer reading club if you are interested in it, you could PM me your address and I'd be happy to send it to you and I'm sure someone else reading this board might have an extra as well, if not I'm sure I can round up another one since many locals have memberships.

Columbus is really neat, have fun!

 

[NJFabFour]

DH and I are Columbus transplants out here to the East Coast (NJ)!
We did two big Disney vacations last year (WDW and Disney Cruise) so it's a no-frills, low-cost visit back to OH for us this summer! Our DIStwins are 11y.o. and we're planning King's Island and Cedar Point. Have also taken them to all the other places mentioned: Old Man's Cave (my personal favorite), Columbus Zoo and COSI, Easton Town Center. We also took them to Olentangy Indian Caverns when they were 5 and that was cool (just a few minutes north of Cols). Be prepared for that midwestern hospitality . . . a few E. Coast pals have told us how taken aback they were by a place where everyone says hello and knows your name (or will learn it if they don't!) Have fun!
P.S. Not sure when you're going but be aware that OH schools start back quite early and some attractions may have more limited hours toward later August.

 

[dana1003]

DH and I are Columbus transplants out here to the East Coast (NJ)!
We did two big Disney vacations last year (WDW and Disney Cruise) so it's a no-frills, low-cost visit back to OH for us this summer! Our DIStwins are 11y.o. and we're planning King's Island and Cedar Point. Have also taken them to all the other places mentioned: Old Man's Cave (my personal favorite), Columbus Zoo and COSI, Easton Town Center. We also took them to Olentangy Indian Caverns when they were 5 and that was cool (just a few minutes north of Cols). Be prepared for that midwestern hospitality . . . a few E. Coast pals have told us how taken aback they were by a place where everyone says hello and knows your name (or will learn it if they don't!) Have fun!
P.S. Not sure when you're going but be aware that OH schools start back quite early and some attractions may have more limited hours toward later August.

actually yes we knew-my brother is a mechanic for the school buses so thats kinda why we waited till august-for less crowds...why do they go back so early? so used to northeast going back after labor day..