Guide to Columbus

This blog post is everything you need to know about Columbus and some of the best places & activities to explore!

Navigating the Buses:

Knowing how the buses work is really helpful when trying to get around Columbus, especially if you don’t have a car on campus. There are two types of bus systems: CABS (campus buses) that stay on campus, and COTA buses that go all around Columbus.

I can speak from experience how nerve wracking the COTA buses can be and how hard they can be to navigate. My first week at OSU, I got on the wrong bus and got lost on a COTA bus somewhere far away from campus. I can laugh now, but as a Freshman new to Columbus, it wasn’t my best moment and was honestly pretty scary. Here’s a few tips to prevent tears (literally) on the COTA.

1. Always have your phone charged, especially if you’re going somewhere you don’t know.
2. The COTA buses show up on google maps, so be sure to use google maps because it’s really helpful when figuring out where you are and where you’re headed.
3. If you can take the campus bus, take it! The Campus buses do not have as many routes and they go in loops, so if you are lost you’ll get back to where you started. The COTA buses DO NOT go in loops (I learned this the VERY hard way.)
4. Get the Ohio State app to see all the CABS bus routes in live time.
5. Know what the buses look like. The CABS and COTA buses look different, so knowing this will help make sure you aren’t getting on the wrong bus.

Now for the fun!

Activities:

• Center of Science and Industry (COSI)
• Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
• Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
• Ohio History Connection Museum
• Attend sporting events. Attend a Clippers baseball game, a Crew soccer game, or a blue jackets hockey game!
• Explore the Short North
• Go to an escape room
• Go thrift shopping
• Visit one of Columbus’s many museums
• Check out OSU dtix to get discounted tickets to events around Columbus!

Arts:

• OSU Wexner Center for the Arts
• Columbus Museum of Art (CMOA)
• Otherworld

Coffee:

• Kafe Kerouac
• Honey Cup Coffee
• Staufs Coffee Roasters (there are multiple locations)
• The Roosevelt Coffeehouse
• Fox in the Snow Cafe
• Crimson Cup Coffee

Dessert:

• S’wich Social
• CRMD
• Crumble Cookies
• Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream

Food:

• Barrios Tacos
• Townhall
• Goody Boy
• North Market
• Budd Dairy Food Hall

Movies:

• Gateway
• Lennox Town Center 24 Movie Theater
• OUAB Movie Nights

Nature/Trails:

• Scioto Mile
• Goodale Park
• Columbus Park of Roses
• Highbank Metro Park
• Bicentennial Park

Shopping:

• Easton Town Center
• The Mall at Tuttle Crossing
• There are many shops in the short north
• Polaris Fashion Place