Downtown Columbus is walkable, family friendly, and clean! Here are five spots you should visit with your kiddos to have a full day of fun in Ohio’s capital city.
I’ve lived in Columbus basically my entire life and while I have visited downtown many times, I will admit that I didn’t realize how much of the city is truly walkable. I think of Chicago, New York City, LA, etc. as “walkable” cities but I always thought of Columbus as a city where you’d have to drive around downtown.
I was SO wrong! Plus, downtown Columbus is clean, has wide sidewalks, plenty of green space and activities galore.
We spent some time wandering around downtown Columbus visiting five spots that are all completely walkable to each other. You could visit these spots one by one or spend an entire day exploring the city. Bonus, none of these spots are too expensive either!
Family fun and on a budget? Sign us up.
Scroll down for five stops to visit on a tour of Downtown Columbus with your whole family!
What the Waffle.
Address: 695 E Long St, Columbus, OH 43203
Okay, so technically this restaurant is in the King Lincoln District which is caddy corner to Downtown Columbus and right across the highway from Columbus State Community College.
But, it’s SO good and the owners were SO kind.
We basically ordered the entire menu and I had zero regrets. I could have eaten about 20 of their sweet potato muffins.
I would recommend coming to What the Waffle FIRST on your Downtown Columbus excursion to fuel up for the day. You can eat in your car or take to the Library (next stop!) and eat on their patio.
Soon, they’ll have outdoor patio seating which will be awesome.
Be sure to check their hours because they aren’t usually open on Mondays and Tuesdays. They also serve brunch on the weekends which I’ve heard is out of this world.
Columbus Metropolitan Library
Location: 96 S Grant Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
I love love love our downtown library. It’s BEAUTIFUL. As a lover of books, reading, and learning, I have a thing for libraries. Don’t get me started on places like the Cathedral of Learning or basically any bookshop in Europe.
As adults, we are blessed with some incredible library spaces in the city. But, our kids have some AMAZING spaces to learn.
We could spend hours in the kids area of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. While we cannot wait for them to host events and classes again, we got our enjoyment from picking out books, checking out the fish, and grabbing some activities to take home.
Let’s also take a moment to appreciate the the library is FREE. Plus, when we were there, parking was free in their garage!
Meaning you can park in the garage and then walk to the rest of the spots downtown and not have to worry about feeding a meter or paying $20+ for parking.
Topiary Park
Location: 480 E Town St, Columbus, OH 43215
I am embarrassed to say that I’ve NEVER been to the Topiary Park until this day. I had no idea it was literally right behind the Columbus Metropolitan Library. So, surprise if you didn’t know that either!
“The seven-acre Topiary Park is, well, a topiary park that fully recreates the scene depicted in Georges Seurat’s famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.”
There is a path for strollers but also a ton of green space that would be perfect for a picnic and for kids to explore. There is a low pond, so be mindful if you’ve got an aquatic loving kid on your hands.
Again, this is a FREE activity for you and your family in downtown Columbus. We even stopped to read a few books that we had checked out at the library.
If your furry friend is along for your family adventure, you are in luck because this park is totally dog friendly. There were (leashed) pups all around!
The Topiary Park definitely makes you feel like you are in a “big” city and is so so fun to explore for all ages.
Columbus Museum of Art
Location: 480 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215
The Columbus Museum of Art is just a few blocks from the Library and Topiary Park but SO walkable. I need to reiterate that Downtown Columbus is super easy to walk between places.
Finn very much enjoyed being pushed (and carried) around the museum.
When we were there (May 2021), you do need to call or go online to reserve a spot even if you go on Free Sundays! Details on timed entry and free Sundays can be found here.
We actually went to CMA like two weeks before quarantine started in 2020, so it was a welcome and fun experience to come back with another kiddo in tow!
Olivia’s favorite part was the Lego Exhibit, especially because it was paired with a scavenger hunt around the whole museum. She is VERY into scavenger hunts right now.
It wasn’t super crowded when we went to the Columbus Museum of Art so we were able to make our way around fairly quickly and without having to maneuver our giant stroller too much. But, if you go on a busier day, you might want to use a baby carrier for tight doorways and exhibits.
I love that there are so many interactive spots around the museum with a lot of thought or conversation starters. Olivia is at such a curious age so there is a ton of knowledge for her to soak in and absorb.
You can purchase a membership here which is only $100 for a Family or $150 to be part of the reciprocal program and get admission to museums around the country.
Pat & Gracies
Location: 340 E Gay St, Columbus, OH 43215
There are two Pat & Gracies locations but this is of course the downtown location. The restaurant is basically across the street from the Columbus Art Museum so a super simple walk in downtown Columbus.
There is indoor and outdoor seating at Pat & Gracies or you could get it to-go and head back to the Topiary Park or even walk over to the green space at Columbus State to eat it outside, picnic style.
We opted for indoor seating and it was so delicious and fun. Olivia was so excited because she hadn’t eaten inside a restaurant since pre-COVID. She was extra excited because we read a few of our books that we had picked up at the library.
She said this was the best Mac and cheese she’d ever had so take that Kraft!
All the food was SO good. We wanted to save room for dessert but we were so full from the yummy burgers. You can check out their whole menu here!
We had SO much fun exploring Downtown Columbus and visiting these five family friendly spots. I hope you and your family take some time to visit these locations and don’t forget to tag us on social when you do!
A big thank you to Downtown Columbus for partnering with us on this blog post.
We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts on This Recipe!