The Best Things to Do in Columbus, Ohio This Weekend

Let me save you the hour I used to spend every single week. Before this website existed, that’s exactly how long it took me to piece together what was actually happening around town — clicking through a dozen event pages, cross-checking dates, and wondering if a thing was even worth leaving the house for. So I built the shortcut I always wanted.

I grew up in a small town outside Columbus, the kind of place where the nearest movie theater was a 45-minute drive. I dreamed about living somewhere with real things to do. I’ve been here since I graduated college in 2000, and in all that time I’ve never stopped chasing the good stuff — the buzzy events everyone’s talking about and the hidden-gem businesses nobody’s found yet. I’m also a marketer by trade, so I genuinely appreciate the craft that goes into a great event. That’s the lens I bring to every recommendation on this page.

So here’s my honest, no-fluff shortlist of the best ways to spend a weekend in Columbus — the stuff I actually do, and the stuff I actually skip.

Chase a Festival — It’s Peak Season

When the weather’s warm, a festival is my default weekend move. There’s nothing better than wandering with a cold drink in hand, grabbing food from a dozen different vendors, and browsing local makers to see what I can’t leave without buying.

A few worth building a weekend around:

  • The Columbus Arts Festival, a downtown riverfront classic and one of my personal favorites.
  • The Dublin Irish Festival, where the live music lineup alone makes it worth the trip.
  • Not Your Momma’s Craft Show, my newest obsession — genuinely unique vendors, not the mass-produced stuff you see everywhere.

The big-name festivals fill up fast, so get there early, wear the comfortable shoes instead of the cute ones, and sort out your parking before you leave the house rather than circling the block once you arrive.

Have a Proper Girls’ Day or Night

This is the whole reason the site exists. I got tired of women’s events being scattered across the internet, so I put them all in one place. When I’ve got the girlfriends together, these are my go-tos.

Rhomulus Winery in Lancaster

Worth the short drive out of the city. A glass of wine and dinner with the girls, somewhere that feels like an actual escape from the everyday.

Forty Deuce

The burlesque show gives a real Vegas vibe. It’s so fun for a night that feels a little extra.

Short North and Downtown Rooftops

Go for the skyline views and stay for golden hour. A rooftop bar is one of the easiest ways to make an ordinary evening feel special.

Dive-Bar Karaoke

Never underestimate a neighborhood spot with cheap cocktails and an open mic. Some of my best nights out have started exactly here.

If you want to plan a whole night around it, I’ve got you covered in my Girls’ Night Out guide, my Happy Hour by Neighborhood guide, and my Date Night Ideas guide.

Reset Your Soul

Not every weekend needs to be loud. Some of my favorite hours in this city are the quiet ones.

Ebb + Float

I love their events, whether it’s a sound bath or something like Elemental Magic. It’s something genuinely different — a way to ground myself and reset. If you’ve never done a sound bath, consider this your sign.

Inniswood Metro Gardens

My favorite park for a slow walk with my husband. It’s peaceful, gorgeous, and completely free.

Free Yoga in the Park

A really lovely touch to a summer morning, and it costs you nothing but the drive over.

For more of this kind of weekend, dip into my Spas & Wellness guide and my Head Spas & Alternative Medicine guide.

For the Culture and the Just-Plain-Fun

Columbus punches above its weight when it comes to things to see and do. This is my personal rotation.

Otherworld

Immersive, surreal, and unlike anything else in the city.

COSI

Not just for kids. Go as an adult and lean all the way into it.

Shadowbox Live

Genuinely unique entertainment you can’t get anywhere else in town.

A Comedy Tip Only a Local Would Give You

At the Funny Bone, I skip the big-name headliners and go for the more obscure comedians on the schedule. They tend to be funnier — hungrier, weirder, and less rehearsed to death.

My Honest Skip-This-Do-That List

Here’s where being a local earns its keep. A couple of my unpopular-but-correct opinions:

  • Skip the Arnold Classic and go to the Quarter Horse Congress instead. Less chaos, and far more genuinely interesting.
  • Skip the Columbus Zoo and go to Zoombezi Bay, specifically the adults-only area. A lazy river afternoon with no strollers in sight is my idea of a perfect summer day.

How to Actually Keep Up With All of It

The hardest part of a great Columbus weekend isn’t finding something to do — it’s finding out what’s on this weekend before it’s gone. That’s the whole job of this site.

Subscribe to my monthly events calendar email and I’ll send the best of what’s happening straight to your inbox: festivals, girls’ nights, wellness events, and hidden gems, all in one place, so you never have to spend that hour hunting again.

A quick reminder before you head out: a few of these are seasonal or event-specific, so always double-check dates and tickets. And if you know a hidden gem I’ve missed, tell me. I’m always hunting for the next one.

See you out there.

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