Columbus
Introduction
Columbus sits on the west-central border of Georgia, spread along the banks of the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is a consolidated city-county, having merged with Muscogee County in 1970, and it serves as the county seat; Bibb City, originally left out of that merger, joined in 2000 after dissolving its own city charter.
Before you go
Columbus has a humid continental climate, so expect cold winters with some snow and warm to hot, humid summers. Tornadoes are a natural hazard in the warm months, and snowy or icy roads are a concern in the cold months; flooding can occur after extended periods of rain. The city sits at the intersection of I-70 and I-71 and is described as a day's drive from half of the U.S. population, with Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Indianapolis arranged around it as nearby hubs.
Before you arrive, know that smoking is banned in most public areas, with limited exceptions such as designated smoking rooms in some lodging and outdoor patios at restaurants and bars. If you are driving, be aware that theft from automobiles is common, so store valuables in the cargo compartment and keep the car locked; vehicle theft has also drawn notoriety, with Kias and Hyundais targeted, and police recommend a steering wheel lock for affected vehicles. Never confront car thieves. Drinking and driving carries stiff penalties, and police routinely set up checkpoints on major roads. Vehicles are required by law to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, though the law is not universally followed, so watch for turning traffic when crossing; on the OSU campus, drivers should watch for jaywalkers. In an emergency, dial 911. Three major hospital networks—Mount Carmel Health System, OhioHealth, and Wexner Medical Center—offer a high standard of medical care.
Getting there
By plane, you'll most likely arrive at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, served by all the major airlines with direct flights to most major American cities and a few international destinations. Beyond rental cars, you can reach the airport on the #7 or AirConnect buses, or by taxi; a taxi ride to downtown takes about 20 minutes depending on traffic. If your schedule allows, it can be worth comparing flights to Dayton, roughly an hour's drive away, as they are often cheaper. Rickenbacker International Airport, farther from the city core, handles a small number of passenger airlines and charter flights along with general aviation, while Ohio State University Airport is a public general aviation field. By car, the major highways converging on the city include I-71 and Rte. 315 running north and south, I-70 and I-670 running east and west, and the outer-belt I-270, with US Routes 33, 23, and 40 also converging downtown. By bus, Greyhound's station sits on East Town Street a couple of blocks south of the state capitol and operates around the clock, and Go Bus, operated by Barons Bus, runs toward Wooster, Athens and Coolville on several routes with an additional stop at the airport. Barons Bus has its office on McKinley Avenue, and Jaguar Inc. picks up from a gas station at East Rich and South 5th Street on its route between New York and Louisville by way of Columbus.Getting around
Columbus is a car-centric city, and you'll need a car to reach destinations outside the areas directly surrounding downtown. Parking is extensive and reasonably priced at almost all major destinations, with plenty of surface lots and garages, though the Short North is an exception where parking can be hard to come by and valet parking is abundant instead. U-turns are illegal citywide, and the city is known for aggressive towing companies, especially downtown, on campus, and in the Short North, so check for "Private Parking" or "Tow Away Zone" signs before you park. From John Glenn Columbus International Airport, downtown is a short drive via I-670W; taxis take about 20 minutes, and Uber and Lyft are also available.
If you're staying downtown, you can walk to most attractions within 20 minutes of each other, and the Columbus Landmarks Foundation conducts walking tours. Much of High Street (US Route 23), from Clintonville in the north through the Short North down to Merion Village in the south, is pedestrian-friendly, with a fairly continuous stretch of safe by-foot travel. The COTA bus service reaches most important places in the city, usually no more than five blocks from wherever you need to go; ask the driver for a transfer pass when you pay your fare, though transfers can't be used to board a bus going the opposite direction on the same line, and the CMAX bus rapid transit line runs from downtown northeast to Westerville. CoGo Bike Share has stations downtown, in surrounding communities, and at Easton Town Center, and a pass allows unlimited 30-minute trips.
Where to stay
Because Columbus draws convention crowds along with business, manufacturing, and education visitors, lodging is spread across the city rather than concentrated in one spot. Downtown accommodations tend to cost a little more than the options scattered near the interstate exits, so where you stay often comes down to whether you want to be in the center of things or would rather save a bit by basing yourself along the highway. The upside is that you can usually find lodging in most price ranges, so it's worth comparing downtown against the interstate-exit options before you book. If your trip revolves around a convention or the city's business and education institutions, staying downtown puts you closer to the action; if you're passing through or watching your budget, the interstate exits are the more economical choice.Food & drink
Columbus is a city of chain restaurants, long a test market for national brands, so you will find familiar names in unusual density, sometimes several within a single neighbourhood. Alongside them, a growing ethnic dining scene reflects immigration from Africa, particularly Somalia and Ghana, as well as Southeast Asia and Latin America, while the continued gentrification of downtown has brought a more upscale range of restaurants. The source offers no detail on specific dishes, venues or neighbourhoods for eating and drinking, so treat this as a broad sketch rather than a guide to particular places.What to see and do
Start with the historic districts on the edges of Downtown: German Village, Italian Village, Victorian Village and the Brewery District, which together with the many listed buildings across the city give Columbus a strong architectural backbone. In the downtown core itself, the Ohio Statehouse and its neighbours stand out as landmarks. For art, head to the Columbus Museum of Art, whose collection runs through European and American work up to early modernism, or to the Wexner Center for the Arts, a contemporary gallery and research facility run by Ohio State University. Most of the city's museums cluster near Downtown or the university. The city's calendar is busy with festivals and events. The Ohio State Fair is one of the country's largest state fairs, while the Columbus Arts Festival and the Jazz & Rib Fest both take place on the Downtown riverfront. On the last weekend of June, Goodale Park hosts ComFest, a three-day music festival billed as the largest non-commercial festival in the U.S. Around the Fourth of July, Red, White & Boom! brings Ohio's largest fireworks display to the Scioto riverfront downtown. For sport, the Columbus Blue Jackets play NHL hockey at the Nationwide Arena and the Columbus Clippers play AAA minor league baseball at Huntington Park, both Downtown, while the Columbus Crew play Major League Soccer at Lower.com Field. The Ohio State Buckeyes compete in venues around the University Area, with the football team drawing sellout crowds to Ohio Stadium.When to go
< p>Columbus has a humid continental climate, which means you should expect a sharp contrast between seasons. Winters are cold and snowy, so pack warm layers and winter gear if you plan to spend time outdoors. Summers, by contrast, are warm to hot and humid, with heat indices that climb during the day and stay elevated at night. < p>On the hottest, most sweltering days, the heat and humidity can become intense, and nights may remain uncomfortably warm. If you visit in summer, plan your time outdoors around the heat and build in chances to cool off.Three days in Columbus
Day one: Start in Columbus, Georgia, and get your bearings along the Chattahoochee River, which separates the city from Phenix City, Alabama. The riverfront is the natural place to begin, with views across to Alabama and a sense of how the city sits within Muscogee County. Keep an eye on the weather, as tornadoes are a real feature of the region's severe storms, so check conditions before spending long hours outdoors.
Day two: Turn to the city's historic corners, including Bibb City, a former mill village with its own distinct character. If you want to understand how Columbus fits into the wider region, consider the connections to places like Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Indianapolis, all part of the same industrial and riverine story. Drinking and driving are never worth the risk, so plan your transport carefully if you sample local nightlife.
Day three: Use your final day to explore the medical and educational anchors of the city, including Mount Carmel Health System, OhioHealth, and the Wexner Medical Center, alongside OSU and Ohio State University Airport. Note that John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Rickenbacker International Airport, and Dayton offer departure options, with American and AirConnect among the carriers. Rte and US Routes thread through the area, so allow extra time for the road back.