The historical society opened a new museum in an old house on Bridge Street a couple of years ago…read more The Coffman House in the park is open for tours by appointment. This is open Friday-Sunday, 1-4. We happened by on a Saturday and stopped in. You can go in the front, or through a connecting door from Vernacular, the clothing store next door. Well organized space with many artifacts, detailed boards with explanations of aspects of Dublin history, and more. A room in back for meetings or events. Friendly, helpful staff. Well worth a visit if you are nearby, or a detour if you are at all into history.

The dublin historical society is a tad beneath what i'd expect it to be, however there are some…read morereally neat qualities to it. my particular favorite is the Coffman Homestead, which is a original 1960s middle class home. It's actually furnished with all original things, and the barn itself is filled with tools from the period. I am a personal fan of hte decor of the age, and am an artist, so I appreciate being able to see the look of these things in person, it makes it so much more possible to understand and recreate alternative histories in things like comics. I tend to judge places like these on their gift shops a bit. I think that a place's gift shop tells a lot about the aim of it. I can appreciate that this place seems to be more dedicated to history than making revenue, but I think that it could really rearrange itself to me more publicly forward.

Some of the exhibits might be showing their age, but it's always quiet and climate controlled and a…read moregreat place to bring out of town guests for a little overview of Ohio and the opportunity to hang out in a Lustron House. There are often activities and presentations on the weekends, which add an extra bit of fun to your visit. As with most things, membership is an excellent value - you'll get free admission to 50+ sites around the state with the basic level and can upgrade for free event tickets and NARM reciprocity.

We started the morning visiting the Ohio state capital, and then we decided to learn more about…read moreOhio. The Ohio history center is located a few miles north of downtown Columbus. We started walking through the nature of Ohio and then moved on to the galleries. We ended up walking the galleries in the wrong order but the galleries were not really connected. We learned some great Ohio history. They had cool things on display like a mastodon skeleton and a Lustron house. We sent about 2 hours walking around the museum. The one negative I found with the museum, a lot of the information was older. Like some of the information panels only went up to the early 2000s. They have a village exhibit outside but it was closed when we visited. They also had a gift shop that was closed the Saturday we visited. Also they have a small cafe on the top floor but it didn't have many options for actual food, just some snacks.

Construction began on the flat domed Ohio State house in 1839, and was completed at the opening of…read morethe American Civil War. In some states upon returning from the war soldiers pushed to have rounded domes placed on top of their state houses. It was not the case in Ohio, and the original Greek revival architecture remains. The building is a showpiece and focal point at the center of the capital city. It has been restored to its original grandeur and is carefully maintained to ensure historical accuracy. The grounds are well manicured and contain a variety of historic themed statues. There is an active and thriving bee apairy located on the north side of the grounds. Beneath Capitol Square, and the statehouse there is a multilevel parking facility. Be aware that the maximum height of your vehicle may be too tall for this garage. There are warning indicators at the entrances, but pay attention to the height nonetheless. Security is of Paramount concern, as this is a working capital for the statewide officeholders, including the governor, and both houses of the general assembly, Senate and House of Representatives. It is not just a museum, or a ceremonial building. This is the actual working seat of government for the state of Ohio. it is necessary for all visitors to be screened by security prior to entrance. And an active and robust security presence is maintained by the Ohio Highway Patrol. Throughout the halls can be found portraits of governors and legislative leaders, statutory representing the history of Ohio as well as large paintings of historic events in the rotunda. Of important historic note, after his assassination, the Ohio Statehouse was a location where President Lincoln lay in state and for days tens of thousands of Ohio's paid their respects. Lincoln spoke here on occasion, and actually received official word that he had been elected president, while visiting here. A brass marker is placed at the location where he spoke to the public in the atrium between the main Statehouse building and the Senate building. The Ststehouse Atrium has not always been here, but some years earlier was an open outdoor area. As is their habit, pigeons had taken up residence at the upper regions of the building and it was necessary sometimes to run between the Statehouse and the Senate building so as not to be "christened" by pigeon waste. The area became known as "pigeon run." If you look above the door/entry entryway to the Senate building in the atrium, you will see a historic reminder of those days in the form of a taxidermy pigeon. Those days are of course, long gone, and the atrium is now home to a variety of public and private events. Many select the statehouse and grounds as a location for wedding photo shoots, and actual weddings. Schedules of House and Senate sessions, and committee sessions are available online and open to the public. In the basement of the atrium and Senate building there are a variety of historic interpretational displays. Also found there is a small café, and a gift shop.

The Ohio Capital is architecturally different from many other states. In many states the capital…read moresits high and is easy to see, but in Columbus you might accidentally drive right by. In a way I guess it is more approachable for the people. I also liked the fact there was plenty of downtown underground parking.

My husband and I took the free Ohio Governor's Residence and Gardens tour this morning. Our docent,…read moreAnne, was excellent, and the house and gardens are well worth seeing. I'm looking forward to returning next spring to see the flowering trees and tulips. To make a reservation for the tour, visit http://www.governorsresidence.ohio.gov/home.aspx.

This free tour is excellent! The house is stunning and the docents are knowledgeable and…read moredelightful. We enjoyed seeing the Christmas decorations and look forward to touring the gardens in the spring. Make your free reservation for a Tuesday tour at www.fogrhrg.org or call 614-644-7644, ext 1.

Walhalla Ravine was a saving grace for me and my family all 7 years that I lived in Columbus. This…read moreis a sacred and divine place, and no ghost story or urban legend of a single person's violence can have dominion over the beauty and sanctuary of this forested gem. Every spring, this land supports new life in abundance. Every autumn the leaves put on a magnificent show. Its cool and gentle presence in the summer heat is a gift of the Earth. Winter makes a real-life snowy postcard. PSA: Please drive slow past this rare beauty in the spring and summer as there are breathtakingly sweet deer that cross with their babies. The City of Columbus won't put up a deer crossing sign until there are 5 car accidents at the Walhalla-Indianola intersection. How do I know? I asked for a sign after witnessing a near-collision between a car and a fawn. They told me no. In conclusion, this is really a slice of Fólkvangr on Earth.

As others have mentioned, Walhalla Ravine is most well known for two things: being a lovely and…read moreunique natural feature near the city and having ghost stories in its history. We decided to visit to enjoy the leaves changing in the beautiful ravine, and less so because of the ghosts, though we did joke about them when we first arrived. That may have been our mistake, because, halfway through our walk on Walhalla, after passing the Calumet Street Bridge (which plays a significant role in some of the ghost stories), we heard the loud, unmistakable sound of a large tree cracking echoing throughout the ravine. In what was probably 10 seconds, but felt like time extended into slow-mo, we identified the extremely large falling tree and barely managed to avoid being struck by it as it collapsed across the road, jumping just beyond its reach. Other walkers who had been further back but saw everything even exclaimed over how close of a call it was. The ravine itself is beautiful and has some interesting geology. There were some great sections of potato chip shale that were really neat to look at. A stream meanders down one side of the street, most of which is on private property. Many of the houses have unique architecture and some are historic, and quite a few folks have added some really fun art to the yards - we especially enjoyed a large dragon sculpture made of metal that was decorated with OSU gear, the cute painting of a mama duck and ducklings, and a fun deer sculpture made of wood. The leaves were absolutely lovely and managed to hang on despite the wind we had a few days prior. So, go enjoy a lovely walk, but don't make fun of the ghosts and avoid their retribution!

Pretty interesting - there are relics from the Civil War to present which have shaped the history…read moreof Groveport. Not very extensive, probably 250 square feet of exhibit space, but a good stop for someone interested in the local history of the area. Not very kid-interesting - history-centric. :-)

A fun drive thru, hope to do it again. It really is inspired…read moreby FLW architecture. Several different, unique designs.

One of Columbus's best kept secrets. I love homes that don't destroy the footprints of the land…read morethey were built on. I wish they would do a tour a let us see some of the insides of these lovely homes!

The city of Worthington, founded in 1803, is one of the oldest towns in central Ohio. The…read moreWorthington Historical Society was founded in 1955 as an organization to protect the heritage of the village. The historical society now owns the historic Orange Johnson House, which is a living museum; the Old Rectory, which houses a Doll Museum; and an Indian Mound on on Plesenton Drive. The mound, which is among a few left in Ohio, is made available to Ohio State University for archaeological studies. The Worthington Historical Society is best known for its annual tour of homes, which takes place in July.