CABS is a go-to hang-out spot for our family. Come celebrate your love of traditional gaming with…read morehundreds of folks who have that same love. The board game library is extensive and a great way to try new games before buying them. Sometimes you'll even run into folks onsite who are playtesting games that aren't even available yet. Or maybe you are a fledgling designer yourself and want to try out your own game on folks. There is a regular sub-meeting just for designers like you where you can do that and get advice from some experienced, published designers who are CABS members. A recently added feature has been the support from the Columbus food truck community. Nearly every week you have the opportunity to eat from one of the growing number of mobile food vendors in Columbus with pickup right outside the doors. You support local business and you don't need to spend much of your precious gaming time worrying about it. Check the facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/cabs.boardgaming/) for details on which truck is coming each meeting. Additionally, snacks and drinks are provided onsite for minimal fee (generally $0.50 each). Part of the snack income helps defer membership costs, so outside food and drink is discouraged. No alcohol permitted at any meeting. Meetings alternate most weeks between Friday and Saturday. Hours vary a bit, but generally run from 3:00pm - 3:00am Friday and 10:00am-3:00am on Saturday. Check the calendar at http://buckeyeboardgamers.org/calendar for the complete schedule. Meetings are free-form with some scheduled events mixed in throughout the year, but generally CABS is just a space to play a game with new or old friends. It can be a bit daunting, the first time, but please know that folks are generally very friendly. If you aren't sure what to do, ask for a member of the board of directors to show you around. There is always at least one onsite. They will show you the ropes and most likely help you get involved in a game right away. Or you can always grab a game off the shelf and try it out. Orange traffic cones are provided to let others know you are interested in meeting new people and having them join you. Kids are welcome at all meetings except for the first Friday meeting every month which is dedicated to adults-only (18+). It is expected that you are onsite and monitoring your kids as necessary. If you have any concerns about how that works, contact a board member. You can always send an email via cabs.board@gmail.com.

When you think of "things to do on a Friday or Saturday Night" you don't hear a lot of people…read moresaying "Lets go to a board gaming club!" At least that is what I thought back in 2009 when I first discovered this place. Now - at the time I was a novice to board gaming. Sure I played Monopoly or Battleship, but this was something more. Its not just a place for people to play games, is a community. The first time I walked into this place, I was nervous. Not sure what to expect or how many people would be there. I was very pleased and reassured. Not only was I greeted at the Door by a board member for the club, I was given the tour and immediately asked to join in the fun. I didn't know then... but this opened my world to a whole new form on entertainment. Being a gamer , as in board gaming, was something new to me. So I didn't know where to start or learn games. Here they have people who are more then happy to teach a game to you. They will let you play the game at your learning pace -despite being able to breeze through the game on memory of playing. There is food trucks that come to the meetings and it varies each time. There are snacks available for purchase to munch on through out the day. Lets talk about the games they have... with well over 750+ games in their library they have everything from kids games , to card games, to euro and war games. This is a place for all gamers. They even have a Designer's group where people create and play test games. Its great to be involved in such a community of gaming, and as years have past the gaming community has just grown. Your first visit is totally free, and if you return again and again its only $5.00 a visit. You can chose to join, and become a full member with CABS. Honestly the prices have changed several times over the years. I do know that the 2015 rate will be $80 for returning members and $49.00 for new members (not having been apart of CABS in the last 3 years) The Membership includes: Access to the ever growing Library (currently 750+ games) Free admittance to Buckeye Game Fest. (locally ran by CABS) 4 day gaming event Ability to 'check out' games from the library An All General Meeting in December (with holiday potluck) After Turkey Day - 36+ hour gaming event Discounts at local gaming stores 41+ meetings in a year (Friday/Saturday alternating usually) CABS has become a place where I love going. I have made several friends and been involved with chances to meet people creating games, publishing games, and playing games.

I signed up for this social bowling league not knowing a soul involved with it. After joining and…read moretelling others about it, I've learned in that people either know it by name or have no clue it exists. So let's spread the word about it! My league is at Columbus Square Bowling Palace. Bartenders try to get you your drinks quickly so you can get back to your lane by the next frame. Desk attendees are polite and helpful when picking up shoes or printing off the team scores. Extra time has been added when balls get stuck which prevent the game from continuing. Parking lot is well lit. Restrooms are always clean. This is the first time I've been with Better Off Bowling and I don't think it will be my last. The League President sets the tone but I'll get to that later. The site is fairly easy to use when registering. You can sign up in various ways. One person can make a team and send an invite to people to join. One person can sign everyone up and get reimbursed by team members later. Or you can sign up as an individual and hope for the best. I signed up as an individual and hoped I'd be put on a good team. Not necessarily a high scoring team, just one with friendly people and no creepers. My team ended up being 10 people. There's a max of 8 bowlers that can be on a lane so it made it very interesting the first week we bowled. We were offered several different options on how to reduce the team to 8. That needed some ingenuity and good customer service! The bowlers all have different reasons for joining. It's date night, business networking, meeting singles, making new friends, and so on without pressure to bowl high scores every game. Some people are competitive bowlers and have their own gear. Some want a standing appointment with their friends for doing something. Others just want out of the house and have fun. 90-minutes is on the clock for the teams to bowl. The top 4 scores from a single game count for your team. When playing with complete strangers, be respectful that there's limited time to play, and show up on time. On time would be 10-15 minutes early to pickup shoes, bowl, and drinks so the team can bowl right away. If your team can't play an entire game then you'll end up with low scores and possibly frustrated team members. Where does the social part come in? A few ways. The teams are paired up to answer trivia questions. Prizes for winners! A team captain has to put in the scores; pick a captain or two! After the 90-minutes for bowling people are encouraged to stay for social time in the bar. Drinkers and non-drinkers are welcome. Here's where the League President is key. Did the President stop showing up? Are they friendly? Are weekly newsletters sent out? Are weekly events (Jenga, beer pong, euchre, karaoke) hyped up at all? Does the President coordinate bar use with the venue? Does Better Off Bowling have a budget for board games, cards against humanity, or a deck of cards to facilitate social time? Does the League President remember people's names? Make introductions to others? Some people need a little help in meeting others. Or they feel more comfortable opening up to a few people at a time. There are other leagues and bowlers around while we play. No drink specials other than Happy Hour that I'm aware of, but we usually have the bar to ourselves. Current pricing is less than $100 for six weeks which includes team shirts and shoe rental. There is early bird pricing available as well as referral money if people sign up using your link.

Loved my time bowling with BOB - signed up after seeing an ad on Facebook. Was a great way to meet…read moresome cool new people. I signed up by myself and they paired me with other people who didn't have a team, which was great. Bowling was pretty low pressure and we all hung out after bowling each night. Made some great friends in the process! Will bowl again.

Kyle Dynes has created a great new organization to promote the appreciation of America's original…read morespirit. His first event on Sept. 9 was a smashing success. Anyone in central Ohio who appreciates fine bourbon and is interested in learning more about it, where to acquire it, and how to enjoy it should become a member.

From the owner: The Whiskey Barrel Society is an organization focused on creating community through the shared…read morepassion of Oak-Aged Spirits. Our mission is to bring together a diverse group of like-minded people through events, educational opportunities and tastings; to become the go-to resource for the ultimate whisk(e)y experience; and to be a resource for anyone who shares a passion for the "Oak-Aged Spirit."We recognize that success in all of our actions is directly linked to the dedication and commitment that resides in our members and partners.

Columbus Sports Club is a poker club in north Columbus, off of High Street north of Worthington…read more New owners took it over several months ago, and there have been some teriffic changes. You can find a nice tournament each evening (they are closed Monday) and some good cash game action. Great place to sharpen your tournament skills for both no-limit hold em and omaha 8 or better. The players range from beginners to solid veterans. Not too big that you become just a number, but not too small that there is no one there. Everone is friendly, and the staff and dealers are quite personable!

My kiddo had a year of online learning so she was not used to being around other kids and adults!!…read moreShe struggled at first with everything but by the end of the first week, with the helpful and kind and patient staff, she was having fun and loving camp life! Would def recommend !!

From the owner: Camp Wyandot, Inc. has two day camps. Otonwe Day Camp is northeast of Westerville and Wyandot Day…read moreCamp is located in the Hocking Hills. Otonwe offers six five-day camp sessions for youth going into the 1st to the 6th grade in the fall. There is also one three-day mini day camp the week of the fourth of July and the only session that also serves youth going into Kindergarten in the fall.