| Columbus, Ohio - Visitor Information...
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| VA Tech Hokie |
My wife and I are planning to visit Columbus, Ohio, in early August.
We are interested in visiting the state fair, visiting the zoo, maybe
going into the Amish country and of course my wife has to make
a stop at the outlets in Jeffersonville.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what area of town I
should stay in? We are explorers, so the area of town I stay in
does not necessarily have to be near the attractions I plan to visit.
I just want to make sure I stay in a safer area of town or the
surrounding area. I typically stay in a Hampton Inn or Marriott
Courtyard type hotel. We might actually stay one night in the
Jeffersonville area.
A few years ago, we visited the Cincinnati zoo and thought it was
very nice. Does the Columbus zoo compare to the Cincinnati zoo?
If the general consensus is the Cincinnati zoo is nicer, then we
might drive to Cincinnati and visit the zoo there again.
Does anyone have any suggestions for other visitor attractions in
your area?
Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to provide to me.
Hokie... |
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| Words |
I went on a road trip to Columbus with our daughter a few weeks ago when I was visiting her--they live in Dayton. Stick to the Jeffersonville I Mall.... Jeffersonville II was like a ghost town.... probably 90% of the storefronts were empty, but Jeff I was okay. We "did" the place in a couple of hours; Jeffersonville is kind of in the boondocks for some reason. There is a fabulous mall in Columbus called Easton Town Center-- quite a place and well worth the trip. There are several large hotels literally right there IN the mall..... it's all kind of outside... the feel of the place is rather like a Disneyland, with streets and sidewalks everywhere. Tons of shops, mostly upscale. They have a Restoration Hardware, The Apple Store, The Discovery Channel Store, a Graeters Ice cream parlor (you MUST go there!!)..... this mall is a good destination. As I said, staying at one of the hotels at the mall might not be a bad idea. Here's a website:
http://www.eastontowncenter.com/
Also, one of my favorite places just opened a store in Columbus: Penzey's Spices. We spent an hour there. Wonderful place. |
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| VA Tech Hokie |
Thanks Words...
I appreciate the information. I most definitely will check out the
Easton Town Center. Sounds very interesting, we like places like
that.
I am hoping I will get a little more response from our MDX friends from Columbus..
Sorry to hear the Jeffersonville area is not doing too well. A few
years ago, we were there and it was a nice outlet center. As
usual, maybe there is another bigger, better outlet center in the
area now. |
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| renov8r |
...Dayton. In Dayton you can check out The Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB. They have an awesome of military planes (SR-71, B1_, R&D aircraft ( all the actaul stealth prototypes including the "flying refrigaerator), historic/presidential planes (JFK's Air FOrce One, Roosevelt's plane), WWII bombers, fighters, RAF Air Tower .
Allthe materails are very well down and you can get thisclose to 'em. Really cool even if you aren't super into planes...
Dayton is about 75 miles from Columbus, nice high speed blip in the MDX on I70... |
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| Words |
I second that, renov8r.... our son-in-law is an intelligence engineer with the Air Force, and we have visited the Air Museum twice now--it is awesome, and BTW, it is FREE. : )
Dayton's Art Institute is also excellent.
BTW, Jeffersonville I Mall is just fine..... it's only Jefferson II that is dying on the vine. Easton Town Center, though... definitely worth checking out. It's an interesting way to design a mall. |
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| Olo |
Soon to be MDX owner here (next week hopefully. . .weld you robots. . .WELD!)
I actually live/work in Dayton and visit Columbus nearly weekly. As with others here, I recommend the trip to the USAF museum. They have recently installed a Holocaust exhibit and are set to open the Aviation Hall of Fame soon. I always get choked up when I approach Bockscar, the B-29 that dropped the Nagasaki bomb. Admission is free, and there is also an IMAX.
I have to admit that I've not been to the Art Institute since college. Was nice then, though :)
For Columbus, Easton is a must for shoppers, and save a couple of hours for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory there.
The Zoo is excellent and you could easily spend an entire day there.
For those younger at heart or with children, COSI is a great "attraction."
Depending on your musical taste, Dave Matthews Band is playing Polaris the first week of August if I recall correctly.
And don't be disappointed by Jeffersonville. The original Jeffersonville outlet in Jeffersonville is on the way out, but the one previously referred to as the "Ohio Factory Shoppes" is booming. It's a few miles south of Jeffersonville on 71 in a place called Octa.
A few more miles south on 71 puts you at Paramount's Kings Island, a nice theme park.
The North side of Columbus is your best bet for entertainment and lodging. West more than east but not by much.
If you want college-style nightlife, go to OSU and walk five steps in any direction.
Tip: You'll drive past Springfield between Columbus and Dayton. Don't stop there, there is nothing to see. Trust me, lived there for the last 10 years :)
OK, I'm done.
-Olo |
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| VA Tech Hokie |
Thanks all...
This is the type of information I am looking for...
I like anything related to flying, so I do plan to add a visit to
the USAF museum. Thanks for the suggestion and you are
right, 70 miles up the interstate in the "X" will be nothing but
added pleasure.
Olo, I know how you feel waiting for your new MDX. I waited
4 months for mine. Glad to hear about the zoo. For years, I have heard about
the Columbus Zoo, but when I visited Columbus last, the few
folks I asked about the zoo, either knew nothing about it or
were very vague about it. I will add the zoo to my list of things
to do. I most definitely will do the Easton Mall thing. Thanks for the
restaurant suggestion. I forgot to ask about restaurants.
I saw Dave Matthews Band earlier this year and it sounds tempting
to see him again, but guess I will bypass that this time.
Are "Ohio Factory Shoppes" considered part of the Jefferson I
or Jefferson II outlets? Saw something about "Ohio Factory Shoppes"
on the web, but sounded to me like they might be
one and the same.
I do also plan to spend a day at the state fair.
One of my business trips to Columbus included a visit to COSI.
I did really enjoy that and have been thinking about another visit.
Keep the good information coming.... |
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| Words |
Here is a URL to help you check out those Ohio outlet malls:
http://www.outletbound.com/lasso.acgi
I forgot to mention the Holocaust section of the Air Museum.... it is really fantastic. Some of the artifacts are pretty amazing. |
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| Olo |
You have it right that the Ohio Factory Shoppes and the "New" Jeffersonville outlet are one in the same.
Have a great time no matter what you do! |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by Words
Here is a URL to help you check out those Ohio outlet malls:
http://www.outletbound.com/lasso.acgi
I forgot to mention the Holocaust section of the Air Museum.... it is really fantastic. Some of the artifacts are pretty amazing.
Gotta dead link there...... |
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| Words |
I hate when that happens! Just try
www.outletbound.com
Then just select the state you want to locate outlet malls, then you will get to the page I had tried to link. : ) |
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| Rentua |
I've lived here in Columbus for over three years now. I agree that you should visit Easton. It's a great place to shop.
If you're into concerts, Chicago will be at Polaris on the 4th and Rush will be there on the 8th.
If you go to http://columbus.citysearch.com/ or http://columbus.citysearch.com/best/categories/2001
it has lists of the best everything.
Let me know if you have specific questions. All I ever do here is go to movies or out to eat at restaurants. |
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