85 Ways to Play this Summer in Columbus

Sweet Summertime is here, so here are 85 ideas keep your summer days full of adventure!

Go Creeking!

Battelle Darby Creek – Galloway
Blendon Woods – Columbus
Friendship Park – Gahanna
Highbanks Metro Park
Pine Quarry Park – Reynoldsburg
Scioto Grove Metro Park – Lewis Center
Shale Hollow Park – Preservation Parks Delaware
Slate Run Metro Park – Canal Winchester
Sycamore Park– Pickerington
Three Creeks Metro Park – Groveport

Check out a local Splash Pad.

Sign Up for a Summer Reading Program. According to the School Library Journal, “Based on the findings of a recent three-year study by Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, we can confirm what many librarians have long suspected: students who take part in their local library’s summer reading program significantly improve their reading skills. In fact, we found that kids who participate in these programs are 52 Lexile points ahead of their peers who do not. Summer reading programs are also an antidote for learning loss. So instead of losing knowledge and skills during the summer months, kids who attend reading programs actually show gains.”

Spend the day at Alum Creek State Park Beach, the largest inland beach in Ohio’s state park system.

Explore Dublin, Ohio

Art in Public Places Pass: Unleash your inner art explorer with Dublin’s Art in Public Places Pass! Follow a cool tour of 12 must-see art installations, listen to artist secrets, and score sweet prizes by local artists! Explore Dublin’s parks, rack up points, and redeem your swag.
Irish Fairy Door Trail:Grab a passport and follow the path on the trail guide through Historic Dublin and Bridge Park to 11 businesses and find each resident fairy. Record the name of each fairy, fill in your passport and return your completed passport to the Dublin Visitor & Information Center (9 S. High St.) for a FREE Fairy Door t-shirt.
Riverboxes: These are artist-created vessels that are inspired by the hobbies of letterboxing and geocaching which combine map-reading or GPS skills and artistic pursuit with delightful ‘treasure hunts’ in beautiful, scenic places. Print off and bring along a Riverboxes Passport Booklet, stamp it at each Riverbox, and turn it in to the Dublin Arts Council for a prize.

Bring your family to the Columbus Museum of Art

Summer Art Breaks: Bring the whole family to My CMA Studio this summer break for imaginative fun! Dive into exciting materials and explore endless creative possibilities. Calendar Here.
BAM Thursdays: Bar, Art, and Music Every Thursday. Kick off your weekend early with BAM Thursdays (Bar, Art, and Music) at the Columbus Museum of Art. Every Thursday, May 29 through September 25, enjoy live music, great art, delicious bites, creative experiences, and fresh libations in our Patricia M. Jurgensen Sculpture Garden.
Free Sundays: Free Sundays provides free general admission for museum visitors each and every Sunday.

Sign up for Kids Bowl Free. More than 1,500 bowling centers around the globe provide 2 FREE Games of bowling each day to kids during the Spring and Summer. This program is designed by bowling centers to give back to the community and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this summer.

Catch a Columbus Clippers Game at Huntington Park

Experience a soccer match with the Columbus Crew.

Attend an Event at the Columbus Commons.

Free Carousel Rides: open daily from 11 am to 7 pm.
Free Play: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 am to 4 pm. Come Downtown and take a free spin on the Carousel, play under the parachute,build with our Imagination Playgroundbig blue blocks, kick a soccer ball, or make your own fun.Plus, enjoy storytime with Columbus Metropolitan Library on the first Tuesday of the month!
Free Family Movie Nights: Featured movies include: Inside Out on June 20th, Surf’s Up on July 18th, Tangled on August 1st, and Moana 2 on September 5th. Round up the whole family and head to the Commons for a free movie surrounded bythe stars and city skyline. Free popcorn while supplies last.
Commons for Kids: Friday mornings from June 6th to August 8th from 10 am to 1 pm (*no event on July 4th), kids of all ages can enjoy hands-on educational activities that align with the theme of the week. Plus, take free carousel rides, explore lawn games or take a lunch break at one of the food trucks. Check out the Family Events page for a full list of themes, activities, and vendors for each date.
Storytime with Friends of the Columbus Metropolitan Library: Storytime runs from 11 am to 11:30 am on the first Tuesday of the month between May and September. Join Friends of the Columbus Metropolitan Library for a monthly storytime at Columbus Commons. Sing, rhyme and read along to your favorite stories and songs! Bring the entire family along for this fun park pop-up.

Paddle Gahanna! Kayak and paddle boat rentals are back this summer in Gahanna. Reservations are available, so secure your paddle boat or kayak rental at Creekside Park and kayak rental at Friendship Park today by visiting PaddleGahanna.com.

Spend a magical afternoon walking The Fairy Trail at Infirmary Mound Park and see if you can find the fairy homes and fairy businesses along the wildflower trail. You can find signs to the trail by starting to walk around the north side of Mirror Lake from the Shelter 6 parking lot.

Support Local Farmers at a Farmers Market. A trip to the local farmers market is a multi-sensorial experience, which can further result in increasing your child’s language development, and Central Ohio has some of the best Farmers Markets around. Check out this list and make a plan to visit a Farmers Market this season to pick up some local treats.

Spend the Day at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Explore the Children’s Garden at the Franklin Park Conservatory

Check out Funbox Columbus the World’s Biggest Bounce Park. With 25,000 sq. ft. of continuous jumping zones connecting 10 different play areas.

Summer Letterbox Adventure is back with Preservation Parks. A letterbox adventure is another form of geocaching and scavenger hunting using clues instead of coordinates. Once you find the hidden letterbox , there’s a small activity to show you’ve found it and a notebook to leave a message for the next person who finds it. Pick up your booklet at the Wornstaff Memorial Public Library, Sunbury Community Library, or any of the Delaware County District Library, or register online at preservationparks.recdesk.com.

Visit the The Squirrel Door Project a whimsical public art installation featuring tiny, artist-designed squirrel doors hidden throughout the Whetstone Park of Roses. These miniature masterpieces are nestled in tree trunks, tucked into nooks, and are just waiting to be discovered. Once discovered, scan the associated QR code to read a cute little story about the squirrel who resides in the tree and fun facts about the tree itself. Download the map, take a stroll, and see how many doors you can find.

Take a Walk on a Story Trail.Story Trails have been popping up in local parks all over Columbus and we are here for it. These Story Trails are an educational activity that places pages of a children’s story along a popular walking route in your community in order to create a fun and engaging way to experience literacy in the wild.

Explore the North Market. There are now two locations to choose from – the one downtown and the one at Bridge Park in Dublin.

Find some treats at the new East Market. This new market is located in the Franklin Park Neighborhood on the Near-East side and features a variety of vendors offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with other goodies.

Stay Cool at COSI.

Enjoy an afternoon exploring the Topiary Garden found in the Old Deaf School Park which is tucked behind the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library in downtown Columbus. The topiaries in this park are designed to replicate a one-of-a-kind artistic recreation of a world-renowned painting.

Stop and smell the Roses at the Park of Roses. The peak viewing time for the rose beds is around mid June and again in mid September. There are more than 11,000 rose bushes in the garden and over 350 different varieties of roses.

Visit The Olentangy Caverns. Take a tour of the Caverns, which are a series of caves, natural passages and rooms occupying three different levels. Or, explore the property where you will find a petting zoo, minigolf course, treasure maze, and mock gem mine, and a playground.

Visit the Stratford Ecological Center. The center features a demonstration farm and nature preserve offering hands-on outdoor experiences for all ages. Discover farm animals, organic gardens, maple sugar, and nature trails. Enjoy an educational excursion, birdwatching, gardening, or picking your own farm produce.

Cool off at Zoombezi Bay, Ohio’s largest water park.

Pick flowers at Blossoms at the Bend. Blossoms at the Bend is a u-pick flower farm where you can make your own bouquet for $3.00. They are open from dawn to dusk May through September.