Local Attractions:
If the only thing you know about Columbus is that it's Ohio's capital, you're in for some surprises. This friendly city of modern high-rises and century-old buildings along the banks of the Scioto River is the 15th largest city in the United States and one of the fastest growing. Its attractions range from a rich cultural arts scene and one of the largest universities in the nation to a renowned zoo, exciting sports, lively urban neighborhoods, fine restaurants and enough specialty shops, outlets and malls to satisfy even the most avid of browsers and buyers. There's a whole lot going on here -- Come to Columbus and get ready to be surprised.
Visit the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), and you just may meet the first woman in the U.S. to walk in space. Her name is Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, and she's the President of COSI. If you like to be fascinated, you'll love the new COSI, which opened Nov. 6, with more than 300,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits and intriguing demonstrations. You'll encounter shipwrecks, submersible robots and mythological gods beneath the sea. Use your wits to uncover ancient secrets of a vanished civilization in a dense jungle setting. Whether you're clinging desperately to the edge of your seat in their seven-story, Giant Screen Theater, or roaming their seven Learning Worlds you will be amazed at all the new COSI has to offer.
Have you ever seen a sea cow? You can see one--four actually--at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium's "Manatee Coast," one of the first manatee exhibits outside Florida. Playing host to more than 2.5 million visitors each year, the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium has received national recognition for its success in breeding cheetahs and lowland gorillas, and for having the country's largest collection of reptiles. Located right next door to the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Wyandot Lake Adventure Park has already dunked down in history as one of the top water parks in the Midwest.
One of the most comprehensive tours of Ohio's history is available at the Ohio Historical Center, Inside, approximately 60,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits trace the state's rich history, from the time mastodons roamed the land through the development of today's cities. This year the center presents "Kilroy Was Here: The 1940s Revisited" from April 1 to Nov. 30. This exhibit takes you back to 1940s to reflect on the profound changes that occurred in American culture as a result of our involvement in WWII. You also can learn about the character Kilroy and a host of fascinating facts about music, sports, movies and other aspects of the era's popular culture. Part of the Ohio Historical Center experience, Ohio Village is a re-created 1860s town complete with dirt roads and picket fences. It features a one-room schoolhouse, general store and its own baseball team, the Muffins. Visitors can try their hands at a variety of old-fashioned activities conducted by the Village's costumed interpreters.
History buffs will appreciate The Santa Maria. As you climb aboard the world's most authentic replica of Christopher Columbus' flagship, you'll wonder how Columbus and his crew managed to travel all the way across the Atlantic in a ship that seems so tiny in comparison to today's ocean-going vessels. The Santa Maria is docked on the Scioto River at Battelle Park. Costumed interpreters lead visitors through the full-scale, three-masted ship where you can touch the cannon and visit the captain's and crew's cramped quarters.
The Franklin Park Conservatory is on the National Register of Historic Places. More than 400 species of plants are featured, and in the 28 acres of park surrounding the conservatory, visitors will find fountains, sculptures and Japanese gardens. The unique attraction of the Topiary Garden in the downtown area reproduces Georges Seurat's post-impressionistic painting, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" in topiary figures--some up to 12 feet tall. The only such re-creation in the world, the nine-acre park includes 54 topiary representations of people, eight boats, three dogs, a cat and a monkey.
