Visiting Columbus, Ohio: A Local Guide to OSU, Easton, and the East Side

Columbus is an easy city to visit: a big university, a walkable downtown, good food, and none of the traffic of a bigger metro. We host a house in Reynoldsburg on the east side, and it is a handy base whether you are here for an Ohio State game, a work trip out by Intel, or a family weekend. Here is how we tell guests to plan it.

Game day and the university

Ohio State home games run the fall and take over the city. If your trip is built around one, book lodging early and plan to park once and rideshare in. From the east side you are about twenty minutes from campus and Ohio Stadium. The Short North arts district on the way in is worth a stop for dinner before or after.

Shopping and a night out

• Easton Town Center (about fifteen minutes) is the big open-air shopping, dining, and movie complex, easy to fill an afternoon and evening.
• Downtown and the Short North (about twenty to twenty-five minutes) for restaurants, galleries, and nightlife along High Street.
• Nationwide Arena for Blue Jackets games and concerts, right downtown.

Outdoors and metro parks

Columbus has one of the best metro park systems in the Midwest. Close to the east side, Pickerington Ponds is about ten minutes out and good for birding and flat walking, and Blacklick Woods is about fifteen. Pack an easy morning walk into a busy visit and the trip feels less like a grind.

Flying in and getting around

John Glenn International (CMH) is about fifteen minutes from the east side, which is one reason this area is popular with people flying in for work. Columbus is a car city, so most visitors drive or rideshare. If you are staying a while, a house with a driveway and a real kitchen beats a hotel fast.

Traveling with the dog

Columbus is a dog-friendly city, but pet-friendly lodging with real yard space is harder to find than it should be. If you are road-tripping with dogs, look for a fully fenced yard so they can actually run, and confirm the pet policy up front so there are no surprises at check-in.

When to visit

Fall is football and the best weather, so it is also the busiest and priciest. Late spring and summer are easy and green. Winter is quiet and cheap, good for an event or a work stretch rather than sightseeing. Whenever you come, the east side keeps you close to the airport and the highways without downtown prices.