60 + Day Date Night Ideas in Central Ohio

I think day dates are my new favorite thing. They are a fun way to get out of the house, get some one-on-one time with my husband, explore the city – but get home before bedtime (for the girls and us). Did I just age myself? I think I did. When thinking of things to do in the afternoon, Central Ohio didn’t let me down. Here are 60+ ideas for you to get your list going.

1. Choose from fifteen types of tea, tea sandwiches, homemade scones with made in-house clotted cream and jam, and little tasty treats during an afternoon tea party at Asterisk.
2. Take your best shot at a hole-in-one at Top Golf. For extra luck, grab brunch and a cocktail at Kitchen Social just before.
3. Explore caverns that were formed millions of years ago by an underground river that cut through the limestone rock at Olentangy Indian Caverns.
4. Immerse yourself in local culture with a stroll through North Market downtown.
5. Take a walk across the Dublin Pedestrian Bridge, which is the longest sing-span, single tower S-shaped suspension bridge in the world.
6. Experience the Columbus Coffee scene via the Coffee Trail. After four stops, you earn a free Columbus Coffee Experience T-shirt, and after all 17 stops, you earn a free travel mug. Use #cbuscoffee to share your journey.
7. Step back into the 1880s at Slate Run Living Historical Farm and experience first-hand what life was like on an Ohio farm. Plus, get a chance to see a gothic revival farmhouse was built in 1856.
8. Go Ziplining at Zip Zone right at Camp Mary Orton, just north of Worthington.
9. Have an axe-citing time at Columbus Axe Throwing.
10. Talk a walk through one of the 20 gorgeous Metro Parks.
11. Take a climb up the climbing wall at Scioto Audubon or At Vertical Adventures.
12. Pick up a sandwich at Brown Bag Deli and take it to Schiller Park (the second oldest park in the City of Columbus) for a picnic.
13. Become a kid again and explore the 36,000-sq.-ft. LEGOLAND Discovery Center.
14. Drive over to Lancaster for a wonderful cup of coffee and pottery painting at Art and Clay on Main.
15. Did you know Dublin is home to more than 70 pieces of public art? Take a cell phone tour of the entire collection courtesy of the Dublin Art in Public Places program.
16. Order pancake balls at Katalina’s Harrison West location, which is housed in a 100-year-old gas station.
17. Go old-school and try your hand at duckpin bowling, pinball, bocce, or classic arcade games at Pins.
18. Walk the 1500 foot boardwalk and birdwatch in Galena.
19. Roadtrip to Mansfield to the Mansfield Reformatory and the Shawshank Trail.
20. Have a little taste of France at La Chatelaine.
21. Kayak or canoe along the waterways of Columbus with Olentangy Paddle. 
22. Have an outdoor treasure hunt using GPS with the year-round Metro Parks GeoTour.
23. Visit the locally owned and operated community market, Center Street Market, located in historic Old Hilliard. They have multiple vendors that offer local food and a great courtyard to sit in.
24. Play with fire and make something beautiful at Glass Axis.
25. Rent paddle boats at Creekside.
26. Share fondue for two at The Chocolate Cafe.
27. Create your own custom wood sign at AR Workshop in Worthington.
28. Take a tour of Columbus by Bike with CoGo.
29. Grab lunch at Milestone 229, which overlooks the stunning Bicentennial Park. After you’re done eating, take a walk along the Scioto Mile.
30. Go behind the scenes at the zoo with an Elephant Bath Experience, Red Panda Experience, Reindeer Experience, Chatting with Cheetahs, Behind the Marina Sea Lion Tour, or Jack Hanna’s Animal Encounters Village Tour.
31. Have a lovely beer tasting at Rockmill Tavern, which was built on a 23-acre 19th-century horse farm that once served as a stagecoach stop, tavern and gathering place.
32. Shop the massive selection of houseplants, succulents, cacti, perennials, pottery & more at Groovy Plants.
33. Enjoy the Columbus Museum of Art for free on Sundays.
34. Get a couples massage at The Woodhouse Day Spa or Replenish Spa.
35. Play disc golf, run the stairs, or enjoy the dam at Hoover Reservoir Park.
36. Visit the Topiary Park to see the topiary interpretation of Georges Seurat’s famous Post-Impressionist painting, ”A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grand Jatte.”
37. Build awesome DIY projects and enjoy excellent cocktails at Makers Social.
38. Immerse yourself in Otherworld, a 32,000-square-foot facility with large-scale works, secret passages, and playgrounds.
39. Float around Croctail Creek with your favorite adult beverage at Zoombezi Bay. {Opens May 21st}
40. Literally stop and smell the roses at Park of Roses in Clintonville – a unique 13 acre garden setting within a park featuring over 11,000 rose bushes and specialized gardens.
41. Check out the waterfalls in Dublin – Hayden Falls and Indian Run Falls. 
42. Put on your dancing shoes and learn a new dance at Black Diamond Ballroom.
43. Play arcade games at 16-Bit Bar and Arcade.
44. Try your luck on over 2200 slots, 70 table games, & the biggest poker room in town at Hollywood Casino.
45. Play a round of putt-putt at the Frontier Mini-Golf Course in Westerville, Miner 49er, a blacklight golf course near Grandview, Sports Ohio in Dublin, or Glow Putt Mini-Golf in Gahanna.
46. Conquer the herbal cocktail trail in Gahanna or the Celtic Cocktail trail in Dublin.
47. Explore exotic plant collections, special exhibitions, and Dale Chihuly artworks at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The first Sunday of each month is FREE to Franklin County residents with a reservation.
48. Enjoy a movie, a beer, or both at Studio 35 in Clintonville. They offer two movie screens hosting a variety of programming, a full bar with 40 draft beers & their own in-house pizza kitchen
49. Grab a scoop of Jeni’s and explore Short North.
50. Kayak or Canoe down the Big Darby Creek with Trapper John’s, just 20 minutes outside of Columbus.
51. Catch a matinee show at The Garden Theatre in the Short North.
52. Learn to climb to new heights at Vertical Adventures.
53. Grab an apple fritter from Buckeye Donuts and walk around The Ohio State Campus.
54. Get gliding with a Segaway Tour of Columbus.
55. Grab Whit’s Frozen Custard to-go and walk around the adorable downtown Granville.
56. Learn about the stories of our veterans, their families, and the Fallen – across all branches of service at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
57. Take a tour of the Anthony Thomas Factory.
58. Take a paddleboard class at Alum Creek with SUP Columbus.
59. Enjoy a weekend happy hour at Greenhouse Canteen.
60. Take a short drive out to Buckeye Lake Winery, where Napa Valley Meets Buckeye Lake.
61. Explore all that the Wexner Center has to offer through exhibitions, screenings, performances, artist residencies, and education programs.
62. Hold hands romantically {and cool off when the 100° weather hits} at The Chiller Ice Rinks.
63. Connect with our local communities and farmers at the vibrant Clintonville Farmers Market.