Get Ready for an Epic Summer: Central Ohio's Ultimate Family-Friendly Bucket List

Updated: April 2023

Looking for things to do during summer break in Columbus? You’re in luck, because there are plenty of free events and spots throughout the city to keep you and your family entertained all summer long. This list includes a mix of indoor and outdoor activities, with options for every budget. As a mom with three daughters, I’m always on the lookout for affordable activities, so I’ve compiled this list with budget-friendly options in mind. So whether you’re looking for fun in the sun or something to do on a rainy day, there’s something for everyone on this list.

Remember, it’s perfectly fine to spend a day at home with your family. This list is simply here to provide you with some inspiration if you’re looking for fun things to do outside of your home. Some days, we discover excitement and joy in our own backyard, while on other days, we may opt for indoor activities like watching Paw Patrol or Daniel Tiger. It all depends on what you and your family feel like doing.

My most favorite FREE activity is to visit our Metro Parks. The Columbus Metro Parks feature 19 outstanding natural area parks with more than 230 miles of trails and over 27,700 acres of land in seven Central Ohio counties. It’s the perfect way to get out in nature and enjoy all the beauty that Ohio has to offer, without spending a dime.
Experience the vibrant energy of fourth Friday of each month in Westerville, where you can indulge in delicious street food, browse through unique vendors, enjoy live entertainment, and participate in fun activities for kids. The event also features extended hours in the Uptown shops, offering a great opportunity for shopping and exploring
Grab your passport and follow the path on your trail guide through Historic Dublin to 10 different businesses to find tiny magical fairy doors. Find the name of each resident fairy, fill in your passport and return your completed passport to the Dublin Visitor & Information Center (9 S. High St.) for a FREE Fairy Doors of Dublin t-shirt!
Visit Graeter’s brand new Scoops & Chutes indoor playground. perfect for rainy/super hot days – open 7 days a week.
Visit one of the many Splash Pads we have in and around Columbus. I have a great list here.
Enjoy great movies, food, and fun activities right on Capital’s front lawn during Bexley’s Main Event on Friday nights.
Kids can bowl FREE all summer long at select bowling alleys with Kids Bowl Free. Gahanna Lanes, HP Lanes and RollHouse Entertainment-Columbus all participate in this program.
Check out one of these shaded playgrounds listed by Columbus Mom Blog!
Explore and chat with farmers at the many different Farmers’ Markets in and around Columbus.
Join the Summer Reading Program at the library. If you finishing the program – you usually get great coupons for FREE activities around Columbus.
Explore the streets of Delaware during First Friday.
Visit Columbus Museum of Art or Pizzuti Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art and discover new adventures – free for all every Sunday.
Catch one of the outdoor storytimes at Northwest Library.
Attend one of the many events at Hilliard’s Station Park – Celebration at the Station (Live Music), Friday Flicks (Outdoor Movies), Sprouts Night Out, and more.
Go fishing with the family at one of these spots.
Cartoon & Comic fan? The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum houses the world’s largest collection of materials related to cartoons and comics, including original art, books, magazines, journals, comic books, archival materials, and newspaper comic strip pages and clippings – free to explore.
Take advantage of the Community Days program at Franklin Park Conservatory and get FREE ADMISSION!
Enjoy free live music at Worthington Concerts on the Green on Sundays.
Explore the Topiary Park, a seven-acre park downtown – most famous for its topiary interpretation of Georges Seurat’s famous Post-Impressionist painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grand Jatte.
Whether you are looking for a great location to have a picnic, bird watch, fish, revel in the beauty of the trees, learn about gardening, or just sit on a bench and watch the world go by, Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens is the place for you. Make sure to download the Walking Tour App before going.
Head to Alum Creek State Park and walk the Storybook Trail. Storybook Trail is a 1/2 mile long trail that brings books to life for children to learn while exploring the outdoors. We also have a number of Storybook trails around Central Ohio.
Explore a new-to-you part of town.
Step back in time with the turn-of-the-century historic area known as Century Village in Grove City. Make sure you walk over to Fryer Park afterward. They have an awesome space-themed all accessible playground.
Watch planes fly and explore the new space at the OSU Airport.
Read five books and become a part of the Bucketeer Bookworm program at Rusty Bucket. When they finish five books, they earn a complimentary kid’s meal.
Visit the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. You can reserve the Forest Playroom Private Family or grab an adventure backpack and go explore. You can also pre-register for preschool storytime on Thursdays.
Join the world’s largest treasure hunt and search for over 1,784 geocaches around Columbus.
Take a road trip just outside of Dayton and visit the National Museum of the US Air Force.
Check out the Ohio Craft Museum.
Dino slide + a splash pad all in one spot? Yep, Veterans Park Spray & Play in Delaware has just that! This is my blog post from when it FIRST opened. I haven’t been since then – but, am excited to eventually take the girls!
Explore Downtown. Downtown Columbus is walkable, family-friendly, and clean! The Beard and the Baker has five spots you should visit with your kiddos to have a full day of fun in Ohio’s capital city.
Visit Gallant Farm, a representation of a Depression-era farm, in Troy Township. You’ll come across a farmhouse with period furnishings, a barn with historic 1890s timbers, a granary, machine shed and barnyard, demonstration crop fields, vegetable garden, orchard, and pond.
Splash around in the 15,000 square foot Scioto Mile Fountain.
The Naz Playplace in Grove City Church of the Nazarene has a pretty big indoor play area (Ages 4-11).
Take a stroll through the beautiful Park of Roses in Clintonville, which has over 12,000 roses! There is a playground across the parking lot, too! If you’re lucky, the pond will be filled with ducks.
Get a free introductory flight through the Young Eagles program. (Ages 8-17)
Head back to the 1880s at Slate Run Living Historical Farm. Experience first-hand what life was like on an Ohio farm. Stroll through the gardens, barns and farmhouse + visit with pigs, geese, turkeys, Percheron horses and other heirloom animals can be seen.
Seek out the “mommy and me swings” around Columbus.
Explore one of these dinosaur-themed spots.
Rent a kayak or paddleboat at Creekside, or a kayak at Friendship Park –then unplug and enjoy the quiet.
Find the magic of fairies at Smith Nature Park in Upper Arlington.
Check out the Unofficial West Side Ice Cream Trail from What Should We Do in Columbus.
Explore one of the 14 natural splash pads on Columbus for Kids list.
Mark your calendar for open farm day at Sunrise Sanctuary. Open Barn Days are monthly events where they open the Sanctuary to the public, allowing you to visit and get to know the animals on a personal level. This isn’t totally free if you’re over the age of 3, but I had to add it!
Explore all the fun and interactive learning exhibits for any age at COSI.
Explore the Dublin, OH Waterfall Tour. It includes Indian Run Falls, Wedgewood Hills Falls, Glick Park & Overlook, and Hayden Falls.
Challenge the kids on an obstacle course at our Metro Parks.
Step into the 1890’s when Ohio Village reopens for the 2021 season, starting with special Ohio History Connection members’ preview days Weds., June 30–Sun., July 4, then opening to all visitors starting Weds., July 7, for an extended season that runs through Sun., Oct 31.
Experience an adrenaline rush by embarking on a Zipline adventure at ZipZone. Located just 15 minutes north of downtown Columbus, it is the city’s first-ever zip line canopy tour.
Spend the day at Olentangy Caverns exploring a series of caves, natural passages and rooms + go on a treasure hunt, visit with animals, play on an amazing playground and more.
Check out the list of perfect picnic spots from Visit Dublin. Maybe make a bucket list of Dublin Parks to visit this summer.
See the bison at Battelle Darby Creek.
Have a kid that loves fire trucks? Schedule a tour at your local fire station or head downtown to The Central Ohio Fire Museum
Stroll the aisles of Aquarium Adventure and check out the HUGE variety of fishes they have!
Experience the rich history of trains at the Ohio Railway Museum, where you can immerse yourself in a vast collection of railroad artifacts and over 70 years of train history, from old engines to rail cars. Don’t miss the chance to take a ride on the train and see the exhibits up close! The museum is open on Sundays from Noon to 4 pm.
Ever wonder how the ball gets inside the whistle? Take a tour of the American Whistle Corporation to find out.
Take a tour of the Phoenix bat factory in Plain City.
Play a game of miniature golf or take a swing in the batting cages at Westerville Golf.
See the animals at the Columbus Zoo. Make it even more amazing and add a tour or experience.
Head to Lancaster and explore AHA! Hands-On Adventure, A Children’s Museum. They offer 60 hands-on exhibits, in an 8,000 square foot space, perfect for kids ages 6 months to 8 years of age.
Walk downtown to the Short North to see murals from local artists. #artunitescbus
Step into something futuristic at Otherworld. Otherworld is a 32,000 square foot immersive art installation in Columbus. Explore over 40 scenes filled with large-scale art and mixed reality playgrounds.
Take an outdoor adventure to Shale Hollow Park in Lewis Center. This park looks absolutely gorgeous and seems to have some great creeking and hiking spots. You can read all about it + see pictures here.
Check out a culture pass from the Columbus Library and enjoy FREE admission to many of our museums (Art Museum, History Connection, etc.)
Spend the afternoon bouncing at The Bounce Club in Powell. They have Pre-school Open Jump 9:30 am – noon ($10 per hour/$8.50 for siblings)
Go to Oakland Nursery or Groovy Plants Ranch and look at all of their unique plants.
FREE Self-Guided Walking Tours: These are available through the (also free) PocketSights App, and include tours of Old Worthington and Walnut Grove Cemetery. You can download a tour of St. John’s Cemetery from http://worthingtonhistory.org/ as well!
Schedule a quaranTEAM play at Tree of Life and get the place to yourself.
Catch 8 family-friendly movies at one of our Cinemark Theatres during Summer Movie Clubhouse.
With 17 water slides, wave pool, and kid-friendly attractions like Baboon Lagoon, Zoombezi Bay was built to entertain you all day!
Embark on a treasure hunt adventure in the scenic town of Dublin by searching for artist-created vessels called Riverboxes™. These vessels are inspired by the hobbies of letterboxing and geocaching, combining map-reading or GPS skills with artistic pursuits. Don’t forget to grab a Riverboxes Passport Booklet to fully enjoy this activity.
Check out these kid-friendly trails within Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks!
Find these 8 unique attractions around Columbus.
Discover the amazing artwork at the outdoor art gallery located at 934 Gallery.
Have a toddler, check out one of these toddler friendly playgrounds.
Visit Stratford Ecological Center and explore the land, hike the 4 miles of nature trails, visit the livestock, tour the gardens and greenhouses, explore the creek, pond, prairie, and swamps of the State Nature Preserve.
Schedule a private tour of Picture Perfect Ranch in Lancaster. They have miniature horses, alpacas, goats and more.
Jump the day away at Rockin’ Jump, an indoor trampoline park. They even have a dedicated time when parents can have fun with their smaller children.
Watch the the trains travel across over 1,000 feet of track at the Paul Busse Garden Railway or explore the 2-acre garden at Franklin Park Conservatory.
Have a day of Epic LEGO Play at Legoland Discovery Center at Easton.
If you’re craving something sweet, don’t miss out on a tour of the Anthony-Thomas Candy Factory.
Take a tour of The Capitol Square. The complex includes the Ohio Statehouse, Senate Building and Atrium. While guided tours are currently suspended, you are welcome to visit and take a self-guided or cell phone tour.
Grab lunch from one of the awesome restaurants on 4th street and have a picnic at Columbus Commons. Don’t miss the chance to ride the fun carousel while you’re there!
Get your dancing shoes ready because PB & Jazz is BACK. They haven’t released the locations, but a Facebook post says, “Be on the lookout! This summer we are bringing you Pop-Up PBJ & Jazz concerts filled with the live jazz music you know and love. Make sure you’re following us on social media so you’re the first to know when one of these pop-up concerts is showing up!”
Visit one of our local farms and pick berries. We love Hendren Farm Market in Johnstown.
Have a staycation at a local hotel. Make sure it has a pool!