If you follow me on social media – and well here on my blog as well – you know Columbus has really become my second home! Not only do I love the women who live there, they have opened up their arms to me, but I adore the businesses that make visiting a dream!!
Columbus is just about an hour and 45 minutes North of Cincy. It’s an incredible city to escape for the day or the weekend!
Today I am rounding up my favorites (in no particular order) and sharing them with you – Enjoy!
1. Le Meridien Columbus The Joseph
THE place to stay when visiting CBus! I have stayed there twice and both times have been spectacular. The aesthetic, the customer service, the quality…incredible! I love the hotel location in The Short North. It’s in great walking distance of anything and everything! It’s also just a short drive to anywhere you’d need to go! I also LOVE Soul – the bar located in the lobby of the hotel! It’s such a fun vibe! To read more about The Joseph check out my blog post from my stay back in April!
The best blowouts for $40 AND so much more! This might be called the blow out bar-but the list of what they offer is incredible! From braids, to make up, to up dos – they will take care of you! Not only do they have locations in Grandview, Dublin, Short North, & Easton…but they do house calls! So pretty much there’s nothing they can’t do! Gabby from The Blowout Bar totally nailed my braided updo! She came to our hotel and gave us all the perfect sleepover braids!
I will be scheduling a blowout with The Blowout Bar every time I visit Columbus! It’s an easy way to feel & look like a million bucks without breaking the bank!
3. The Candle Lab – Short North location in Columbus & Anderson location here in Cincy
I loooooooove The Candle Lab! At home or in the Short North in Columbus…you’ll find me at The Candle Lab. It’s a fun place where you get to create a one of a kind candle! You come in and sniff out all the scents you enjoy – pick the top 3 you think would come together to make one fabulous candle – melt and mix it all – wait or come back and pick it up! Don’t worry if this sounds a little intimidating. They have plenty of workers there to help you out, or you can even buy candles ready-made! My Candle Lab Candle is burning as I type.
I fell in loooove with this place…like head over JustFab heels…L.O.V.E. The aesthetic in here is incredible. It’s fresh and clean and fun. The customer service is incredible. I’ve visited the location inside the DSW in Polaris. They also have locations in Easton DSW, Short North, & German Village. My manicure was soooo nice! I swear I got a basic manicure but it looked like gels! The perfect day to me would be a blow out at The Blowout Bar & a mani at The W Nail Bar.
This ice cream is incredible – one of my favorites in Columbus! With flavors like pumpkin pie, raspberry swirl, and cashew caramel…just book a room at The Joseph to lay in bed all day and watch Netflix and ice cream.
I looooove chips and salsa & I love Ridiculously Good Salsa! The brand new Zassy’s Tap Room in Grove City is actually serving Ridiculously Good on their menu, in addition to being able to purchase salsa there. I’m so jealous of how ridiculous Ridiculously Good Salsa is in CBus…I need more in Cincinnati!
THE BEST CHOCOLATES! I stocked up on some goodies when I was just in CBus and made sure our Elf On The Shelf delivered them to the boys when she arrived! They absolutely loved them! That sea salted caramel….insanely good!! They have an upcoming short north location that will be opening just after the holidays! But right now you can shop the Dublin location that actually has a room you can sit and enjoy ice cream that is attached to the shop!
My favorite wood wick candles to stock up on! If I didn’t already love these candles for being all natural, the best scents, and having a 50+ hour burn time…I love that they are made by a dad just trying to turn his side hustle into a dream!
Personalized, stamped jewelry. This company comes highly recommended! I recently asked my IG following for jewelry recommendations and multiple people said Red Giraffe! They have locations in Short North, Grandview, German Village, & Easton. You can also shop online. I’ve also shopped them at the Ohio Maker Mart! I loooove my BE KIND bracelet. It reminds me to not only be kind to others, but myself.
AMAZING DOUGHNUTS IN COLUMBUS + locally roasted $1 coffee! They have the most adorable doughnut truck and shop/kitchen. I highly recommend the Crème Brulee doughnut…but none will disappoint! Visit their kitchen on Billingsley Rd today & keep a look out for their future location coming to N. High Street.
I am embarrassed to tell you how many cupcakes I ate in one sitting. Their buttercream frosting is just incredible! My boys absolutely love their scones. Last time I brought them back a box of Mrs. Goodmans goodies and now they wont let me visit Columbus without bringing them back a box of love! Their custom cookies and cakes are soooo amazing. I love following them on Instagram and double tapping their latest creations.
If you have kids… you HAVE to visit COSI! If you don’t have kids…you HAVE to visit COSI! COSI stands for Center of Science & Industry. It is jam packed with science and more! No matter what your age you will have a BLAST visiting COSI. It’s a great reason to plan a trip to Columbus! My favorite exhibits are the classics: life, ocean, space, and most of all progress!!
Can you tell I love Columbus for their sweets? Jeni Britton Bauer is the creator of Jeni’s and a true inspiration. #girlboss You can find Jeni’s all over thankfully! I love that I can pick it up at Whole Foods at home, but when in CBus…I’m hitting the ice cream parlor!
All natural, handcrafted cocktail mixers. Gluten Free & Vegan, these mixers are soooo delicious and fresh. You can find them all over Columbus and here in Cincy right over the river at The Party Source.
This sake & spirit is natural and fresh bottled right in CBus! From the makers of the above Simple Time Mixers, you’ll find similar natural flavor notes. If you enjoy making drinks at your home bar, I highly recommend saving their recipe link to your favorites! It is INCREDIBLE, any drink you can think of categorized by difficulty level. There are tons of local locations where you can find it like Hyde Park Wine & Spirits + The Party Source.
Some of my favorite boneless and classic wings – CBus locations with wings = Graceland, East Broad, Lancaster and coming soon to OSU’s Campus! But their ultimate fries are my weakness! Local Cincy locations include The Liberty Center & Kenwood Town Center.
I have an entire blog post on this gem. It’s an incredible book store located in The German Village. It has 32 rooms of books! It’s amazing. If you love books, you have to check it out! You will fall in love!
This restaurant is lovely. The food is incredible – they have a killer sea food menu – known for their clams & oysters. They also have a typical kids menu and burgers + for those who don’t love seafood. My favorite thing about this place was the check coming in a book.
Think Korean Chipotle…I can’t say I’m obsessed enough! I had this for the first time in CBus last month and as soon as I got home I door dash-ed it from the Clifton location. It’s sooooo delicious. I’m half tempted to door dash it right now. Derrek and I actually have this on our weekly menu rotation. We have a problem.
I love this downtown park! Derrek and I did an Epilepsy walk through the park back in April. With a summer splash fountain, performance pavilion, and park restaurant…there’s so much to do and see! There’s free Wifi at the park so you can upload all your IG photos of the beautiful river view! Check out their winter brochure here.
Another amazing jewelry creator from the 614. This amazing mom of 4 creates some beautiful pieces. I have a beautiful beaded necklace that I wear on the daily.
22. TRU MAN BRAND
Mom boss goals right here!! I absolutely lovvve these tshirts! The hubs and I have matching Xavier tees from Truman that are sooooo soft! I also have a Bengals tee that I would wear more often if the Bengals weren’t so cringy. I loooove all of her “OH so good” tees that change through the seasons – the best Ohio gear!
23. Lego Land Discovery Center
This place is a BLAST!! It is so much fun for kids and adults. It’s located right inside Easton Mall – but I promise you feel like you’re inside a world of your own! If you’re from Cincy I totally think it’s worth the trip up to Columbus. It looks like they have a lot of fun stuff planned now through March for the New Lego Movie coming out!
This is one of my favorite zoos! We came up to Columbus for the first time when Jax was just a few months old and took the boys to the zoo. They had a blast and so did Derrek and I! They even have a water park next door! One of my personal favorite things about this zoo? It’s like all flat land – compared to Cincy at least! I absolutely loved not having to stop and catch my breath walking around all day!
I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t tell you where to get coffee in CBus! My mom and I went to Stauf’s when we were in the German Village visiting The Book Loft. It was so perfect. This coffee shop is absolutely adorable! The coffee is fantastic and my mom keeps talking about it to this day. I can’t wait to head back up and buy some beans.
Did your favorite Columbus find make the list? I could honestly continue this list forever – Columbus has some incredible talent & FUN!
Comment below and let me know what I’m missing out on!
