Aw, poor Columbus, they don't have a professional football team… And guess what? No one here needs one or wants one. And why would you when you have the Buckeyes to root for? Go Bucks!
Locals call it C-Bus, or Cbus. As in Im gonna hop over to C-Bus tonight to grab dinner on the Short North.” Add it to your phones dictionary immediately.
Oh, you didnt know? Columbus was named in “Forbes” Travel Guides “Five Secret Foodie Cities”. Some of the hot spots mentioned are Cameron Mitchells The Pearl, North Market, Jenis, and Rigsbys Kitchen. And that barely scratches the surface.
Youve not truly had ice cream until youve had Jenis. Hand-crafted ice cream from grass fed cows? Yes, please. The flavors at Jenis are ever-changing, like sweet potato with torched marshmallows, middle west whiskey eggnog, rum ball and buttercup pumpkin with amaretti cookies—its no wonder everyone in Columbus is raging about Jenis all the time.
Yes, its acceptable to do this anywhere, anytime. At a game, in your home, in the grocery store, alone in your car, etc. These beautiful four letters are also well suited for spelling with your arms, so if youre looking to prove your loyalty, grab three friends or people off the street and Instragram it.
Dont forget the “THE.” Its not Ohio State University, its THE Ohio State University. Got it? Good.
Between the Wex, the Columbus Museum of Art, the galleries on the Short North, the Columbus Arts Festival and the Ohio and Palace Theatres, Columbus is bursting at the seams with great art. While everyone knows about the Short North gallery hops, dont forget to check out Grandview, Franklinton and Olde Towne East. There are terrific artists and mind-blowing art all over the city.
Preferably not at all. Just dont. Columbusites dont take kindly to that. Obviously.
When the Buckeyes play, the party before the game is as much a sport as the game itself. Tailgating in Columbus is epic. If youve never been, you MUST do some tailgating and when you hear someone yell “O-H,” always respond enthusiastically with “I-O,” lest the Buckeye fans become suspicious that youre a Wolverine sleeper agent.
Columbus loves festivals. Not just the Ohio State Fair, the Columbus Arts Festival and the huge Pride Festival, which Ive already mentioned, but theres the Dublin Irish Festival, Columbus Food Truck Festival, Greek Festival, Asian Festival, Ohiolina Music Festival, MatsuriCon and every other kind of festival you can imagine.
Every year at the Ohio State Fair they have a butter display in a gigantic glass cooler - and every year the butter display has a life-sized cow and calf. The display varies from year to year in themes, but the cow and calf are always there. The butter display is a Columbus pride and joy. Its even more magnificent in the flesh.
Columbus loves Arnold Schwarzenegger and he loves Columbus right back. Why? Because Columbus was the site where he won the Mr. World title at the Veterans Memorial in 1970. Columbus is also home to the Arnold Sports Festival & Fitness Expo and in 2012 they unveiled their love for him in a big way: with a gorgeous 8-foot tall, 600-pound bronze statue in his physical prime.
Columbus is the capital of Ohio. You knew this already though, right? You definitely learned this in high school. One would think there would be no need to explain this, except that people have to be reminded of this fact all the time.
Columbus doesnt get the attention it deserves for being a big city. Its a lot larger than you think. In fact, its the 15th largest city in the country with a population of 810,000. Thats bigger than Portland, Denver, Atlanta and Miami. Think about that. *mind blown*
In case you didnt hear, In 2013 Columbus was named ‘The Most Intelligent City in America by the Intelligent Communities Forum. Plus, its constantly ranked in education. Yes, theyre a bunch of smarty pants, and dont forget it.
Columbus has one of the largest LBGTQA populations in the world, with one of the largest pride parades in the midwest. Last year George Takei was the Grand Marshall at the Columbus Pride Parade. How awesome is that?
Not in the traditional sense, but theres a drainage tunnel beneath High Street called The Blood Bowl and the steel cage in front of it is the Gates Of Hell. It just is. Legend is that there was a murder there, so if youre going to check it out, all there is to say is: “Mwa-ha-HA!”
The Doo Dah Parade is an awesome parody of life parade that happens every July fourth. Its a huge celebration of everything satirical.. It was modeled after the Pasadena, CA Doo Dah Parade, which pretty much just makes fun of the Rose Bowl Parade. Its hard to describe. Just go and experience it for yourself. Secret Note: The judges are bribable.
Sure, you can get towed in any city, but its more likely to happen here. The parking situation can be frustrating at times and tow truck companies are fantastic at their jobs. Parking illegally at any time will get you towed, but during a game? Yeah, thats pretty much a guarantee that your cars getting towed.
It gets a little crazy when the Blue Jackets play. They love their NHL professional ice hockey team. Youve been warned.
Columbus is home to the White Castle headquarters and if youve not had a White Castle slider, you must do so in Columbus. It starts with a steamed bun, add a 100% beef patty and garnish with pickles and onions. Theres also a cheese slider, a double cheese slider, a bacon cheese slider….and if youre not hurtin afterwards, youre not doing it right.
Want to walk through a painting? The Topiary Park is a seven-acre park in downtown, famous for its topiary interpretation of Georges Seurats famous Post-Impressionist painting ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grand Jatte. Take a surreal stroll.
There is a reason Columbus locals are crazy smart. For seven years in a row the Columbus Metro Library has been given a five star rating by the Library Journal. The main library is a huge, glorious building meant to be explored for days on end.
Youre gonna crave the beer here, but it wont be a problem. Theres 14 breweries, countless bars and eateries that serve local brews and even a couple places to get all the fixings to make your own homebrew, in case you want to join in.
Crew SC is a Columbus pride and joy. Grab your yellow and black and scream like a banshee to fit into the Crew crew. They play at the first professional stadium made specifically for soccer in the U.S., the Columbus Crew Stadium.
CD102.5 is hands-down the best radio station in Columbus. Thats because its independently owned and operated, supports local music and puts on low-cost concerts and cultural events to help expand the indie music scene. If it wasnt for them, Columbus would be missing a lot of their indie live music—and that would be unacceptable.
The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium has over 9,000 animals and over 2 million visitors annually and the reason is clear - its mind blowing. USA Travel Guide agrees, since it named it the number one zoo in the country in 2009. Then in 2012 it was named the best zoo by Besties Readers Choice. The people have spoken.
Columbus knows how to party in general, but they truly show their party spirit during the Fourth of July with Red, White & BOOM! Theres a parade, a childrens park, Arena Districts Taste of BOOM, several stages of music, the largest and most spectacular fireworks display in Ohio and then a bangin after party.
Theres nothing better than the smell of fresh donuts frying, unless its the smell of fresh donuts frying at 3 am after a night of partying and drinking. Oh yeah. Heaven. The buckeye donut is incredible. Its tastes just like a buckeye candy, but with fried dough and whipped frosting.
When talking about Ohios 3 Cs in Columbus - Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati - Columbus is the absolute best. Do not try to debate the fact. Just ask anyone amongst the scores of transplants whove moved from Cleveland and Cincinnati to the heart of Ohio to give you the reasons why. What have you had to explain to out-of-towners about Columbus? Tell us in the comments below!
