Your Columbus Experience

By Bill Malcolm*

April 2, 2026

Columbus skyline

Columbus, Ohio is an amazing, surprising city with much to like for the LGBTQ traveler. Two great neighborhoods with tons of gay bars, great restaurants, fun hotels, and incredible attractions.

Orientation

The Short North Arts District as well as Italian Village are just north of downtown and home to much of the LGBTQ community.

Downtown, the Arena District, and Franklintown are also fun. Try Pizza at Slammers and test your karaoke skills. Nearby is the District West which has lots of fun shows. Check out the AWOL leather bar too. Charmy's Market has a great salad bar and local treats. You will find them at 95 N. Grant.

German Village south of downtown is yet another gayborhood. I like the Club Diversity, Boscoes (which has dancers Sunday nights), and the Cavan Irish Pub (owned by AWOL).

Do

Visit the new Prototype: The Experimental Museum in the Brewery District. I walked to it from the new Scotio River Trail. The museum is "trying out" exhibits for museums around the world and is very interactive and high tech. They even have a bar! It is interactive, edgy, and just plain fun. Cutting edge digital works, kinetic art, immersive films, sound studios, and sensory illusion are among the exhibits according to "Ohio-The Heart of it all" 2026 guide. It is a must!

The Franklin Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

The Franklin Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is another must. Just east of downtown, they have indoor and outdoor gardens. Plus Chihuly, a butterfly garden and more.

The Columbus Museum of Art

The Columbus Museum of Art has a new "Queer/Modern" exhibit highlighting the artistic subcultures that flourished in nineteenth century America and Europe. You will see how queer artists shaped modern art. Not to be missed. The East of the Pacific: Making Histories of Asian American Art is also now open as an exhibit. Plus, an excellent restaurant which includes outdoor dining. Also, just a mile east of downtown.

The new Pizzuti Museum across from Goodale Park is a must in the Short North. It also features a speak easy bar.

Nightlife

The Sunday beer bust at AWOL was fun and featured a leathery crowd.

The iconic Union Cafe in Short North (just north of downtown) is the original video bar. Across the street is the dance bar,  the Axis Nightclub.

German Village south of downtown also features a ton of gay bars including LIST HERE.

Stay

I always stay at the Hyatt Regency downtown (350 N. High). Just steps to the bars and restaurants in the Short North, the service is second to none, the rooms quiet and spotless, and no pesky resort or destination fee like some Hyatt's have. Bargain hunters will like the Red Roof Plus which steps away and downtown.

Eat

Named one of the 10 best food cities in the U.S. by Conde Nast Traveler, Columbus is a foodie's heaven.

The So Cal Kitchen and Bar (705 N. High, socalkichenandbar.com) in the Short North is excellent. Try the green goddess salad, the carna asada (chile rubbed skirt steak, chimichurri, grilled onion, peppers, and sweet potatoes) plus the coconut sorbet.

The Budd Dairy Food Hall in Italian Village was excellent. It has a rooftop bar as well plus ten fast casual original restaurants.

The North Market in Short North is also great and is the original farmers market food hall/public market and is celebrating its 150th birthday. Independent merchants, farmers, and "makers" make for a vibrant scene.

Charmy's Market has a great salad bar and lots of local and organic treats. You will find them at 95 N. Grant.

Tips

I took the COTA bus everywhere. Just $2. The CMAX rapid line runs every 15 minutes.

I took United, my new favorite airline, to John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH). United now offers free Wi-Fi for Mileage Plus members. The service is excellent and the staff top notch.

The airport is just 10 minutes east of downtown, it is an easy Lyft or Uber trip, or you can take the COTA bus for $2.

The Buckeye Flame is the online news.

614 is the free monthly magazine.

The Stonewall Community Center in Short North has lots of events.

For more information

Experience Columbus has a new funky visitor center in the Short North right on High Street. Stop by for ideas of where to go. Their website is experiencecolumbus.com. Or outincbus.com.

You cannot beat a hipster college town - a Midwest icon. The biggest city in Ohio is worth a long weekend or more.

*Bill Malcolm is North America's only syndicated LGBTQ value travel columnist. He pays his own way (hotel and air) and avoids hotels, rental car companies, and airlines with resort fees/amenity fees/destination fees or other junk charges. He walks, takes transit, or bicycles to get a real feel of the city.

About the Author

Bill Malcolm Bill Malcolm is North America's only syndicated travel columnist. He focuses on value and pays his own way. He takes local transit and seeks to go where the locals go. He has appeared 100 times in LGBTQ publications and on websites including the IGLTA travel blog. You can find his work in GRAB Chicago, Erie Gay News, Seattle Gay News, and other places. He does this as a volunteer and does not charge for his work. He boycotts hotels and hotel chains with resort fees, amenity fees, destination fees, and other made up junk charges. He resides in Indianapolis. Follow him on Facebook.