Kick off your Columbus landmark tour with a photo in front of City Hall standing next to the giant statue of the city's namesake, Christopher Columbus. Not far away, you'll find historical landmarks to entertain, enchant and educate modern day explorers, from school kids and scrapbookers to budding politicians and history enthusiasts.
Handsome, Stately Architecture
Stroll the well-manicured Capitol Square grounds where war memorials, peace tributes and one of the city's notable Christopher Columbus statues stands in the shadow of the massive, marble-clad Ohio Statehouse. Keep your photo ID handy&emdash;you'll need it for entry to a statehouse tour. Despite the building's age and sober majesty, modern technology makes the tours exciting via audio wands, cellphone narration and guided podcast tours. Check out the holiday light show during the Christmas season and the Haunted Statehouse tours hosted each autumn through Halloween.
Deco Design on the Skylinee
You can't miss the refined, Art Deco lines of LeVeque Tower accenting the downtown Columbus skyline. Standing tall on the banks of the Scioto River since the mid-1920s, it was once called The Citadel. Use your camera zoom to spot statues of eagles and mythological creatures up high on the building's facade. Recent restoration and reconstruction has brought business, retail and lodging to the building, but you can still catch a glimpse of its early opulence in the Palace Theatre, located at the base of the Tower.
History in Repose
Slip away from the hustle and bustle of sightseeing to the quiet acres of Green Lawn Cemetery. Tucked among the ornate crypts, tombstones and towering trees are graves of famous locals, including the WWI flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker and the beloved humorist and author James Thurber. Five miles further east, the tiny, two-acre Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery is a somber memorial to Civil War history, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can pay your respects from sunrise to sunset on weekdays.
A Neighborhood Nod to the Past
Dive into 200 years of history in the German Village Historic District. Pick up a neighborhood map at the Visitor Center in the German Village Society Meeting Haus before browsing the boutiques, galleries and tree-lined streets of the revitalized neighborhood. Stop by Juergens German Bakery & Restaurant for schnitzel, strudel, coffee and a large helping of that Old World charm.
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