Columbus/Northwest
Columbus/Northwest is the area north of Interstate 70 and west of Interstate 71, in Columbus, Ohio. Included in this area are Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington, Worthington, Dublin, Powell and Hillard neighborhoods.
Get in
By bus
- 🌍 Greyhound Station, 111 East Town St, ☏ +1 614 228-2266. 24 hours a day.
By car
Major highways include I-71 & Rte. 315 (north and south), I-70 & I-670 (east and west), and the outer-belt, I-270. US Routes 33, 23, and 40 also converge downtown.
By plane
- 🌍 John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH IATA), 4600 International Gateway, ☏ +1 614 239-4083. Direct flights to most major American cities. Aside from rental cars, the airport can also be reached by the #92 bus, or by taxi. A taxi ride to downtown is only 10 minutes and will cost approximately $25. Depending on your schedule and where you are connecting to, it may be worthwhile to check flights to Dayton as well, as they are often cheaper.
Get around
By car
The area between I-71 and I-270 outerbelt has numerous exits into this area. The roads are well maintained and traffic is acceptable, other than during rush hour when people are going to and leaving work. If you are not familiar with the area, you may want to sit it out during that period. There are plenty of diversions.
By bus
The COTA bus service, while not by any standard one of the greatest in the nation, can take you to most important places in the city, which should be about 5 blocks away from any conceivable location you need to go to. This service costs $2 for an express bus and $1.50 for a normal bus. Transfers are free; ask for one from the bus driver when you pay your fare. They are available at the Columbus International Airport.
By foot
Northwest Columbus is largely suburban sprawl. The size of the area is vast and the individual neighborhoods are often poorly connected for those on foot, with busy sidewalk less roads and highways acting as a significant barrier. Despite this, there is growing attention to pedestrian accessibility, and many of the older areas that were absorbed by the city have very walkable cores.
See
- 🌍 MAPFRE Stadium (Columbus Crew Stadium) (Adjacent to Ohio Historical Society off of I-71.). Home to the Columbus Crew MLS Soccer Club, and the first soccer specific stadium in modern American Major League Soccer. Also hosts big-name concerts.
- 🌍 Ohio Village, 1982 Velma Ave, ☏ +1 419 297-2300. A re-created 19th-century village next to the Ohio Historical Center.
- 🌍 Ohio Historical Center, 1982 Velma Ave, ☏ +1 614 297-2300.
- 🌍 Le Poilu (The Continent). A statue from France located in a former high end outdoor mall that was modeled after a European village. The site is now overgrown, and semi-abandoned, making walking around it ideal for legal Urbex. Less safe then most Columbus areas, but the movie theater and a few stores are still around.
- 🌍 Park of Roses (Whetstone Park), 3923 N High St (East side of High St in Clintonville). One of the largest public rose gardens in the U.S. with more than 12,000 rose specimens. Free.
- 🌍 Adena Conical Burial Mound (Campbell Mound State Memorial) (close to 270 W and I 70 intersection on Montgomery St.). 20 feet high - 100 feet in diameter. Woodlands Period about 1,000 BC - 700 AD.
Do
- 🌍 Budweiser Plant Tour, 700 Schrock Rd. Watch the brewing, bottling, and packaging processes.
- 🌍 The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, 9990 Riverside Dr, ☏ +1 614 645-3400. The zoo has a great collection of endangered species, including manatees, cheetahs, kangaroos and lowland gorillas. TThe Asia Quest exhibit has Siberian tigers, sun bears and Pallas cats.
- 🌍 Ohio Expo Center, 717 E 17th Ave. Home to the Ohio State Fair. Each month, a variety of shows, expositions and competitions are held at the Ohio Expo Center, over 175 events per year. These range from shopping for antiques to boxing, there is something for everyone at the Ohio Expo Center.
Buy
- 🌍 Polaris Fashion Place, 1500 Polaris Parkway. West (Off of I-71 @ Polaris), ☏ +1 614 846-1500. A high end shopping complex, with many luxury good stores.
- 🌍 The Mall at Tuttle Crossing (Tuttle Crossing Blvd. at I-270). A 980,000 square foot mall with over 120 stores and a food court.
Eat
Budget
- Aladdin's Eatery (Grandview, High St, & Dublin locations). Mediterranean fusion. Healthy, fresh, and priced well.
- 🌍 New India Restaurant, 5226 Bethel Center Mall, ☏ +1 614 442-7705. Lunch and dinner: daily; Sunday brunch. Indian cuisine, chicken tikka, chicken marsala, tandoori chicken, saag paneer, lamb bhuna. Children's menu; cocktails. Entrees: $6.95-$13.95.
Mid-range
- 🌍 Amul India, 5871 Sawmill Rd, ☏ +1 614 734-1600. Northern Indian cuisine, chicken tikka, masala, lamb korma. Lunch buffet and dinner: daily. Cocktails. Entrees: $7.99-14.99. Their buffet is hard to beat.
- 🌍 Jimmy V's Grandview, 1788 West 5th Ave, ☏ +1 614 487-1717. $8.50-18.00.
- 🌍 MCL Restaurant & Bakery Kingsdale, 3160 Kingsdale Shopping Center. Upper Arlington, ☏ +1 614 457-5786, +1 614 457-1625 (Carryout). M-Sa 11AM-8:30PM, Su 10:45AM-8PM.
- 🌍 Thai Orchid Restaurant, 7654 Sawmill Rd, ☏ +1 614-792-1112. Pad Thai, green curry. Lunch and dinner: daily. No children's menu. Cocktails. Entrees: $7.25-12.95.
Splurge
- 🌍 Hunan Lion, 2000 Bethel Rd, ☏ +1 614 459-3933.
- 🌍 The Refectory, 1092 Bethel Rd, ☏ +1 614 451-9774.
Sleep
Budget
- 🌍 Red Roof Inn Columbus-West, 5001 Renner Rd, ☏ +1 614-878-9245.
- 🌍 Comfort Suites, 5547 Keim Circle, ☏ +1 614 870-7658, fax: +1 614 878-8366. Easy access to downtown Columbus, shops, restaurants and movie theater within the area. Secure Online Reservations.
- 🌍 Comfort Inn North, 1213 E. Dublin Granville Rd, ☏ +1 614 885-4084, fax: +1 614 885-9280.
- 🌍 Econo Lodge North Columbus, 6125 Zumstein Dr, ☏ +1 614 436-0800, fax: +1 614 436-0833.
- 🌍 Quality Inn & Suites North/Polaris, 7500 Vantage Dr, ☏ +1 614 436-0556.
- 🌍 Super 8 by Wyndham Columbus West, 5655 Feder Rd (W of I-270 and N of I-70), ☏ +1 614 335-4681.
- 🌍 Quality Inn & Suites North Columbus, 1001 Schrock Rd, ☏ +1 614 431-0208, fax: +1 614 433-9766.
Mid-range
- 🌍 Clarion Hotel & Suites Conference Center Columbus, 900 E. Dublin-Granville Rd., ☏ +1 614 888-7440, fax: +1 614 888-7879. An upscale hotel providing affordable accommodations to both leisure and business travelers visiting Columbus - situated near Historic Worthington and downtown Columbus. Secure Online Reservations.
- 🌍 Hawthorn Suites Columbus West, 5505 Keim Circle (Just North of I-70 and W of I-270), ☏ +1 614 853-6199. The Hawthorn Suites, Columbus West, is designed to make your stay more comfortable. Each tastefully appointed suite has a living room area which features a pull-out twin sofa sleeper, a television, an ergonomic chair and voice mail plus a work desk and data lamp.
- 🌍 The Timbrook Guesthouse, 5811 Olentangy River Road, ☏ +1 614 634 2166. Bed & Breakfast established in 1988 featuring a tropical aviary.
Splurge
- 🌍 Columbus Marriott Northwest, 5605 Blazer Pkwy, ☏ +1 614 791-1000, fax: +1 614 791-1001.
- 🌍 Doubletree Hotel Columbus / Worthington, 175 Hutchinson Avenue, ☏ +1 614 885-3334, fax: +1 614 846-4353.
Stay safe
Hospitals
- 🌍 Riverside Hospital, 3535 Olentangy River Rd, ☏ +1 614 566-5000. Consistently named the hospital of choice by central Ohio residents