There’s more to Columbus than Ohio State, the city’s justifiably famous university. Columbus is the sort of city whose roots burrow deep into the American psyche, where fairs bring families together, festivals celebrate our essence and one of the world’s best zoos endlessly fascinates.
Here’s some of that’s happening there:
- Through Aug. 5 the Ohio State Fair holds sway over the imagination of Buckeye State citizens everywhere. It’s the 159th edition of the institution. Sports, fine arts and free stages replete with hypnotists, magicians and entertainment for the kids keep things moving. Food you say? There are more than 175 vendors. Then, of course, there’s the midway, home to 60 rides and innumerable memories.
- Aug. 3 – 5 nearby Dublin, Ohio hosts the 25th Dublin Irish Festival. There are seven stages of Celtic entertainment from which to choose. Returning favorites and fresh new artists are there to regale some 100,000 folks with everything from traditional tunes to Celtic rock. If the soundtrack to the festival is quintessentially Celtic, so too are the sports. Darts are always a draw, as are the highland games. That’s where you’ll see some really strong guys stone put, hammer toss and caber toss. A caber, for the uninitiated, is a really big wooden pole.
- The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium ranks right up there with the world’s best. Home to more than 9,000 critters representing 650 species from around the globe, it’s the animals’ habitats that make this place so special. See a polar bear swim above your head, meet a gorilla family and be amazed by gentle manatees. One of the newest exhibits is Stingray Bay. That’s where kids and parents get to touch the graceful creatures as they glide effortlessly in an 18,000 saltwater pool. So is it safe? Yeah, they’ve been carefully de-barbed.
(Image: Paula~Koala)
