Home of Ohio State University. Check. One of Business Week's Top 50 Cities in 2012. Got it. Pronounced the Most Intelligent City in America by the Intelligent Communities Forum in 2013. Wow! There's no question that Columbus, Ohio, is one of the best surprises the Midwest has to offer -- but what may matter to some more than any statistic or accolade is that it's one cool place for kids. Take them to this city named for Christopher Columbus and let them discover a Midwestern world of excitement.
The downtown Columbus Center of Science and Industry, or COSI, aims to inspire the next generation of great thinkers and dreamers. The 320,000-square-foot facility can keep children engaged -- at length. Possibly the only thing that will pull them away from driving a Mars rover or making an industrial robot dance is promising a trip to one of the crown jewels of American zoos, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, on the northern outskirts of Columbus in Powell. Known around the world through the efforts of TV personality and former zoo director "Jungle Jack" Hanna, this zoo includes attractions such as the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park, Jungle Jack's Landing amusement park, Dinosaur Island and more than 9,000 of the Earth's creatures representing 650 species.
At Art With Anna -- a Columbus child-geared art studio that engages young visitors through classes, camps and events -- skill doesn't matter, process does. Its "Saturday Studio Art" morning program and themed summer art camps accept one-day drop-ins, which can work well for visitors to the city with budding artists in tow. At Topiary Park, the world's only topiary re-creation of a famous painting can be viewed year-round, dawn to dusk. Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" comes to life -- in the plant-life sense -- throughout this magical outdoor space near the Columbus Museum of Art. Don't forget to show young members of your party the painting first. Much livelier entertainment is found at the award-winning Columbus Children's Theatre. In addition to an annual series totaling 10 play and musical productions, CCT provides American Sign Language interpretation and special performances for audiences with autism or other sensory-sensitivity disorders.
At Grand Prix Karting, racing is not limited to riders age 14 and older. The experience also includes junior karting for speedsters as young as 8 and a separate Tiny Tike Racer track for children from 4 to 7 years of age. Each driver is given a safety briefing before being suited up in safety gear. At Hocking Hills Canopy Tours in Rockbridge, about 40 minutes southeast of Columbus, the Dragonfly course for youngsters 5 to 12 years of age involves eight zip lines and four adventure bridges. A state-of-the-art safety system keeps little ones connected and subject to no transfers. There are two Magic Mountain locations in Columbus, with only slight variations in available attractions at these pay-as-you-go fun parks. Turn the kids loose for bumper boats, laser tag, sprint karts, magic track go-karts, batting cages, video arcades and climbing playlands.
If robots and rhinos and karting and zipping grow old, activate the backup plan. Expose them to more curious fare. If they're not too young to handle a bit of fright and you visit Columbus in June, gather your little goblins and head to the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Hyatt Regency for the Midwest Haunters Convention. The largest Halloween convention in the U.S. frightens the welcomed public with 60,000 square feet of displays, a Bloody Mary Monster Makeup Wars Competition and a Monster Masquerade Party that includes a Ms. Midwest Scary Pageant. Or, take them on a tour of the American Whistle Corp. where they'll be shown how the ball gets inside the whistle. They'll leave with a shiny American Classic metal whistle -- particularly loud and shrill, so you may want to make this your last stop before heading out of town.
