Itineraries

Arts & Culture Itinerary

Columbus Arts & Culture Horticulture Itinerary

Experience the best of the arts in Columbus, Ohio’s largest city. See masterpieces by Degas and Chihuly, along with a one-of-a-kind re-creation of a famous painting in topiary.

Day One

Explore the Topiary Garden, the world’s only painting re-created in topiary. Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” is brought to life with 54 topiary people, eight boats, three dogs, a monkey and a cat.

Next, see a garden created out of glass sculpture at Franklin Park Conservatory. “Fiori: A Chihuly Garden of Glass,” Oct. 7-Feb. 25, features renowned artist Dale Chihuly’s brilliantly colored blown glass shapes. Works by Chihuly are on display year-round, as this is the world’s only public botanical garden with a permanent Chihuly collection.

Seldom viewed masterpieces will be featured in “ Edgar Degas: The Last Landscapes,” Oct. 13- Jan. 21 at the Columbus Museum of Art. Known more for his paintings of dancers and bathers, Degas captures the beauty of the seaside resort of Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme on the northern French coast. Enjoy lunch amid artwork at the museum’s Palette Café.

Explore another of Columbus’ acclaimed visual art centers, Riffe Gallery, located across from the Ohio Statehouse. Operated by the Ohio Arts Council, it showcases the work of Ohio’s artists and curators, including “Fashion on the Ohio Frontier: 1790-1840” Nov. 9-Jan. 7.

Create your own wine and taste-test up to 48 varieties at Camelot Cellars in the Short North Arts District, home to art galleries, boutiques and several of the city’s top restaurants. After it ferments (anywhere from six to eight weeks), you can return to bottle the wine and even design your own labels.

Spend the night at The Columbus, A Renaissance Hotel. The newly remodeled hotel is in the heart of downtown, walking distance from restaurants and theaters showcasing the city’s performing arts groups.

Day Two

Enjoy breakfast at the North Market, a historic public market filled with fresh food, ethnic eateries and flowers. Meet Ohio farmers and browse just-picked produce at the weekly farmers’ market—one of many held spring through fall in Central Ohio.

For more arts and culture happenings in Columbus visit www.experiencecolumbus.com.

For a downloadable version of this itinerary in .pdf format, click here.