Chicago: 5-6 hours from Columbus
- Drinks and Dining: Giordano’s offers authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza as well as standard pizzas, salads and sandwiches.
- Shopping: Michigan Avenue is great for department and chain stores, but head over to Wicker Park and Bucktown to find trendy boutiques and vintage clothing stores.
- Arts and Culture: The Museum of Science and Industry features interactive science exhibits and experiences and is great for all ages.
- Recreation: Navy Pier is home to museums, theaters, shopping, restaurants and a new, even-more-giant Ferris wheel coming this summer.
Nashville: 6 hours from Columbus
- Drinks and Dining: Frothy Monkey started out as a coffeehouse concept, but now has multiple locations offering breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks.
- Shopping: Hill Center Green Hills is a comfortable outdoor shopping experience with both an upscale and Main Street atmosphere.
- Arts and Culture: Cheekwood Botanical Gardens is home to seven different gardens as well as the Cheekwood Museum of Art, housed in a Georgian-style mansion.
- Recreation: The Country Music Hall of Fame contains exhibits exploring the lives of famous country singers from Charley Pride to Eric Church.
St. Louis: 6 hours from Columbus
- Drinks and Dining: Pappy’s Smokehouse offers Memphis-style barbecue, complete with four different original sauces to choose from.
- Shopping: The Delmar Loop is home to over 140 shops, including restaurants, galleries, clothing boutiques and gift shops. The loop also contains the St. Louis Walk of Fame and entertainment venues.
- Arts and Culture: St. Louis Art Museum features over 15 different collections as well as newly acquired art from the late C.C. Johnson Spink and Edith “Edie” Spink.
- Recreation: The classic Gateway Arch offers a ride up to the top of the arch for a view of the whole city and riverboat cruises on the Mississippi River.
Toronto: 6-7 hours from Columbus
- Drinks and Dining: As one of Toronto’s finest hidden gems, Rose and Sons Diner is the perfect restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It offers a wide variety of foods as well as a selection of cocktails, wine and milkshakes.
- Shopping: The Queen West district is home to alternative, trendy and local boutiques specializing in upscale interior shops and clothing.
- Arts and Culture: The Royal Ontario Museum is one of the leading museums in history and global culture in the world, offering 10-plus exhibitions and galleries at all times throughout the year.
- Recreation: Toronto’s theater district offers a variety of plays with more reasonable prices than New York City’s Broadway.
Washington, D.C.: 6-7 hours from Columbus
- Drinks and Dining: Fiola, located right in the heart of the city, is one of D.C.’s finest Italian restaurants and has a nationally recognized wine program.
- Shopping: Tysons Corner Center is one of the largest shopping malls in the U.S. and has more than 300 stores and restaurants.
- Arts and Culture: The National Gallery of Art displays different types of art from the Middle Ages to the present, with a sculpture garden outside.
- Recreation: Smithsonian’s National Zoo features 1,800 animals from 300 different species, and is free to visit.
Baltimore: 6-7 hours from Columbus
- Drinks and Dining: Miss Shirley’s offers Southern-style breakfast, brunch and lunch. It takes pride in fresh ingredients from the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland.
- Shopping: Harborplace, the shopping area on the Inner Harbor, features a variety of chic stores for the whole family.
- Arts and Culture: Mount Vernon, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, is home to tons of history, museums, galleries, shops and restaurants
- Recreation: The Baltimore Inner Harbor has boat tours, trolley tours, walking paths, the National Aquarium, museums and more right on the water.
Philadelphia: 7 hours from Columbus
- Drinks and Dining: Continental Midtown, one of many Starr Restaurants in the Philadelphia area, focuses on salad, sandwiches and small plates for any meal of the day.
- Shopping: The Old City District, known as America’s most historic square mile, is home to home decor, antique and accessory shops as well as local clothing boutiques.
- Arts and Culture: The Reading Terminal Market, located right in downtown Philadelphia, has more than 50 unique vendors who sell almost every type of cuisine. There is an entire corner dedicated to Amish merchants from Lancaster County.
- Recreation: Iconic LOVE Park, home to the LOVE sculpture, is a great place for a photo op or to grab a bite from a local food truck.
Charlotte: 7 hours from Columbus
- Drinks and Dining: Blue Restaurant & Bar is a popular, swanky restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine.
- Shopping: NoDa, Charlotte’s historic art and entertainment district, is a diverse area similar to the Short North with local boutiques and art galleries.
- Arts and Culture: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, named one of the nation’s 20 Great Gardens by HGTV, has spectacular fountains, gardens and a conservatory featuring tropical plants and orchids.
- Recreation: Carowinds, a Cedar Fair amusement park, has rides, shows and attractions for the whole family.
Atlanta: 8-9 hours from Columbus
- Drinks and Dining: Empire State South offers a modern approach to authentic Southern cuisine for coffee or any meal of the day.
- Shopping: Phipps Plaza is home to more upscale stores than a typical mall and offers shopping for all ages.
- Arts and Culture: The historic Fox Theatre is a great place to see a Broadway show, concert or movie.
- Recreation: Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the U.S. and has thousands of different species throughout its 10 million-gallon tanks.
Zoe Zeid is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
