Unusual Things To Do In Columbus Ohio

So, you’ve done the usual Columbus loop. You’ve walked the Scioto Mile, you’ve stared at the corn in the North Market, and you’ve survived a trip down Morse Road without losing a hubcap. You’re ready for something that feels less like a checklist and more like a fever dream.

Welcome to the weird, wonderful underbelly of Ohio’s capital. Here, the ordinary gets a twist of lemon and maybe a splash of fake blood.

Talk to the Paper Man at the Book Loft

You have to go to the German Village Book Loft at least once, but don’t just buy a postcard. Find the corner of the basement where the shelves feel like they’re leaning in to whisper secrets.

There, tucked between a dusty copy of Paradise Lost and a guide to taxidermy, is a life-sized cardboard cutout of a man holding a newspaper. Locals call him Frank. Say hello to him. I’m not joking. People leave him little notes, small toys, and once, someone put sunglasses on him. He’s the most popular guy in the store, and he never asks for your zip code.

Get Your Fortune Told by a Vending Machine

You’ll find it at the Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace downtown, wedged between the pinball machine and the condiment station. It’s not a Zoltar machine from Big. It’s a clunky, 1980s-era card dispenser that spits out fortunes so specific they’ll creep you out.

I once pulled a card that read: “Your next pet will have a bad attitude.” My cat, who was currently biting my ankle, nodded in agreement. It costs a quarter, and the prediction will haunt you for at least a week. It’s cheaper than therapy and twice as weird.

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Find the Giant, Creepy Baby Heads in Franklinton

Drive down West Broad Street on a Tuesday evening. You’ll see them: massive, concrete baby heads staring into the soul of the city. They’re part of a public art installation, but they feel like they escaped from a dystopian nursery.

One of them has a crack that looks like a worried frown. Park your car. Walk up to one. Stare at it. It will not blink. It’s a perfect photo op for your next profile picture, guaranteed to make your friends ask, “Are you okay?”

Eat Lunch in a Shoe Store Basement

Head to the Dublin Village Tavern. It looks like a normal Irish pub from the outside. But go down the narrow stairs to the basement. You are now eating a burger in what was once a Prohibition-era speakeasy and, more importantly, a shoe repair shop.

The walls are wavy. The ceiling is low. You’ll feel like you’re eating inside a well-worn loafer. The fries are great, and the air smells like old wood, fried food, and the ghost of leather polish. It’s the only place I know where you can order a Guinness and feel like you’re sitting in a grandpa’s closet.

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Visit the “Dead” Bicycle Graveyard at Rush Creek

Take a short hike at Rush Creek State Nature Preserve. You’ll find a hill where people have dumped old, rusted bicycles for decades. It’s not a sanctioned thing. It’s just… a thing.

Bikes with no wheels, bikes wrapped in vines, a unicycle that looks deeply confused. It is a mournful and strangely beautiful monument to forgotten commutes. You’ll wonder if that pink banana seat belonged to a kid who is now a grandparent. Bring a friend so you can both say, “What in the world?”

Play Miniature Golf Inside a Brewery

No, not a fancy putting course. At Land-Grant Brewing Company, they have a nine-hole course that looks like it was built by drunk elves. The carpets are stained. The obstacles are random pieces of scrap wood and a plastic dinosaur that has seen some things.

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You have to hold your beer in one hand and your putter in the other. Scores are meaningless. The real victory is making it to the end without tripping over a neon orange windmill. It’s like being six years old again, except now you have an IPA and a driver’s license.

Go to a Silent Dance Party at the Wexner Center

The Wexner Center is a fancy modern art museum. But once a month, they sometimes host a “Silent Disco.” You get a pair of wireless headphones, and three DJs play three different channels. You can switch between them.

You’ll see people dancing to heavy metal while the person next to them is grooving to jazz. It looks like a mime convention having a seizure. It is hilarious. Without headphones, the room is dead silent except for the squeak of shoes. You feel like you’re in a weird spy movie where everyone is crazy except you.

Columbus isn’t about flashy landmarks. It’s about the weird little pockets where life gets a little sideways. Go find a vending machine that sees the future. Pet a paper man. Eat a burger in a shoe store. You’ll leave with a story that sounds made up, but isn’t. And that’s the best kind of Tuesday.