Columbus is one of those cities that has way more going on than you’d expect — vibrant neighborhoods, incredible food, quirky shops, and plenty of green spaces to escape into. A weekend here gives you enough time to sample the food scene, explore the neighborhoods, and see why locals love this city. Here’s how I’d spend two days in Columbus.
Start your weekend with a bang at The Woodbury, where breakfast is anything but boring. The candied bacon crepes are a showstopper — three crepes stuffed with sweet-and-salty candied bacon, topped with fresh fruit, vanilla buttercream, and a drizzle of jelly sauce. If you want something more savory, order the Chicken Hotcakes Tacos: fluffy pancakes with crispy fried chicken, chili aioli, strawberry salsa, and Milligan’s maple syrup.
If you’re in a hurry or prefer a grab-and-go vibe, swing by The Lox. Their bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel is simple but perfect. If you’re a salmon lover, the lox bagel is piled high with salmon, capers, and cream cheese.
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Walk off breakfast by exploring the Short North Arts District, one of Columbus’s most colorful neighborhoods. This area is full of murals, boutiques, coffee shops, and art galleries. Spend a few hours strolling, snapping photos of the murals, and popping into shops.
When lunch rolls around, make your way to Wario’s Beef & Pork, where the sandwiches are legendary (and huge). Order a Caesar salad, one sandwich to split (the steak sandwich or the Warrior’s Way are my picks), and a side of potatoes if you’re extra hungry.
Park behind Wario’s (around $1.35 an hour last time I was there), then take a walk through the Arena District — it’s lively, walkable, and full of great energy. If you want even more restaurant recs, check out my full Columbus Foodie Guide.
Just a short walk from Wario’s, North Market is a must-stop. Grab a scoop of Jeni’s Ice Cream — the Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Wildberry Lavender are my go-to flavors — and get it in a butterscotch waffle cone. If you’re still hungry, try Mo Mo Ghar, a Tibetan and Nepalese food stall featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Order the Johl Mo Mo (steamed chicken dumplings with spicy tomato sauce) or the Choila Set (spiced chicken salad with rice, potatoes, and black-eyed peas).
Spend your afternoon in German Village, where the brick-lined streets and historic homes feel like stepping back in time. Pop into the boutiques, wander the cobblestone alleys, and make sure to stop at The Book Loft — 32 rooms of books, winding hallways, and hidden nooks that make you feel like you’re in a literary treasure hunt.
End your first day with dinner at Lindey’s, one of Columbus’s most iconic restaurants. The portions are just right for a three-course meal, and the menu changes seasonally. Make a reservation two to three weeks in advance if possible — by 5:30 or 6 pm, it’s tough to get a table without one. If you don’t have a reservation, try for open seating at the bar or patio. Don’t skip the bread and butter — it’s baked fresh in Grandview and perfectly salty. I wrote a full review of Lindey’s if you want menu tips and reservation information.
Start your second day with coffee and one of the best pastries in Columbus at Fox in the Snow Café. Their cinnamon roll is huge and perfectly gooey, and the coffee is strong and smooth — ideal fuel for a day of exploring.
If you’re visiting on a Saturday, stop by the Dublin Farmers Market or the Worthington Farmers Market — the Worthington one is bigger and full of local vendors and fresh produce.
If you prefer nature, spend your morning at one of Columbus’s many parks:
Scioto Grove Metro Park – Climb the fire tower for panoramic views.
Bicentennial Park – A downtown park right along the water, great for a picnic or a stroll.
Griggs Reservoir Park – Peaceful and perfect if you just want to sit by the water.
Antrim Park – A tranquil lake with a walking path.
Highbanks Metro Park – Known for its scenic overlooks.
Scioto Mile – A riverfront walkway with some of the best cityscape views, especially at sunset.
If you need a midday meal, head back to North Market to try something you missed yesterday or grab a casual lunch before heading out for more exploring.
Save your second night for Watershed Kitchen & Bar, a moody, romantic spot attached to a working distillery. Schedule a distillery tour ahead of time if you want to see behind the scenes.
Portions here are generous, so I recommend splitting an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. My personal ratings:
Crispy potatoes — 8/10
Caesar salad — 8.5/10 (skip if you don’t like cabbage)
Mushroom pasta — 9/10 (add short rib for extra flavor)
Pork chops — 8/10
Chocolate cream — 5/10
Peach cobbler — 5/10 (a little too savory for my taste)
End your weekend with a stroll along the Scioto Mile. The city lights reflecting off the river make it the perfect way to wrap up your trip.
Columbus is a city that’s equal parts creative, delicious, and welcoming. In two days, you can explore its neighborhoods, eat incredible food, discover hidden shops, and enjoy some of the best urban green spaces in the Midwest. Whether you stick to the city center or branch out to nearby markets and parks, this is a weekend that balances adventure with relaxation — and leaves you planning your next visit.
If you’re staying longer, here are the best day trips from Columbus.
Four hours on a train through a canyon you can’t reach by car — such a fun experience! We picked the indoor seats with unlimited access to the open-air viewing car, which honestly felt like the only right call. You’re not stuck in an assigned seat the whole time we bounced between the two, snacks in hand, chasing the best light.
The scenery is the whole point. Red rock cliffs, the Verde River, a 734-foot tunnel, historic trestle bridges views most people visiting Sedona never see, because you literally can’t drive to them.
The charcuterie box that comes with your ticket is shockingly filling ✨ so skip lunch at the Copper Spike Café beforehand, save your appetite for dinner back in Sedona.
Four hours with no stops did start to feel long by the end, but the trade-off for scenery like this? Worth it.
Would I ride it again? Yes. Would I buy lunch first again? No.
Link in bio for the full review cost breakdown, what to pack, and exactly how early to arrive 🚂
I ate chilaquiles while a Cessna taxied past the window, and that’s just a normal Tuesday breakfast in Sedona.
@mesa_grill_sedona sits right beside the Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout, so along with your food you get red rock views stretching in every direction and a front-row seat to tiny planes lifting off. Chef Mercer Mohr runs the kitchen, serving up Southwestern comfort food from breakfast through dinner, chilaquiles, elevated diner classics, burgers, steaks, seafood, all of it.
The view is what pulls people in the door, but the food actually holds its own. Good enough that this place stays packed with locals, not just tourists passing through on their way to the lookout. It also picked up the 2025 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice and OpenTable Diners’ Choice awards, so it’s not just me saying it.
Indoor seating if you want the AC, a pet-friendly patio if your dog’s along for the trip. Either way, get there before plane-spotting turns into a wait for a table.
Link in bio for the full Sedona breakfast roundup ✈️🌵
Confession: my newsletter is where the good stuff lives. Not the polished, edited-for-the-grid stuff, the “here’s the hole-in-the-wall I almost skipped” stuff, the packing lists I actually use, the “don’t book this hotel” warnings before you waste your money on them.
The newsletter is basically me texting you before a trip instead of after one. Sign up and you’ll be the first to know where I’m headed next, plus a few things I’ll never post here.
Link in bio if you want in. ✈️
Yes, it’s only July. Start planning anyway. Fall books faster than people expect, and a few of these destinations are worth getting ahead of. Here are five places worth putting on your radar right now.
Ireland: Cooler temps, moody skies, dramatic coastline fall was made for it. Tourist crowds drop, the green stays, and the whole country feels a little more like itself.
Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC: Fall foliage in the Smokies is the real thing. The color peaks mid-October and the views from the ridgelines are hard to argue with. It’s also one of the most visited national parks in the country, so going on a weekday makes a real difference.
New York City: Fall is NYC at its best comfortable temps, the energy of the city shifting into a new season, and every neighborhood doing something worth showing up for. It’s also just a great walking city when it’s not brutally hot.
Japan: Fall foliage season is as good as spring cherry blossoms and somehow less talked about. The colors are dramatic, the temples and gardens are stunning, and it’s worth planning around peak dates by region.
Mystic, Connecticut: Small, walkable, genuinely charming Mystic in fall feels like exactly what a New England autumn is supposed to look like. Easy to pair with a broader New England road trip if you want to extend it.
Full guides linked in bio 🍂
There are two kinds of travelers: people who plan a trip and then figure out where to eat, and people who book a restaurant and then build the rest of the itinerary around it.I am the second kind. I will not apologize for this.
The reservation gets locked in first. The hotel search happens within the same 24 hours. The flights get compared around the restaurant’s hours of operation. The rest of the trip exists to fill the days before and after the table I actually came for.
If this sounds unhinged, I completely understand. It has also resulted in some of the best meals of my life, so I’m going to keep doing it.
Drop a 🍽️ if you plan your trips around food too.
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