Columbus rewards visitors who dig a little. The Short North arts district north of downtown is the best neighbourhood to walk — galleries, independent shops, bars, and the North Market all within a mile of High Street. German Village to the south of downtown is a well-preserved Victorian brick neighbourhood with the labyrinthine Book Loft and the institution that is Schmidt's Sausage Haus.
Downtown, the Ohio Statehouse is free and worth an hour, and COSI is one of the best science museums in the Midwest. The LeVeque Tower is the city's most elegant building, and the Scioto Mile riverfront park connects it all with a pleasant walking path.