Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens is an urban green reserve of more than 30 acres on Ohio State's main campus, with gardens, trees, a labyrinth and spots to picnic, fish or watch birds. It's open year-round from dawn to dusk and there is no admission fee. Parking in the surrounding lots is pay-and-display.
Walk through the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center, a 1930s Art Deco landmark, and the Court's Visitor Education Center with exhibits on Ohio's court system. Free self-guided tours are open to the public during Court hours, no appointment needed; call ahead to confirm today's hours. Groups of 5 or more can book a free guided tour at least 2 weeks ahead (4 weeks for student groups) by emailing courttours@sc.ohio.gov. It's a secure building: visitors in 6th grade and up go through security screening, and adults are asked to show photo ID.
Verified Oct 28 · supremecourt.ohio.gov
Catch: Security screening; adults asked to show photo ID
Daily 9am–5pm (Oct–Mar); 9am–7pm (Apr–Sep); 2nd Tuesday opens at noon
Blacklick Woods Metro Park · Columbus
Blacklick Woods Metro Park's Canopy Walk takes you through the tree canopy 40 feet above the ground in one of central Ohio's best beech-maple forests. It's completely free and open every day, 9am–5pm from October through March (9am–7pm April–September). It stays closed until noon on the second Tuesday of each month for cleaning.
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Sullivant Hall · Columbus
Ohio State's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum holds the world's largest collection of cartoon and comics art, with a permanent highlights exhibit and rotating galleries. Admission is free and walk-ins are welcome. Galleries are open Sunday and Tuesday–Friday, 1–5pm (closed Monday and Saturday). They also close for holidays (this fall: Nov 11, Nov 26–27, Dec 24–25), so check the hours page.
Scioto Audubon Metro Park, just south of downtown, has what Metro Parks calls the largest free outdoor climbing wall in the country: three towers and two arches, 35 feet high, over 7,000 square feet. The four auto belays are up from late March to late October (weather permitting) and come down each year for recertification; the rest of the year bring your own ropes. Climbers bring their own harness. The wall is open 8am–7pm October–March and 8am–9pm April–September. The park also has the free Columbus Rotary Obstacle Course.
Verified Oct 28 · metroparks.net
Catch: Bring your own climbing harness (and ropes when auto belays are down) · Under 16 must be with an adult
Tue–Wed 9:30am–5pm, Thu–Fri 9:30am–7pm, Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm
Wexner Center for the Arts · Columbus
The Wexner Center for the Arts on Ohio State's campus is free for everyone during regular gallery hours, with contemporary art exhibitions and free tours. Galleries are open Tuesday and Wednesday 9:30am–5pm, Thursday and Friday 9:30am–7pm, Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday 10am–4pm (closed Mondays). Galleries close between exhibitions, so check the current schedule. Bags, large purses and umbrellas are checked before you enter.
Inniswood Metro Gardens sets more than 2,000 plant species and themed gardens (rose, herb, conifer, a woodland rock garden with waterfalls, and the 2.8-acre Sisters' children's garden) inside a wooded nature preserve. Metro Parks lists no entry fee. October–March the gardens are open 6:30am–7pm.
The Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery shows the work of Ohio artists and collections from the state's museums. Admission is always free and open to the public, Tuesday–Friday, noon–5pm, through the High Street entrance. On view: 'Ohio Thrives', October 31, 2026 to January 8, 2027.
Since 1984 the Short North has held Gallery Hop on the first Saturday of every month, 4–8pm along High Street: galleries open new exhibitions, open studios show work in progress, and musicians, dancers and chalk artists turn the sidewalks into stages. It's free; shops and restaurants run specials too. The next one is Saturday, November 7.
Columbus Recreation and Parks kicks off winter with WinterFest on Saturday, November 21, 2026, noon–4pm at Dorrian Green on the Scioto Mile: local music, food trucks and seasonal craft beer and cocktails. Admission is free and open to all; food and drinks are for sale.
Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center · Columbus
The city's Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center opens two new exhibitions on Friday, December 4, 2026, 6–8pm: 'Common Threads' by Char Norman in the Main Gallery and 'Chasing the Light: Artists Speak' in the Loft Gallery. Food and drinks are provided. Both shows run through January 9, 2027.
On Saturday, December 5, 2026, noon–8pm, High Street in the Short North (W 2nd Ave. to E Russell St.) becomes a pedestrian-only 'Short North Pole' with a market of 150+ artisan vendors, live performances, free photos with Santa, live ice sculpting, a kids' holiday paint party, paper crafts and a community Hanukkah lighting at 6:30pm. Galleries hold their biggest Gallery Hop of the year.
Ohio State's Chadwick Arboretum celebrates the arrival of winter on Thursday, December 17, 2026, 4–7pm in the Lane Ave Gardens: an open fire, roasted chestnuts and hot cocoa, luminary-lit gardens and a meditative labyrinth. From 4pm until dusk, free 30-minute guided tours of the conifer collection leave about every 10 minutes from the trellis area. Free and open to everyone; parking in the Agricultural Administration lot costs $3 an hour.
Verified Oct 28 · chadwickarboretum.osu.edu
No catch
Always free 6 listings
ServicesFree (worth about $100)Eligibility applies
Main Library, Business & Nonprofit Resource Center · Columbus
Every Wednesday from 9 to 10:30am, an attorney from the Legal Aid Society of Columbus holds drop-in hours in the Business & Nonprofit Resource Center at Columbus Metropolitan Library's Main Library to answer small business and nonprofit legal questions: incorporation, bylaws, leases, contracts, zoning and more. Businesses and nonprofits that don't qualify for free services are referred elsewhere.
Verified Oct 28 · events.columbuslibrary.org
Catch: For small businesses and nonprofits; free services depend on eligibility (businesses generally by income)
Columbus Metropolitan Library runs the Digital Skills Hub, a multi-session course for adults who are new to computers and the internet or want to brush up. Sessions run at different branches through the year. Finish the course and you can earn a free Chromebook if you're eligible. Registration is required through Connect Central Ohio (connectcentralohio.com/digital-skills-hub); for help call the library at (614) 645-2275.
Verified Oct 28 · events.columbuslibrary.org
Catch: Registration required · Free Chromebook only if you finish and are eligible
AttractionsFree (worth about $60)Eligibility applies
Delaware County District Library branches · Columbus
Delaware County District Library cardholders can check out a Culture Pass for free admission to the Columbus Museum of Art or CMA at The Pizzuti for two adults or seniors and up to four children under 18, plus $5 parking at the Broad St. museum. Use it within seven days. Passes are in-person only, can't be reserved and supplies are limited. An adult cardholder may borrow one pass at a time.
Verified Oct 28 · delawarelibrary.org
Catch: Delaware County District Library card required · Limited passes, in person, no reservations · One pass at a time per adult cardholder
Free itemsFree (worth about $45)Eligibility applies
Licking County Library lends EcoBlu digital radon gas monitors so you can test your home: it plugs in and gives a reading in about 10 minutes. Borrow it for 14 days (not renewable) with a Licking County Library card in good standing; reserve it through the catalog. Educator cards can't be used, and the replacement cost if lost is $45.
Verified Oct 28 · lickingcountylibrary.org
Catch: Licking County Library card in good standing required · $45 replacement cost if lost
First Sunday of each month, 10am–4pm (Nov–Jan); 10am–5pm (Feb–Oct)
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens · Columbus
On the first Sunday of every month, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is free for residents of the City of Columbus and Franklin County, with themed programming (November 1 is the Near East Side Celebration, December 6 is Celebrate Winter). Hours are 10am–4pm in November, December and January, 10am–5pm the rest of the year. Bring a photo ID plus proof of residency (an OSU BuckID or a recent utility bill, for example) and check in at the main entrance; tickets can't be reserved. Special engagements such as evening light shows aren't included, and the Palm House is closed for renovation until fall 2027. Regular adult admission is $25.20.
Verified Oct 28 · fpconservatory.org
Catch: Only for City of Columbus and Franklin County residents: photo ID plus proof of residency · Special engagements not included
Worthington Libraries lends day passes to the Worthington Community Center covering the pool, open gym, fitness floor and indoor track. Each pass is for one person, up to four per household, for one day. Pick one up at the accounts desk of any Worthington library; passes are first-come, first-served and can't be reserved. Fitness classes, swim lessons and day camps aren't included.
Verified Oct 28 · worthingtonlibraries.org
Catch: Pick up in person at a Worthington library; see the library’s pass rules · Limit four passes per household · Classes and lessons not included
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