Weird & unusual things to do in Columbus
The genuinely offbeat side of Columbus: 52 hand-vetted hidden spots — oddity shops, hidden bars, haunted history, sound baths, weird outdoor finds — built for an unusual date night, a weird afternoon, or showing a visitor a side of the city they'd never find alone. Like Christian Spiritualist Temple, WitchLab, The Magical Druid. Local secrets even locals miss — you didn't hear it from us.
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Christian Spiritualist Temple
Built in 1857 as a Presbyterian church, this historic Romanesque Revival stone building became the Christian…
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WitchLab
Blurring the lines between magic, science, and art, WitchLab is a massive 2,500-square-foot occult, oddities,…
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The Magical Druid
Run by two ordained Druid priests, this massive 5,000-square-foot spiritual hub is dedicated to Neopagan Drui…
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Rays of Light Spiritualist Church
Founded on the teachings of the spirit guide 'White Lily,' this independent spiritualist community offers a w…
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The Witch's Parlor
Tucked away in downtown Hilliard, this cozy metaphysical boutique specializes in hand-crafted spiritual suppl…
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Mystic Sisters
Founded by two sisters whose spiritual journey began with Reiki, this welcoming Grandview Heights shop is a s…
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Cora's Curiosities
Curated by local burlesque icon Cora Mandragora, this Clintonville shop is a dedicated haven for the strange…
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Afterlife Oddities & Tattoos
Part tattoo studio and part cabinet of curiosities, this East Side shop specializes in rare, conversation-sta…
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National Barber Museum & Hall of Fame
This highly niche museum preserves the rich and sometimes gruesome history of the barbering profession. Along…
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Mid-Ohio Historical Doll and Toy Museum
Founded in 1984 by Henrietta Pfeifer, this museum houses thousands of historical and antique playthings. The…
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Orton Geological Museum
Located inside the historic, castle-like Orton Hall on the Ohio State campus, this free museum houses a spect…
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P.O. Box Twenty One
Hidden behind a secret door in the basement of High Bank Distillery, this speakeasy is styled to look exactly…
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The Sacred Palm
Tucked beneath Mikey's Late Night Slice, this secret tropical tiki lounge requires you to walk past the pizza…
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Sotto Terra at The Sanctuary
Located in the basement of a historic former church (The Sanctuary on Neil), this hidden lounge features goth…
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Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce
Hidden behind the swinging kitchen doors and inside the walk-in refrigerator of a New York-style pizzeria lie…
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Apt B
Hidden behind a false wall in the kitchen of the popular Short North bar Bodega, this speakeasy occupies a fo…
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Switch
Tucked underneath the Railhouse Bar in the East Market—a beautifully restored historic trolley barn—this cozy…
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Char Bar
Operating out of an 1847 building that once served as a funeral parlor, this legendary dive bar's basement wa…
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Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery
This historic Civil War-era cemetery holds the remains of over 2,200 Confederate prisoners of war who died in…
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Gates of Hell / Blood Bowl
A massive, graffiti-covered drainage tunnel beneath North High Street that carries a stream from Glen Echo Pa…
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Green Lawn Cemetery (Hayden Mausoleum)
Established in 1848, this massive, park-like cemetery is the final resting place of notable Ohioans and featu…
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State of Ohio Asylum for the Insane Cemetery
Tucked away behind the City of Columbus Police Aviation complex, this deeply somber, forgotten cemetery is th…
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The Buxton Inn
Built in 1812, Ohio's oldest continuously operating stagecoach inn has hosted historical giants like Abraham…
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National Barber Museum and Hall of Fame
A museum dedicated entirely to the history of barbering, featuring antique barber chairs, vintage clippers, a…
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Early Television Museum
The only museum of its kind in the United States, showcasing the evolution of television technology with over…
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Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
Home to the world's largest collection of materials related to cartoons and comics, this academic archive fea…
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The Doll Museum at the Old Rectory
Housed in a historic 1845 rectory, this highly specialized museum displays a distinguished collection of 19th…
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Westerville History Museum (Anti-Saloon League Museum)
Located in the former 'Dry Capital of the World,' this museum documents the single-issue crusade of the Anti-…
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Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum
A tiny, whimsical shed housing a massive collection of nearly 5,000 unique, non-duplicate pencil sharpeners c…
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Garden of Constants
A whimsical lawn outside OSU's Dreese Laboratories featuring ten giant, colorful ceramic and metal numbers al…
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The Franklinton Slingshot
A massive, 20-foot-tall, 6,000-pound steel slingshot sculpture that looks like a giant toy dropped by a misch…
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Dragonbrush
A quirky, colorful green dragon sculpture standing on a dental clinic's lawn, proudly guarding a giant toothb…
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Sword in the Stone
A real metal sword mysteriously embedded deep inside a large boulder sitting on the front lawn of a local den…
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Chief Leatherlips Monument
A massive, 12-foot-tall limestone portrait of Wyandot Chief Leatherlips built directly into a hillside overlo…
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Perkins Observatory
Founded in 1923, this historic active research facility was once home to the world's third-largest telescope…
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Arne Slettebak Planetarium
Tucked away on the fifth floor of OSU's Smith Laboratory, this intimate 63-seat digital dome theater has been…
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Dirty Dungarees Laundromat and Bar
This legendary Old North spot is part coin-operated laundromat, part dive bar, and part chaotic underground m…
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Gateway Film Center
A world-class independent cinema in the University District that offers late-night screenings after 11 PM for…
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Otherworld
A massive 32,000-square-foot immersive art installation featuring 47 rooms of glowing, interactive sci-fi fan…
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Columbus Glass Art Center
Formerly known as Glass Axis, this massive 10,000-square-foot non-profit studio is Ohio's largest community g…
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Central Ohio School of Metalwork
Tucked away in Franklinton, this specialized metalwork school is run by 'Forged in Fire' contestant Adlai Ste…
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The Smithery
Located in 'The Fort' on Columbus's south side, this independent, women-owned jewelry studio offers intimate,…
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Good Dea Craft School
This whimsical Clintonville art studio specializes in beginner-friendly, project-based classes ranging from s…
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Art Canvas Studio
Formerly known as Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting, this Bethel Road studio is a vibrant, hands-on space for mode…
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The Kiln Room
Situated in 'The Fort' industrial complex, this artist-run, community-centered ceramic studio offers a collab…
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LÖ-LU Sauna
A Finnish-inspired, wood-fired community sauna experience housed in a historic former church. Founded by Wade…
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Moroccan Steam Spa
An authentic Moroccan Hammam tucked away in a Columbus shopping plaza, offering traditional steam bath ritual…
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Tranquility Salt Cave
A serene wellness sanctuary lined with over 10,000 pounds of imported Himalayan rock salt boulders and loose…
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Ebb & Float
A social wellness club in downtown Columbus specializing in sensory deprivation float therapy with over 1,000…
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The Sound Room at Polaris
Tucked inside an ordinary-looking medical office building, this dedicated sound therapy sanctuary features co…
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Philosophi Salon
Known as the 'tiniest salt room in Ohio,' this cozy, serene hideaway is tucked inside a gluten-sensitive hair…
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The Book Loft of German Village
A 32-room independent bookstore rambling through a pre-Civil-War building in German Village, each low-ceiling…
Unusual things to do in Columbus — FAQ
What are some unusual things to do in Columbus?
52 hand-vetted weird spots — like Christian Spiritualist Temple, WitchLab, The Magical Druid — plus oddity shops, hidden bars, haunted history, sound baths, and offbeat outdoor finds. Every one is real and sourced, not a top-ten landmark.
Where can you go for a weird date night in Columbus?
Try Christian Spiritualist Temple, WitchLab, The Magical Druid — strange-but-real spots that make a memorable date. Filter by neighborhood, vibe, or how far you'll drive: in town, nearby, or a day trip.
What's a weird thing to do in Columbus tonight or this weekend?
For tonight, filter to "in town" and low-key picks; for the weekend, the day-trip ring opens up genuinely strange spots a short drive out. Start with Christian Spiritualist Temple, WitchLab, The Magical Druid — and sort by how far you're willing to go.
Are there free or cheap weird things to do in Columbus?
Yes — 16 Columbus spots are free or low-cost, like National Barber Museum and Hall of Fame, Early Television Museum, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. Roadside oddities, public art, and outdoor curiosities usually cost nothing.
How is this different from the usual Columbus tourist lists?
We skip the landmarks everyone knows. An agentic research system digs up the genuinely hidden, offbeat spots — the local secrets even locals miss — and verifies each against real sources before it makes the list.