Discover all the reasons why a girls trip to Columbus should be on your calendar!
If you’re in serious need of friend-time and want to explore a new place together, a girls trip to Columbus is the way to go. There you can spoil yourselves with delicious food and drink, fantastic shopping, amazing spa services and fun activities.
Columbus is the fastest-growing city in the Midwest, but hanging out downtown isn’t stressful. It has Goldilocks appeal – it feels just right with plenty of things to do without crowds or mean people. (Have you heard of Midwest-nice? It’s for real.)
Book rooms at the downtown Columbus locations of the Hilton or Canopy hotels. Both are within walking distance to Short North, a hip neighborhood with restaurants and shops. Then, plan a weekend around doing all the cool things this city has to offer. Here are my favorites:
1. Get Pampered
Start your getaway off right with beauty treatments at Mukha Custom Cosmetics and Med-Spa. Get their signature facial (it comes with a Thai massage!), have your lashes tinted and curled (bye-bye mascara), or get your makeup expertly applied.
Whatever you choose, you’ll feel so good when you walk out. Maybe it’s the complimentary champagne they pour. But more likely: It’s the glow you get from doing something awesome for yourself.
Speaking of which, the makeup artists at Mukha create custom cosmetics and their foundation is the bomb – they formulate it to match your skin texture and tone. I highly recommend you pony up for it. They’ll even keep a record of your exact mix so you can order a refill over the phone and they’ll ship it to you.
2. Make Your Own Scented Candle
Belly up to a candle-making bar at Penn & Beech Candle Co. to pour your own candle. First, you pick the container. Next, select three scents from more than 100 different ones to blend into a custom fragrance.
Then you craft a label and wait for your candle to set while sipping wine or beer – it takes about two hours – or come back to pick it up later when it’s ready. You can also make diffuser oils or room and body sprays.
3. Sample Mead
Mead is a medieval drink that’s making a comeback some thousand or so years later. A cross between beer and wine, it’s made from fermented honey. You might have seen it at The Renaissance Festival or watched those lushes on “Game of Thrones” throw back goblet-fuls.
Get familiar with this old-school sip with a guided tasting at Brothers Drake Meadery. Staff will give you generous pours of five meads with different flavor profiles, from dry to sweet. Or just walk in and order your own flight of five – you make the picks. Either way, it’s tons of fun!
4. Check Out Cool Neighborhoods
Downtown Columbus has a bunch of neighborhoods to explore. But there’s only so much time on a weekend getaway. So here are the ones you shouldn’t miss:
Victorian Village
The brick-paved streets of this historic district are lined with stunning Victorian-era homes (think: turrets and lacy woodwork and MASSIVE curb appeal). After walking around, jealously eyeballing every single house, stop in at Basi Italia. It’s a tiny, tucked away restaurant with a sweet backyard patio, a few tables inside and mouthwatering Northern Italian dishes.
I don’t think you can go wrong with a single dish here, but if scallops, steak or eggplant are on the menu, order them. Also, save room for dessert because the cannoli here puts most Italian grandmothers to shame.
German Village
Want more gorgeous architecture? You got it. Head to German Village for stately Victorian homes encircling charming Schiller Park. Even the sidewalks here are fancy – they’re paved with carved bricks.
Get lost in The Book Loft. It has 32 rooms to navigate through. Also, stop into Helen Winnemore’s and check out all the handcrafted, American-made jewelry, pottery and gifts.
Then to honor this neighborhood’s European heritage, make like the Germans and have an afternoon coffee and pastry. Fox in the Snow is super popular for a reason, actually for several reasons: huge cinnamon rolls, mini blueberry tarts and sour cream coffee cake, to name just a few.
Short North
The hippest place to hang is arguably in the Short North neighborhood. This is where you’ll find the spa and candle place talked about above. It’s also a great place to shop. Besides big names like Anthropologie, you can pop into little boutiques too. Rowe Boutique has affordable designer looks and Ladybird is stocked with up-and-coming designers and vintage accessories.
Top off your jaunt through this section of downtown with an upscale dinner at The Guild House. Not only does this establishment serve unforgettable meals, it’s got a great vibe too: White leather couchettes, a wall of liquor all aglow, and lots of chatter because it’s popular with the locals. And did I mention that the food is amazing? The sea bass in lobster broth is a meal you’ll be yearning for long after vacation is over.
5. Catch the Symphony
During the summer, the Columbus Symphony performs free concerts in parks around the city. You could try to catch one of those. But the best thing to do is to reserve a lawn seat at one of their Picnic With Pops concerts.
These performances pair pop artists like Michael Bolton and En Vogue with the orchestra. When I went, a rock band played alongside the orchestra belting out Queen cover songs. How awesome is that?
6. Sip Rooftop Cocktails
For a fantastic view of Columbus, go to Goodale Station. It’s a bar at the top of the Canopy by Hilton hotel. You’re definitely paying for the view here, but it’s worth it. With a high-end cocktail in hand, you could sit and gab for HOURS.
7. Eat Globally
Eliminate arguments about what to eat with a trip to North Market. This food hall is the oldest public market in Columbus and packed with international vendors. Basically, it’s the United Nations of food halls so everyone can get exactly what they want. Try a little Tibetan, Somali or Polish food. Nosh lobster rolls, hot chicken, ramen, sushi or pasta. It’s all here, people.
At the market, be sure to stop by Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. They serve unique flavors, from goat cheese with cherries to wildberry lavender. Go big with a flight of scoops so you can taste a bunch of flavors. But at the very minimum, try a scoop of Texas sheet cake (my favorite!).
8. Hunt for Treasure
Do you and your girlfriends love anything vintage? If so, make sure you visit Columbus on a weekend when the Springfield Antique Show & Flea Market is taking place.
You’ll find acres of collectibles at this county fairground less than an hour west of Columbus. It’s one of the nation’s most popular places to buy and sell antiques. Looking for farmhouse quilts? Fiestaware? Rhinestone broaches? They’ve got ‘em. Insider tip: The market’s “Extravaganza” shows have the most vendors.
Columbus is an ideal destination for a weekend girls trip. It’s the perfect place to chat, bond, laugh until your belly hurts, and walk away with some pretty cool memories. So what are you waiting for?
Happy travels,
P.S. Looking for more girls trips? Consider Ann Arbor, Michigan, Nashville and Lodi, California.
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