As we wandered through busy art galleries, independent shops and boutiques along High Street in Columbus, Ohio, it was hard to believe this lively neighborhood was once a decaying, squatter-filled, crime-ridden area.
The 18th-century brick buildings in the Short North Arts District that now house shops, restaurants and residences sit alongside sleek new condominiums, modern hotels and high-rises under construction. A recent city investment in streetscape improvements has made the neighborhood greener, safer and more walkable. What began as a burgeoning arts district in the 1980s has evolved into one of the city’s trendiest and most vibrant areas.
PHOTO: © EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS
The district offers an arts trail, three parks and dozens of dining and shopping options. Visitors can join art, brewery, food and dessert tours or enjoy live music and nightlife, including popular drag shows. Short North features some of Columbus’s best happy hours and a growing number of rooftop bars. A full events calendar includes fitness classes, festivals, tastings, live music and performance art. Giant interactive kiosks provide convenient information on transportation, restaurants, parks, hotels and stores.
Directly north of downtown Columbus, Short North is easy to reach on foot or by the CBUS, the free circulator bus that runs through downtown and the district every 10–15 minutes. Look for colorful murals on building façades and the illuminated metal archways over High Street — modern tributes to the gas-lit wooden arches that spanned the street in the 1880s and gave Columbus the nickname “Arch City.”
Betsy Pandora, executive director of the Short North Alliance, notes the neighborhood has grown into a premier 18-hour district where people live, work and visit. “We have close to 400 businesses here, double the amount in 2012,” she said. “It’s a unique, diverse area filled with entrepreneurs.”
The neighborhood’s revival has been boosted by Columbus’s rapid growth. As the state capital and a top business destination, the city now exceeds 2 million people and ranks among the larger U.S. metropolitan areas.
“Short North is seeing a significant amount of development,” Pandora added. “More than 1,000 hotel rooms have been added or are under construction.” Recent and upcoming properties include new hotels such as Graduate Columbus and Moxy Columbus Short North.
Joel Pizzuti, president of the Short North Alliance and of Pizzuti Companies, relocated his commercial real estate firm’s headquarters to the neighborhood while building a mixed-use project there. “Our people wanted to be here. It’s walkable, active, fun and accessible — it’s a fun place to spend the day,” he said.
While urban development is happening across many cities, Pizzuti says Short North benefited from strong grassroots growth. “It was already a place people spent time in, but it didn’t have the same office and residential components it has now. Over the last 10 years it has evolved into a true community. Being between downtown and the Ohio State campus has been instrumental. Most activity has centered on High Street, but now it’s expanding several blocks on either side.”
That momentum reflects well on Columbus as a whole. As Betsy Pandora put it, “We have a saying: So goes Short North, so goes Columbus.” New ideas and businesses often take root here and then spread across the city.
SCENIC DRIVES
Columbus’s central location in Ohio makes it a convenient gateway to 27 scenic byways across the state. One standout route for dramatic scenery and hiking is the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway in southeast Ohio. This 30-mile loop circles Hocking Hills State Park, known for rugged cliffs, impressive waterfalls and ancient caves, and offers several excellent trails.
The Covered Bridge Scenic Highway, which runs along the Little Muskingum River south of Columbus, showcases pastoral countryside and historic structures. A self-guided tour highlights the 192-foot Knowlton Covered Bridge (built in 1887), an old country store and a Mail Pouch barn, one of many barns painted with early 20th-century tobacco advertisements.
Amish Country northeast of Columbus, especially around Holmes County, is home to a significant Amish population—estimates suggest about one in six Amish people in Ohio live there. On the Amish Country Byway you may share the road with horse-drawn buggies and find numerous shops selling handmade furniture, quilts, baked goods and other traditional foods. A recommended stop is Winesburg, a historic village settled by German immigrants in the early 19th century.