COLUMBUS TOUR OPTIONS
Tours regularly fill to capacity – RESERVATIONS ARE NECESSARY – see tour FAQS
Architecture Highlights
Bus Tour
The architecture bus tour drives by over thirty significant structures and works of art and includes two interior stops, depending on availability. Discover how a small Midwestern city became a modern architecture “mecca,” boasting structures by names like Eero Saarinen, Harry Weese, Kevin Roche, and I.M. Pei.
Price : $25 Adults, $20 Students, fees included
Duration : 2 hours
Guided bus tour, minimal walking
Begins and ends at The Columbus Visitors Center
Children younger than 6, including toddlers and infants, are not permitted on this tour. All guests must purchase a ticket, regardless of age
April – November: Tue – Thu at 10 am / Fri – Sat at 10 and 2 pm / Sun at 2:30 pm
December – March: Sat at 10 am
Learn more about the architecture tour
Learn about private, group, and special interest tour options
See tour FAQs
Eligible for AIA continuing education credits
Miller House
and Garden Tour
Guided interior and exterior home tour
Begins and ends at The Columbus Visitors Center (there is no public access at the house)
Price : $25, fees included
Duration : 90 minutes
April – November: Tue – Sat at 12:45 and 2:45 pm / Sun at 12:45 pm
December & March: Fri – Sat at 12:45 and 2:45 pm
January and February: Closed
Children younger than 10, including toddlers and infants, are not permitted on this tour. All guests must purchase a ticket, regardless of age
Learn more about the Miller House Tour
Learn about private, group, and special interest tour options
See tour FAQs
Eligible for AIA continuing education credits
Tours at Miller House and Garden are made possible through the Columbus Area Visitors Center. Miller House and Garden is owned and cared for by Newfields.
Iconic Columbus
Tour
This tour of downtown offers a thoughtful overview of some of Columbus’ most lasting architecture. Along the way, you’ll encounter a variety of architectural styles, from historic Victorian and modernism to contemporary, designed by some of the most enduring names in architecture. The tour features two interior stops.
Price : $12, fees included
Duration : 90 minutes
Guided walking tour
Begins and ends at The Columbus Visitors Center
April – October
Wed and Sat at 10:30 am
Eligible for AIA continuing education credits
EXHIBIT COLUMBUS: Good Design and the Community
Experience a guided walking tour of the 2019 Exhibition. This fast-paced 90-minute tour includes an overview of many of the 18 installations around downtown and the sites they have been created in relationship to. Explore the five Miller Prize installations, and installations by international designers, and students, and professors from Midwestern universities. The Exhibit Columbus 2019 Exhibition highlights the idea that good design, at any scale, has the power to inspire and connect us all.
Price : $12
Duration : 90 minutes
Guided walking tour
Begins and ends at the Visitors Center
August 24 – November 9 as part of Exhibit Columbus
Fri and Sat at 1:30 pm
Inn at Irwin Gardens
House Tour
Get an insider’s look at the Irwin House, the Irwin family home, and childhood home of J. Irwin Miller, virtually unchanged since 1910. The 60-minute tour features an extensive look at the first floor and when available will include one of the upstairs private suites. The tour gives a unique glimpse into the history and lifestyle of the Edwardian-era family that sparked Columbus’ modern architecture development. Discover the early origins of Cummins Engine Company, when Clessie Cummins worked for the Irwin family as chauffeur and mechanic.
Price : $15
Durations : 60 minutes
Guided interior tour
Begins and ends at Inn at Irwin
October – March: Sun and Tue at 1 pm, check-in at 12:45
December: Sun, Tue and Sat at 1 pm, check-in at 12:45
Eligible for AIA continuing education credits
HISTORIC ZAHARAKOS
TOUR
Step back in time with Zaharakos’ historian on a tour of the historic ice cream parlor and museum.
You will get an exclusive tour of the private second story, which houses the Mechanical Music Library, Soda Fountain Library, and the elegant Crystal Parlor suite of Victorian rooms where the Zaharako family lived until 1914.
Price : $15
Duration : 60 minutes
Guided interior tour
Begins and ends at Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor
Learn more about the Zaharakos Tour.
Eligible for AIA continuing education credits
OTHER TOUR OPTIONS
Self-Guided
Smartphone Tours
Access supplemental information about and Google maps to the stops on the art and architecture guide with your smartphone.
Price : free
Duration : your own pace
NOTE: This tour is a supplement to the “Guide to Art and Architecture” map, available for $3 at the Visitors Center, Hotel Indigo, and Viewpoint Bookstore.
Go to the mobile tour for smartphone >
You may also download PDF maps of some suggested itineraries, or pick up FREE COPIES at the Visitors Center
Group Tour
Options
Group tours are always available for groups of ten or more – call 800-468-6564 for booking details.
SELF-GUIDED
BIKE TOURS
Duration : your own pace
The Columbus Area Visitors Center and the Parks and Recreation Foundation teamed up to create self-guided bike tours of Columbus, for a variety of biking levels. Start at the Visitors Center or the Parks and Recreation office to pick up the free maps, rent a bikeshare bike (or use your own), and explore Columbus at your own speed.
Find out more about these tours and the bikeshare program
RELATED LINKS
Chaos I photo at top of this page by Tony Vasquez
