Time has traveled fast and I can’t believe it was time to Law School shop for my daughter.
More than a few of her university choices are in Columbus, so we created a Mom-Daughter getaway while we shop for schools.
Now we are going to paint the town red and experience Columbus as a mom and daughter duo!
Experience Columbus ~ Eating. Shopping. Spa Time + More!
Interviewing is a necessary and exhausting process.
So, there is no better way to learn the area than to bask in all of its amenities from Spa time to shopping, to a stay in an upscale boutique hotel.
After all, if she is spending time in Ohio, so am I.
We wanted to make the most of our time there so we added a bit of everything in over the course of 2 days and WOW did we have a blast!
Of course, we had a fabulous time and were guests of Experience Columbus, but note, ALL opinions are images are my own!
So How do You Best Experience Columbus Ohio?
The Columbus vibe is amazing and catchy, you’ll want to do everything but have to choose something because there are just endless options!
So you will definitely indulge in the true spirit of Columbus.
Between university interviews, we spent time dining, at the spa and then dining some more because there’s a thriving ‘Columbus Food Scene (a.k.a. #cbusfoodscene).
Our Getaway To Experience Columbus
Oddly enough, as an ice hockey mom, I have a lot of time previously to experience Columbus as well.
I loved what I saw then and I loved it even more now. After all, a girlfriend getaway is always fun, right?
An Experience Columbus Visit Wouldn’t be complete without THIS Pizza
I’m not the only one that knows Columbus has a thriving food scene, just search it on IG with the hashtag #cbusfoodscene. Yum.
Now, are you hungry? Simply put, there is no way to look at the hashtag and not get hungry, so let’s solve this and eat!
Being a foodie gal, my first priority was eating after a 3-hour drive. Our stop, 2376 E. Main St. Bexley, OH 43209 one of several HARVEST PIZZERIA locations.
I love it in Bexley and it is 10 minutes from our Spa appointment.
Harvest Pizzeria To Become Part of the #cbusfoodscene + Experience Columbus
The menu is large and competes with our hunger. Parking is available all over Bexley, including side streets, etc.
We parked next to the library, with ease and only a minute of a walk to the Pizzeria.
Inside, it’s very comfortable and chic. With wooden tables and the coolest bar top created of cement.
I love that the bar area opens with the sliding ‘garage-like doors during warmer weather, it’s definitely a ‘hot-spot in the area for libations and eats.
Which Pizza Should We Choose? This Mom Daughter Getaway Just got Difficult!
To keep this short and sweet, we both ordered the Lunch Special. Similarly, we both opted to go sauceless and with veggies.
Mine was arugula and artichokes with an olive oil crust and a mozzarella/provolone blend.
While Kallie ordered, an olive oil crust, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, and arugula.
We each also enjoyed a chopped salad that comes with the pizza.
The chopped salad was ALL-STAR in my opinion. Stacked generously on the plate, with just enough dressing to taste without being overdone.
Our spa appointment suggested we ‘not eat heavy or drink alcohol preceding our appointment’ so we just opted for water.
Dessert to Experience Columbus
Dessert was the choice everyone needs to try a S’MORE from the heavens, just look and drool!
I know we shouldn’t eat or drink heavily for the upcoming spa appointment but this is just not possible to pass up!
Salt Spa Float Tank Is a Must for Your Experience Columbus Mom Daughter Getaway
We traveled to Ebb & Float and well I really had no idea what it was about, but Spa is Spa.
After a drive and an early interview, it was time to just BE.
Recharge, relax and float your day away (at least an hour of it) at Ebb and Float, your incredible, must-visit Float Spa in Columbus.
Located in the heart of downtown Columbus, at 231 North 5th Street, Columbus, OH, 43215, it’s a short walk from the boutique Hotel LeVeque.
So What is the Experience Columbus Ebb & Float Like?
Unlike anything we’ve experienced for spa therapy, this is distinguished tranquility.
You’ll begin with a 15-minute chair massage.
Sit back and relax.
Please note these are atypical massage chairs because they are VERY comfortable, unlike those crappy salon experiences we’ve all had!
Enter into your salt spa tank room, shower, and begin your magnificent Float Spa experience.
Salt will make you buoyant and the dark makes you relax.
P.S. – yes you float naked and for one hour, you are in a soundproof room, where life just exists outside but you are unbothered and spoiled by a 94° experience.
Columbus For Restful Evenings While You Experience Columbus
Now I lay me down to sleep at the Luxury Boutique Collection Hotel Downtown.
It’s as awesome inside as it is outside! Look at the top of this photo, we will see go up there at night keep reading!
This castle of upscale luxury is both historic and smartly sophisticated. Located inside the LeVeque historic tower and in the center of everything.
Valet parking allows you to just roll up, and check-in. Greeted by a posh foyer, a Starbucks, a doorman, and a splashy, swanky front desk area, it’s everything you could want and more for a mom, daughter getaway.
Also, if my daughter goes to school here, I will consider it my new home away from home for future visits to my daughter.
Our Room To Enjoy Our Experience Columbus Nights
Our room was grandiose and very uptown.
Inside we were overjoyed to find 2 King Size beds, a desk, coffee maker, umbrellas, and an elaborate bathroom including a separated bathroom area.
Dinner without Leaving The Posh Hotel
What’s better than dining out? Dining in your own hotel, after a full day of travel, activities, and interviews!
So that’s exactly what we did, and we enjoyed this Experience Columbus moment perhaps the best of any we’ve had to date!
After checking in we got ready for dinner, it had been more than 6 hours since we last ate, and we were starved.
Housed inside of this Autography Collection hotel is a bar and restaurant you must visit: The KEEP!
THE KEEP. Dress up a little, everyone around us was dressed, if you don’t want to hear it from me, check out the menu options and pricing and you can interpret it from there.
French fare rounds out the menu and libations are all premium.
Cocktails – Pinkies Up To Celebrate A Mom Daughter Getaway. Experience Columbus Y’all!
My sipping pleasure was a Hemmingways Daquiri and Kallie’s cocktail was a Pear Necessities.
Each perfectly mixed, and dainty.
We even exchanged sips to just see what we missed out on! Sip. Sip. Hooray.
Chilled or Heated Up? The Real Experience Columbus Moments via food.
Elegant getaways, call for saporous beginnings and THE KEEP delivers big!
Kallie decided to get heated up with French Onion soup topped with Gruyere.
I, however, went ‘chill’ with a Crab Cocktail.
Either is a stupendous decision in both flavor and texture, you can’t miss.
When it comes to fabulous with a side of ‘luxury’ this is your foodie destination.
Keep the Mom Daughter Getaway Fueled.
Experience Columbus through food, you gotta. The entrees at the KEEP are just Magnifique!
Our choices ranged from vegetarian Lentils and Legumes to Beef Bourguignon.
Mirepoix, fried chickpeas, hazelnuts, and smoked mushrooms with a tamarind vinaigrette, za’atar labneh.
Yes, you can eat meat or seafood or totally vegetarian, really your choice.
The menu has plenty of options, and each one looked better than the next.
Choosing is never an easy task with a presentation that looks like this on every order outbound from the kitchen and we watched a lot of food move through here that evening.
Our Experience Columbus Moment showed us, that Hotel LeVeque Is Not Just A Hotel…
Thanks to Corey the Food and Beverage Manager for our behind-the-scenes tour of Hotel LeVeque.
We are about to ascend 555 feet to the Penthouse and then to the roof! Hold on to those cameras and watch your step!
The hotel is boutique in every sense of the word and it is also known as the LeVeque Tower with condominium housing )47 floors) on one side and 150 guest rooms on the other.
Further, there are theater and office spaces built into this mixture as well.
Notable to point out: Incredible to view by day or night from the top or the bottom.
By night, it’s a starry sky masterpiece for viewing, not only the sky but the city.
Overlooking the Scioto River and if you walk around the top (private tours only) you will get to see all sides of the city including the Nationwide Arena.
Katalina’s – SouthLatin-Eats – Experience Columbus
Morning happened, and well, between college visits this day, we honed in on some more fabulous #CbusFoodScene options!
First things first, good eats to fuel the morning, and all I can say is, “Good Eats Found!”
Katalina’s is a fricking Columbus institution and if you don’t eat here, I am sorry for you as you missed the breakfast of champions! Mmm!
What is “SouthLatin eats?” It’s foodie creations that mix that home-cooked Southern with a bit of Latin inspiration and you just want to eat till you can eat no more!
Your belly is filled up by the time you leave, no questions asked!
Write On The Walls – It’s part of your Experience Columbus Moments!
Fresh, innovative eats ranging from vegan to meat-laden, open all day and jamming, bustling busy!
This is the way to start your Columbus mornings. I loved the Boxed Water, the writing on the wall, and the funky foods.
We tried the famed pancake balls filled with Nutella (yum!), Shagbark Black Bean Soup, Tomole Soup, Avocado Toast, and the Breakfast Chick “wich”.
Let me sum this up for you: Oh My Foodgasm and my other article will cover this food extensively so you can drool!
Shop to Experience Columbus – What Great Resale Shops
Are you thrifty but want all the best? Well, your Experience Columbus shopping moments will fulfill that all for you! We shopped at the best of the best!
There’s nothing worse than shopping on a full belly and feeling like no clothes can help that food baby, but who cares.
I am about to share with you the secret of the ‘insider’s track’ of where to shop in Columbus for the best of the best at incredible prices.
Head on over to Grandview Avenue and suddenly you will find more upscale Thrift and Fashion shopping than you can accomplish in one day.
We spent time in Thread, One More Time, and a lot of time and money in Second Chance on W 5th Avenue.
The jackpot for shopping for brand-name fashion in CLEAN stores!
Flowers. Art. Culture. Experience Columbus by Digging Deep!
The next stop is the Botanical Gardens the Franklin Park Conservatory where every season is in full bloom.
Gorgeous indoor walkways and outdoor walkways filled with greenery, and blooms.
Perfect for a rainy day or if it’s in-season (Spring through Fall) outdoor grounds.
Things to Know About This Experience Columbus Destination
Parking was free and the lot is large. Do plan for at least 3 hours, and if on exterior grounds even more time to enjoy everything this garden has to offer.
Time for art. Admittedly we were running out of time and had to get to Short North, we somehow managed to cram a bit of time into the Columbus Museum of Art.
I consider this time as a getting acquainted situation and next time as a must spend a few hours destination.
You Can’t Fully Experience Columbus without stopping at The North Market
First stop, ice cream in the North Market. Albeit tough to find parking, there is plenty.
We happened to be there on a rainy on and off day and I did not feel like getting soaked.
However, we ended up a few blocks away and crept down an alley to find our ice cream host, Jenis.
Jeni’s Ice Cream Stop
Non Dairy heaven in a cup or for Kallie, Dairy heaven in a cup. Jenni’s offers both non-dairy and dairy-filled ice cream treats!
Yum and Lilac won my heart. We walked through North Market, we were honestly stuffed from Katalina’s so ice cream was the perfect in-between a belly-busting breakfast and dinner!
After shopping for a bit, it was off to make candles in Short North.
It’s all driveable and super close. Nothing in Columbus is hard to find, in case you are wondering.
Short North Arts District
This place is poppin’ is all I can say. It’s cute, trendy, chic, and loaded with shops, bars, and fun things to do.
Put on your walking shoes, park your car (using an app to keep the meter paid up) and then enjoy.
We had a few hours to spend here and every minute was rich in culture, food, and fun! You gotta experience Columbus via a stop at Short North arts district.
Make A Candle to Experience Columbus
Maybe it’s a chic thing but what fun smelling, and creating candles at The Candle Lab in Short North!
Walk, breathe, and let the experience begin. Fill a clipboard up with your favorite scents, get creative, choose a jar, and then make a label, it’s that easy.
In between the time, it is poured to the time it is set, you will have 90 minutes.
My suggestion, grab a bite! We headed out to a great restaurant in the area and spent about an hour there enjoying a quick bite! There are no shortages of places to dine!
Donut forget to stop for this Experience Columbus Bakery
Before we headed to our next destination in Ohio, for more school visits, we stopped at the doughnut destination you don’t want to miss.
It’s doughnut heaven on earth. You know that everywhere I go, I stop for doughnuts.
Thanks to my dad, I never have stopped my affection with this treat. Amy’s Donuts is your stop, it is about 15 minutes out of downtown Columbus and so busy and delicious!
With a line that greets you at 6 AM in the morning, you know you found the best of the best!
You’ll definitely want to stop here!
Experience Columbus
Columbus has an incredible amount of options for touring, trying, experiencing no matter the weather.
For us, it was about spending quality time together while visiting many schools in the area for her next level of education.
My personal thanks to Experience Columbus and all the destinations that hosted us while we were there.
See you all again soon! Dana XO ~
