This post is written by Scott Peacock, public relations manager, at Experience Columbus.

With the 2011 season in full swing, Columbus Crew fans are hoping for a return of the MLS Cup to see America’s Hardest Working Team lift the Cup again this year. The team is tied for a 191st ranking out of 400+ teams in the World Club Rankings done by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and is one of only two MLS teams on the list.

This year, the Crew is playing 17 home games, including an exhibition match against Newcastle United FC of the English Premier League on July 26. Whether you plan to join the club’s most ardent supporters in the Nordecke, or enjoy the color, pageantry and sound of a match from elsewhere in the stadium, rest assure that a Crew match is an unforgettable multi-sensory experience. No matter if you are attending with friends or the entire family, Columbus offers a variety of things to do to make a full weekend out of your trip.

If you’ve never been to a match before, watch this video to get a feel for the action and atmosphere. Come see for yourself what this MLS team is capable of and check out all Columbus has to offer you during your trip to the Black and Gold. Search here for tickets . (more…)

This post is written by Jami Goldstein, vice president of marketing, communications & events at the Greater Columbus Arts Council. This week, the focus is on the Columbus Arts Festival, June 3-5 in the Discovery District, behind the Columbus Museum of Art and CCAD.
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The culinary arts will make a splash at this year’s Columbus Arts Festival with Savor the Arts with Dine Originals . This special area at the festival will feature some of Columbus’ finest eating establishments from newer restaurants such as Barrio, offering South American and Spanish inspired street food, to Rigsby’s, an integral part of the Columbus community since 1986, serving a delicious lobster and corn chowder with chive oil.

Dine Originals Columbus is a community of independently owned and operated restaurants in Central Ohio. The mission of Dine Originals Columbus is to celebrate, support and promote locally owned and operated independent restaurants by providing unique dining experiences for its patrons and collaborative services and benefits for it members. The Columbus Arts Festival is excited to be teaming up with Dine Originals to promote the Columbus restaurant scene and the art of local cuisine.

The Savor the Arts tent will feature delectable menus developed by participating local restaurants that will redefine “something for every taste” including: Barcelona, Barrio, Black Creek Bistro, Deepwood, Due Amici, The Elevator, G. Michaels, Katalina’s Corner Cafe, Mozarts, The Refectory, Rigsby’s, Skillet, Tasi’s and The Top.

It’s just one more reason to get to the Columbus Arts Festival this weekend!

This post is written by Amy Taylor, chief operating officer, Columbus Downtown Development Corporation and Capitol South. This is the group responsible for all of the construction and much of the programming for Columbus Commons.

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Columbus Commons is the right thing at the right place at the right time.

Maybe you already knew that. Passers-by have been largely unsuccessful at just passing by the park: the pathways and burgeoning gardens demand attention and exploration. Located in the heart of Downtown at High and Rich streets, Columbus Commons has already become a hub for downtown activity.

All this buzz, even before the official Grand Opening beginning Thursday, May 26 at 4 p.m.

The official debut of the park isn’t just an event, it’s an extended outdoor open house with enough room for the entire community to join in celebration. The best news is that everything is free, from the concerts, to the outdoor theater, to the inflatables and face painters.

We’ll Rock The Commons on Thursday with four local headlining acts. And Roll into the weekend with a mixture of activities ranging from bounce-houses and carousel rides to Blues and Brews.

Rock, Roll . . . then Relax on Sunday with a laid-back garden party followed by Lounge on the Lawn with the Downtown Residents’ Association of Columbus and a special production of "Back to The Garden" by Shadowbox Live.

When the weekend ends, we’ll just be warming up. Come back to the Columbus Commons for fitness classes, farmers’ markets, garden clubs, children’s events and concerts all summer long.

Visit www.columbuscommons.org for all of the details on the opening and daily activities.

Have you seen the butterflies at Franklin Park Conservatory yet? If not, it’s absolutely worth a trip. I visited with a group of kindergarteners and they were engaged, educated and definitely entertained.

An annual exhibition, Blooms & Butterflies is a live “display” of butterflies flying freely in the Conservatory’s Pacific Island Water Garden. Immersed in the lush greenery, we looked up, down and all around, watching Blue Morphos, Swallowtails, Monarchs and Painted Ladies flit and flee. If you’re lucky, a butterfly will land right on your shirt for an up-close-and-personal examination. The woman next to me had a big Blue Morpho land on her jeans. It was pretty cool.

If your schedule permits, make sure you’re there for the live release of butterflies at 1 and 3 p.m. daily. A delightful young woman conducted the release yesterday and, with each specimen, described the type of butterfly and its traits. The kids were vying for spots up front and literally squealed with delight as she released one after the other.

A bonus for our trip was a visit to the Hot Shop. Each day, professional glass-blowers create spectacular pieces on site. It was pretty incredible to watch the blower take clear molten glass at 2000 degrees and form it into beautiful Chihuly-like bowls and vases right in front of our eyes. The finished pieces can be purchased in the Botanica gift shop.

Blooms & Butterflies is pure entertainment for all ages. See it on display through Sept. 11. For details, visit fpconservatory.org .

This post is written by Anthony Cordo, visitor services manager, at Experience Columbus.
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We’ve got a three-day vacation package for your entire family to check out the hottest attractions in Columbus; all starting at $375 for a family of four.

Day 1
Play at COSI , the number one science center in the nation. Their newest exhibit is Dinosaurs - a massive experience of animatronic dinos, a maze, and simulators that let you be a dinosaur!

Day 2
Get wet at the Zoombezi Bay waterpark with activities including two all-new slides: Anaconda Falls, a fast, curvy slide and the Python Plunge a thrilling water coaster!

Day 3
Experience the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium , the number one zoo in the nation. Stay cool in the new Polar Frontier and check out over eight thousand animals throughout the zoo!

A two night stay is included in the package at your choice of hotel. The preferred hotel, Drury Inn , includes complimentary breakfast and evening snacks and indoor/outdoor pools.

So, get on it and plan your family fun weekend in Columbus.

This post is written by Claudia Plumley, marketing manager at Experience Columbus.
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Festival season is my favorite time of the year in Columbus. It officially kicks off on Saturday with the Ohioana Book Festival.

As an English major, the Ohioana Book Festival is one of my favorite Columbus festivals. More than 100 authors will be there this year – all of whom have recently been published. Each will read from their latest book.

Also this weekend is the Capital City Half Marathon . Then the next weekend, it’s the Komen Race for the Cure – the third largest race of its kind in the world. Then after that, it’s the Asian Festival . You get the idea – there’s a fun festival or event happening in Columbus nearly every weekend!

Mark your calendar with this handy schedule of events that are members of the Greater Columbus Events Council. Watch our blog for the opportunity to win prize packages throughout the year.

This post is written by Bri Pollard, an intern at Experience Columbus. Bri is a senior at The Ohio State University and will be graduating in June with a degree in Communication.
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We’ve all done flowers and breakfast in bed for mom. Why not show her you really care and do something different this Mother’s Day? With the assortment of things going on around the city, there’s sure to be something for every deserving mother. Here are eight ways to do Mother’s Day, Columbus Style.

1) Put a twist on the traditional Mother’s Day brunch at the Ohio Historical Center with Brunch at Ohio Village on May 8. Treat your mom to a delicious meal in the American House Hotel and watch “In Mother’s Drawers,” a historic fashion show featuring women’s and children’s fashions through the years in Town Hall. Sunday 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. $39 Adults. $16.95 Youth (ages 6-12).

2) Rather than just giving your mom flowers, take her to Plant Fest in downtown Worthington on May 7 to pick out the plants she likes for a much longer lasting gift. Spruce up her house or help her get her garden started. Outdoors on the historic Village Green at the corner of Rt. 161 and High Street. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

3) Take mom out for lunch and shopping in Grandview , the Short North Arts District or German Village . (more…)

This post is written by Claudia Plumley, marketing manager, here at Experience Columbus.
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When I first heard the name of the Ohio Historical Society’s newest exhibit, “Controversy,” I was immediately intrigued. How couldn’t you be?!

But it was the subtitle that really got me. “Pieces You Don’t Normally See.” I did a college internship at the Ohio Historical Society and had gotten behind the scenes enough to know just how strong their collection is and what could await.

They’ve brought out their most thought-provoking artifacts – hence the name, “Controversy.” Among the items on exhibit are Old Sparky, the electric chair used 315 times from 1897 to 1963, and a Ku Klux Klan robe.

Before you see anything though, you walk through an area that asks if objects – even objects like these - have meaning. I wasn’t sure myself until I turned the first corner and saw the KKK robe. You could see the marks from where the robe was charred in fires. At the next corner, I turned and saw a wooden crib bed used to restrain patients at a Cincinnati mental health facility. I quickly got in the camp that objects have meaning.

No matter your conclusion, one thing’s for sure, the Ohio Historical Center’s done an excellent job of making us take a look at our history and see how accepted beliefs and practices have changed over the years.

“Controversy: Pieces You Don’t Normally See” is on display through Nov. 20 with special discussion programs scheduled throughout its run.

Today’s post is written by one of our interns, David Jolly, who is a junior at Ohio Dominican University studying public relations.
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Distilleries disappeared in Ohio during the pre-prohibition era, but within the past year two micro-distilleries opened for business in Greater Columbus. With the addition of Middle West Spirits and Watershed Distillery, Columbus can now proudly serve its own vodkas, gin, whiskey and in 2013 its very own Bourbon.

Middle West Spirits

Middle West Spirits is now Central Ohio’s first and only true “grain-to-bottle” micro-distillery. Co-Owners Ryan Lang and Brady Konya produce OYO Vodka and OYO Whiskey. Ryan’s a third generation home distiller and his grandmother was even arrested for bootlegging during prohibition. He and Brady met after the two were relocated to Columbus when their significant others took jobs for the same local company. After watching the micro-distillery trend grow on the west coast, the two felt the time was right for Columbus and Ohio to get into the scene. They decided to name their artisan OYO after the original name for the Ohio River Valley (pronounced O-why-O).

Located in the Short North Arts District, the 3,200-sq-ft. open-air boutique distillery produces high-quality, artisanal spirits from scratch using only the best ingredients sourced from farms across Ohio. The distillery also serves as a brand showcase, spirits shop, educational venue, and art gallery. OYO demonstrates a perfect balance of cutting-edge technology, old-world traditions, and the finest, farm-fresh Ohio ingredients. The result is a vodka that comfortably sits shoulder-to-shoulder with the finest spirits in the world.

Middle West offers tours by appointment, and can accommodate groups ranging in size from 6-40. Tours and tastings last 30-60 min, depending upon group size, and can include additional cocktails showcasing local mixology at a variety of neighboring restaurants. All guests must be 21 years of age. Tours are free, with all donations going to the Ohio Art League.

Middle West Spirits offers OYO Vodka, OYO Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka and, most recently, OYO Whiskey. All of their products are sold on site, through state liquor agencies, at bars, and through their website. For more information, to schedule a distillery tour and tasting, to find a retailer near you and to purchase OYO to be shipped anywhere in the U.S., visit www.middlewestspirits.com.

Watershed Distillery

While playing volleyball in Switzerland, Greg Lehman was so inspired by the small town he lived in and how it sourced everything locally that he became a hardcore locavore. Upon returning to Ohio, founder and head-distiller Lehman began work on what would become the newest addition to the very long history of micro-distilling in Ohio, Watershed Distillery. Located in Grandview Heights, Watershed Distillery offers two distinct spirits: Watershed Gin and Watershed Vodka.

With the creation of gin and vodka, Watershed Distillery is committed to creating small-batch artisan quality spirits using the finest ingredients available. In every aspect of the process, from the 100% natural ingredients to the custom built copper still, the care put into each bottle comes through in every sip.

Gin from Watershed Distillery, the company’s signature product, is a light, modern gin with a smooth body and a unique and aromatic blend of botanicals. Layered over the juniper note that one typically associates with gin and a combination of citrus peel which emphasizes an orange and grapefruit note, Watershed Distillery infuses a proprietary blend of seven other carefully selected botanicals and is 100% gluten free.

Vodka from Watershed Distillery is made of 100% corn grown in the Midwest, and is quadruple-distilled, giving the spirit a light body and smooth drinkability. Using corn allows a very subtle sweetness to the vodka, but the main attribute is its sheer purity. Like the gin, their vodka is gluten-free. Vodka from Watershed Distillery will appeal to lovers of traditional cocktails, as well as connoisseurs of ultra-premium sipping vodkas.

Watershed Distillery is expanding its product collection to include bourbon in 2013. The bourbon will be the first of its kind to be made in Columbus since the pre-prohibition era, making it Central Ohio’s first legal barreled bourbon.

Watershed offers tours for groups of up to 20 people. A tour through the facility consists of a walkthrough of the process from start to finish – everything from mashing to writing the batch number on the label. They also have a newly built tasting room where you can try spirits and play their official distillery game, Hammerschlagen.

For more information, to find a retailer selling or a bar serving gin and vodka from Watershed near you or to schedule a tour and tasting, visit www.watersheddistillery.com.

Today, we’d like to share a terrific blog post from Bethia Woolf, owner of Columbus Food Adventures, on Columbus Happy Hours for Foodies.

Bethia is intimate with Columbus’ food scene and loves to talk about it. In her post, she uncovers great happy hours that also provide quality dining experiences.

Read all about Columbus Happy Hours for Foodies on Bethia’s blog. And, thanks, Bethia, for sharing your insights.