This post is written by Melanie Redd, blogger at MelanieRedd.com and recent attendee of the Southern Baptist Convention in Columbus. You can connect with Melanie on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

Having just returned from a wonderful trip to Columbus, I thought it was the perfect time to write a blog post about the city.

We spent seven days in Columbus as part of a convention. Before this trip, we had never been to the city. In preparation for our trip, we linked to many websites and looked up all of the information that we could find about the place, the people, the food, the main attractions and more. I'm not sure what we were expecting, but we ended up having a wonderful time in the city. It was a great overall experience.

With that in mind, I'd like to share with you the list that my husband and I compiled as we were driving back home. These are THREE great reasons to visit Columbus. To read about all seven we came up with, visit MelanieRedd.com.

Reason One - It's FLAVORFUL!

THINK- great food.

In our family, food is a pastime, a sport, a hobby and something to be celebrated. We love a great meal at a great restaurant. And, we got to enjoy many of them in Columbus. A few restaurant highlights from our trip:

• Lindey's: We had brunch at Lindey's, and it was absolutely fabulous.
• The Refectory Restaurant: One of the very best meals I've ever had! Pork tenderloin cooked in this amazing sauce. Creme Bruelee for dessert. Wow!
• Bakersfield in The Short North: This is the coolest, hippest little taco place located near Downtown and Ohio State University. Wonderful and reasonably priced.

Reason Two - It's BEAUTIFUL!

THINK-parks and tree-lined streets.

Driving in through the hills of Kentucky, I wasn't expecting Ohio to be as pretty as it was. Having never been there, I had a certain image in mind. Coming in to Columbus, it really looked like I would have imagined - farms and farmland. In the city, it was a whole different deal: Columbus is a thriving city with beautiful streets, neighborhoods and communities. The tree-lined streets, the flower buckets on the light poles, and gorgeous scenery, especially struck us. We also ventured out and found a lovely park near the Scioto River in Downtown. This park is called the Scioto Mile and hosts all sorts of races, children's events and concerts.

Reason Three - It's ARCHITECTURAL!

THINK- beautiful buildings and old churches.

Gorgeous old buildings and structures were everywhere in the downtown area where we stayed. We found ourselves looking up and staring quite often. What an interesting city to visit flavorful, beautiful and architectural. We hope to return to the City of Columbus again one day soon.