On the grounds of the Ohio Expo Centre is the Crew Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s’ Columbus Crew. It’s the first stadium in the country built especially for a profession soccer team and can hold 22,500 fans. The HNL’s Columbus Blue Jackets face off at the Nationwide Arena, in the downtown Arena district. At the heart of downtown is the dome less Greek Revival State capital with its distinguished skylights, stained glass, and period details. The Veterans Memorial on the east side of the building is an addition to this historic structure. The lively Riffe Gallery in the Vern Riffle Center for Government and Arts has works by Ohio artists.

The Wexner Center for the Arts shows contemporary art in a dramatic building designed by Peter Eisenmann. German Village is a neighborhood of tightly packed brick homes built by immigrants in the 19th century. In the Brewery District, next to German village, old breweries are now restaurants and bars. It looks like the plains of Africa at The Wilds. Camels, giraffes and bison roam in the surface. Buses take you within feet of the animals. The park is closed November to April.