Priceline seems to love giving good deals on Columbus hotels. However, if you really wanted to make a weekend of it, you easily could hit both places to the delight of, I’m sure, your entire group. We did not visit it, being constrained by both time and the fact that we’re more zoo people than water park folk. Zoombezi Bay Waterpark is right next door. The premium exhibit wristbands are $9 per person, which actually seems like a good deal once you realize what fun the extras are ( Dinosaur Island rules, although I’m still not sure why it has a Southeast Asia theme).

Your membership to any of the following local zoos gets you into the Columbus Zoo for half price: Scovill, Miller Park, Henson Robinson, or Peoria. The Columbus Zoo even has a somewhat-unnecessary-but-cool-nonetheless free tram that will take you from the parking lot to the front gate. You’re never far from seeing something great, and its innovative animal habitats and exhibits are nicely maintained. The Columbus Zoo, by contrast, makes excellent use of its space. Louis Zoos, both delightful in their own right, suffer from the same major downfall as far as I’m concerned (although Brookfield is by far the worse offender): they are laid out in a sprawling fashion around central greens. Recommend it, we do (slipped into Yoda mode for a minute there). We planned to get there early enough to enjoy the Jack Hanna-sponsored Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, which was no small feat–of course, you lose an hour heading east. Recently, en route to Washington D.C., my family stopped for the night in Columbus, OH. It’s great to have other one-tank road trip options to freshen the palette every once in a while. After many uninterrupted years of visiting them, though, those destinations can take on a bit of a “been there, done that” quality.

All are great American cities with lots to offer families. Living in C-U typically means weekending in one of three major metropolitan areas: Chicago, St.

Hotels near columbus zoo and aquarium