Museums in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus's museum landscape splits between major anchors on Broad Street and smaller specialized institutions scattered across the city. COSI draws families with hands-on science exhibits at 333 W Broad St, while the Columbus Museum of Art serves an adult audience just blocks away. The Wexner Center for the Arts on the OSU campus focuses on contemporary work, and the Ohio History Center and National Veterans Memorial round out the roster for those interested in state heritage or military history.

Choosing between them depends on what you're after—whether that's interactive learning, fine art, experimental installations, or a specific historical angle. Each operates with its own hours, admission structure, and curatorial voice, so checking ahead ensures you spend your time where it matters most to you.

Central Ohio Fire Museum

Housed in a restored firehouse on Grant Avenue in Columbuss Near East Side, the Central Ohio Fire Museum is a specialty history museum focused exclusively on firefighting equipment, techniques, and the evolution of fire service in central Ohio from the s

Columbus Historical Society

A local history nonprofit and archive, the Columbus Historical Society focuses specifically on documenting and preserving the history of Columbus, Ohio, through photographs, maps, documents, oral histories, and research collections rather than broad Ohio o

Cosi- Center Of Science And Industry

Situated on the west bank of the Scioto River at W. Broad St., COSI is a hands-on science museum occupying a ,-square-foot facility that covers everything from space exploration and ocean science to nanotechnology and early childhood development. It is on

Frank Lloyd Wright's Westcott House

One of only five surviving Prairie-style houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright with a built-in Usonian-era heating system, the Westcott House in Springfield, Ohio sits about miles west of Columbus and draws architecture enthusiasts from across the Midwest

Georgian Museum

A short drive southeast of Columbus, the Georgian Museum in Lancaster, Ohio is a house museum preserving one of the finest examples of Federal-style domestic architecture in the state, built in and maintained with its original period furnishings largely i

Groveport Heritage Museum

Tucked into the village of Groveport, roughly miles southeast of downtown Columbus, the Groveport Heritage Museum is a compact, volunteer-run local history museum focused on the Canal Era, agricultural heritage, and community life of the Groveport area fr