Visitors to Columbus, OH, won't admit it at first, but they secretly expect this Midwestern capital to resemble a sprawling version of Mayberry from the old Andy Griffith show. I'm serious! In fact, I've been told by tourists from the east and west coasts that the only Ohio city they consider contemporary is Cleveland. Maybe they think this because Columbus was nicknamed "Cowtown" a century ago, when it was the state's trading and agricultural center. In fact, the only time you might find cows in Columbus today is during the summer at the Ohio State Fair.

Current Rental Pricing for Apartments in Columbus

Current Pricing for Homes for Rent in Columbus

I’m your ApartmentHomeLiving.com Local Expert for Columbus, and I'm excited to take you on a tour of a Midwest city famous for being home to the Ohio State University, a fascinating Italian-American culture, and, of course, a blazing nightlife fueled by the energy and enthusiasm of thousands of university students.

Short North Arts District

Running along North High Street and a little north of the Arena District, the Short North Arts District is a colorful burst of galleries, restaurants, bars, and public art. Instead of generic art spaces, you'll enjoy contemporary galleries showcasing regional paintings, photography, and mixed media works. New businesses tend to move into older brick storefronts or rehabbed early 20th-century buildings. The neighborhood’s signature lighted arches, inspired by the historic arches that once supported streetcar lines, glow over High Street each evening. This makes the Short North Arts District feel invigorating and bohemian.

In the morning, the air smells of espresso and pastry aromas drifting from places like One Line Coffee on High or Fox in the Snow over in nearby Italian Village. Sidewalks can sometimes get crowded with OSU students, freelancers, and dog walkers heading toward Goodale Park.

By evening, the neighborhood's ambiance glows with that exciting sense of moonlit energy—patios packed under string lights, barhoppers wandering through the crowd, conversations and laughter, and illuminating arches burning over the street late into the night.

German Village

Just south of downtown lies one of the most recognizable neighborhoods in Columbus—German Village. Nineteenth-century German immigrants originally settled the area, and much of their character remains, with black wrought-iron fences fronting many cottages and gardens and side streets paved with original bricks.

If you are ever in German Village checking out rentals and are an avid reader, make sure to visit The Book Loft, a massive bookstore inside a maze-like building with 32 rooms, each stacked with real books.

You'll find Schiller Park in the German Village, where the Actors’ Theater of Columbus performs Shakespeare outdoors each summer. Grab a blanket, spread it out on the grass, and enjoy your favorite Shakespeare play during a warm summer evening.

If you're hungry, Schmidt’s Sausage Haus serves mouth-watering sausage dishes and the best chocolate or vanilla cream puffs you'll ever eat.

Italian Village

Italian Village lies just north of Downtown Columbus along the eastern edge of the Short North Arts District. With its restored 19th-century homes lording over rehabbed factory buildings converted into studios and lofts, the Italian Village still retains an old-world charm despite the influx of urbanites seeking a quieter lifestyle.

Converted warehouses line North Fourth Street in Italian Village, where tall multi-pane windows frame views of the neighborhood's streets. If you enter one of these warehouses, you'll see brick walls, polished concrete floors, and iron beams stretching overhead that reflect the area's factory roots from the late 1800s and early 1900s. In the late afternoon and dusk, people begin riding their bikes into the village, and streetlights cast an intimate glow on visitors and residents strolling the sidewalks.

Browse apartments for rent in the Italian Village here on ApartmentHomeLiving.com.

Clintonville

A little bit quieter than other Columbus neighborhoods, Clintonville is about five miles north of Ohio State University, offering a respite from the downtown's noisy energy. The neighborhood stretches along the east bank of the Olentangy River, where rippling waters curve past wooded slopes and public access points like Glen Echo Park. You can enjoy a casual walk, a bird-watching expedition, or an exciting kayak adventure on the Olentangy River.

Spend Saturday mornings buying fresh, Ohio-grown produce and yummy bread baked by local bakers at the Clintonville Farmers Market on North High Street. I've had the pleasure of eating at Hounddog’s Pizza (Pizza for the People!), which sits along North High Street near OSU at the neighborhood's southern fringe in the nearby University District. It's a popular dine-in and carry-out pizzeria featuring pool tables plus a long central bar where residents and visitors chit-chat for hours over pitchers of BrewDog Elvis Juice and, of course, pizza.

Parks and Gardens

Franklin Park Conservatory

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is located within Franklin Park, about two miles east of downtown Columbus. It's a great place to visit in winter, especially when you're sick of snow and freezing temperatures, and you can simply step into humid tropical biomes where orchids bloom, and everything is green. Dale Chihuly’s world-renowned glass sculptures remain on permanent display throughout these indoor gardens, with nearly two dozen installations currently decorating the plant collections.

Seasonal events include the Blooms & Butterflies exhibition, which runs from late February through early July and features hundreds of exotic butterflies in the Pacific Island Water Garden. Spring visits offer access to the outdoor Columbus Blooms display, showcasing over 140,000 tulips, daffodils, and flowering trees along the pathways.

Scioto Audubon Metro Park

Scioto Audubon Metro Park follows the Scioto River south of downtown across over a hundred acres of wetlands and boardwalks. You reach the 35-foot climbing wall, complete with three towers and two arches spanning 7,000 square feet, with bouldering below 10 feet, top-rope and lead climbs above, plus four auto-belays. Staff open it seasonally from March through October. Climbers haul their own harnesses; kids boulder freely, and climbers 13 and older use the top-rope and lead routes. In addition, the Grange Insurance Audubon Center next door holds bird-watching programs and wildlife talks focused on local animals.

Topiary Park

Topiary Park stands out as Columbus's most peculiar green space in the Discovery District, just east of downtown. Local artists James and Elaine Mason crafted it in 1989 from a vacant lot to mirror Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Topiary Park currently has 54 life-size topiaries, including men in top hats, women with parasols, and children at play, plus boats, dogs, a monkey, and a cat, all clipped from yew trees and set atop sculpted hills. Pathways wind through the scene past stone terraces that once surrounded a school for the deaf in the middle 1800s.

Museums and Cultural Exhibits

Columbus Museum of Art

If you are an art aficionado, you will fall in love with The Columbus Museum of Art, currently displaying over 22,000 works and unique collections by William Merritt Chase, Max Weber, Picasso, and Matisse. I've visited this museum once, a few years ago, and spent hours browsing paintings, the large sculpture garden behind the museum, and the American Modern galleries, where Ella Fontaine's folk art accompanies George Bellows' boxing scenes. The Philip and Suzanne Schiller Collection of American Social Commentary Art includes prints by Jacob Lawrence and posters by Ben Shahn, if that kind of art interests you.

Center of Science and Industry (COSI)

COSI is a huge riverfront building with more than 300 interactive exhibits exploring ocean life, space, dinosaurs, and energy. Kids ages two to 12 adore the activities in Little Kidspace and the planetarium, while the Extreme Screen theater screens towering four-story IMAX films. If you've got kids or are looking for something to do with grandkids, COSI is the place to take them for a memorable day of fun and learning. Get on the human hamster wheel and pedal away to light up LED displays and spin generators. Kids will have a blast pumping air pressure launchers that fire foam rockets from one side of the open exhibit space to the other within COSI's Big Science Celebration zone.

Wexner Center for the Arts

Wexner Center on the OSU campus spotlights contemporary art, experimental film, and performance in a Peter Eisenman–designed building. You can catch rotating shows like 2026's media installations alongside the Ohio Theater's indie cinema and live talks. Locals like to talk about the fascinating post-screening Q&As with filmmakers, which can go on until well past midnight. The center's performance space features a platform that projects into the audience on three sides and hosts dance and music events. Admission to the Wexner Center for the Arts is free for all ages during regular hours.

Festivals and Annual Events

Columbus Arts Festival

Each June, the Columbus Arts Festival takes over the riverfront downtown. Local and out-of-state artists display their paintings, sculptures, photography, and handmade jewelry while food trucks line the surrounding streets. I try to attend the Columbus Arts Festival every summer just to wander through the exhibits and hopefully find a painting or piece of jewelry I can't live without.

Ohio State Fair

What can I say about the Ohio State Fair except--GO! Pro tip: give yourself two or even three days to see and do everything at this amazing fair. In 2026, the fair will be open from July 29 to August 9.

Red, White & Boom

Every July, the Red, White & Boom fireworks celebration draws massive crowds to downtown Columbus. Watching the fireworks burst above the skyline is awe-inspiring and unforgettable.

Dublin Irish Festival

Late July/early August brings the Dublin Irish Festival to Coffman Park, located in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb northwest of Columbus. This fun festival is considered the world's largest three-day Irish cultural event and features Irish dance competitions, traditional music stages, art vendors, and Irish food like shepherd's pie and soda bread

Juneteenth Ohio Celebration

Spotlighting musical performances, historical reenactments, and vendors providing delicious soul food, the Juneteenth Ohio Celebration is all about celebrating Black history, culture, and contributions to society. In 2026, the celebration will be held at Genoa Park on Broad Street Downtown on June 19 and June 20.

Getting Around Columbus

Depending on where you live and work in Columbus, you might or might not need a car to get around. The public transportation system in Columbus is called the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), which links suburbs to OSU and downtown with frequent service. A monthly bus pass is only $62, or $4.50 per day.

Of course, you can always hitch a ride with Uber and Lyft drivers when necessary. Columbus also offers electric or pedl models throughout the city called CoGo bikes. You can unlock a CoGo bike via the app for around $4 for a half-hour ride, or grab one downtown, lock it blocks away, and cover the last leg of your trip on your terms.

What Do You Think About Living in Columbus?

My answer to that question is this: Columbus offers an attractive, yet not stressful, type of urban vitality, tempered by a manageable, affordable lifestyle you won't find in other metropolitan areas. Travel times are, for the most part, predictable for commuters, while rental prices are significantly lower than in many competing markets. There's also a sense of community and spirit that binds residents committed to protecting the wonderfully original personality of every district.

ApartmentHomeLiving.com helps prospective renters like you learn about cities from a local's perspective. I sincerely hope Columbus is the city you've been searching for to work, play, and live your best life possible.