- 1. Hocking Hills (about 1 hour)
- 2. Mohican State Park (about 1 hour 15 minutes)
- 3. Athens (about 1 hour 15 minutes)
- 4. Ohio Amish Country (about 1 hour 30 minutes)
- 5. Cincinnati (about 1 hour 45 minutes)
- 6. Cedar Point, Sandusky (about 2 hours)
- 7. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (about 2 hours)
- 8. Cleveland (about 2 hours 15 minutes)
- 9. Lake Erie Islands and Put-in-Bay (about 2 hours 30 minutes)
- 10. Pittsburgh (about 3 hours)
- 11. Indianapolis (about 3 hours)
- 12. Louisville (about 3 hours 15 minutes)
- Getting out of Columbus without a car
- Cheap weekend getaways from Columbus by car
- Last-minute weekend getaways from Columbus
Columbus sits within a comfortable drive of more variety than most people give it credit for, and the twelve below are ordered by how long it takes to get there. Drive times are for clear roads, so add to them for a Friday evening start.
1. Hocking Hills (about 1 hour)
Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave and Cedar Falls are recess caves cut into sandstone, linked by gorge trails that stay cool in August and freeze into ice formations in January. The obvious Columbus weekend and deservedly so.
2. Mohican State Park (about 1 hour 15 minutes)
A gorge, a covered bridge and canoe liveries on the Mohican River. Quieter than Hocking Hills for the same kind of day.
3. Athens (about 1 hour 15 minutes)
Ohio University sets the tone and the Hocking River loops around the town. The Ridges, a vast former asylum now owned by the university, is the strangest and most interesting thing to walk around.
4. Ohio Amish Country (about 1 hour 30 minutes)
Holmes County has the largest Amish settlement in the world. Berlin and Millersburg are the commercial centres; the back roads between them are the actual experience.
5. Cincinnati (about 1 hour 45 minutes)
Over-the-Rhine, the riverfront and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Close enough that a Saturday morning start still leaves you a full day.
6. Cedar Point, Sandusky (about 2 hours)
More roller coasters than almost anywhere on earth, on a peninsula sticking into Lake Erie. One long day does it, but the on-site hotels save you the early drive.
7. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (about 2 hours)
The towpath trail along the old canal, Brandywine Falls, and a scenic railroad that will carry your bike so you only have to pedal one way.
8. Cleveland (about 2 hours 15 minutes)
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a free and very good art museum, and the West Side Market. An easy city swap for a weekend.
9. Lake Erie Islands and Put-in-Bay (about 2 hours 30 minutes)
Ferries run from Catawba or Port Clinton to South Bass Island. Put-in-Bay is a drinking town in July and a quiet one in September, which is the better month.
10. Pittsburgh (about 3 hours)
Three rivers, the Duquesne Incline for the view, Andy Warhol’s museum on the North Shore and a food scene that has outgrown its reputation.
11. Indianapolis (about 3 hours)
The Speedway and its museum, a very large children’s museum and the canal walk downtown. Straightforward driving the whole way.
12. Louisville (about 3 hours 15 minutes)
Bourbon country starts within half an hour of the city. Add Churchill Downs and the Ali Center for a full two days.
Getting out of Columbus without a car
Columbus is the largest city in the United States with no passenger rail service of any kind, and has had none since 1979. Proposed routes through central Ohio could change that, but the timelines being discussed run into the early 2030s. Until then every trip on this list is a car or an intercity bus.
Cheap weekend getaways from Columbus by car
- Hocking Hills: the main trails are free to walk
- Mohican: a state park day for the price of the drive
- Athens: a college town, so beds and food are cheap midweek
- Cleveland: the Cleveland Museum of Art charges nothing for general admission
Last-minute weekend getaways from Columbus
- Hocking Hills midweek, when the cabins free up
- Mohican, the quieter alternative when Hocking Hills is full
- Athens, an hour and change away
- Cleveland or Cincinnati, both big enough for a late booking
If you are deciding on the day, work backwards from the drive rather than the destination: anything under two hours leaves you a genuine Saturday, and anything past four is really a three-day trip wearing a weekend label.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
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