You will see flowers of all kinds when you go to the Franklin Park Conservatory (www.fpconservatory.org ), and you can see a butterfly take its first flight ever! Photo below shows the "blooms" part of the "Blooms and Butterflies" experience.
I always enjoy an opportunity to view glass works of art by Dale Chihuly, and the Franklin Park Conservatory had multiple examples:
The blue glass spires seem to be growing out of the ground, just like the live plants that surround them!
These pieces, or some very similar to these, were also recently on display at a Chihuly exhibit at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Our guide told us that one of the elements used to get the desired color in these green and yellow glass pieces---uranium---had to be sourced from Czechoslovakia, because artists are not allowed to purchase uranium in the United States.
The red and yellow glass art suspended from the ceiling and shown in this photo appears to just be another one of the natural plants!
At the Franklin Conservatory, a very fun experience we had, was making pasta from scratch---something I had never done before! Our group was divided into teams of four people, and, after a demonstration by the conservatory's teaching chef, we were given the ingredients and tools we needed to make our own homemade noodles! These were then cooked by the conservatory staff, and we enjoyed a dinner we made ourselves!
If you can recall all those state capitols you learned in elementary school, you will know that Columbus is the capitol of Ohio, and this is a photo of their state capitol building, taken from inside our motorcoach, as we parked in front of the capitol for a photo opportunity, and brief description of the building and statues outside.
I enjoyed the opportunity to go inside the St. Mary Catholic Church ( www.stmarygv.org ), and see the amazing restoration work that has been done there, since the building was struck by lightning several years ago.
Our guide told us about the history of the church, which is located in the "German Village" neighborhood of Columbus. It was clear to all of us the deep and sincere emotions he experienced when the church was in a state of disarray after structural problems were discovered following the lightning strike. It reminded me of the stories in the Old Testament book of Haggai, which recount a situation where people were adorning their personal residences with the finest of materials, while their house of worship was in shambles. The excuse the people used is stated here: Haggai 1:2 says, "The time has not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be rebuilt." Then, the rebuke the prophet Haggai delivered in 1:4 says, "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins??!!" But the visitors to this church in Columbus can be thankful that the necessary funds were procured to make this once again, a vibrant and functional space in which to worship God.
The information on the importance of this church in the early development of the city, is spelled out in the bronze placard put up by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission.
A somewhat new attraction to Columbus is the Veterans Memorial Museum, shown in the photo to the left ( www.nationalvmm.org )
When one has strolled its exhibits to the very top, they can walk out onto the patio/amphitheater on top of the building, and get a nice view of the Columbus Skyline, as well as the greenspace/park, known as the Scioto Mile. Scioto is the name of the river that runs through Columbus. 
These colorful flags adorn the lobby of the Veterans Memorial Museum, and are a reminder that one of the purposes of the facility is to preserve the oral histories and stories of individual men and women who have served in our military forces over the decades. 
I was very thankful to get to visit the Kelton House, and see a presentation by a re-enactor, known as Mrs. Kelton. (www.keltonhouse.com )
Mrs. Kelton told us the history of this stately mansion, and how it played an integral part in the Underground Railroad network, that helped runaway slaves make it to freedom in Canada. 
Another new-to-me experience our group had in Columbus, was at the Candle Lab ( thecandlelab.com ). At this fun place, we were able to sample the dozens of different aromas, (shown on the wall of the room in this photo), and then choose the aroma that we wanted to use for the candle each of us would make ourselves. I chose Coconut, and it provided a wonderful souvenir keepsake of my visit to Columbus!
One of the things that helps make Columbus such a vibrant city, is that it is the location of Ohio State University, whose sports teams have the nickname "Buckeyes" ( www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com ). The group got to do a behind-the-scenes tour of their gigantic stadium, known as "The Horseshoe" because the original design of the stadium was in the shape of a horseshoe. This photo was taken from the pressbox, where we were able to pretend to be radio/television announcers, giving a play by play account of the football game!
Our tour guide at the Ohio State Stadium was a gentleman who had been there for years, and knew a myriad of trivia facts about the Ohio State Buckeyes, that you will probably never read about in the record books!
This photo shows what the President's Box looks like, for those who are important enough to secure an invitation to watch the game in these climate controlled conditions. 
The first photo I showed of the press box was taken from the lower level, and this photo was taken from the next level up. That tells you it will accommodate a great many media representatives!
The football stadium at Ohio State is the first one I have ever visited that had stained glass windows, at least two stories high! In fact, they had not only one of these windows, but THREE!
No trip to Columbus, Ohio, would be complete, without a visit to the famous Columbus Zoo! Our group had the added blessing of going to the Africa Event Center, for an activity called "Breakfast with the Giraffes" . We were treated to a delicious buffet breakfast, and then given tickets that would get us into the area where we could hand feed a giraffe some giant leaves of romaine lettuce. It was great fun, and a zoo staff member is on hand to get photos of you feeding the remarkable animals.
In addition to the giraffe experience, a trainer also brought in some unique animals to allow us to get up close and personal , including petting them, if we so desired! Of course, this provided ample photo opportunities, as you can see from the folks in the picture, who all have their cell phone cameras recording the moment, for posterity!
Zoo guests also have the opportunity to take a ride on a camel! Although you cannot see it in this photo, the camel is "tethered" to a trainer, and is being led around a secure enclosure within the African area of the zoo. 
After our visit to the zoo was over, we all met back at the African Safari Event Center, where we could continue to view the animals on the savanna just out the doors, or simply chat/visit while enjoying cool drinks. 
I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to see in person, all the experiences that await a tourist, in Columbus, Ohio. A group tour is a fantastic way to get through the city, as the motorcoach driver can be the one who has to worry about finding a parking place, as opposed to what happens if an individual has to drive to an attraction, and then find a parking space. This makes me a big fan of group tours!
I like to spend my money on experiences, and not so much on things. That is one reason, I liked the name of the Columbus website to promote tourism to the city. It is called EXPERIENCE Columbus, and that is exactly what our group did, with numerous HANDS ON EXPERIENCES in Columbus. So make a visit there, and I hope, that you---like me, will come away with "MILES OF SMILES"!! Tricia
