What to Do in Columbus, OH

I agree with Veronica. However, a 1/2 day is enough to see maybe HALF the zoo, especially with the 5 and 3 year olds you have :) It's a FANTASTIC zoo!!!

If you're looking for free things, there are many parks you could go to.

If you're sports fans, you could head down to the Arena District and see where the Blue Jackets (their hockey team) plays and grab some lunch. There's also a big open space kind of adjacent to the arena where the kids could run, AND it's beautiful in the fall.

There's also Ohio State, which has a beautiful campus including their football stadium.

I've never been through the Santa Maria or the Firehouse Museum, but they sound smaller than COSI and the zoo, so you may be able to hit both of them.

There are also a TON of great places to eat!!

COSI is always a safe bet, so if nothing else, you could go there, but again, I don't think you could cover COSI in half a day.

I love Columbus!!!

It kind of depends where you're staying - the zoo is a little out of town, while COSI is right downtown. But our zoo is #1 in the nation - definitely the zoo! And if it's a rainy day (or if the zoo doesn't appeal - if it's too much walking, etc.), COSI for sure. If you were here longer, there are other places I'd recommend, but the zoo or COSI are more than enough for just a half day and would be my top choices.

The zoo is great, but it is a lot of walking. You can bring your own food in, which can help keep the costs down.

COSI would probably be my pick, though it's pricey. It has a great young kids play space that even the 8yo will like, plus lots of other stuff. The cafeteria is stocked with yummy food, and it's too outrageously priced.

I suggest that if you have a few minutes, you check out blog, by a Columbus mom with kids. It's her personal experiences around Columbus doing kids stuff. http://www.cbusmom.com/

If you're looking for something free & fun and the weather is good, the best playground in Columbus, imo, is Homestead Park in Hilliard. You can bring a picnic, there are 4 different playgrounds, including a "castle" with water shooters (weather might not be warm enough for this, though).

If it's this Saturday, the art museum is having a "build stuff out of cardboard" as part of the national day of play (http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertai....

Just an add-on to A.C.'s answer: Sundays at the Columbus Museum of Art are Family Free Day. ... if that's what your boys might like.

If not, the boys would love COSI. It's really fun for kids of all ages. Just don't eat lunch there. Like the others said; very pricey.