20 Family-Friendly Free Events and Activities in Central Ohio This September
September in Central Ohio is packed with opportunities for family fun that won’t empty your wallet. From cultural festivals to nature explorations and community events, there’s plenty to keep your calendar full. Here’s a list of 20 free things to do this September that your whole family will love. Be sure to follow us on Instagram to see more wall friendly activities!
1. Saint Mary School German Village Oktoberfest
Date: Friday, September 20
Time: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Saint Mary School German Village – 700 S Third Street Columbus, OH 43206
What’s Happening: Celebrate Oktoberfest with family games, live music, and delicious food in German Village. Entry is free, with all proceeds benefiting SPiCE (Special Persons in Catholic Education). More details here.
2. Giant Bugs at the Main Library
Date: Ongoing through October 24
Location: Main Library, Columbus Metropolitan Library – 96 S. Grant Ave.
What’s Happening: Explore larger-than-life insect sculptures and enjoy the many family-friendly activities the library offers. More details on this fun exhibit here.
3. Use the Culture Pass from Columbus Metropolitan Library
Date: All Month Long
Location: Various Central Ohio Places
What’s Happening: Your library card is your ticket to free admission at top cultural attractions like The Columbus Zoo and the Columbus Museum of Art. You can even visit Dawe’s Arboretum or see a Sunday Columbus Clippers Game. Check out the full list here.
4. Grandparents and Grandkids at Slate Run Historical Farm
Date: Saturday, September 7
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: Slate Run Historical Farm – 1375 OH-674, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
What’s Happening: Experience a 19th-century style living farm and an opportunity for grandparents and grandkids to explore the farm together and meet the animals. (Nieces/nephews and borrowed grandchildren will work too)!
5. Attend the Welcome to Fall Fest at Highbanks
Date: Saturday, September 21
Location: Highbanks Metro Park
What’s Happening: Join us from 5-8pm for a fun family event to celebrate the first days of fall! Enjoy hayrides, inflatables, campfires & marshmallows, archery and other outdoor activities. The Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves will be here with stream critters for you to explore. Don’t forget to bring your picnic dinner and enjoy all the fun activities. Hayride lines will end at 730pm, so everyone can get back for the 8pm outdoor movie How to Train your Dragon 2. Movie starts at dark (~8 pm). All ages. FREE!
6. Hunt for Fairies at the Irish Fairy Door Trail
Date: Anytime stores are open but they recommend Wednesday – Saturday from 11:00AM – 6:00PM.
Location: Start at Dublin Visitor & Information Center (9 S. High St.) then explore Historic Dublin and Bridge Park.
What’s Happening: The Fairy Doors of Dublin Trail is back and ready for action! Whether you’ve hit the trail in past years or this is your first time, grab your passport and follow the path on your trail guide through Historic Dublin and Bridge Park to 10 businesses and find each resident fairy! Record the name of each fairy, fill in your passport and return your completed passport to the Dublin Visitor & Information Center (9 S. High St.) for a FREE Fairy Door t-shirt.
7. Columbus Commons Harvest Fair
Date: Saturday, September 7
Time: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Columbus Commons – 160 S High St, Columbus, OH 43215
What’s Happening: Free fall-themed family fun for everyone to enjoy! Activities and entertainment include: Maximize the power of play with The Parachute People, Inflatables from SuperGames including Bobbing for Apples, Endzone Obstacle Course, Farmyard Playland, Football Bounce, Scarecrow Slide, and Wacky Kiddie Korner, Downtown pumpkin patch ($3 per mini pumpkin, card only), Pumpkin decorating facilitated by OSU Urban Arts Space , Facepainting and Balloon Twisting with Pretty as a Princess , Sway Pole Performance from The Amazing Giants , A full farm experience & apple cidering with Bring the Farm to You, Pumpkin Carving by Rock on Ice , Participate in sensory fun with Bridgeway Academy & Therapy Center.
8. Westerville 4th Friday
Date: Friday, September 27
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Uptown Westerville
What’s Happening: Stroll through Uptown Westerville during their monthly 4th Friday celebration. Enjoy live music from Three Ton Toad, vendors, and kids’ activities like the Arts Alley and Lawn Games at the Library. This month includes Picnic with the Pups!
9. Grandview Hop
Date: Saturday, September 28
Time: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Grandview Avenue, Grandview Heights
What’s Happening: The Grandview Hop is Grandview’s community night market / street festival series. Once a month from June through September, we invite the community to our OPEN STREET Night Market along Grandview Avenue. We close Grandview Avenue for pedestrians only from 1st to 5th Avenue (a half-mile long event!) for the community to enjoy an open-air market featuring more than 250 pop-up shops and food trucks, along with live music, local art, two charity beer+wine gardens, games, giveaways, outdoor activities, and more. In addition, the Hop offers a “Community Stroll” that allows and encourages attendees to explore more than 60 local brick-and-mortar businesses, restaurants and boutiques, many of whom offer shopping deals and late night specials!
10. Groove is at The Yard – Honey and Blue
Date: Thursday, September 19
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Easton Town Center at The Yard
What’s Happening: Eat, drink, move and groove every Thursday from 6-9PM at The Yard! From funk to acoustic, Americana to rock, enjoy free live music performed by local artists all summer long. Grab a drink on a patio overlooking The Yard, or pop out your favorite lawn chair in front of the stage!
11. Sundays at the Columbus Museum of Art
Date: Sundays in September
Time: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: Columbus Museum of Art – 480 E Broad St Columbus, OH 43215
What’s Happening: The Columbus Museum of Art has long prioritized access opportunities to eliminate barriers and reinforce the Museum as a community resource for everyone. Free Sundays provides free general admission for museum visitors each and every Sunday. Free Sundays has been made possible by the support of many generous donors who supported our Free for the Future Campaign, pledging to keep Sundays free.
12. Old Worthington Market Day
Date: Saturday, September 14
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Downtown Worthington
What’s Happening: Join us at one of Worthington’s longest standing traditions and largest one-day festivals, Old Worthington Market Day. Enjoy over 180 exhibitors with handmade arts and crafts, numerous charitable and civic organizations and family friendly fun.
13. Scioto Fest at Scioto Audubon Metro Park
Date: Friday, September 13 and Saturday, September 14
Time: 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM + 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Scioto Audubon Metro Park – 705 Maier Place Columbus, OH 43215
What’s Happening: Scioto Fest will be bigger and better than ever this year. All the FREE fun begins at Scioto Audubon Metro Park at 5pm on Friday, September 13, 2024, with Yappy Hour, Try It! Climbing, food trucks, Nocterra and Land Grant beer, plus live bands. You can even camp under the stars. Check out the full schedule of events for the entire weekend lower down the page. Saturday, September 14 will feature Try It! Kayaking and Climbing, climbing shoe demos, a climbing competition, and more!
14. For the Love of Hilliard: Part 2
Date: Saturday, September 7
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Downtown Hilliard
What’s Happening: In the absence of the Old Hilliardfest, the businesses are once again banding together to create an experience for residents and visitors that is uniquely Hilliard! Join us for live music, family fun, shopping, dining and a good dose of community togetherness. Learn why Hilliard is affectionately regarded as “Everyone’s Hometown.” More details on this fun and free event here.
15. Arts in the Alley
Date: Friday, September 20 – Sunday, September 22
Time: 5:00 PM on Friday, the Parade kicks off at 9:30 AM on Saturday the event runs until 5:00 PM
Location: Downtown Grove City
What’s Happening: The Arts in the Alley Festival is a beloved annual event that brings together artists, performers, and the community for a weekend of fun, creativity, and celebration. With numerous activities and attractions, there is something for everyone to enjoy, from art enthusiasts to families looking for a great weekend outing.
16. Lithopolis Honey Festival
Date: Friday, September 6 – Saturday, September 7
Time: 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM and 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Location: 30 E Columbus St, Lithopolis, OH 43136
What’s Happening: It’s All Things Honey – from bee beards, educational sessions, and a bee train to food trucks and hands-on honey extraction…and more! Enter the Ohio Honey Show, Honey Bake-Off and ECOBA Photo Contest. Buzz over to the food courts for scrumptious honey-made food, and sample mead at the wine tasting at Wagnalls Memorial Library. While you’re there, enjoy a treat from the Honey Bake-Off sale or take advantage of their book sale before you check out the fantastic live music in the park, shop with nearly 100 vendors to find some of Ohio’s best arts & crafts, and let us help your children create bee memorabilia at the Gilmore Group/Red 1 Realtors Busy Beehive. Relax while your kiddos take a ride on the Bee Train, and enjoy the free, air-conditioned transportation to our free parking lots when your day is over.
17. Hocking Hills Butterfly Trail
Date: Any day in Saturday
Location: Regional Welcome Center at 13178 State Route 664 S., Logan
What’s Happening: The Hocking Hills Butterfly Trail is a great place to start your outdoor journey through the Hocking Hills. The trail consists of 14 locations each featuring a different set of butterfly wings. Visit each location to learn about the featured butterfly, their habitat and food source. These fantastic fun butterfly wings are a great way to take home memories with the photo opportunity at each stop. Plus a passport and coloring book has been created to augment the experience.
18. Cafagna’s Fall Festival
Date: Saturday, September 14
Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Carfagna’s – 1440 Gemini Place Columbus, OH 43240
What’s Happening: Join us as we prepare to celebrate Autumn and the Harvest Season. This is a FREE event and fun for the entire family! FREE SAMPLES! LIVE DJ! PHOTO BOOTH! CARAMEL APPLES! KIDS CRAFT AREA! PUMPKIN GRAB BAGS! OLIVE OIL VENDORS! BAKE SALE.
19. Explore the Scioto Mile
Date: Anytime
Location: Downtown Columbus
What’s Happening: Take a stroll along the Scioto Mile, a scenic urban oasis in the heart of Columbus. The parks, fountains, and walkways offer a perfect spot for a free family outing.
20. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
Date: Tuesdays – Sundays in September
Location: The Ohio State University, Columbus
What’s Happening: Explore the world’s largest collection of cartoon art, located right on Ohio State’s campus. Admission is always free, and it’s a unique way to spend a day with the family.
September is a month full of possibilities in Central Ohio, with countless free activities and events perfect for family fun. Whether you’re enjoying a festival, exploring a park, or discovering something new at a museum, there’s no shortage of ways to make the most of this vibrant season without spending a fortune. Be sure to bookmark this post from Eat Play Cbus for an ongoing list of all fairs and festivals in Central Ohio.
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