Staycations: Vibing In The (Clinton)Ville

Push past the the outskirts of north campus (sorry no stopping at Three’s) and you’ll find yourself in the middle of a Clintonville. What started as a community of summer homes for the professors of Ohio State has become today one of the best places to live, eat, drink, and find entertainment.

If you’re just passing through, you might stop at their Hot Chicken Takeover location (it certainly has better hours and a shorter line than the North Market’s) or grab a drink at Condado’s—which Columbus might just consider renaming our city after or at the very least a high school stadium… But, if you are really searching for some places with character, then it’s time you give Clintonville the attention it deserves.

Breakfast is a great place to start for a day in this easy-living community, and grabbing doughnuts from Tupelo Doughnuts is a perfect place to satisfy your early-morning sugar cravings while we all wait for Katalina’s new location to open up. Blunch is perfect if your friends and you are grabbing mimosas and breakfast to start your day, and ff you’re looking for quick coffee pitstop, Crimson Cup is a great for fresh cold brew and slow drip on a hot day.

Continuing the theme of freshness, Lavash Cafe is hands down one of the best mediterranean restaurants in Columbus and a perfect lunch spot for some house made hummus and kabobs. If you’re looking for something a little more traditional, Bareburger has all your greasy American needs.

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If food does not get you as excited as it does for us, the Park of Roses is a beautiful spot to enjoy a summer day. Just behind Whetstone High School, this park is filled with tennis courts, soccer fields, bike paths, and as the name suggests—roses.

Perfect for any date, this park is as lovely as it sounds. Just across the street you’ll find Flowers & Bread, a cafe that specializes in the art of bread baking and flower arrangements. If you’re looking for a bite to eat then it’s great for an afternoon snack. This renovated building also offers a variety of classes that you and your friends can take that will teach you how to make fresh pastries, pizzas, and loaves of bread as well as classes on flower arrangements (boyfriends take notes).

Clintonville isn’t just about cute parks and bakeries. When the sun goes down, you’ll want to visit the Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse and the Old North Arcade. Studio 35 is the spot to be for movie and beer lovers because you deserve to have a place that gives you both at the same time. Always screening new and popular movies, this theater also comes equipped with dozens of draft and bottled beers and serves made to order pizzas (seriously, what is better than beer, pizza, and Jurassic Park movies?).

If movies aren’t your style then swing by the Old North Arcade for cocktails and video games that will make time fly by. But if you aren’t 21 and looking for some entertainment, Trapped Columbus is a good spot to check out. Trapped in a room with no way out and the clock racing against you, can you find an escape? If the sheer anxiety of that doesn’t freak you out then grab your sharpest minded friends and hit ‘em up because it is built for insane challenge junkies. Just make sure to snag your tickets in advance so you can try and tackle one of their several escape rooms.

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