Weekend Getaway to Dublin, Ohio
We were hosted on this trip for purpose of review.
Looking for a quick weekend getaway from Louisville with your family? Dublin Ohio offers a variety of activities with a small town charm that sets it apart.
Dublin is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, and it is a town with a lot to offer! It’s perfect for a girls getaway, guys getaway, couple’s trip, or a family trip! It is only about a three hours drive from Louisville, and has plenty of things to see and do.
There are different parts of Dublin Ohio, but we spent most of our time in two areas:
- Historic Dublin Ohio is full of cute stores and restaurants, walk-able, and entrepreneurial.
- Bridge Street District, which is very new, modern, urban, riverfront, walk-able area with lots of entertainment, retail stores, and restaurants.
- They are currently building a pedestrian bridge connecting the two areas across the Scioto River which will be awesome once completed!
Here’s what we recommend in Dublin
- The Morgan House (Our top pick: history, shopping, and delicious food!)
- Candado Taco (taco joint with a fun atmosphere and individual scan tron menus to fill out)
- Mezzo (look for $5 pizza happy hour on the patio!)
- The Bogey (something for everyone on the menu and sand volleyball on the weekends)
- Johnson’s Ice Cream (delicious family ice cream!)
- Wendy’s flagship restaurant (check out the latest Wendy’s technology and the historical artifacts from the beginning)
- Menchie’s frozen yogurt (your usual plethora of toppings to enjoy)
- Parks (Dublin has over 65 parks which includes 77 miles of scenic bike trails). We recommend Coffman Park (which has two playgrounds, lots of fields, art, and programming throughout the year), Grigg’s Nature Preserve (waterfall), Scioto Park (Leatherlips), and Indian Run Falls (overlooks to the water). Click here for information.
- Outdoor Art (part of Dublin’s “Art in Public Places” collection (we recommend the Field of Corn, Exuvia – a Louisville artist, Leatherlips, and The Watch House. Each art exhibit has a sign with a QR code or phone number where you can hear more about that piece of art). Click here for more information.
- Fairy Door Trail – find all of the hidden doors near the historic district to earn a prize! Our girls received their prize within days of returning home. A cool shirt to show off their scavenger hunt prowess.
- Shops –Historic Dublin Ohio, Shops at River Ridge, Bridge Park area (we especially loved the Dublin Toy Emporium that will watch your kids in the playroom in the back while you shop!).
- Pins Mechanical Company with all sorts of entertainment and games.
- Golf yourself silly at a PGA tour stop, there are 60 golf courses near Dublin.
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium – we had a fantastic time at this zoo. There were many shows and keeper presentations. We enjoyed all of the learning and active animals! The manatee exhibit was so unique, worth the trip there.
- Zoombezi Bay water park at the zoo for the warmer months. It’s large, you’ll need an entire day!
- COSI – known for it’s science fun and just 20 minutes from Dublin.
- Other Columbus attractions (see another review of a Columbus, OH LFF weekend getaway)
Places to stay:
- We stayed at Hilton Garden Inn Dublin which had an indoor pool, optional on-site breakfast, and microwave and refrigerator in the room if you want to pack your own food. It was very comfortable for two adults, two kids.
- We recommend staying in a hotel near Historic Dublin Ohio or the Bridge Street District due to both areas being so walk-able and central to most locations.
- Each year Dublin hosts the Memorial Tournament, a stop on the PGA Tour.
- The Dublin Irish Festival, which is the largest 3-day Irish festival in the world.
- Celtic Cocktail Trail
- Halloween Spooktacular
- Dublin (Christmas) Tree Trail
- Go to the Dublin Ohio Visitor Center FIRST (9 South High Street) to pick up your fairy door trail guide and numerous coupons for local attractions and eateries.
- Pack bikes, tennis rackets, and other sports and outdoor equipment for your park visits.
- The parking garages are free and will often be necessary during busy times in Dublin, especially peak dining times.
- If you go to Columbus Zoo, we recommend packing a lunch – there was some construction going on while we were there which limited the food choices in some of the regions of the zoo. Double check the bag/cooler restrictions at the zoo before you pack.
- Check Historic Dublin’s Second Saturday and Special Events calendar when planning your trip to Dublin – there’s a special event every month.
- Check the Visit Dublin website for package deals and hotel discounts.
We traveled Friday morning and returned Sunday evening. Even with less than ideal weather when we went, our weekend was packed with options for things to do. And, there were things we wanted to do that we didn’t get around to doing so we know there’s more to do if you want to spend 4-5 days in Dublin.
Stephanie & Caryn
