Dine on a covered bridge, create your own horticultural souvenirs, and get up close and personal with butterflies on this experiential tour of Marysville, Columbus and the surrounding area.
Day 1
• Arrive in Union County
• Discover the fresh bounty at Mitchell’s Berries & Blooms
• Experience a bit of Holland at the Leo Berbee Bulb Company
• Dine on the Pottersburg Covered Bridge with Visit Union County Tourism
• Depart for Dublin
• Explore The Dublin Link pedestrian bridge
• Sunny Irish Dinner experience with Sunny Street Café in Dublin
• After-hours fun at 16-Bit Bar+Arcade
• Overnight at Embassy Suites Columbus Dublin
Mitchell’s Berries & Blooms
Union County
Sweet berries, ripe vegetables and fragrant flowers are some of the growing season’s best offerings at Mitchell’s Berries & Blooms. The owners began their business selling raspberries in 2006, but the farm itself has been in their family’s hands for 200 years. From April through September, the farm grows crops to share with others, and people come from near and far to sample the delicious produce. Visitors can pick vegetables and fruit themselves, with appointments required during berry season due to berry picking’s popularity. Asparagus kicks off the growing season in April. From there, groups can pick and purchase strawberries in late May, raspberries in late June and a meadow full of flowers through the rest of the summer. Edamame closes out the farm’s offerings in September. The farm also hosts special events that groups can check out, such as sunset yoga, garden tea parties, floral design classes and much more.
Dine on a Covered Bridge
Marysville
Marysville is known for its covered bridges, and at one point was home to over 200 of them. Through the years, these bridges were removed, replaced and rebuilt to keep up with modern infrastructure, and today only seven remain in the scenic countryside. Groups can check out those bridges on the Covered Bridge Trail to learn about the bridges’ history and about Reuben Partridge, the man who built over 200 covered bridges in his lifetime. A trip to Marysville and the Union County countryside would be incomplete without one of its signature offerings for groups, dining on a historic covered bridge. From April through October, groups can enjoy a delicious meal on the Pottersburg Bridge, built in 1873 and later moved to its current location to preserve it. Dishes made from fresh, local ingredients are served under the roof of the iconic red bridge while groups enjoy live folk music, storytelling and lively conversations in an open-air setting.
visitunioncountyohio.org/group-travel/dine-on-a-covered-bridge
Day 2
• Depart for Grandview Heights
• Create a butterfly pollinator at Greendigs Design Studio
• Pour-your-own-candle experience at Penn & Beech Candle Co.
• German lunch at Hofbrauhaus Columbus
• Depart for Columbus
• Guided tour of German Village
• Dinner at The Boat House at Confluence Park
• Overnight at Drury Inn & Suites Columbus Convention Center
Greendigs Design Studio
Grandview Heights
A plant lover’s paradise awaits in Grandview Heights, just outside of Columbus. Greendigs Design Studio is a plant and garden store that helps people grow what they love. The shop sells lush houseplants, outdoor plants and herbs, quirky pots, plant-themed books and gifts, as well as garden accessories and tools. It also doubles as an education center, hosting digital and in-person workshops. Greendigs helps customers design plant-friendly indoor and outdoor spaces, tend to their plants’ needs and use plants to improve their lives. Groups can attend a workshop, peruse the store’s wares and take home a houseplant of their own.
Day 3
• Butterfly experience at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
• Depart for Gahanna
• Make-and-take herb class at Ohio Herb Center
• Lunch at 101 Beer Kitchen
• Explore herb gardens in Gahanna
• Dinner at Barrel & Boar Gahanna
• After-hours fun at Pins Mechanical Company Columbus
Franklin Park Conservatory
Columbus
The Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, as it’s known today, opened in 1993, but the gardens and conservatory have been delighting horticultural enthusiasts for over a century. The John F. Wolfe Palm House, a glass greenhouse opened in 1895, is among the property’s oldest buildings. Today, the conservatory and gardens make up 13 acres of the 88-acre Franklin Park. Here, groups will find several exhibits replicating distinct biomes from around the world, including mountains, deserts, rainforests and a water garden. Each year, the Pacific Island Water Garden biome becomes home to hundreds of tropical butterflies as part of the conservatory’s “Blooms and Butterflies” exhibit. Groups can check out the plant life of each biome and view the park’s collection of bonsai trees and stunning Chihuly glass artwork. They can also take a scenic walk in the outdoor botanical gardens and eat at the Garden Café or the park’s food truck.
Ohio HerbCenter
Gahanna
Just outside of Columbus is the town of Gahanna, known as the Herb Capital of Ohio. The Ohio Herb Center, located in a historic home downtown, celebrates the area’s herbal history. It educates its visitors about the many benefits of herbs, from health and wellness to cooking and cleaning. Classes and workshops are regularly offered on varied subjects like teas and tonics, the language of herbs, natural hair care, and cooking and cleaning with herbs. Groups can attend a class and check out the store’s shop, which offers a large selection of herb-themed products and gifts, such as local honey, herbs, cosmetics, tea blends and books. Whether they’re interested in gardening, cooking or DIY, every visitor is sure to learn from and be delighted by the center’s charms.
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