The Ohio Statehouse

Not my favorite or most beautiful and ornate capitol, but our tour guide was the best and gave a great historical and informative presentation on the building and surrounding area. Highly recommend this free tour and visit. Parking below the capitol was $3 per hour and it's the most convenient option as street parking is limited. We're happy to have stopped for a visit and learned a lot about Ohio's history in a couple hours. Highly recommend touring the building with the guide

More presidents are born from Ohio than any other state. We did metered parking since the garage was full. The place wasn't too busy and we were able to wander around freely for the most part. On a self guided tour we checked out the Museum Education Center and the rotunda.

Really cool self guided tour. This is one of the most beautiful capitols. Parking is underneath the building.

Ohio Statehouse is located at the heart of Columbus on Capitol Square. You have to go through security screening at any entrance. It was quick and we walked straight to the tour desk at the map room. Walk-in tours start on the hour, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. The guided tour was very informative. The guide explained about the history of the building. Lots of rich history to take in. This magnificent Greek Revival structure was started in 1839 and completed in 1861. It is situated on a 10 acre land that was donated by four prominent landholders. The building is limestone that was taken from a quarry on the west banks of the Scioto River. Prison labors from the Ohio Penitentiary were used to construct the building. The history is intriguing.The Capitol Square complex includes the Ohio Statehouse, Senate Building and Atrium. The Capitol Atrium acts as a connector between the Statehouse and the Senate Building. The grand Rotunda or the center piece of this beautiful capitol building has a stained glass seal of Ohio on top. Its 125 feet from the floor to the top of the Rotunda.Ohio is often referred as "Mother of Presidents" as eight United States Presidents were born in Ohio. The Ohio Statehouse has named six House and two Senate hearing rooms in honor of Ohio's eight presidents. In each of the presidential hearing room, there are artifacts that are associated with each of the president. These artifacts reside in a secure case and its on display for the pubic to see.There is also a very interactive Ohio State House Museum that highlights Ohio's government history. It houses modern displays of new government as well as the original Ohio declaration. The museum itself was pretty large covering most of the basement. There were some kid friendly interactive exhibits as well as interesting reading for adults. It also has a touch screen and video which traces Ohio's history and key constitutional moments. Map Room is in the basement of the structure that connects the senate Building and the state house. The state of Ohio is comprised of 88 counties as diverse as the state itself. The map room has beautiful county map of Ohio that is laid out on the floor. There is a gift shop right across the map room that features unique gifts and artwork from Ohio artists. The Capitol Cafe is open weekdays with delicious food. There is so much to discover here just by simply walking around. Worth checking out, It's great for all ages! We parked in the facility's underground parking garage, it was convenient.

Our guide was a retired teacher that gave the informative tour... He totally made it interesting! It was nice to see ....not the most gorgeous I've ever seen, but they were some beautiful architecture and we learned a lot!

I came here because I figured it would be a nice stop since I was in Columbus, the Capital City of Ohio. Being that I've been to Ohio a million times, why not check this place out?The building is easy to find and has a parking garage on site, which I recommend. Guided tours are temporarily halted, but you can do a self guided tour with a few phone numbers to call if you want to know what you're looking at.They have security here, so don't try to pull any funny stuff. Leave your guns in the car, num-chuks, etc. I did the whole tour in under an hour and took some really cool photos when I was there. Staff is helpful and nice, and they even have a gift shop too!I will say, the gift shop is cool, but I didn't buy anything. I got to see the senate chambers and paintings of some of the congressmen over the years. This place is worth a trip and you can knock it out of the park in under an hour. Worth checking out!

There was meter parking that was free all around the state house on Sunday. We joined a free tour with another couple on the hour after getting through security. Building is opened until 5. There is a cafe, museum & gift shop inside.Jeff told us about the capital before leading us on a tour. The building is limestone built by prisoners in 1839 to 61. Lincoln's body was in repose in the rotunda. Now weddings are held here every Saturday evening. In 1861 Lincoln spoke in the House Chambers but women couldn't attend since they could not vote. In the museum, we saw the state Construction, things found when the capital was renovated & info for children about the way the government works. We wandered through chambers & the museum spend about an hour here.

Most every day I take the dogs for a long walk. There are three of them and usually I handle them one at a time - this makes the wrangling easier and it also gives me more walking exercise time for myself, as well as giving them some individualized attention & love. Occasionally it's nice to mix it up a bit as far as locations, and this particular time I chose the Ohio Statehouse grounds for one of these dog romps.The Statehouse for years has been a regularly visited place for me. And a truism for most people is that when you're frequent and familiar with almost anything, you might begin to overlook or ignore all of its wonderful attributes. In short, take for granted how special and magical something can be.Well, I'm absolutely glad I took this opportunity, because as we wandered among the grounds, statues, secluded nooks, and hidden crannies, I discovered anew just what I love about this place.I've posted some photos of our visit and they contain just a few of my favorite spots. A quiet grouping of tables near the north portico of the Senate building. And close to that the bee apiary- which most people probably don't even know exists on the grounds. A little beyond that area are the letters from soldiers to home that are engraved on memorial walls. To the northwestfront of the main building is the statue titled "These AreMy Jewels" depicting Ohio and some of the leaders who helped save the Republic during the Civil War. Scattered about the grounds are authentic working Civil War era cannons.The memorial to President William McKinley, set at the spot where, when Ohio Governor, he would daily turn on his walk to the office & wave to his wife who was terribly ill and sitting in a hotel window across the street - Ida and William McKinley is one of the greatest of Ohio's love stories I think.The Holocaust Memorial - set on the grounds not just for millions of Jews who were killed, but also to ethnic minorities, gypsies, Freemasons and other disenfranchised groups.The grounds are beautifully manicured and throughout the warmer months there are wonderful landscape beds and flowers.There is so much to discover here just by simply walking around. And what I've described is only the outside - the inside is an even more amazing treat.A must visit, and it's all free and open to the public.

Try to visit when the tour is offered. We accidentally visited one hour before the tours begin and kept getting lost in the building. So we probably missed a lot of good exhibits.Pretty architecture, but not as pretty as the nearby Supreme Court building.

Due to my recent uptick in visits to the statehouse, I was inspired to finally leave it a review on Yelp! Over the past decade I've visited the Ohio Statehouse on multiple occasions. Whether to protest SB5, health care reform, women's rights, Black Lives Matter, or to celebrate Ohio Tourism day, and well, really just to enjoy while on a walk downtown. On the outside, this building is beautiful! The grounds are well kept and a joy to view during the spring and summer months. If you're around during lunch midweek you'll likely notice folks enjoying lunch on a bench or reading a good book in the grass. As for the inside, I've only been through the doors once and that was years ago. I can't remember what issue I was there to support but I do remember it feeling very old, yet fancy. Likely what you expect from a government building of its type. I tend to pay a lot of attention to the ceilings and the floors of old buildings like this. Not sure why but that's always what catches my eye the most. Really pretty and like you're taking a step back in history.