Quick! I need places around Columbus, Ohio that would appeal to my mother!

Wow @RocketSquid, that’s asking for a lot without more details, especially if activities are already planned. My recommendation would be to take a look at this list on TripAdvisor of activities in Columbus. Is there anything that might hold the interest for all?

One personal suggestion would be to consider visiting the Longaberger basket factory. Driving past their office building that is in the shape of a huge basket is worth the drive itself. The factory tour is fascinating, if you like that thing.

Otherwise, I suspect your mom, like most mothers, just wants to enjoy the family time together.

Well… I don’t know of anything for your mother but a great place for mother-in-laws I hear is that concrete shoe store at the Olentangy River. Hear it’s breath taking.

Presumably your mother is a grown woman (these days, it’s easy to presume too much) with a certain amount of education, breeding and maturity.

She can surely amuse herself for the brief time that she’d be otherwise bored out of her skull with your life. I say that somewhat tongue-in-cheek (and biting hard on the tongue, just not enough to draw blood). For large parts of her life my mother had no idea what I was doing (or why), but she was always beaming and proud to be with me, anyway.

One hopes that your mother will be so happy to be with you that “activities” hardly matter. Icing on the cake, maybe, but not the focus of the day. Enjoy the day, spend some time with her, and hang the activities.

Thanks for the tips, I know it’s hard with the incredibly indepth desriptor of “Mother”. @CWOTUS hit the nail on the head, my mom has really no idea what I do anymore and I doubt she’d be interested in an art jam. She loves gardening, but I don’t want to put her to work and that could take a few hours otherwise. Good call with the basket factory, @Pied_Pfeffer , I think she’d adore that.

No offense @Pied_Pfeffer—but Frazeysburg, Ohio (the Longaberger homestead) is not close to Columbus, OH. It’s in the middle-of-no-where past Zanesville. The construction heading east on I-70 from Columbus at the moment would make a trip there at least 1.5 hours each way. Yuck!

When I go back home to Columbus (and I’m probably old enough to be your mom) here’s what I like to:

1. Go to the Book Loft in German Village.
2. Then stop by the original Max n’ Erma’s (right around the corner) for a nice lunch.

If the weather is nice you can continue on down 3rd street to the park..and/or this weekend (June 24–25th) is their annual Haus und Garten tour

This would be a BIG hit with her if she likes gardening.

I also recommend the North Market (in Short North) as a great place to find unique eats and wonderful things to see..

@geeky_mama Thanks for the heads up to the OP about the road construction. The last time I was visiting Columbus, my friend took me there, and yes, it’s a bit of a drive, but it was chat time in the car, and the time flew. It was worth the trip, even with a toddler on board.

It is really sad I have lived here for nearly all my almost 24 years and I’m drawing a blank.

Giant time out! Tomorrow in Columbus is Gay Pride and trying to drive anywhere near downtown (including German Village) will require avoiding some major traffic arteries. It is doable (and the Loft Bookstore is wonderful), but actual downtown will be a challenge. If you decide to do the Short North OR the North Market, go early and expect that parking will be a challenge.

Franklin Park Conservatory can be a fun place and the Butterfly exhibit will be open tomorrow. It is truly an amazing experience to have butterflies just land on you and some of them are gorgeous! Also tomorrow between noon and 3 they are doing glass blowing that people can watch. Here is the link for FPC.

The Park of Roses might be fun as the roses are in bloom (about a week past prime). Here is the link for Whetstone/Park of Roses and here is the link to download the guide for the self-tour of the rose garden.

If your mom likes gardening she might enjoy the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. I’ve never been there but as a lover of plants and green and growing things I always enjoy a visit to whatever botanical gardens any city has to offer.

Thanks for the advice everyone! Fortunately the gun show itself didn’t last long, and my mother and sister had a great time at Easton Mall (they picked that out beforehand, so my panic was apparently unnecessary). I’m keeping those written down, though, in an attempt to tempt my family in visiting more often.

Thanks for the update. It’s great to hear that everyone enjoyed their time in Columbus.