List of museums in Columbus, Ohio facts for kids

This is a list of museums in Columbus, Ohio and non-profit and university art galleries.

The city's first museum was the Walcutt Museum, opened July 1851. At its opening, the museum had about six wax figures and a few paintings. It grew to have about 20 wax figures, several hundred animal specimens, and about 100 quality oil paintings.

Museums in operation

Name	Neighborhood	Type	Summary	Image
Beeler Gallery	Downtown	Contemporary art	Main gallery of the Columbus College of Art and Design
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum	Ohio State University campus	Art	Collects cartoons, comic strips and graphic novels, including the collections of the National Cartoon Museum
Central Ohio Fire Museum	Downtown	Firefighting	Located in the restored 1908 Engine House No. 16
Columbus Historical Society	Franklinton	History and art	Displays historical artifacts and local art Expected to move to Engine House No. 6 in the near future.
Columbus Museum of Art	Downtown	Art	Displays European and American art and photography
COSI	Franklinton	Science, children's	Displays about 300 interactive exhibits
Hale Black Cultural Center	Ohio State University campus	African American culture and art	Features a large collection of Black art Indefinitely closed.
Historic Costume & Textile Collection	Ohio State University campus	Textile	Exhibits permanent and changing exhibits in the Snowden Galleries
Jack Nicklaus Museum	Ohio State University campus	Biographical	Museum about the life of golfer Jack Nicklaus
Kelton House Museum and Garden	Downtown	Historic house	Showcases Victorian life and the history of the Underground Railroad
Museum of Biological Diversity	Ohio State University campus	Natural history	Teaching collection, including insects, crustacea, fishes, molluscs, animal and plant specimens
Museum of Classical Archaeology	Ohio State University campus	Archaeology	Includes prehistoric pottery from Cyprus, pottery from all periods, iron tools and weapons, examples of ancient writing, religious objects
Museum of Catholic Art and History	Downtown	Religious	Displays Roman Catholic art and religious artifacts. Formerly known as the Jubilee Museum.
National Veterans Memorial and Museum	Franklinton	Veterans, military history	Replaced the Franklin County Veterans Memorial
Ohio Craft Museum	Fifth by Northwest	Crafts	Operated by Ohio Designer Craftsmen, showcases fine crafts
Ohio History Center	Ohio State Fairgrounds	History	Exhibits the history of Ohio, operated by the Ohio History Connection
Ohio Judicial Center Visitor Education Center	Downtown	Legal	Exhibits the history, role and responsibility of the Ohio court system
Ohio Statehouse	Downtown	History	Includes the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center, with exhibits about the Statehouse, Columbus history, and the state government process
Ohio Village	Ohio State Fairgrounds	Living history	Mid-19th century village, operated by the Ohio History Connection
Orton Geological Museum	Ohio State University campus	Geology	Located in Orton Hall. Includes rocks, minerals and fossils from Ohio and around the world
Pizzuti Collection	The Short North	Contemporary art	Temporary exhibitions of contemporary art from the collection of Ron and Ann Pizzuti
Riffe Gallery	Downtown	Art	Showcases Ohio's artists and the collections of the state's museums and galleries, located in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts
Thompson Library Gallery	Ohio State University campus	Literary	Exhibits the Ohio State University Libraries' special collections
Thurber House	Downtown	Biographical, literary	Museum home of author James Thurber and literary center
Wexner Center for the Arts	Ohio State University campus	Art	Contemporary performing and visual arts center

Planned museums

Name	Neighborhood	Type	Summary	Image
Eddie Rickenbacker and Driving Park museum	Driving Park	Biographical, historical	To be located in the Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker House
Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Museum	East Columbus	Aviation	Construction will begin in 2023
Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Center	King-Lincoln Bronzeville	African American history and culture

Former museums

Name	Neighborhood	Type	Summary	Image
Heritage Museum	Downtown	History	History of Kappa Kappa Gamma, located in the Victorian Snowden-Gray House, now an event space
Santa Maria Ship & Museum	Downtown	Museum ship	Replica of Christopher Columbus's Santa María, taken apart, indefinitely pending refurbishment

See also

• List of museums in Ohio for other museums in Franklin County and the rest of the state
• List of museums in Cincinnati
• List of museums in Cleveland