You might have heard that travel writer Jordan Simon recently placed our humble hometown on his list of Top 10 Things to See in the U.S. Before You Die on AOL.com. While we, as Columbus residents, often take for granted what we have here - other folks are impressed.

For a smallish town of 40,000 we have managed to pack our town full of architectural gems and running with the phrase “if you build it, they will come” - it looks like they have. Many of us are transplants working in the businesses that decided to make Columbus home.

Other places taking a number on Mr. Jordan’s list are stellar places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, New Orleans and low behold, there we sit - Columbus Indiana. He says some nice things about us: “For a small city, Columbus is a major repository of modern architecture, with works by luminaries like Eero Saarinen, Cesar Pelli, and Richard Meier. This destination says design from the get go—you enter the city over a futuristic quadripod bridge. The Visitors’ Center dazzles with work by famed glass artist Dale Chihuly, while Eliel Saarinen’s 1942 First Christian Church (its rectangular windows and brick tower glow like corn in the sun) faces I.M. Pei’s Cleo Rogers Memorial Library (a brick pavilion with long deep recessed windows). In between, Henry Moore’s whimsical massive sculpture, Large Arch, is his tribute to Stonehenge.”

Since the Columbus Visitors Center made their own list of things to see - we thought we would do it too. It’s all in good fun and I’ll bet our list will be a little different. What would you put on your list of places to see and things to do in Columbus?

1: Check out the restaurants on State Street - Get a burger at Lucas Brothers, Grab a Wing Ding from Scooters and don’t forget about Donuts & Coffee - they have great apple fritters

2: Notice the difference between the bathroom roof lines at Millrace park

3: Find the interesting bricks downtown on Washington Street

4: Make out with a friend under the neon glow in Friendship Alley

5: Learn to successfully navigate all 19 miles of the People Trail without getting lost or confused

6: Discover which is better - Becker’s Drive-In or Musillami’s Drive-In

7: Take a float trip down the Driftwood River in your own boat or rent one at Blues Canoes

8: Walk the Seven Wonders of Columbus tour at least once, so when a tourist asks you a question you don’t seem like a dolt

9: Drive by Tony Stewart’s childhood home - when he wins a race head over to Dairy Queen for a free milk shake

10: Fight the urge to eat your “safe food” at the Ethnic Expo and explore a little

Addison Overfelt
editor