Picking a top cultural institution is a difficult task. Each destination in Columbus is worthy for its own specific reasons, and we can’t help but encourage everyone to visit each one. But it wouldn’t be a year-end recap without making a few lists, which is why we polled our readers and editors to categorize and quantify their top picks.
This year, the Franklin Park Conservatory jumped up into the top spot, beating out past museum winners that have long dominated the survey. The rise in interest in the FPC makes sense for 2018, as this summer saw the grand opening of the new outdoor Children’s Garden area, which features places for interactive play, event programming, natural-style water features and more. And even though the outdoors are typically reserved for warmer months, the garden has been converted into a holiday light show for December, encouraging visitors to partake in the new space year-round.
For more information, visit www.fpconservatory.org.
Top 10 Arts & Culture Institutions in Columbus of 2018:
- Franklin Park Conservatory
- Wexner Center for the Arts
- Columbus Museum of Art
- COSI
- Ohio History Connection
- CCAD
- NVMM
- Columbus Main Library
- Cultural Arts Center
- Ohio Village
Flashback: Best Arts & Culture Institution of 2017: The Wexner Center
Flashback: Best Arts & Culture Institution of 2016: Columbus Museum of Art
Flashback: Best Arts & Culture Institution of 2015: Columbus Museum of Art
Flashback: Best Arts & Culture Institution of 2014: Columbus Museum of Art
Flashback: Best Arts & Culture Institution of 2013: The Wexner Center
Note: Our “Best of 2018″ lists are published as the combined results of our annual Reader Nomination Survey and Editor’s Choice picks.