COSI Planetarium
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COSI Planetarium

Indoor stargazing dome amazes youngsters

The Center of Science and Industry in downtown Columbus closed its planetarium in 2004 during a financial crunch. But after raising $1.1 million to revamp the stargazing auditorium, it’s back this year and as our young kids can attest, it’s pretty cool.

“It’s like 3D without glasses,” says 7-year-old Rosie.

With a 60-foot-diameter dome and seating for 200, it’s the largest planetarium in Ohio. High-definition projectors give visitors a glimpse of the universe, as points of light become the moon, planets, stars and galaxies.

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The planetarium is located on the second floor of the 320,000 square-foot science center. It complements the adjacent Space exhibit, where we buckled ourselves onto a zero-gravity toilet seat.

COSI charges an extra $5 for admission to the planetarium. We stood in a long line before taking our seats for a 40-minute show that included a whirlwind tour of the solar system, a cosmic light show and an animated short about an alien capturing Santa Claus in his spaceship.

We sat comfortably in our recliners without straining our necks to see the encompassing ceiling. The sun rose in the east as the full moon set in the west. Animated lines linked stars to form constellations such as Orion, composed of a giant red star called Betelgeuse (pronounced like the movie “Beetlejuice.”)

I was surprised at how mesmerized my children and their friend, Nick, were by the program. I liked getting a refresher-course on astronomy, one of my favorite subjects in school, but I thought the simple animation of “The Alien Who Stole Christmas” didn’t match the technology of the new planetarium and what people have come to expect from animated films. But the children in this auditorium seemed quite content, particularly when the show switched gears into a psychedelic sing-a-long with spiraling lights.

“We’re entering a black hole,” said 5-year-old Max.

I couldn’t help but think this venue would be cool for a birthday party. The space is rentable for private parties and even weddings. Can you imagine?

Other shows include:

Our Universe Above: COSI staff members take guests on a 40-minute tour of the universe, pointing out stars, planets and constellations.

One World, One Sky – Big Bird’s Adventure: Big Bird and friends from Sesame Street take guests on a journey to discover the moon, sun, North Star and Big Dipper.

COSI, 333 W. Broad St., is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Cost is $19; $14 for ages 2-12. Admission to the planetarium costs $5 in addition to general admission.

For more information, visit cosi.org/planetarium.

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Star Lanes Polaris

Star Lanes Polaris

Boutique alley offers much more than bowling

Bowling used to be an activity all its own with not much else to spare. You’d show up to an alley ready to bowl, request your clown-like shoes, select a black ball, maybe order some nachos and a Coke, and then desperately try to break a score of 100.

But “boutique” bowling alleys, such as Star Lanes Polaris in Columbus, have changed the notion of traditional bowing and transformed alleys into playful destinations with new entertainment options and full-service restaurants.

Star Lanes, which opened in 2012, is a 35,000 square-foot fun center located near Polaris Fashion Place at 8655 Lyra Dr. What makes it a boutique alley is that the space designated to bowling is relatively small compared to the rest of the venue – just 20 lanes.

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You also won’t find a snack counter here. Instead, the Point Bar & Grill offers made-from-scratch meals including skewered coconut shrimp, grilled veggie tacos with fresh guacamole, and an assortment of craft beers and wines by the glass.

The kid’s menu includes classics such as cheese pizza, quesadillas, mac and cheese, and chicken bites, as well as a roasted turkey sandwich and a Caesar salad. (On Wednesday nights, kids eat free with the purchase of a regular-priced adult meal.)

Along with a sit-down restaurant, meals can be served alongside your alley, outfitted with comfortable couches and a selection of colorful bowling balls. Keeping score is kitschy, too, as you can reset the monitor theme and program gutter bumpers to seamlessly pop up and down in between turns.

Star Lanes also offers an upscale lounge with billiards tables and a DJ booth. Plus it has an arcade, where players can win e-tickets redeemable for an assortment of prizes. There’s even space for private parties.

For more information, visit www.starlanespolaris.com or call 614-468-4830.

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tan rollerskates

Skate Zone 71

Rediscover rush of roller skating

I recently rediscovered the rush of roller skating while escorting my daughter to a friend’s birthday party at Skate Zone 71, a roller rink located alongside I-71 in Columbus.

Fond memories of the 1980s came flooding back as I slipped on a pair well-worn, tan skates with orange wheels, just like the ones I wore when I was a regular at Medina Skateland in Medina, Ohio.

Except instead of swooning to such songs as Journey’s “Open Arms” and Benny Mardones’ “Into The Night,” my daughter, Rosie, and I circled the rink to DJ-spun tunes by the likes of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.

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It was Rosie’s first time roller skating, but she quickly got the swing of things thanks to the help of a triangular contraption called a “skate mate.” It works like an elderly person’s walker with wheels. Instead of clinging to the walls, she was able to sail into the rink with ease and confidence.

Skate Zone’s rink can accommodate 700 roller skaters and rollerbladers. Skaters can mill around the middle trying freestyle moves or lounge on the plastic couches.

This isn’t the Skateland of my childhood, though. It’s much bigger with rows of tables for simultaneous parties; an arcade with games that dispense tickets that you can redeem for prizes; a haze-filled, glow-in-the-dark space for laser tag; and a concession stand offering hot pretzels, pizza, snow cones and cotton candy.

Guests can skate to Disney tunes on Saturday mornings or to glow lights on Sunday afternoons. Weekend family skate times are Fridays 7-10 p.m. and Saturdays 12:30-3 p.m., 4-7 p.m. and 8-11 p.m. Admission is $7 with an added $4 charge for skate rental.

Need a refresher course? Skate lessons are available on Saturdays from 11 a.m.-noon for $6 per person.

Skate Zone 71 is located at 4900 Evanswood Dr., Columbus. For more information, call 614-846-5627 or visit www.unitedskates.com.

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Studio 35

Introduce youngsters to Columbus’ oldest independent movie theater

The first movie I saw at Studio 35 was the 1985 version of the musical “A Chorus Line,” starring Michael Douglas. More than the campy movie, I remember the funky neighborhood theater with red seats and a bathroom plastered with magazine photos of Hollywood stars.

I was 15 then, and it’s hard to believe the single-screen, independent theater still thrives in the heart of Clintonville, 30 years later.

Yet the theater remains popular, and thanks to a renovation in 2012, it looks even better. The owners upgraded the screen, projector and sound system, and installed a new bar and concession area. There are also a lot more beer options and more space for people who want to eat while watching their flicks.

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Opened in 1938 as the “Indianola,” Studio 35 is Columbus’ oldest independent movie theater. Here, guests can enjoy first-run and classic films, and regular showings of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” while savoring a slice of pizza and a glass of wine.

A great time to bring young adults is during its Cinema Classic series, occurring this winter from Jan. 27 through March 3. Showtimes begin at 2 p.m. and admission is $5.

Below is the winter 2018 lineup:

  • Jan. 27: Rebel Without a Cause
  • Feb. 3: What’s Up Doc?
  • Feb. 10: Casablanca
  • Feb. 17: On the Waterfront
  • Feb. 24: The Godfather
  • March 3: The Dark Crystal

Studio 35 is located at 3055 Indianola Ave. For more information and showtimes, call 614-262-7505 or visit www.Studio35.com.

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COSI: The Science of Fun

Center of Science and Industry makes learning a blast

I joined a line of teenagers to test my fear of heights at the Center of Science and Industry in downtown Columbus. I approached my turn on the high-wire unicycle as my family looked on with encouragement.

After being strapped in, I pedaled backward and surveyed the atrium 17 feet below. Curious onlookers stopped in their tracks.

“OK, now pat your head with one hand and rub your belly with the other,” joked the ride attendant, after I’d traveled to the end of the 84-foot line.

COSI has been encouraging people to put themselves in unique situations in the name of science and fun for 50 years. Innovative attractions geared to spark children’s interest in the physical and natural world have garnered the science center attention and accolades. Parents Magazine named COSI the No. 1 science center in the United States.

My family can attest to having too much fun, all in the name of science. There are hundreds of interactive exhibits to explore in the 320,000 square-foot former Central High School, COSI’s home since 1999.

We buckled ourselves to zero-gravity seats at an exhibit called Space. We played an organ that duplicates the odd sounds our bodies make at an exhibit called Life, which explores human beings from birth to death. I lifted my own body weight in a pulley chair at an exhibit called Gadgets.

We also learned a thing or two.

My husband, Mike, learned that Sherlock Holmes was a masterful observer as he put his skills to the test while solving crimes at a new exhibit called The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes. Mike and daughter Rosie collected evidence and recorded their findings in a notebook. My son, Max, and I assembled a broken three-dimensional puzzle of a human head and squirted fake blood on a windshield.

I learned that bananas aren’t the most eco-friendly fruits in the bunch at an exhibit called Energy Explorers, which focuses on how energy powers the world around us—from the products we buy to the transportation we take. Bananas, it turns out, require a boatload of fuel to travel from tropical lands to the United States, giving them a gigantic carbon footprint.

Max learned what it’s like to enter a real-life yellow submarine at an exhibit called Ocean. Rosie held onto a pair of handles and listened to the rhythm of her heartbeat on a drum.

There are still many things I haven’t done at COSI. I have yet to feel the hair-raising experience of an electrostatic charge, take a turn at being a weather reporter in front of a green screen, or stand in a wind tunnel and endure a 78-mile gust.

These are reasons why we must return soon.

For more information about COSI, visit www.cosi.org.

Experience Columbus is offering a “Roar and Explore Adventure Getaway” package for $411. It includes a two-night stay at a Drury Hotel, four tickets to COSI, four tickets to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and four tickets to Zoombezi Bay. Learn more at www.columbusfamilyfun.com.

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Worthington Community Center

Families exercise for free on select Fridays

Get the whole family up and moving during “Family Night,” a free activity held three Fridays a month at the Worthington Community Center, 345 E. Wilson Bridge Rd.

On select Fridays from 6:30-9 p.m., the community center, operated by Worthington Parks and Recreation, opens its doors to the public, allowing nonresidents an opportunity to sample the 72,000-square-foot facility and play in two gyms. During these special nights, one gym is reserved for children’s games and the other for more-athletic sports.

Family Fridays will be held March 7, 14 and 21. (Visit www.worthington.org for future dates.)

The first Friday of the month typically includes a special $3 admission to the popular pool. The pool has a shallow area with a slide, spraying nozzles and dumping buckets. It also has a whirlpool, lap lanes, lazy river and a big, twisting slide.

If you’d like a break in the action, there are arts-and-crafts projects on hand to exercise creative minds.

For more information about the Worthington Community Center, visit www.worthington.org.

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Glow Putt

Brighten day at indoor, glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course

Miniature golf is a recreational sport that’s typically played on a spur of the moment in the summertime when urge and opportunity strike.

But the Columbus suburb of Gahanna offers a glowing alternative that’s open year round.

Glow Putt is an indoor, glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course in downtown Gahanna, at 161 Granville St. Playing the 18-hole course, illuminated by black lights, is surprisingly fun in its simplicity and silliness.

I’ve known about the course for years, but it took a spur-of-the-moment desire in the middle of winter to experience it. So with my 4-year-old son, Max, along for the fun, I set out.

From the outside, the joint looks like a bar with neon signs and a dark interior. Once inside, though, it’s amusing and inviting.

There’s not a whole lot to the design of the course. There are 18 holes, delineated by neon-colored wooden frames. Participants maneuver through the course by following arrows made of tape stuck on the floor. Each hole is clearly numbered.

The course doesn’t have too many bells and whistles, as you might find at more-ambitious varieties, but we still had a lot of fun. The most thrilling features here are simple, metal loops to guide the rubber balls through.

The sparse decorations include rows of fake ficus trees, intermittent disco balls and glowing photos and cutouts of zebras, gorillas and lions. The 18th hole takes your ball. If you get a hole-in-one, you win a blinking light pin.

There also are a few skill games including my favorite, the crane game. Max and I won three toys on two crane grabs.

Cost is $7 and $5 for children 8 and younger. Hours are 3-8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; 3-10 p.m., Friday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday; and 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday.

All participants get a free glow bracelet with admission.

Party rooms are available, starting at $150 for a dozen guests to play two hours of golf.

For more information, visit www.GlowPuttOhio.com or call 614-428-4569.

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Lattes & Lollipops

Play cafe offers equal chill space for adults, kids

Upon entering the coffee house with saffron and terracotta-colored walls in Powell, you wouldn’t expect a haven for rambunctious children would be on the other side of one of them.

Yet adults read magazines, thumb smart phones and peruse the Internet on laptops as baristas prepare espresso drinks and lunch items that are hand-printed on a chalkboard.

What you don’t hear is the sound of screeching kids at Lattes and Lollipops, a play cafe that opened in 2012 at 337 W. Olentangy St.

That’s because they’re having a good time in another room, visible through picture windows. I spy youngsters sliding down a bounce-house slide, playing dress-up and removing wooden cookies from a play kitchen oven.

The 2,300-square-foot cafe adequately accommodates both: Caregivers enjoy some downtime while children get some let-it-all-out time in the well-supervised play area. When I visited with my young children, ages 4 and 6, there were three caregivers supervising a half dozen children.

The two spaces, which feel worlds apart because of the sound control, are separated by a wall with large windows, so you can see your children, but not necessarily hear them. If you’re so inclined, you can sit at a bar table with stools that looks into the play space, allowing parents and children to see one another at all times.

My children enjoyed playing in the bounce house and pretend fire station the best. After an hour’s play, though, they were interested in what mom and dad were doing and exited the play area for snacks. Home-brought food isn’t allowed at the cafe, requiring you to purchase the tempting juice bars and chips.

The cafe’s website emphasizes that it’s not a daycare – parents are ultimately responsible for their children.

How does it work?

You show up, pay the fee and sign a waiver. Children enter the playroom, take off their shoes and go at it, while parents and caregivers take a well-deserved break. No reservations are needed.

Cost for two hours of play is $15 for first child and $10 for siblings. Daily happy hour is from 2-3 p.m. and costs $6 per child and $3 each additional child.

Hours are 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Friday; and 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday. After hours are reserved for planned parties.

For more information, visit lattesandlollipops.com or call 614-798-2071.

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