🏓 A Massive New Pickleball Bar Is Opening Downtown

Plus: 🏖️ Is it a tropical getaway or just Ohio?

Author

Chelsea Wiley
May 05, 2025

Sponsored by the Greater Columbus Arts Council 🎨
One of the best weekends of the year is almost here. The Columbus Arts Festival is taking over the Scioto Mile June 6–8, and it’s completely free to attend. They’re bringing in over 250 incredible artists from around the country, plus live music, performances, and food vendors galore. It’s the kind of event where you wander for hours, run into everyone you know, and leave with a new print, a full stomach, and maybe a little sunburn. See you down by the river? For more info, head over to columbusartsfestival.org.

Hello, Monday! Chelsea here.

Welcome back to another week, friends. I know it was a rainy one, but I hope you all enjoyed the weekend. This first full week of May is bringing lots of fun to Columbus, but the cold, rainy weather is bringing daydreams about summer. Luckily, we’re gonna solve all of those problems today. But let’s get things started by talking about a very exciting addition to downtown Columbus. There’s a new pickleball spot opening up in the Arena District and it’s looking pretty epic.

🏖️ This Stunning Ohio Quarry Feels Like A Tropical Getaway
I’m a sucker for an unexpected summer getaway, and nowhere in Ohio is more surprising than White Star Quarry. It looks downright tropical, with crystal clear water and a sandy beach, and it’s just a 2-hour roadtrip away from Columbus.

🍩 Schmidt’s And Buckeye Donuts Are Teaming Up To Bring You The Most Delicious Treats
I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that there are no sweet treats in Columbus that I enjoy more than a cream puff from Schmidt’s or an assortment of donuts from Buckeye Donuts. But when they combine forces? Consider me excited.

Headlines 📰 

🏘️ A new East Columbus housing development is replacing one of the neighborhood’s last green spaces, frustrating longtime residents who feel left out of the planning process and worry about losing community-built spaces in favor of new construction. (NBC4)

📰 A new executive order aims to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS, a move WOSU’s GM says threatens their mission to serve Central Ohio. (WOSU)

☎️ The Ohio History Center now features an Ohio Bell Telephone repair truck from 1919, manufactured by Cleveland’s White Motor Company. The truck, restored in the 1970s and donated in 1985, showcases the history of Ohio’s industrial and telecommunications past. (Ohio History)

⛈️ Weather: 63 and mostly cloudy, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms

Sponsored by PromoWest 🎸
No one does live music in Columbus quite like PromoWest. They’ve got some fantastic shows coming up, including Vampire Weekend, Modest Mouse, Sierra Ferrell, and more. To see what’s on the calendar, or to grab tickets to a show, head over to promowestlive.com.

Coming Up 📆

Today's Photo 🤳

😍 All of this rain can start to get to you after a while, until you notice just how vibrant and green everything is right now. It’s looking gorgeous out there, folks.

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- Chelsea