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- 😍 One Of The World’s Most Beautiful Museums Is Right Here In Ohio
😍 One Of The World’s Most Beautiful Museums Is Right Here In Ohio
Plus: ❄️ This Winter Ice Festival Will Make January In C-Bus Magical
Chelsea Wiley
December 18, 2025
Help us support Mid-Ohio Food Collective this holiday season!
While many of us gather around tables filled with food and laughter, thousands of families in our community are going without. Together, we can change that. Support the Holiday Meals Campaign and help provide comfort, nourishment, and hope to families in need. For every $1 donated, Mid-Ohio Food Collective can provide up to 2.5 meals. If you’d like to donate, please click here. Every single dollar matters!
Hello, Thursday! Chelsea here.
Ohio doesn’t usually get name-checked alongside Paris, Tokyo, or Copenhagen, but here we are. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has just landed on a global list of the world’s most beautiful museums, following a sweeping, years-long redesign. It’s the kind of recognition that feels both surprising and overdue, especially for a museum many Ohioans grew up visiting on school field trips. The transformation reimagines what a natural history museum can look and feel like, with architecture that reflects the region’s landscape and a serious commitment to sustainability.
Navigator Feature Story: 😍 One Of The World’s Most Beautiful Museums Is Right Here In Ohio
❄️ Franklin Park Conservatory’s Winter Ice Festival Will Make Your January Magical
Franklin Park Conservatory’s Winter Ice Festival returns in January with ice carving showdowns, evening skating, and after-hours access to the gardens and Chihuly glass. It runs on select nights and it’s very much giving me something to look forward to this winter!
♥️ How To Help Columbus Families In Need This Holiday Season
This holiday season, families across Columbus are feeling the strain of making ends meet, but there are ways to lend a hand. From donating toys and meals to volunteering your time, local organizations like the Salvation Army, Mid-Ohio Food Collective, and Firefighters 4 Kids are connecting neighbors with the support they need, and giving all of us a chance to spread a little hope and kindness.
Headlines 📰
✈️ Columbus travelers pay slightly more for flights than those in Cleveland or Cincinnati. While driving to another airport can save some money, Columbus offers the convenience of more direct access and shorter travel times. (Axios)
🧑⚖️ Ohio State is asking a federal court to block a deposition of former trustee Les Wexner in the Richard Strauss abuse case. The university says Wexner has no documents or firsthand knowledge relevant to the allegations, and none of the discovery so far suggests he interacted with Strauss or the survivors. (WOSU)
👯♀️ Two Central Ohio natives are kicking up their heels on the Radio City Music Hall stage this holiday season. Nadia Kolda and McKenzie McGrath bring local roots to the Rockettes’ 100th anniversary Christmas Spectacular. (NBC4)
🌥️ Weather: 54 and partly cloudy, with rain expected in the late afternoon/evening
Sponsored by Short North Stage 🎭
Get ready to groove down the Yellow Brick Road with The Wiz, a bold, brassy, and family-friendly take on The Wizard of Oz! Follow Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion as they face witches, flying monkeys, and a wizard who’s more smoke and mirrors than magic. With electrifying songs like “Ease on Down the Road” and Dorothy’s heartfelt “Home,” this PG-rated production will have you clapping, cheering, and dancing in the aisles. Showtimes run through December 28, 2025, at the Garden Theatre MainStage. For tickets and more info, please click here
Coming Up 📆
🏒 12/18: Blue Jackets vs. Minnesota Wild
🏀 12/18: OSU Women's Basketball vs. Norfolk State
🩰 12/18-12/21: The Nutcracker
🎭 12/18-12/21: SIX: The Musical
🎭 12/18-12/21: The Wiz
🎵 12/19: Silly Goose
🎭 12/19-12/23: Mr. Scrooge
🎻 12/20: Santa & the Symphony - Sensory Friendly Series
🎵 12/20-12/21: Holiday Spectacular
🎓 12/21: OSU Winter Commencement
🩰 12/23: My First Nutcracker
🎸 12/23: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Today's Photo 🤳
☀️ Whether you want to check out the thousands of poinsettas on display or you just want a couple of minutes in the Palm House before it closes in January (closing for renovations until fall 2027!), Franklin Park Conservatory should absolutely be on your winter to-do list.
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- Chelsea