🌳 The Ultimate Guide To Visiting Hocking Hills From Columbus

Plus: 🛒 ALDI Is Heading Downtown

Author

Chelsea Wiley
August 20, 2026

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Hello, Thursday! Chelsea, here.

There’s a reason Hocking Hills keeps ending up on our weekend plans. It’s close enough to Columbus that you can be on a trail in about an hour, but once you’re surrounded by cliffs, waterfalls and winding forest paths, it feels like you’ve gone considerably farther. And with fall creeping closer, this is a pretty good time to start thinking about a Hocking Hills getaway before everyone else has the same idea. We put together a guide with the best hikes, places to stay, things to eat, and plenty of other ways to spend a weekend at the park.

🙌 Columbus Is Now The First U.S. City To Offer Free Period Products At All Major Sports Venues
Columbus just became the first city in the country to offer free period products at all of its major sports venues. From Ohio Stadium to Huntington Park, 165 dispensers are now available across the city.

🛒 ALDI Is Coming To Downtown Columbus In 2028
Downtown Columbus is finally getting a grocery store. ALDI is planning a 20,000-square-foot location next to Columbus State, with construction expected to begin next spring and the store opening in 2028.

Headlines 📰 

🌊 Southeast Ohio is preparing for more potential flooding just days after floodwaters swept through the region. Food banks are stocking up and emergency crews are adjusting their response plans as officials warn that rural communities could face longer waits for help. (NBC4)

🏈 Ohio State is starting the season at No. 1 in the AP preseason college football poll, with Oregon right behind at No. 2 and a trip to No. 5 Texas already looming on the schedule. The Buckeyes received 40 of the poll's 69 first-place votes. (ESPN)

🎬 A new movie filmed in rural central Ohio is getting a very limited theatrical run, and one of its stops is right here in Columbus. Union County, starring Will Poulter and Noah Centineo, was filmed around Bellefontaine and is currently playing at Gateway Film Center. (Axios Columbus)

🌦️ Weather: Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.

Coming Up This Week 📆

🤝 TOGETHER WITH GREATER COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL

Explore Columbus through a new lens with the Pride & Power Public Art Tour, curated by Black and Queer Columbus artist Lisa McLymont. The self-guided tour highlights nine public art pieces across the city that celebrate resilience, identity, and communities whose stories deserve to be seen. Grab your car, bike, or favorite mode of transportation and spend the day discovering some of Columbus’ most powerful murals and installations. For more info, head over to columbusmakesart.com.

The Kicker 🤳

Photo via Schooley Caldwell (Facebook).

☀️ A new lookout is taking shape at Great Council State Park, and it’s going to offer some pretty spectacular views when it’s finished. The observation tower will overlook the surrounding landscape and Little Miami River, adding an awesome signature feature to the relatively new state park.

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- Chelsea

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