Columbus Curiosity - 31st October 2025

Hey Columbus crew,

If the wind feels a little mischievous this week, that’s because Halloween’s in full swing. 🎃

Downtown glows under orange streetlights, Clintonville smells faintly of cider and wet leaves, and the Short North? It’s already half in costume — cats, ghosts, and a guy dressed as a traffic cone (10/10 commitment).

Even the city’s headlines feel like they’re part of some autumn magic: safer streets, a baby elephant, haunted highways, and burritos bold enough to resurrect the dead.

So grab your scarf, charge your flashlight, and let’s go ghost-hunting through Columbus’ latest news, eats, and eerie-good events.

The Lineup:

📰 The Headlines – A road without tragedy, a drop in rats (hallelujah), a city that builds beauty, and traffic that’s trying to behave.

💎 Hidden Gems & Local Legends – Ghost-free tacos, spirited distilleries, fried chicken fame, and candy glory at the Shoe.

🎶 Live Music & Entertainment – From freak shows to jazz, improv to candlelight, your Halloween-to-November fun map awaits.

🚗 Topic of the Week – The haunting of downtown traffic (and how Columbus might finally exorcise it).

Let’s dive into this week’s chaos:

📰 The Headlines

🚦 Columbus Pulls Off a Miracle: Zero Traffic Deaths in August

For the first time since 2018, the city had a death-free month on its roads. Let that sink in. Thanks to Vision Zero Columbus, redesigned lanes, and slower speeds, we’re proving safety can be designed — and that “bigger” doesn’t always mean “better.”

Mayor Ginther called the East Broad Street “road diet” a success, cutting crashes in half and extreme speeding by 89%. Next up: the Frebis Avenue corridor.

→ Read more

🐀 Columbus Slides Down the “Rattiest Cities” List

We’re now less ratty — No. 21 in the nation, down four spots from last year. Los Angeles took the crown, Chicago fell from grace, and we quietly cheered while sealing our granola bars in airtight containers.

Bed bugs tried to make headlines downtown, but Columbus shrugged it off. The city that conquers winters can conquer pests, too.

→ Congrajulations😅

🏗️ Architecture Awards Put Columbus on the Design Map

The AIA Columbus awards honored everything from the new Scioto Mile Fountain to High Bank Distillery in Westerville. Our skyline may be practical, but our architects are dreamers — crafting spaces that are sustainable, social, and unmistakably Columbus.

Notably, Westerville’s High Bank turned a 1920s post office into a gleaming speakeasy with patio charm. Proof that reinvention can taste like bourbon.

→ See the winners

🚲 East Broad Bike Lanes Save Lives (and Tempers)

The data is in: fewer crashes, slower speeds, and over 12,000 bike trips logged. It’s not just safer — it’s calmer. And it’s changing how we think about urban mobility.

→ More from Vision Zero Columbus

🐘 A Baby Elephant Joins the Herd at the Zoo

Phoebe’s new calf makes his public debut this weekend at the Columbus Zoo’s Asian Elephant Conservation Center. Born healthy, curious, and reportedly adorable, he’s already stealing hearts (and hay).

Viewing runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday–Sunday — bring your cameras, not peanuts.

→ Visit the Zoo

💎 Hidden Gems & Local Legends

🌮 Barrio Burrito Bar – Morse Road’s New Flavor Monster

The first Ohio location of Barrio Burrito Bar has arrived with build-your-own burritos, Twisted Shrimp tacos, and Extreme Fries that could wake the dead.

Not related to our local “Barrio” joints — this one’s got Canadian roots and a bold streak.

→ BarrioBurritoBar.com

🥃 High Bank Distillery Co., Westerville – Ghosts Welcome

Once a post office, now a craft distillery glowing with Edison bulbs and good bourbon. The newly awarded design makes it feel like a time capsule and a speakeasy had a baby.

Sip the Midnight Manhattan and listen for old mail-sorting ghosts.

→ HighBankDistillery.com

🍗 CM Chicken – The Cult of Crunch Grows

The viral Korean chain known for its Tikkudak (fried + grilled) chicken opened another Columbus outpost on 5th Avenue. Crunchy, caramelized, and just spicy enough to feel alive.

→ Facebook Page

🍬 The Buckeye Lady – Sweet Victory at the Shoe
Alicia Hindman started making “stuffed” buckeyes in her home kitchen. Now she’s selling them at Ohio Stadium.

Cookies & Cream Buckeyes? Puppy Chow Buckeyes? This is how local dreams (and cavities) are made.

→ The Buckeye Lady

🎶 Live Music & Entertainment

Alright, Cbus—here’s your day-by-day fall fun map. From prog metal to patio trivia, we’ve got something for every mood and music taste.

Friday, October 31st

Katt Williams @ Nationwide Arena
The comedy icon returns with razor wit, a wild stage presence, and enough swagger to fill the Arena District twice.

→ Get Yours Now

Prototype: The Experimental Museum (Grand Opening) @ Franklinton 
Art, sound, light, and illusion collide in this brand-new immersive playground for curious adults. It’s part science lab, part fever dream.

→ Must visit it

Highball Halloween @ Short North
Columbus’ wildest costume bash spills through High Street. Expect drag, DJs, and a hundred creative ghosts taking selfies by North Market.

→ Halloween is coming

Saturday, November 1st

Shadowbox Live – Freak Show
The city’s theatrical misfits serve horror, rock, and satire with a wink. Runs through mid-November, but Halloween weekend is the sweet spot.

→ Don’t freak out

OSU Football Home Game @ Ohio Stadium
Scarlet, gray, and full-volume pride. Buckeye Nation roars while The Buckeye Lady dishes candy dreams from her cart.

→ SUUUUUUU!

Jazz Guitar Festival: Sheryl Bailey @ Denison University
One of the best in her field, Bailey’s performance promises jazz riffs smoother than pumpkin spice lattes.

→ JAZZZZZZZ

Sunday, November 2nd

Free Sundays @ Columbus Museum of Art –
Free admission for all. Perfect for wandering between galleries, soaking in color, and decompressing post-candy rush.

→ Unofficial Suggestion

Puppy Open Playtime @ Central Ohio Muttessori School 
Under-6-month pups run wild while trainers teach social skills. Humans watch, melt, repeat.

→ PawPartner

Columbus Spirituality Meetup @ Franklinton Meditation Center – Meditation, music, and a house full of heart. Bring good vibes and maybe a blanket.

→ Sometime HOLY!

Monday, November 3

Christians in Tech Meetup @ Improving (Dublin)
Faith meets innovation. Discuss technology’s human side over snacks and fellowship.

→ Tech Geek Click here!

Tuesday, November 4th

ColumbusJS Presents: Beyond the Click @ Dublin 
UX psychology meets storytelling. Bring your laptop — and empathy.

→ Meetup Page

Wednesday, November 5th

Pickleball & Pints @ Columbus Social Connection
Fresh air, light cardio, and craft beer — Columbus’s official new love language.

→ Meetup Group

Thursday, November 6th

COSI After Dark: Science of Spirits 
A boozy, brainy evening for adults only. Science demos meet distillery tastings under the planetarium glow.

→ Haunted as Hell

Gold Star Business Networking @ Columbus 
Less spooky, more schmoozy. Handshakes, business cards, and friendly faces.

→ Meetup Link

Friday, November 7th

Candlelight Concert: Halloween Classics @ Columbus Museum of Art 
A classical string quartet bathed in candlelight. Expect Phantom of the Opera and goosebumps.

→ FeverUp.com

🚗 Topic of the Week: The Haunting of Downtown Traffic

If you’ve sat on I-70 lately wondering if your GPS is possessed — you’re not alone. Columbus traffic feels haunted. But like any good ghost story, there’s meaning beneath the chaos.

Downtown’s freeways are being rebuilt, commuters are back, and our beloved I-70/71 split is the scene of an ongoing exorcism. But progress is lurking behind the barrels: LinkUS, a bold plan to give us rapid transit lines, safer corridors, and freedom from eternal gridlock.

We’re tearing down the ghosts of car-first design to build something healthier — for people, not just engines. Every honk, every detour, every sigh at a red light is part of the city’s growing pains.

One day, we’ll tell new drivers: “You should’ve seen this place back when the barrels ruled.”

👉 What’s the scariest Columbus commute you’ve survived?

Reply and tell me. I might share a few next week (bonus points if it involves a rogue scooter).

🍂 Closing Thoughts

So here’s your challenge, Columbus: put down the doomscrolling and pick up your curiosity this weekend.

See the elephant. Try the tacos. Watch a freak show. Wander the museum by candlelight. Be the ghost who shows up.

Because Halloween in Columbus isn’t just about scares — it’s about connection. The laughter echoing from patios, the smell of donuts near the river, the hum of a city that keeps reinventing itself, even under spooky skies.

Until next Friday,
Stay curious. Stay caffeinated. Stay spooky.

— Nate
Columbus Curiosity