Spend a day exploring Delaware, Ohio, a walkable city full of art, culture, delicious food and irresistible shopping!
Just north of Columbus, Delaware, Ohio has a walkable downtown full of shops and restaurants, a great park system, and proximity to both Alum Creek State Park and Delaware State Park.
It’s a family-friendly city with lots of activities to keep kids busy! The city is always hosting special events for all age groups and its restaurant scene will surprise you with creativity and unique offerings.
Delaware is the perfect spot for a day trip that will leave you planning your next visit. Check out this list of fun things to do in Delaware, Ohio to plan your day!
1. Boardman Arts Park
- Address: 154 W William St, Delaware, OH 43015
- Website
Boardman Arts Park is a 2.2 acre park in downtown Delaware, Ohio that is an outdoor art exhibit, a location for events and performances and a space for the public to relax and enjoy being surrounded by artwork!
There are hands-on activities for kids like a large sand pit play area, a plant library and musical instruments! Exhibits may rotate throughout the year so what you see pictured here may change over time!
The park is within walking distance of downtown Delaware and the main entrance to the park is on William Street.
2. Olentangy Caverns
- Address: 1779 Home Rd, Delaware, OH 43015
- Website
We’ve been fans of Olentangy Caverns for a long time! Over the years, my kids have enjoyed all aspects of this family-friendly attraction in Delaware!
Exploring the caves and caverns offers an opportunity to learn about Native American history in Ohio. You can take a self-guided tour of the caverns that descend up to 105 feet underground. In addition to the caverns, there is gem mining, a petting zoo, mini-golf and more!
There is always something new at Olentangy Caverns! Recent new additions include a fire truck to climb on at the playground, a Treasure Hunt Maze and Bigfoot Walking Trail.
3. Veterans Park (AKA The Dinosaur Park)
- Address: 1121 S Houk Rd, Delaware, OH 43015
- Website
Veterans Park in Delaware is one of the most unique parks you’ll find in Ohio (yes, that is my opinion)! LOL!
The park is dinosaur-themed with large dinosaur prints in the sidewalk, a dinosaur slide and dinosaurs to run through at the splash pad.
There is a nice covered area for sitting at the splash pad and throughout the park there are two large pavilions with picnic tables for shade and eating. There is also a snack shack in the park if you don’t want to bring your own snacks.
See more photos of the park in my blog post all about the dinosaur park in Delaware!
4. Beanbag Books
- Address: 25 W Winter St, Delaware, OH 43015
- Website
We love this adorable children’s bookstore in downtown Delaware! It’s always fun to stop in when we are in the area.
You can expect your kids’ favorite authors, educational and unique toys, nooks and crannies to sit in and read and even a small selection of books for adults!
Beanbag Books hosts monthly story times, author visits and participates in community-wide events in Downtown Delaware.
5. Copper Brick Market
- Address: 40 S Sandusky St, Delaware, OH 43015
- Facebook Page
Explore Copper Brick Market to find retro candy and snacks you won’t find in the regular grocery store! My kids loved finding new-to-them candy here!
It’s not just a candy store though, you can find household goods, jewelry, artwork and lots of other fun gift items. All of the items are creatively displayed in things like vintage stoves, wooden carts and antique display cases.
6. Deer Haven Park
- Address: 4183 Liberty Rd, Delaware, OH 43015
- Website
Deer Haven Park, one of the Preservation Parks of Delaware County makes for a fun outing for families because it has a great Nature Center, a natural play area and an outdoor aviary.
If you love birds and bird watching, this is the park for you!
Don’t miss the pollinator garden and Natural Play Area just outside the nature center if bugs and butterflies are more your style! These activities in the park are all pretty close to each other and you can expect to spend around an hour or two enjoying these great features of the park!
7. Coffeeology
- Address: 43 N Sandusky St, Delaware, OH 43015
- Website
Coffeeology calls itself “A Collective of Our Favorite Things” and this is such a fitting description because this adorable shop in downtown Delaware, Ohio is more than just a coffee shop! This shop happens to be a home goods shop that features national and local artisans as well as a destination for a good cup of coffee in Ohio!
Coffeeology has a large selection of hot and cold coffee drinks including cold brew and iced lattes. My kids and I were also big fans of the baked goods we chose on our visit!
8. Ciao Cafe
- Address: 2 N Sandusky St #1902, Delaware, OH 43015
- Facebook Page
If you love gelato, plan a stop at Ciao Cafe in downtown Delaware! I love gelato and Ciao Cafe did not disappoint! The actually have a pretty wide menu of options!
Ciao Cafe has lots of coffee options, hot and iced, as well as baked goods, both sweet and savory. You can get tiramisu, cannoli, quiche, cinnamon rolls, bagels, croissants and more! And don’t miss the variety of cheesecake slices for sale!
On my most recent visit, I got Stracciatella gelato. My boys were also big fans when we visited previously! So if you plan to visit Delaware, make sure to save room for dessert!
I hope this list of things to do in Delaware gives you a taste of just how great this city is! It’s definitely a doable day trip from Columbus and there’s always a reason to go back!