Columbus is a bustling city, but with all of the excitement, CBUS can get pretty noisy. Based on research conducted by Earth.FM, the Capital City ranked as the No. 58 loudest city in the US — but that doesn’t mean you can’t find some peace and quiet.
The study also found places where locals can escape noise pollution by identifying the top quiet places in big cities. To do this, researchers assessed 3,000+ parks and nature spaces across 245 cities with populations over 250,000 and assigned them “Quiet Scores.” The methodology considered:
- Reviews of the attractions that include words like “quiet,” “peaceful,” or “tranquil.”
- The average visitor rating at each location.
- The attraction’s popularity and how that impacts its peacefulness.
So, where can you go in Columbus to find tranquility? Here are the five best spots to get some peace and quiet, ranked in order of their Quiet Scores.
- Park of Roses at Whetstone Park — Stop and smell the roses, over 12,000 of them, at this 13-acre garden. The best time to see the blooms tends to be June through September.
- Scioto Mile — With 175 acres of parkland, there are plenty of ways to enjoy this attraction and its nine parks, whether you’re looking for an active day or a quiet walk by the river.
- The Topiary Park — Columbus is a work of art, and this space reinterprets Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” using shrubbery.
- Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens — Escape the hustle of everyday life and learn something new by getting lost in this 13-acre conservatory featuring gardens, galleries, and exhibitions.
- Schiller Park — Located in the German Village, this ~23-acre park is home to a large pond, artwork, and plenty of green space for a day outdoors.