Worthington
A 1803 New England village transplanted to Ohio: green, spire, antique shops and a year-round Saturday market, eight miles north.
New England style village green with white church spire and brick storefronts in Old Worthington, Ohio
Why people stay in Worthington
Worthington is a separate city about eight miles north of Upper Arlington, founded in 1803 by a company of settlers from Connecticut and Massachusetts who laid it out exactly as they would have back east — a square green, a church at the head of it, and a grid of lots around. Old Worthington, the historic core where High Street crosses West New England Avenue, still reads that way. If you have been driving Ohio's arterial roads all week, arriving here is a genuine relief: brick pavements, awnings, a white spire and street trees that meet overhead.
The core is small — three or four blocks of shops, restaurants and antique dealers — and it closes early. At nine on a Tuesday the only lights on High Street are the Worthington Inn dining room and one bar. Friday and Saturday it stretches to about eleven, and Natalie's at 5601 North High, ten minutes further out, runs live music most nights with a proper booking policy and a coal-fired oven. That is the honest range of a Worthington evening. Nobody comes here for the nightlife and nobody should.
What Worthington does well is a base for people who want quiet, easy parking and a real town centre. It suits older travellers, families with small children, and anyone visiting the northern suburbs, Polaris or the Delaware County side. It also suits people who want cheaper rooms than the Short North without staying at a motorway junction. The hotel stock sits mostly along the I-270 and North High corridor a mile or two from the green, which means a five-minute drive rather than a walk into the historic centre.
Expect $89 on a January Monday and $130 to $155 at weekends in spring and autumn. Rooms spike during Ohio State home games, since campus is only about eight miles south down High Street, and during large events at nearby convention and sports venues. Skip Worthington if you plan on late nights downtown — the drive back is 20 to 25 minutes and rideshare after midnight runs $30 to $40 each way, which is enough to wipe out the saving on the room.
If you can find a room within walking distance of the Village Green — a small inn or a rental on High Street, New England Avenue or the streets off Hartford — take it, because walking to the market and to dinner is the whole point of Worthington. Otherwise the practical cluster is along North High Street and the Worthington-Galena Road side near I-270, where mid-range chains sit at $89 to $135 with free parking and free breakfast. Expect an extra $30 to $50 on football Saturdays. Avoid the strip immediately east on Route 161 toward I-71 unless price is your only criterion — it is a car-only corridor with long walks to nothing, and the noise from the interstate carries. Anything more than about a mile and a half from the green should be priced as a motorway hotel, not a village one.
Things to do in Worthington
The Worthington Farmers Market runs year-round on Saturday mornings, roughly 9am to noon — outdoors on the Village Green at High Street and West New England from spring to autumn, and indoors at the Shops at Worthington Place through winter. It is one of the biggest producer markets in central Ohio. Arrive by 9.30am for parking.
Six-forty-nine High Street, in an 1831 building at the corner of New England Avenue. It is the grown-up dinner in this part of the county — mains around $28 to $42, a decent by-the-glass list, and a Sunday brunch that books out a week ahead. Reserve; the dining rooms are small.
Six-twenty-seven High Street. A French bakery and bistro that has been in Worthington for decades: croissants, baguettes, quiche and strong coffee for well under $15. Open from breakfast; the counter queue at 9am on Saturday is the market crowd fuelling up. Take the bread away rather than eating in if you are in a hurry.
Nine-fifty-six High Street, an 1816 frame house restored to show two eras of early Ohio domestic life, run by the Worthington Historical Society. Tours are short, cheap and led by volunteers who know the town street by street. Opening is seasonal and limited to certain afternoons, so ring ahead rather than turning up.
Nine-ninety Proprietors Road, a ten-minute walk east of the green. A volunteer-run collection of interurban cars and steam equipment with short demonstration rides on summer weekends. Admission is a few dollars. Hours are genuinely limited — mostly Sunday afternoons in season — so check before making the trip.
Fifty-six-oh-one North High Street, about two miles north of the green. Coal-fired pizza and a proper listening room with touring folk, jazz and Americana acts most nights. Tickets typically $15 to $35, dinner tables sell first. It is the one genuinely late thing in Worthington.
What to see
Hotels near Worthington
No hotels are listed in Worthington yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Every hotel we cover in Worthington
- MainStay Suites Columbus North Worthington 2★ · 4.4/5
- Hyatt Place Columbus Worthington 3★ · 4.2/5
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Columbus Worthington by IHG 2★ · 4.2/5
- Fairfield Inn & Suites Columbus Polaris 3★ · 4.1/5
Getting around Worthington
COTA Route 2 runs North High Street from downtown Columbus all the way up to Worthington, taking roughly 45 to 55 minutes end to end and running every 15 to 30 minutes depending on time of day — fine for a daytime trip, slow if you are commuting. Most people here drive: I-270 runs along the north edge with High Street, Route 161 and Sawmill exits, and Upper Arlington is 15 to 18 minutes southwest via 270 or Henderson Road. From the airport allow 25 to 30 minutes and $35 to $45 by rideshare. Parking around the green is free, in short-stay bays and two municipal lots behind High Street.
Questions about Worthington
The historic core absolutely, yes — the green, the shops, the antique dealers, the inn and the bakery all sit within three or four blocks. The problem is that most hotels are a mile or two out along High Street or near I-270, which is a 20-minute walk along a busy road. If walkability matters, book a rental or small inn inside the historic grid.
Yes, and that is unusual for central Ohio. It runs Saturday mornings year-round, moving indoors to the Shops at Worthington Place for the cold months and back onto the Village Green from spring. Hours are roughly 9am to noon. The winter edition is smaller but has the bakers, cheese makers and meat producers.
About eight miles, or 15 to 18 minutes by car via I-270 west then south, or Henderson Road if the motorway is snarled. There is no direct bus that does the trip sensibly. Staying in Worthington and spending days around Tremont Center, Kingsdale and the Upper Arlington parks is a common and workable plan if you have a car.
Usually yes. A January Monday starts around $89 here against $119 or more in the Short North, and parking is free rather than $20 a night. The saving disappears if you plan two or three late evenings downtown, since a rideshare home after midnight runs $30 to $40 each way and the last useful bus is long gone.
