Ohio Village, the 8.5-acre living-history site tucked beside the Ohio History Center just north of downtown Columbus, is getting its close-up. The grounds have been reshaped and will get a public first look during the Ohio State Fair, with gravel streets traded for brick-paved lanes, raised boardwalks swapped for new sidewalks, and a redesigned central green anchored by a gazebo. Crews are still finishing utility and accessibility upgrades across the site, so fairgoers will get a sneak preview this summer while full day-to-day hours wait until construction wraps next year.
First Look Highlights
The village will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the Ohio State Fair, and visitors will enter through the Ohio History Center, according to Columbus Underground. A recent media tour showed off the fresh brick-paved streets and pathways, the new central gazebo, and roughly 250 newly planted trees. Crews are also putting together a biergarten tucked behind a new restroom building, and a historic train car has been shifted closer to the entrance so guests will spot it sooner.
Inside the pharmacy, the interior has been polished up with a tiled floor, a decorative tin ceiling, and a marble soda fountain donated from a 1920s Cleveland drugstore. Interpreters will keep wearing period garments and interacting with visitors in the third person. “It’s more clear that this is the village green, like you would have seen in a small town in Ohio,” said Carlos Lugo during the tour.
When To Visit
The Ohio History Connection says Ohio Village will host a special preview run during the 2026 Ohio State Fair, from July 29 through August 9, even as broader construction continues into 2027 as part of the Campus 2.OH plan, according to Ohio History Connection. The site is shifting from a primarily 1890s-focused living museum into an experience that spans the 1890s through the early 1930s, with updated galleries and infrastructure aimed at improving access for visitors.
The organization has been posting photos and drone footage that show staged streetscapes, new sidewalks, and ongoing utility work as the multi-phase project moves toward a full, phased reopening.
Campus 2.OH And The Big Picture
The overhaul at Ohio Village is one piece of the larger Campus 2.OH master plan. A ceremonial groundbreaking took place in September 2025, and project leaders say the upgrades are meant to knit the Ohio History Center, Ohio Village, and a new Collections Care Center into a single, more accessible campus, Columbus Underground reported.
Ohio History Connection CEO Megan Wood told the outlet in a video that visitors can expect “brand new walkways all accessible, a bier garden, new bathrooms, a bandstand, a soda fountain, an art gallery” as the work comes online. Community feedback sessions and a test gallery called Village Visions are already helping shape what programs will look like once daily operations return.
Backstory And What Comes Next
Ohio Village closed in 2024 after the State Fair for the renovation project, part of a multi-year push to modernize the campus and better protect the organization’s collections. WOSU covered the 2024 shutdown and the plan to retool the site for improved accessibility and updated interpretation. The Ohio History Connection has continued to share progress notes and visuals on its Campus 2.OH pages.
Crews are expected to keep working after the fair preview, with a phased return of daily visitor hours planned for 2027 as the final pieces of the project fall into place.
