This tiny neighborhood South of I-70 between the Scioto River and German Village was once the center of the beer brewing industry in Central Ohio. Established by German immigrants in the early 1800s, the District was a collection of family-owned breweries that thrived for decades. Lewis Hoster opened The City Brewery—the area's first—in 1836. As five more breweries followed, the area quickly became one of the region's most productive.

Hugely affected by prohibition, the brewing industry began to slow after the turn of the century, and by the mid-1920s, all of the Brewery District's breweries had closed.

The buildings sat largely empty and unused until renovation of the area was undertaken in the 1980s. Today the 27 acres of renovated brewery buildings house lofts, townhouses, luxury apartments, restaurants, shops, a winery and several small micro-breweries, all with relatively easy parking and great access to everything downtown Columbus has to offer.

• Scioto Audubon Metro Park and Audubon Center Scheduled to open in 2009, this natural area park on the Whittier Peninsula is dedicated to the expansion of a quiet natural space near downtown. Restoration efforts include transforming warehouses, impound lots, and old manufacturing sites back to woods, meadows and 12 acres of wetlands. The Audubon Center will focus on the site's wealth of bird life, and will be designed to facilitate nature education.

• The Gate Entertainment Complex Comprised of over six square blocks of historic brick structures that were originally part of the L. Hoster Brewing Company, this world-class concert, convention, meeting, and event facility includes an 18,000 sq. ft. indoor/outdoor pavilion, as well as restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.