Columbus to Cleveland drive: Distance, time & best road trip stops
The distance from Columbus to Cleveland by car is 143 miles, with a driving time of 2h9m. The best road trip stops on the Columbus to Cleveland drive are Malabar Farm State Park, Mansfield and Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Planning a Columbus to Cleveland road trip itinerary
The drive from Columbus to Cleveland connects two of the biggest – and most appealing – cities in Ohio.
In Columbus, a three day attractions pass covers most of the top sights. These include the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. For other Columbus experiences, try scavenger hunts, a town tour aboard the Trolley Pub and the Legoland Discovery Center.
Top attractions in Cleveland include the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland History Center. Alternatively, Cleveland tour options focus on neighbourhood food scenes, the city’s best craft breweries and Downtown’s public art.
Columbus to Cleveland distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Columbus to Cleveland is 143 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and nine minutes. The drive is almost entirely along the I-71.
The best stops to add to a Columbus to Cleveland road trip itinerary are Malabar Farm State Park, Mansfield and Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Columbus to Cleveland drive: Malabar Farm State Park
A short detour west of the I-71, Malabar Farm State Park sits amid a glacier-carved landscape of forests and hills. But unlike many state parks, this one isn’t really about the walking trails.
Malabar Farm was a labour of love created by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and conservationist Louis Bromfield. The aim was to showcase a typical farm and agricultural setting, with corn, wheat and oats growing in the hillside fields. You can still see the chickens, goats and cows in the pastures and outbuildings.
Best attractions between Columbus and Cleveland: Mansfield
There are several attractions in the small Ohio city of Mansfield. These include the Buckeye Imagination Museum, which provides hands-on, play-based learning for kids, and historic Oak Hill Cottage.
The highlight, however, is the Ohio State Reformatory. This former prison offers several guided tours, including one with a Shawshank Redemption theme. The film was shot here. Other tours go into executions and life behind bars.
Columbus to Cleveland road trip: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Near Cleveland, Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers a dose of nature. Based around the Cuyahoga River, the park has plenty of hiking and biking trails, while wildlife-lovers can keep an eye out for beavers, muskrats, otters and mink.
Come in the fall, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of the best places in Ohio to see the changing colours.
More Columbus road trips
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More Cleveland road trips
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