Orton Hall at The Ohio State University

Orton Hall

We’ve written before about what a great resource our universities, and particularly The Ohio State University are for learning and visiting. Today we take a quick trip to Orton Hall, located on the Oval at OSU.

Orton Hall Chimes

You may not be familiar with Orton Hall, but you’ve likely heard her song. The chimes ring out over the Oval daily, thanks to a gift from the classes of 1906 through 1914.

The chimes ring the familiar Westminster Quarters on the quarter hours and the hour. You’ll likely recognize this as the tune that The Ohio State Marching Band plays before the playing of Carmen Ohio. Other selections are played at 12 noon and 5 pm on weekdays.

Orton Geological Museum

But the real draw to the south side of the Oval is the Orton Geological Museum. The museum houses a large collection of rocks, minerals and fossils from Ohio, around the world and even includes some space rocks. Even the smallest visitors will appreciate the seven-foot-tall skeleton of a ground sloth from Ohio’s ice age.

Cryolophosaurus ellioti stand guard in front of Orton Geological Museum on the left and the entrance to the museum on the right.

The museum has free admission, making it a great place for budget conscious Ohioans to visit. According to the website, the museum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. As always, call or visit the site prior to your intended visit.

While you’re there, plan on taking a walking tour of The Ohio State University. In warmer weather you may want to bring a blanket and picnic to enjoy on the Oval or near Mirror Lake. Or you can hoof it over to Adriatico’s for one of my favorite Ohio pizzas.

FindingOhio at Orton Hall

Thanks for FindingOhio with us today. If you’re looking for additional budget friendly ideas for touring the Buckeye state, take a look around the site and then plan to check back often. And as always, if you like what you see, please feel free to share our content and links to your social media page.