Once a year some of the best golfers in the world pour into the Columbus suburb of Dublin, Ohio. Just Northwest of the capital city, Dublin hosts the Memorial Tournament each May/June with a total purse that this year exceeds 20 million dollars.
Though my husband has attended the tournament several years, I’ve never felt inclined to do the same. (Come to think of it, he’s never asked me to go. Hmmm. That seems like a conversation for another day.)
Natalie and I wanted to experience a little bit of the energy, without actually attending the tournament. So we headed out to discover Dublin, Ohio for the day.
The Memorial Tournament
The Memorial Tournament is a PGA Tour tournament. It was founded in 1976 by Jack Nicklaus on the Nicklaus designed course at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Nicklaus spent much of his early life in the greater Columbus area and has a museum in his honor on the campus of The Ohio State University.
The tournament has invitational status in the PGA Tour. This narrows the field to just 120 golfers.
Many Central Ohioans associate the tournament and it’s run of bad weather with a supposed curse of Chief Leatherlips. This has been debunked and is just urban legend, but is worth mentioning because it still pops up in conversations.
Chief Leatherlips was executed by members of his own Wyandot tribe not far from the Muirfield Village golf course. A monument to the chief stands on the banks of the Scioto near the Scioto River Bridge. For years it was whispered that the vengeful ghost of Chief Leatherlips was the cause of rain during the tournament. Legend even has it that Jack Nicklaus’ wife, Winnie, one year left a glass of gin at the Leatherlips statue as a gift in order to keep the rain away.
Riverside Crossing Park
You’ve probably seen the Instagram shots of the bridge at Riverside Crossing Park. The pedestrian bridge is an eloquently designed bridge that serves as a convenient walkway between the new Bridge Park shops and entertainment and the shopping areas of old town Dublin.
The park itself is a nice destination. In addition to the pedestrian bridge, it offers a play area for children and a beautiful waterfall feature. There were children playing in the water feature when we were there. There’s also a frisbee golf course on site.
The shopping/residential area of Bridge Park seemed to be the happening place to be in Dublin. We decided to lunch at Cap City Diner. I’d like to say we selected it based on amazing reviews or a tip from a friend. But in reality we decided to lunch there because we were starved and exhausted and it was closest to the car.
We did get lucky, though, as it was quite tasty. Natalie ordered the balsamic chicken, which was just okay. But I ordered the fish and chips which was excellent. The slaw was a little plain, but the battered fish was quite good. Our waiter was amazing and on top of it, frequently dropping off fresh glasses of ice and carafes of brewed tea.
The Zoo
Dublin is home to the Columbus Zoo. The Zoo frequently falls on travel lists of the top 10 zoos in the country (incidentally, so does the Cincinnati Zoo).
The Zoo is home to Jack Hanna’s Landing, a small amusement park, and Zoombezi Bay, a waterpark. Additionally, inside of the Zoo you can take a boat ride through Dinosaur Island, watch the polar bears play underwater and had feed the giraffes.
FindingOhio
This was our day in Dublin, but there’s a lot more to experience in this busy suburb. There are award winning restaurants and a number of unique shopping areas within the city. It’s well worth your time to set aside a day or even a weekend to explore Dublin. If you’re considering a weekend or overnight stay, be sure to check out the zoo combo packages offered on the website. And consider coming back in August for the annual Irish Festival.
Thanks for FindingOhio with us today. There’s so much to explore and do and see in the Buckeye State. Check back often, explore the day trips section, you’re likely to find something fun to do! Remember to share our content on your social media. Together we can tell everyone that Ohio is a fantastic place to live and visit!
