Low on funds? Here are 10 things you can do around Columbus for $10 or less

Are you looking for something new and interesting to do, but you've got champagne taste on a Kool-Aid budget. What are your choices when the purse strings are stretched threadbare?

Before you start pillaging the couch cushions for loose change, your time would be better spent exploring the wealth of affordable entertainment right in your backyard.

Columbus is a veritable cornucopia of places to go and things to do, including many low-cost and no-cost options. For example, libraries and museums are teeming with free events for all ages. Some arts organizations present free performances, e.g., the Sunday at Central chamber music series and stage productions by Actors' Theatre of Columbus .

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Some leisure-time activities come with a charge, but with a bit of online research, you can discover scores of economical ways to amuse yourself.

We've saved you a step and done the work for you. By no means comprehensive, the list below offers 10 things to do for $10 or less. Some are indoors, while others are outside; some are family-friendly, others are geared toward adults. But they all have one thing in common: They won't break the bank.

Do a day at Dawes

Freely wander and explore the 2,000 acres of the Dawes Arboretum , a tree museum located at 7770 Jacksontown Road, Newark. Or join in one of the many events offered with admission, including pop-up exhibits, guided nature walks, birdwatching, various workshops, tours of the Daweswood House Museum and classes and annual events like Maple Syrup Days and the Winter Wonders Walk.

Tickets are $10 for ages 16 and older and $5 for ages 5-15. Children 4 and younger are admitted for free.

Find out more information at dawesarb.org or by calling 740-323-2355.

Get your game on

Pac-Man, Centipede, Frogger, Defender — 16-Bit Bar + Arcade has all the old-school arcade games you could want and then some. And they're free as long as you drink. At $12.50-$13.50, the cocktails can put a dent in your wallet, but if you go during happy hour (4-7 p.m.) and opt for a less pricey draft beer or nonalcoholic beverage, you can have an inexpensive good time.

For more information, go to 16-bitbar.com/columbus .

Take a look behind the scenes: From whistles to chocolate, tours show how local products are made

Visit a world of pure imagination

Want to see how chocolate is made? For less than five bucks, you can experience candy making from start to finish at Anthony-Thomas Chocolates ' 154,000-square-foot factory at 1777 Arlingate Lane.

Take a tour of the facility, where the sights include a glass-enclosed, suspended catwalk from which you can watch nine lines producing 30,000 pounds of chocolate per shift — that's a lot of Wonka Bars! The hourlong tour ends in the Anthony-Thomas retail shop, with everyone receiving a free sample.

Walk-in tours are offered Mondays through Thursdays. Tours begin on the hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Groups of 16 or more people must schedule a tour by calling 614-272-9221.

Admission is $4 for ages 18 and older and $2 for ages 2-17.

For more information, visit anthony-thomas.com or call 877-226 3921.

Make a whistle stop

If you've ever wondered how that little ball gets inside a whistle (and who hasn't?), you'll find a tour of the American Whistle Corporation enlightening. Learn interesting tidbits about whistles and the machines that make them — some of them state-of-the-art, others dating back to founding of the company in 1956 as Colsoff Manufacturing. The 45-minute tours are tailored to suit any age.

The American Whistle Corporation is located at 6540 Huntley Road B. Tours, which cost $10, are offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and must be booked online at americanwhistle.com .

Freebies: Fairies, flicks, farming and more

If you're feeling really frugal and in search of an even bigger bargain, here are a few free options to explore:

Travel Dublin's Fairy Door Trail

Updated annually, the Irish Fairy Door Trail is a year-round activity that takes participants to 10 businesses in Historic Dublin and Bridge Park to find their resident fairy doors . Fill in your passport with the fairies' names and return it to the Dublin Visitor & Information Center, 9 S. High St. for a free Fairy Door T-shirt.

Because of participating business hours, the best time to visit the Fairy Door Trail is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.

For a trail guide, list of participating businesses and more, go to bit.ly/3X2g9Yh .

Tune in to some 'toons

Offering free admission daily, the one-of-a-kind Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum houses the world’s largest collection of materials related to cartoons and comics, including original art, books, magazines, journals, comic books, archival materials, toys and merchandise, newspaper comic-strip pages and clippings.

Located in OSU's Sullivant Hall, 1813 N. High St., the library and museum hosts rotating exhibitions from national artists. Currently on display is "The Nancy Show: Bushmiller and Beyond," which runs through Nov. 3.

The permanent display in the Treasures Gallery features rare gems like original Calvin and Hobbes artwork and other art and artifacts representing the breadth of the library's collection

Walk-in visitors are welcome. For groups of more than 15 people, call 614-292-0538 or email cartoons@osu.edu at least three weeks in advance to plan your visit. The museum is open from 1-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.

For more information, go to cartoons.osu.edu .

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Catch a movie at the Wex

There's no shortage of complimentary cinema around Columbus, but many people are sleeping on the free films offered in addition to paid screenings at OSU's Wexner Center for the Arts , 1871 N. High St.

Free showings for September include Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece "Blade Runner" at 2 p.m. Sept. 11 and Sept. 19, and several animated films by Korean filmmaker Jae-hoon Ahn, who will introduce his work, "The Road Called Life" at 7 p.m. Sept. 24.

More information and free tickets are available at wexarts.org/film-video .

Rock your world

Scale the world’s largest free outdoor rock-climbing wall at Scioto Audubon Metro Park , 400 W. Whittier St. The wall is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. April 1 to Sept. 30 and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 1 to March 31.

The main climbing wall features three towers and two arches that reach a height of 35 feet and extend more than 7,000 square feet. The wall offers bouldering, top rope and lead climbing. There are four auto belays, but climbers must bring their own climbing harness. Auto-belays are up on the wall between late March and late October, depending on weather conditions, and are taken down each year to be recertified.

Climbers must be 13 or older to belay. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information, call 614-202-5197.

Discover the Statehouse

Guided tours of the Ohio Statehouse , 1 Capitol Square, are offered daily except on state holidays. Weekday walk-in tours start from the Map Room (ground floor, accessible from the Third Street entrance) every hour on the hour, beginning at 10 a.m. The last tour starts at 3 p.m.

Weekend walk-in tours start at noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. No tours will take place in the Senate Chamber until further notice due to maintenance; the House chamber will be available for guided tours as usual.

Visitors are welcome to drop in at least five minutes before the hour. Groups of 10 or more people must contact Katie Montgomery at 614-728-3726 at least two weeks in advance to make sure a guide is available.

Guests also can take a self-guided cell-phone audio tour using brochures and building maps available in the Map Room. Additionally, the Statehouse offers scavenger hunt booklets for kids ages 5-10 to find interesting spaces and details in the building with their adult companions. To request one, call Montgomery at 614-728-3726.

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Try life down on the farm

Experience late 19th century farm life, complete with chickens, horses, pigs, turkeys, geese and other animals at Slate Run Living Historical Farm , 1375 state Route 674, Canal Winchester. Stroll through the gardens, barns, farmhouse, living room, parlor and kitchen as volunteers and costumed staff go about their daily chores.

Hours through Sept. 30 are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. From Oct. 1-March 31, hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to sunset Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Visit bit.ly/3AGs1ro for more information.

bpaschal@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Low on funds? Here are 10 things you can do around Columbus for $10 or less