Ohio Village will be open during the 2026 Ohio State Fair after two years of renovations. From July 29 to Aug. 9, the village will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the Ohio History Center entrance for guests to visit.
The renovation project Campus 2.OH, launched in 2024, was designed to enhance the visitor experience on the Columbus campus while maintaining Ohio history.
Neil Thompson, manager of Ohio History Connection's marketing department, said the $22 million project allows for a wider range of immersive historical stories to be experienced.
"This entire property is more than 50 years old. So, it was time to revitalize it and renovate it and get it ready for this next 50 years of generations to come in and experience this,” Thompson said.
Renovation of the 8.5-arce site include updated utilities, a reimagined town center with a central bandstand, 250 trees and hardscape assessable streets.
The village is adding a new Biergarten with seating amenities, modern restrooms inside a “stable house,” a family farmhouse and a gallery space for contemporary art displays.
On a tour of the site, Carlos Lugo, manager of architecture services at Ohio History Connection, showcased the pharmacy building that now houses a 1920s soda fountain from Cleveland. A new painted tin ceiling and stylized flooring update the building’s era.
“Pharmacies also functioned as general stores. So, in this one we're going to have a display from Sherwin Williams, because pharmacies would have sold paint as well,” Lugo said. “Sherwin Williams is an Ohio-based company out of Cleveland, so that’s part of that Ohio connection.”
Michael Fouts, interpreter supervisor for the Ohio History Connection, said the new renovations push the period of the village to the 1890s and 1930s. The time jump allows other significant historical events to be on display, such as World War I, women’s suffrage and the Great Depression.
“You're going to see hints and tricks throughout the entire Ohio Village that displays different time periods and then some more context behind it. But we hope that costume interpreters then being in the building will be that nice connection to help share more in depth in that history,” Fouts said.
Fouts explained that he wants guests to experience both new and familiar situations through costume interpreters. These interpreters will act as modern people looking back on past events, instead of historic reenactors.
“We hope that this will be open for a lot of folks to come in and have a lot more in-depth conversations,” Fouts said. “We hope that this is a really good avenue for people to come in, share their stories, tell us about their family history, tell us about things that they know from their past.”
Ohio Village will hold an America 250 Ohio-themed picnic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 31. Entry is included with fair admission for that day.
Construction began on Ohio Village in fall 2024 and closed after the end of that year's Ohio State Fair.
Ohio Village will close again this year for fall construction but will hold special events for All Hallow’s Eve and the holidays. Ohio Village will reopen fully for the 2027 season.
