[Updated: March 17, 2026 | Published: March 10, 2026]
From Clippers games and museum visits to scenic train rides and day trips across Ohio, Residents of our senior living community make active adult adventures a chapter all their own.
“Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!”
For more than three decades, readers of all ages have cherished these opening words of Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
For children, the line promises an exciting future. For older adults, it carries a different truth: adventure doesn’t stop just because you’ve reached a new chapter of life.
At Friendship Village of Dublin, Residents in their sixties, seventies, eighties, and beyond are proving that every year can bring new discoveries.
Since 1983, Friendship Village of Dublin has helped older adults set out for new places of their own. Today, those journeys continue through an outings program that takes Residents across central Ohio and beyond.
The Difference Between a Senior Living Calendar and a Life
Every senior living community has a calendar. At Friendship Village of Dublin, the calendar holds over 100 programs and activities each month, on and off campus.
Off-campus, the Wellness and Community Life team works with Residents to plan outings ranging from spontaneous short stops to day trips and longer travel adventures known as Village Voyages. Each outing captures the spirit of Dr. Seuss’s famous book title.
From the Ballpark to Buckeye Fever
Sometimes the best seat in the house is in a stadium, arena, or ballpark. Sometimes there’s no seat at all — just a place to stand and watch a golf swing arc down the fairway or a rowing shell cut across the water.
Summer outings to see the Columbus Clippers deliver warm evenings, ballpark snacks, and the easy rhythm of America’s pastime. From the crack of the bat to the view of the Columbus skyline beyond the outfield, an evening at Huntington Park feels like summer done right.
Buckeye fever runs through Columbus like an electrical circuit. Someone can shout “O-H!” anywhere in central Ohio, and a crowd will answer “I-O!” From crisp autumn Saturdays in the Shoe to bowl games, basketball at Value City Arena, and Ohio State Men’s Hockey from puck drop to the final horn, Residents follow all Ohio State sports. Go Bucks!
Golf lovers flock to The Memorial Tournament each year, where Jack Nicklaus hosts the world’s best at Muirfield Village Golf Club right here in Dublin.
Then there are the outings no one expects. On a bright fall day, Residents headed to Westerville to cheer on a Friendship Village of Dublin associate competing in a rowing regatta. They gathered along the water, watched the crews glide across the course, and cheered from the shoreline. A reminder that adventure doesn’t always require traveling far — sometimes it simply means showing up.
Visual Arts and Museums
Art has a way of slowing people down and inviting them to look closely. Earlier this year, a group of Residents headed to the Columbus Museum of Art to explore an exhibition devoted to Artemisia Gentileschi.
Whether her name is familiar or not, she is worth a closer look. A seventeenth-century painter working in the dramatic Baroque style, Artemisia carved out a remarkable career for herself at a time when professional art was almost entirely closed to women. Her paintings often depict goddesses and other powerful women from mythology and scripture.
The Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center in Worthington offered a memorable outing when the work of Resident artist Cindy R. appeared in the exhibition Journeys — proof that remarkable creativity lives within the community itself.
A recent outing to the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, directly across from the Ohio Statehouse, offered another window into the creativity of artists across the state.
Then there was the immersive Titanic exhibition at COSI. Boarding passes in hand, Residents stepped into a story that wove science, history, and human drama together.
Performing Arts
Live performance carries an energy that recordings simply cannot match.
One outing brought Residents to La Comedia Dinner Theatre in Springboro for a production of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn. Dinner was served before the curtain rose, and by the end of the evening, several Residents were humming the songs on the ride home.
Another trip took Residents to The Ohio Light Opera in Wooster for Guys and Dolls, followed by lunch at Pine Tree Barn, where conversations continued about favorite scenes and standout performers.
Dining Out and Food Adventures
Every meal comes with its own story.
A stop at Amy’s Donuts on Georgesville Road quickly became legendary. What began as a quick visit turned into one of the most talked-about outings of the month. The colorful donuts were memorable, but the laughter around the table may have been the real highlight.
Another outing led to Fox in the Snow Café, where fresh pastries and coffee encouraged everyone to linger a little longer than planned. The cozy atmosphere and neighborhood charm made the stop feel like a small discovery tucked within the city.
And when the group visited Hofbräuhaus Columbus, the afternoon unfolded with raised steins, soft pretzels, and cheerful music echoing through the hall.
Day Trips and Nature Escapes
The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway in Nelsonville carried passengers through rolling hills and brilliant autumn foliage, the rhythmic clatter of the rails adding to the sense of nostalgia.
During the summer, another outing took Residents to the Garden Railway Open House, where miniature trains wound their way through beautifully landscaped gardens, delighting visitors of all ages.
A holiday visit to Clifton Mill near Yellow Springs revealed one of the country’s most spectacular light displays. Thousands of lights transformed the historic mill and surrounding landscape into a glowing winter scene.
Village Voyages: When the Road Leads Farther Afield
Some active adult adventures call for a little more distance, and that is exactly what Village Voyages deliver. These extended outings take Residents beyond central Ohio to explore new cities and destinations together.
One memorable December journey brought travelers to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The itinerary included visits to the Andy Warhol Museum, the winter displays at Phipps Conservatory, and the exhibits at the Heinz History Center. Lunch at the historic Grand Concourse added an elegant architectural setting to an already remarkable day.
Another Village Voyage headed north to Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio’s oldest summer resort town along Lake Erie. Travelers enjoyed lakeside views, classic boardwalk charm, and the relaxed atmosphere that has drawn visitors there for generations.
An upcoming Village Voyage heads west to Indianapolis and Carmel, Indiana, for a journey that combines motorsport history, world-class performing arts, and the pleasures of one of the Midwest’s most sophisticated small cities. Residents will tour the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum before a wine tasting at the Foyt Wine Vault — a nod to racing legend A.J. Foyt that feels perfectly at home in Indianapolis. The itinerary also includes art galleries, shops, and restaurants before the group settles into a luxury boutique hotel. The highlight of the trip is a performance of The Music of the Lion King at the Palladium in Carmel, one of the finest concert halls in the country.
The Bus Ride Home
Regardless of destination, Residents say that some of the best moments happen on the ride back.
Someone retells the funny moment from lunch. Another admits they never expected to enjoy ramen as much as they did. Someone else says the train ride through the autumn leaves may have been the highlight of the season.
Shared experiences create a kind of social magic. Neighbors become travel companions. Stories become inside jokes. The next outing begins to take shape before the current one even ends.
Dr. Seuss warned that you will get mixed up with many strange birds along the way. At Friendship Village of Dublin, that sounds more like an invitation.
Why Getting Out Matters
The benefits of getting out go deeper than a good afternoon. Research published by the National Library of Medicine shows that older adults who remain socially engaged, mentally stimulated, and physically active enjoy stronger overall well-being. New environments activate the brain. Shared experiences deepen relationships. Walking through museums, parks, and city streets keeps the body moving.
Each trip offers discovery, connection, and movement — three things that research links to healthy aging.
The Mountain Is Waiting. So… Get on Your Way.
If you believe, as Dr. Seuss wrote, that there is fun to be done and great places still to go, we invite you to discover a community where active adult adventures are always on the calendar. Call 614-734-2105 or use the link below to schedule a visit to our scenic campus along the Scioto River near downtown Dublin, Ohio.
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