Columbus Navigator

✈️ Beginning January 8, 2027, Breeze Airways will launch seasonal nonstop service between John Glenn Columbus International Airport and Punta Cana, making it easier than it’s been in years for Central Ohio travelers to swap snow boots for flip-flops.

The new route will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays through March 22, giving travelers a direct option to one of the Dominican Republic’s best-known beach destinations during the heart of Ohio’s winter.

If Punta Cana has been on your travel wish list, it’s easy to see why. The area is famous for its miles of white sand beaches, clear turquoise water, sprawling all-inclusive resorts, and warm tropical weather that hovers in the 80s while Ohio is scraping ice off windshields.

According to the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, this marks the first nonstop service from Columbus to Punta Cana in more than a decade.

“For the first time in more than a decade, Columbus travelers can skip the layover and fly directly to one of the world’s most beautiful vacation spots,” Columbus Regional Airport Authority President and CEO Daren Griffin said in a statement.

While Punta Cana has earned its reputation for luxury resorts and postcard-worthy beaches, there’s plenty to explore beyond the sand.

Visitors can swim in hidden freshwater cenotes, zipline through tropical forests, take buggy tours into the countryside, visit nearby fishing villages, or spend a day on the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

Of course, if your vacation plans involve doing absolutely nothing except finding the perfect beach chair, Punta Cana is pretty good at that too.

The announcement is another sign that Columbus travelers are getting more nonstop options than ever before.

Breeze, which celebrates five years at John Glenn this summer, now serves 14 nonstop destinations from Columbus, with new flights to Savannah and Tampa launching later this year.

It also comes just weeks after another major Caribbean announcement. Southwest Airlines recently revealed it will begin nonstop service between Columbus and San Juan, Puerto Rico, in early 2027.

🏗 A 1957 view of what would eventually become I-670 at the Olentangy River Rd. exit, taken shortly after completion of construction of this stretch of road.

🚋 A map of the interurban streetcar system in the Columbus region, as it existed in 1917.

The lobby of the Seneca Hotel, located in downtown Columbus, as it looked in 1964.

More on the history of the Seneca Hotel:

🏨 When it opened in 1917, the Seneca was Columbus's first high-rise hotel, standing 10 stories tall with 91 suites and featuring a grand second-floor ballroom.

🏨 The building's location near Franklin County Memorial Hall was strategically chosen to capitalize on convention business, and a four-story wing was added to the east side in 1924 to accommodate growing demand.

🏨 The building has lived many lives - after being a luxury hotel, it became home to the Nationwide Beauty Academy from 1960-1974, where it served as a dormitory for female students from six different downtown schools.

🏨 The hotel was designed by renowned Columbus architect Frank Packard and was built with such architectural significance that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

🏨 During its time as EPA offices in the 1980s, employees reported strange occurrences in the basement, including claims of hearing a child crying(!) in the filing rooms.

🏨 After sitting abandoned for 17 years and nearly facing demolition, the building underwent a remarkable $21 million renovation in 2005-2008, transforming it into modern apartments known as Seneca.

🥜 A 1981 view looking south along the east side of North High Street in downtown Columbus.

Signs visible in the image include Planters Peanuts above the Peanut Shoppe, Continental Federal Savings, Wendy's, Revco, and Oliver's Tavern.

🏗 The steel superstructure goes up during construction of Ohio Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University, sometime in 1921-1922.

🍔 Gahanna’s McDonald’s Classic, located at 359 Agler Road, is set to be demolished after the Gahanna Planning Commission formally approved a proposal to completely demolish the existing vintage restaurant and rebuild it from the ground up.

McDonald’s Classics only featured drive thru and/or walk up service with no interior dine-in seating. The vintage designs were meant to evoke memories of early McDonald’s restaurants.

The original building structure was constructed all the way back in 1969 and has been operating under the McDonald's banner since the mid-1990s. McDonald’s Wiki, a McDonald's fan site, claims this is believed to be the last remaining McDonald’s Classic in the world.

The new 1,978-square-foot building will swap the current look for the typically neutral, minimal design seen in many modern McDonald’s locations. The new building still won’t have a dining room but will see upgrades meant to speed the drive-thru.

🏢 One Nationwide Plaza and Ohio Center in downtown Columbus, as they looked sometime in the '80s.

🍽 Columbus is getting its own eating competition this year and it’s just as (more?) appetizing as Coney Island’s famous hot dog eating competition. Jackie O’s On Fourth will be hosting a local cheesesteak eating competition in partnership with Wario’s Beef and Pork this July 3rd.

Wario’s is famous for their East Coast-styled sandwiches on semolina seeded rolls topped with meats and veggies and finished with classic cheese whiz or Wario’s signature sauce.

No word yet on whether competitors will be eating the classic steak (8oz shaved ribeye, house whiz and grilled onions on a semolina seeded roll) or the steak - Wario’s Way (8oz shaved ribeye, grilled onions, house whiz, provolone and white American cheese on a semolina seeded roll). If you’re feeling brave, signup information should be released soon but this should also be a fun one to spectate if you don’t feel up to the challenge. And if you’re unsure and want to take a cheesesteak for a test drive first, Wario’s is open Wednesday - Sunday at 111 W. Nationwide Blvd downtown.

Mount Carmel Hospital (Mount Carmel West in Franklinton), founded in 1886 and shown here as it looked in 1890. 🏥