On the Worthington Partnership's events page, three of this season's Old Worthington holiday events link their map to 671 High Street: Holidays on High, the Holiday Open House and Illuminated Shopping. That is the address of the Worthington Inn. From the end of 2018 until this spring, nothing was operating inside it.
That changed this year. Columbus Underground's April preview put the public opening of Wolf's Ridge at Worthington Inn on April 29 and said it would be the building's first business since 2018. By late August, Columbus Underground was covering the reopened Inn. In September a second place opened two doors south at 661 N. High St. So this November and December, the north end of High Street has somewhere warm to sit before an event starts and after it ends. The rest of this post is a plan built around that.
A building that has hosted the village for nearly two centuries
The Inn's own history page shows how many lives the building has had:
- 1831: built as a private residence.
- 1852: became the Bishop House, an inn for travelers.
- 1901: a fire led to the third-floor ballroom that is still part of the building.
- 1982: restored and reopened as a restaurant.
- December 2018: closed, as Worthington Spotlight reported.
- 2026: reopened under Wolf's Ridge Brewing.
That leaves seven holiday seasons, 2019 through 2025, when the tree illumination and the late shopping nights went on around a dark building at the corner of the Green. This year the Partnership's events still point to the same address. Now there is a menu inside.
Wolf's Ridge co-owner Bob Szuter talked about the project in community terms when Columbus Underground previewed the opening in April: "This project has always been about more than reopening a historic building. We wanted to create a place the community feels proud of again."
What's on the table at 671 High Street now
Executive Chef Kris Ludwig and Sous Chef Brian Breslin opened with a tavern menu. Columbus Underground's preview listed a Blonde French Onion Soup, Fish and Chips and the WRB Burger at lunch. Dinner had a Ploughman's Plate and mussels to share, plus entrées such as Confit Cod Cheeks, a Bone-in Pork Chop and a Sirloin Filet. The vegetarian options were a Cauliflower Steak and Vegan Scallops made from mushrooms. Since then the menu has turned over for the season. The Inn's homepage now promotes a new fall menu, so expect some of those spring dishes to have changed.
The hours have changed since opening too. The April preview gave one continuous all-day schedule. The Inn's restaurant page now lists separate services:
- Lunch: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Dinner: Monday through Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m.
- Weekend brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Those hours matter for planning. Every evening holiday event on the Partnership's calendar ends by 9 p.m., and the Inn's dinner service runs until 10 p.m. on weeknights. So for the first time in years, the evening can keep going at the same address after the event wraps up.
Two doors down, a bookstore stocked with its neighbors
The Whispering Page Bookstore opened September 3 at 661 N. High St. The space used to be a gym. Sisters Ashley and Devin McCoy own it and run it as a bookstore, café and bar. Columbus Underground's visit describes two floors: the café and bar downstairs, and upstairs a lounge with couches, a children's section in the back corner and a bookable Book Club Room for 10 people.
What the store sells over the counter connects it to the rest of the neighborhood:
- Coffee roasted by Florin Coffee in Clintonville
- Beer from Zaftig and from Wolf's Ridge Brewing, the business running the Inn next door
- Wine from Aardvark Wine & Beer
- Pastries from Worthington's The Little Dot and from Mrs Goodman's
So a pint from the brewery behind 671 High Street is also poured 10 doors' worth of sidewalk away at 661. The store is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its next free Monthly Book Bingo is Wednesday, November 4, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with books and bookish prizes.
How the calendar lines up with both front doors
This is the stretch from Halloween through early December, with what's open nearby for each date. Hours are the ones currently posted by the businesses and organizers.
| Date | Event | Event hours | Nearby on High Street |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Citywide Trick-or-Treat Night | 6 to 8 p.m. | Inn dinner, 4 to 10 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 4 | Book Bingo at The Whispering Page | 6 to 7:30 p.m. | Inn dinner, 4 to 10 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | Holidays on High | 6 to 9 p.m. | Inn dinner, 4 to 10 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Holiday Craft & Gift Show, Worthington Christian Village | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Inn brunch from 10 a.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Worthington Holiday Craft Fair, Worthington Community Center | Noon to 4 p.m. | Inn brunch until 4 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Holiday Open House and Tree Illumination | Noon through the evening; illumination at 5:30 p.m. | Bookstore until 6 p.m.; Inn dinner, 4 to 9 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Worthington Illuminated Shopping | 6 to 9 p.m. | Inn dinner, 4 to 10 p.m. |
A few dates need more detail than a table row can hold.
Holidays on High is the Partnership's official start to holiday shopping in Old Worthington. Merchants stay open late, extra vendors set up on the sidewalks, and the event's tagline is "Sip N Shop Local." The bookstore's regular weekday hours end at 8 p.m. and the event runs until 9, so check with the store before you plan on that last hour there.
The Holiday Open House falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Partnership's listing promises horse-drawn carriage rides, train rides, live music and photos with Santa. The City's Tree Illumination follows at 5:30 p.m. on the southeast section of the Village Green. The listing gives two end times for the open house. The header says 6 p.m. and the description says 5 p.m., so plan on the afternoon and confirm closer to the date. The timing works well on the High Street side. The Inn switches from brunch to dinner at 4 p.m. on Sundays, and the bookstore is open until 6 p.m., so there is a warm spot nearby on either side of the lighting.
Trick-or-Treat Night lands on a Saturday this year. The City schedules it on Halloween no matter what day of the week that is.
Saturday mornings move up the road
The Worthington Farmers Market moves indoors for winter starting in November. It runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at The Shops at Worthington Place, also listed as Worthington Mall, at 7227 N. High St. The Partnership lists three Saturdays off: November 28, December 26 and January 2. The indoor season runs through April.
The two new businesses fit that Saturday routine in different ways. Saturday is the only day The Whispering Page opens at 8 a.m., an hour before the market does. Wolf's Ridge starts weekend brunch at 10 a.m. A market trip up North High can start at the bookstore with Florin coffee or end at the Inn over brunch.
The piece of the Inn that isn't open yet
The building isn't fully open. At the April preview, Wolf's Ridge said a lower level was planned, with a cocktail focus and a second kitchen, but gave no timeline. Today the Inn's homepage lists that space as the Wolf's Den, still marked "Coming Soon" with no opening date. For this holiday season, the main restaurant is the part of 671 High Street you can book through the reservation page.
Our office in Worthington is a short walk from the Village Green, and having the Inn's lights back on before the tree illumination means a lot to us. If you're weighing a move this winter, or just want to know how changes on High Street are showing up in what nearby homes are worth, Cam Taylor Realtors is happy to talk it through. Get your free home valuation whenever you're ready, maybe after dinner at the Inn.
