We realized we have yet to do many truly free experiences, so we decided to check out a free exhibit at Ohio State. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum is located on the top floor of one of the buildings on the outer ring of the Ohio State Campus. We found parking on the street, but there are parking garages right next to the Sullivan Hall building where it resides. We went on a weekday, which is the right move during football season when the campus is swinging. The hours are limited from one to five pm each day, so plan accordingly to miss the downtown traffic! 

I reminisced as we walked down High Street and told Josh the thrilling stories of my youth until we made it to the hall. Entering through the North doors, the doors on the right of the building as you face it, the building is primarily dedicated to the museum and was devoid of students. The offices and comic library reside downstairs, while the museum itself takes up a large room on the upper floor.  

After taking a photo of Josh with the Garfield statue, we headed upstairs to a quiet, empty showroom. All along the walls were comic strips of all sorts. They had classics we remembered, like Calvin & Hobbs, Beetle Bailey, and Peanuts, alongside various cartoons we had never heard of. In various drawers were old political cartoons displayed in cases from not only the US but from all over the world. The cartoons were a range of kid-friendly to thought-provoking adult content. The rotating featured exhibit takes up about half of the museum and explores the creation and reoccurring motifs in that specific comic. The current exhibit was centered around The Nancy Show and even displayed a lifesize statue of Nancy. This was our first time reading The Nancy Show, so it was interesting to see all the background going into it during the first time experiencing it. 

Those who love art and comics or have grown up reading comics in the newspapers could spend hours reading all the comics that line the walls and display cases. Josh and I did not have that same appreciation, so we sped through it in about a half hour. Josh is easily bored, so reading just a ton of comics was not his idea of a fun time. But it was something new and different for us to do, and it was completely free! Plus, now we know that old-school comic strips are not entirely his thing, and he will stick to his new-age comic books and manga.