Looking for OSU roadtrip feedback

[Scarlet4ever]

For those that made the trip out to Columbus in 2014, do you have any advice for lodging, restaurants, and activities while out there? Looking to drive from the East Coast for the game this year, but haven't looked into hotels, etc.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Akron Buck]

For food you have to try Thurmans cafe and Schmidts. Expect a long wait at Thurmans and try the Thurmanator challenge.

 

[Idubthee Knight]

I stayed at the SpringHill Suites on Olentangy River Road. Highly recommend. Walking distance to the stadium (they also offer a free shuttle) and free breakfast and there's a bar in the lobby. It's next door to the Varsity Inn, where a lot of RU fans also stayed, but much newer and nicer.

 

[Roy_Faulker]

Do you have kids and are they coming?

 

[Scarlet4ever]

Do you have kids and are they coming?

Appreciate the replies so far. We will be a group of 5-7 all in our 40s.

 

[Rutgers8086]

For those that made the trip out to Columbus in 2014, do you have any advice for lodging, restaurants, and activities while out there? Looking to drive from the East Coast for the game this year, but haven't looked into hotels, etc.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

I stayed at the Hampton inn at the airport. It was terrible.
Schmidts was a great place to drown our sorrows.

 

[Ready to Rumble]

We stayed at the Hilton on North High Street which was conveniently located to a good number of bars and restaurants for some Friday evening revelry. It was just a short cab ride to the stadium in the morning but it is close enough to walk. The downside, after the game it was raining and transportation back to the hotel was limited. No cabs with the streets mostly gridlock and a long wait for a bus. Tailgating nearby the stadium is limited with most of it in small parking lots in the adjoining neighborhood from what I observed. We did get to make a quick visit to the basketball arean where they have the Ohio State Hall of Fame. Pretty cool to see Archie Griffins Heisman trophies.

 

[vkj91]

For food you have to try Thurmans cafe and Schmidts. Expect a long wait at Thurmans and try the Thurmanator challenge.

Long wait? I'd still be waiting for my table from the last game. Lol.

 

[vkj91]

We drove about 7 hours on Thursday and stayed in Akron and spent the night. We drove the remaining leg on Friday. We stayed at the Columbus Westin. They were awesome and even roped off a part of the street to park our RV. Honestly, only downside was I'm amazed OSU doesn't allow overnight RV parking. I had been told Columbus was a sh&t hole but was pleasantly surprised. It was one of the best campuses/social scene I've seen. We will be retuning next year. Hopefully the weather is better.

 

[RU848789]

For those that made the trip out to Columbus in 2014, do you have any advice for lodging, restaurants, and activities while out there? Looking to drive from the East Coast for the game this year, but haven't looked into hotels, etc.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Just do what I did: 6.5 hour drive out to Columbus, party for a couple of hours in town, go to the game, and then drive back, with a 2-hour stop at a WV casino to play some poker - saves on lodging, lol...

 

[RU'70]

Stayed at the Varsity Inn North, about a mile walk from stadium. Went to a great bar downtown on Friday night--can't remember name, RU was well represented there. My first experience with B1G supporters--they were fantastic. Of Course it probably helps that they were heavy favorites. Great time--the horseshoe and the band is worth the trip. Will probably go again this year

 

[RAA-1]

Go to the Varsity Club pre-game which is across from the Shoe. Very large bar scene where they block off the street and have several outdoor bars set up. Our group paid for very few beers as the OSU fans kept buying them for us. It doesn't get much better.

Also, they told us to go over to the old basketball arena 2 hours prior to kickoff as there is a performance by the OSU band. I don't even like bands, but we checked it out and only stayed for 15 minutes of the performance, but was very impressed. They get over 15,000 people in the area just to see the band - and what a band it was. Headed back to the Varsity Club where they also have food vendors from Columbus' German Village set up outdoors at the Club and had the best Brats I have ever eaten.

We stayed 2 days and plan a longer trip this year. Stayed at a hotel at the airport so we didn't need to rent a car as we took a cab to the campus. By the way, OSU fans were the best fans we encountered since Virginia Tech at a game in Blacksburg.. The city of Columbus also surprised us by its size with almost 1 million population.

 

[BlockR]

Varsity club was a blast..people bought us drinks..very nice fans..the hatred of Michigan by OSU fans has to be experienced in person..good time! Hyde park steak house a must!They have great steaks named after Woody Hayes,Tressell,Myers..great upscale steakhouse worth money. Went to location in Worthington Ohio, and stayed also right in same block,.Worthington is like 7 miles from stadium..cheaper but a 10 min drive or Uber Most hotels sell out early on game weekends and min two nights..

http://www.hydeparkrestaurants.com/maps/hp-worthington/index.htm

 

[RUBand]

Go to the skull session several hours before the game at the basketball arena (i think that's where it's held). Amazing experience.

 

[Scarlet4ever]

Just do what I did: 6.5 hour drive out to Columbus, party for a couple of hours in town, go to the game, and then drive back, with a 2-hour stop at a WV casino to play some poker - saves on lodging, lol...

That sounds brutal to me, and not much fun. Maybe 20 years ago...haha

 

[RUJohnny99]

I stayed at the Varsity Inn South. Cheap & clean. I was surprised at how nice a city Cbus is. Took Lyft downtown for 6 bucks on Friday. Walked to High Street on Saturday (about a mile & a half) and worked my way down to the Varsity Club. My cousin lives two hours from Columbus & comes most weeks to tailgate at the bars there. Completely different culture. Ohio State is their pro team.

Great trip. Will consider doing it again this year.

 

[robcac26]

Jeni's ice cream.

 

[Akron Buck]

Long wait? I'd still be waiting for my table from the last game. Lol.

It would still be worth it.

 

[jersey07080]

Stayed at the Hyatt place on yard street. Continent to downtown and about 8 minute can ride to campus. If you like hockey check out a blue jackets game. Tickets can be had on the cheap and the arena area is a nice place to hang out for a bunch of guys in their 40s.

 

[RUissy]

Stayed at the Varsity Inn North. Wouldn't recommend it. Bath towels the size of washcloths, room smelled like Cheech and Chong stayed there before us, not very clean. Definitely recommend the Varsity Club for pre-game. Can't remember the names of the spots we hit Friday night and post game but the were both very cool too.

 

[srru86]

Stayed at SpringHill Suites on Olentangy River Road. Easy walk to stadium.
I would recommend a visit to Schmidt's in the German Village.
Columbus is bigger, nicer and friendlier than I expected.
Staying at Le Méridien this time. Thinking a little closer to the downtown amenities.
Won't miss the skull session this time.

 

[MrsScrew]

O-Hi-O here we come. just booked the SpringHill Suites

Mr. Screw and I plan to drive out Thursday evening so we'll have Friday to explore a little.

 

[RU9205]

My group is staying at the Hampton on North High Street. Looking forward to a great trip!

 

[mildone]

I plan to drive out in a Mazerati SUV with four hookers and enough blow to make the presidential suite at our hotel look like @RU848789's winter wet dream. Might not actually make the game.

 

[RU848789]

I plan to drive out in a Mazerati SUV with four hookers and enough blow to make the presidential suite at our hotel look like @RU848789's winter wet dream. Might not actually make the game.

We won't even need the beanbags or boards to play cornhole...

 

[Metropolitans3]

Stayed in the crowne downtown. Nice hotel, near the arenas and restaurants. Long walk to campus but didn't mind. Caught a blue jackets game on Friday night, bought tickets from a scalper at the end of the first period and sat 5 rows from the ice for $20 each. Jeni's ice cream is homemade and ridiculously awesome. There's a taco restaurant/whiskey bar that was awesome too. We had an unofficial Rutgers night at a bar that had outdoor seating, I'm sure someone else will provide the name. OSU fans expected a blow out (and got one) so for the most part they were very nice. Day of the game there is a decent tailgating scene and a bunch of bars within a 5minute walk to the stadium but they get super crowded.

 

[Local Shill]

Can anyone comment on the pros and cons of staying closer to campus vs. staying downtown as far as the bar and restaurant scene on Friday night and game day?

Booked the SpringHill Suites on the recommendation of others but it can be canceled. Looks to be an easy walk to the stadium but there doesn't seem to be much around it.

Is High Street the "Easton Avenue" of Columbus? I know Columbus is much, much larger than NB but where is most of the action for the 30s/40s crowd (I guess the equivalent of George St/downtown in NB)?

Thanks.

 

[vkj91]

Can anyone comment on the pros and cons of staying closer to campus vs. staying downtown as far as the bar and restaurant scene on Friday night and game day?

Booked the SpringHill Suites on the recommendation of others but it can be canceled. Looks to be an easy walk to the stadium but there doesn't seem to be much around it.

Is High Street the "Easton Avenue" of Columbus? I know Columbus is much, much larger than NB but where is most of the action for the 30s/40s crowd (I guess the equivalent of George St/downtown in NB)?

Thanks.

I can't talk to the logistics of what is where but we stayed at the Westin and just used Lyft to get around. There were plenty of drivers and we never had a long wait.

 

[Giantfan82]

My group of 10 pregamed at Eddie George's, not to far away from the stadium.. It does get very crowded closer to game time, but a lot of fun.

 

[Nosoj]

Can anyone comment on the pros and cons of staying closer to campus vs. staying downtown as far as the bar and restaurant scene on Friday night and game day?

Booked the SpringHill Suites on the recommendation of others but it can be canceled. Looks to be an easy walk to the stadium but there doesn't seem to be much around it.

Is High Street the "Easton Avenue" of Columbus? I know Columbus is much, much larger than NB but where is most of the action for the 30s/40s crowd (I guess the equivalent of George St/downtown in NB)?

Thanks.

That shouldn't be a bad walk to the stadium and there's some good bars and taprooms west of there as you head into Grandview on 5th Ave. You should see more of the working age, 20-40 somethings out there vs. the closest options on High Street.

High Street should be divided into sections. North of Lane Ave you get into Clintonville. I haven't been out much in this area but it's been a hot neighborhood for a number of years and there's a lot of highly reviewed bars/restaurants, but it's getting to be farther away from everything else.

South of Lane Ave down to 10th and 11th Ave is going to skew younger and students as it's on/adjacent to campus. It's fun (and more diverse, age wise) on game day, but it's going to be crowded.

South of 5th Ave you get into the Short North, and that leads to the Area District and downtown. There's a ton this way and it can be a very mixed and eclectic crowd, depending on where you actually go. If you want options, this is probably your best bet. None of it should be more than a 5-10 minute ride from where you're staying right now.

 

[Nosoj]

My group of 10 pregamed at Eddie George's, not to far away from the stadium.. It does get very crowded closer to game time, but a lot of fun.

FYI, Eddie George's has moved and it's farther from the stadium now.

 

[BigLou]

Can anyone comment on the pros and cons of staying closer to campus vs. staying downtown as far as the bar and restaurant scene on Friday night and game day?

Booked the SpringHill Suites on the recommendation of others but it can be canceled. Looks to be an easy walk to the stadium but there doesn't seem to be much around it.

Is High Street the "Easton Avenue" of Columbus? I know Columbus is much, much larger than NB but where is most of the action for the 30s/40s crowd (I guess the equivalent of George St/downtown in NB)?

Thanks.

I stayed at the Double Tree suties downtown. There were 3 of us so having the suite was nice. Friday night we went to a bar downtown (we walked past the arena to get there) that was supposed to hbe hosting a Rutgers event but wasn't really. I forget the name but the place turned out to be a recent grad hangout - maybe similar to what you would find in Hoboken. We had a great time.

Saturday we taxi'd down to campus. Definitely too far to walk. I was not that impressed with the section of High Street we saw. We ended up pre-gaming at the Eddie George Steakhouse and had a good time before walking across campus to the game.

With the rain and blowout we left the game before the end. We took a look at the Varsity Inn but there was a huge line. we ended up catching a cab back to the hotel to lick our wounds. We had a choice of Uber also so the transportation was not an issue even in the rain.

Downtown gives you nicer hotels and more upscale dining choices but if you want more of a college feel, stay closer to campus.

 

[RUScrew85]

Looking forward to kicking some Buckeye asses. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

 

[Local Shill]

That shouldn't be a bad walk to the stadium and there's some good bars and taprooms west of there as you head into Grandview on 5th Ave. You should see more of the working age, 20-40 somethings out there vs. the closest options on High Street.

High Street should be divided into sections. North of Lane Ave you get into Clintonville. I haven't been out much in this area but it's been a hot neighborhood for a number of years and there's a lot of highly reviewed bars/restaurants, but it's getting to be farther away from everything else.

South of Lane Ave down to 10th and 11th Ave is going to skew younger and students as it's on/adjacent to campus. It's fun (and more diverse, age wise) on game day, but it's going to be crowded.

South of 5th Ave you get into the Short North, and that leads to the Area District and downtown. There's a ton this way and it can be a very mixed and eclectic crowd, depending on where you actually go. If you want options, this is probably your best bet. None of it should be more than a 5-10 minute ride from where you're staying right now.

Thanks for all the info. Very helpful.

 

[BigLou]

FYI, Eddie George's has moved and it's farther from the stadium now.

so it has. strange, it was a pretty nice place at the old location. Now it seems to be equidistant from the hotel I stayed at and the stadium. Too far to walk after 5 or 10 beers

 

[tychicus]

flew in day of, stayed at Hampton across the street from the hockey arena.
took the bus up the main road to the stadium
was too tired to explore, just drank alone :( afterwards at some seedy dive bar afterwards near the hotel.

 

[Nosoj]

Saturday we taxi'd down to campus. Definitely too far to walk. I was not that impressed with the section of High Street we saw. We ended up pre-gaming at the Eddie George Steakhouse and had a good time before walking across campus to the game.

With the rain and blowout we left the game before the end. We took a look at the Varsity Inn but there was a huge line. we ended up catching a cab back to the hotel to lick our wounds. We had a choice of Uber also so the transportation was not an issue even in the rain.

Downtown gives you nicer hotels and more upscale dining choices but if you want more of a college feel, stay closer to campus.

High between about 5th and 10th or 11th is not the best part of the city. It used to be that way most of the way up to Lane, but they've done a lot to improve it in the campus area.

Thanks for all the info. Very helpful.

Happy to help. :sunglasses:

so it has. strange, it was a pretty nice place at the old location. Now it seems to be equidistant from the hotel I stayed at and the stadium. Too far to walk after 5 or 10 beers

It was, but I think they made the move looking to better serve who they saw as their target demographic. I haven't been to the new location, but I would say it's definitely too far to walk now.