Anyone have any suggestions for where to stay for the big ten tourney? ....I've never been there....appreciate it
Hotels in Columbus?
- Thread starter natchrlman
- Start date
most hotels near campus are fine, but pretty pricey ... several motels in dublin ... we are at quality inn and suites
I've lived in Columbus since 2003. This is true. However, if all you need is a room and want to be in the campus area, the Red Roof Inn on Ackerman OR The Varsity Inn on Olentangy River Rd. may be the most affordable of the Campus hotels. If you don't mind driving 10 - 15 minutes, there are clusters of hotels on the North and East sides of town that are located near lots of eateries and watering holes (Dublin, Worthington, Westerville, Grandview, Polaris and Easton are all fine parts of town to stay in with access to many such amenities).
Let me know if you have other questions about the lay of the land. Since I live here, I'm not much of an expert on the hotel scene here. If you want to talk about restaurants, that I can help with!
I use rewards points so I'm married to a certain family of hotels, but around Christmas time I didn't find a whole lot near campus. We are up north in Worthington.
Definitely looking for food suggestions in that area as well as near campus. Thanks in advance!
Definitely looking for food suggestions in that area as well as near campus. Thanks in advance!
can you recommend any good sports bars in the dublin area? are there any places to eat in short walking distance of st john arena?
Thanks for the recommendations. I was looking online yesterday and most of the hotels close to tOSU are full unless you want to spend $400+ per night.
WALKING DISTANCE/CAMPUS AREA
Pizza:
Adriatico's - I took several of my high school kids (I coach) to watch the OSU/PSU meet and then to Adriatico's across campus. These are walking directions, but if you like pizza, this place is fantastic and worth the 1 mile walk: http://adriaticososu.com/.
Tommy's Pizza is somewhat of an institution though it lacks atmosphere but is very, very close. The pizza is good, but it's more of a take out kind of establishment.
Sports Bars:
Buffalo Wild Wings is on the corner of Lane and High and a much shorter walk.
Chumley's is a decent-ish campus bar with lots of screens and about 50 brews on tap (despite the lack of good reviews online, I have never had a bad experience there and have no problem recommending it).
Very Eclectic, cheap local fare:
The Dube - This place has a bar, and a wide variety of items on the menu. It feels a bit seedy, but the food is good. The artwork is what gives this place it's weird vibe. Patrons can purchase ceiling tiles and decorate them however they like and then the owners will hang them, so most of the place is covered in an unusual patchwork of different people's "art." (drive here - you can park in the side lot).
Hound Dog's - This place is dirty, and I haven't been in about 5 years. But the pizza is very good. One half of the joint is pizza parlor, the other half is bar. If you eat here, order your crust Smokin' Joe's style. Drive here (there's parking in the rear).
BETTER LOCAL FLAVOR
The Crest - Despite the unusual location, this place is absolutely fantastic, one of my favorites and will be slammed on a Saturday night. They have a brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The food is terrific.
Anything in the Short North - 2-3 minutes by car - This is my recommendation. If you don't feel like driving, take the #2 Bus south -- or a cab, or drive and pay to park -- south to the Short North district on High Street. This is where many of the unique little spots are in Columbus that make it such a food and beverage destination (really). Any of the places in this area that can afford to remain open will be really good.
Here are a few of personal favorites in this area:
The Pearl - best burger in Columbus (except for maybe Thurman Cafe but that's a different type of burger), also has an oyster bar and good drafts - love this place.
The Surly Girl Saloon - good appetizers, fun environment
Northstar Cafe - this is a family-friendly place that serves a limited menu of very fresh food, they do have beer as well
Marcellas - a wonderful place to take a date, excellent food and cocktails
Da Levee - smallish, but ample portions of fabulous Cajun, creole and soul food dishes
Arch City Tavern - another gastro pub - good food
This page on Urban Spoon may be more helpful: http://www.urbanspoon.com/n/33/3227/Columbus/Short-North-restaurants
There are great places to eat in all of the other parts of town too, but the concentration of quality establishments and proximity to OSU make the Short North my top recommendation to find a watering hole or restaurant.
Columbus is such a terrific food and beverage town. I'm happy to offer further suggestions if anyone's curious.
For closest hotels to SJA the Blackwell would be closest, but assume it's booked...there are a ton of new hotels on Olentangy River Road within Walking distance to SJA, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, Fairfield Inn, Homewood Suites, Springhill Suites......Also a thing to keep in mind is he Arnold Sports fest is in town, so I'd steer clear of downtown to avoid crowds and traffic, and on Sunday the OSU Men's Basketball team has their final home game at 4:30 and the Schott is right across from St John....Thurmans Cafe is as iconic as Columbus gets and was on Man vs Food, but again, it's downtown and there is typically a 1 hr wait on a normal Weds night let alone a weekend...I'm sure the Varsity Club will be absolutely packed since it's right across the street, but it's an option for reasonably priced bar food and drinks...Along Olentangy there is Applebee's, Roosters, and a couple other options...Instead of downtown I'd head to Grandview, 2 mins by car for a ton of eating options...Marshalls, where we'll be Sat between sessions, has Happy Hour 7 days a week from 4-7 and a good menu and selection of beer....Matt The Millers Tavern, Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe, Old Bag of Nails, Spagio, and Brazennead are also really good options in Grandview...there are also a few really good craft breweries in Grandview being Smokehouse Brewing, Four String Brewing, and Zauber Brewing....my brother wrestled at OSU and my wife works at the OSU hospital, so any questions feel free to ask...
Good call on Grandview...there's tons of really nice spots in Grandview. Marshall's happy hour is really pretty good (I've gone there after work a time or two) and Brazenhead is a winner (Irish pub with bars upstairs and downstairs, plenty of atmosphere and good food).
I also forgot that the Arnold is in town - that's why everything is booked up.
We may run in similar circles. Who was your brother? My wife works at the Ross Heart Hospital at OSUMC...
Also Woodlands Tavern has a good Saturday Happy Hour, although I've never eatin there....Brian Roskovich, wrestled 96-01 for Hellickson...my wife is a Systems Consultant for the Med Center...brother in law is a nurse at the Main Hospital, although not sure which floor?
Lots of rooms in the Columbus are taken by folks competing in or attending the Arnold Sports Festival..
Only mention it because a number of hotels are booked, and this was mentioned as the reason.
http://arnoldsportsfestival.com/
This post was edited on 3/5 10:10 AM by RoarLions1
Only mention it because a number of hotels are booked, and this was mentioned as the reason.
http://arnoldsportsfestival.com/
This post was edited on 3/5 10:10 AM by RoarLions1
If you like college football a little bit, I would recommend the Buckeye Hall of Fame café. You may even run into a Woody Hayes look alike.
