Hi all. Headed out to Columbus this weekend to scratch Mapfre off of my list of MLS stadiums to visit. Any secret places to park I should know about? Great places to grab a bite to eat near the stadium? I've heard it is supposed to rain? Any chance the game gets rained out? (that would totally blow) Anyway, any insights would be greatly appreciated.
There really isn't much to do around the stadium on game day, other than tailgate. For more whining about that, see our Attendance thread. There's a tropical storm rolling through town on Friday, but I think Saturday is looking good. When are you getting into town, and where are you staying?
First of all your name makes me uncomfortable. If you end up doing bad stuff to kids. I had nothing to do with it. I am just a soccer guy. Second welcome to the original soccer stadium in the US. It is not the best but it is special. The pitch is the best in the league and you can see from anywhere but other teams have learned about improving the experience from Mapfre. Secret places to park? Yes if you don't want to pay, okay with leaving your car in a mildly sketchy area, and you don't mind a walk with cars whizzing by you. Message me and I will tell you. I am not putting it on the board because there are about 5 spots. Otherwise pony up $15 and stay for a few minutes after the game for a good spot. Bites to eat near the stadium? If you mean walking distance then just Frisch Big Boy or McDonald's. If you are staying away from the stadium and driving to the game then there are a ton of options. Narrow it down a bit by type of food and location and you will get a bunch of good recommendations. I don't see rain in the forecast. It looks like it should be a beautiful night. If it does rain, they will play. Bring a poncho. If there is lightning then we will sit under the stands until it passes but the game will be played. Maybe 2 hours late but it will play. Have fun in Columbus!
Thanks for the replies so far. I'm actually flying into Cleveland tomorrow (way cheaper than flying into Columbus) and I'm going to check out the Rock and Roll hall of fame in the morning on Sat. Driving down to C-Bus in the afternoon on game day. I will probably pony up the $15 to park. Way cheaper than San Jose and LA. As far as food, I'll be in C-Bus for most of the afternoon leading up to the game so I'm down to eat just about anywhere. Are there any signature spots in town that I should check out, or anything that Columbus is known for? So far I have been to StubHub (LA), Avaya (San Jose), Providence Park (Portland), Rio Tinto (Salt Lake) and Dick's (Colorado). This will be my first trip east (I live in Orange County, CA) and I'm looking forward to this stadium specifically due to the historical significance. Going to try and hit up RBA and Talon Energy in one trip towards the end of the summer. 3-4 new stadiums per year is the goal. EDIT: My screen name is an old Fantasy Football team name. The creative juices weren't flowing when I set up my account, so I just ran with it.
Touchdown. I see what you did there. As for food, we are nationally known for Jeni's Ice Cream. It is very good and there are several locations, so I would plan that around where you go to eat or hang out. (Some people here prefer Graters and think Jeni's is overpriced but she is nationally known and good). If you want options for food and kind of a nice place to hang out in the middle of the city the North Market. It has lots of food options (including I think Jeni's still) and is centrally located. The thing I think Columbus does the best in terms of food is brewery food places. I have been around Portland where this is supposed to be the thing and I like Columbus's more. It just is more relaxed and not trying to prove anything IMHO. Try Wolf's Ridge Brewing and the new Rockmill Tavern are very good gastropubs. Further a field there is a large Eastern African population in Columbus and there are a couple smaller joints that cater to that group. They are about 15 miles out of the center of town but really good. Hoyo's Kitchen off of Cleveland Ave is my favorite. Order the goat. If you are in a hurry don't go. No such things as fast food there. And for drinks after the game High Street is a good option. I have often seen the opposing team players walking around there after the games. I will check out for a while and let other comment.
If you are into beer, there's a few of these a short uber to the stadium. http://www.cbusaletrail.com/trail/ If you are downtown I'd hit Wolf's Ridge
Regarding rain, if there's thunder/lightning, they'll herd everyone onto the concourses and wait it out. We've only had one game postponed, but that's another story. Things look dry, though. Pregame, there's a supporters tailgate at the northern terminus of Korbel under the large tents and flags. We're generally accomodating to out-of-towners who mind their manners. There's also a bar (4th Street bar) near 4th and 19th with free on-street parking. A lot of people will drink here and then walk about a mile to the tailgate. It's also half-off food and some drinks at the game until the 15th minute. The Schmidt's stand is NOT half-off, but they have a Bahama Mama which is a spicy bratwurst and real good. If you know Man vs Food, they were featured a while ago. For $10, you can get a brat or Bahama Mama, a side of German potato salad and sauerkraut. A visit to the Budweiser designated driver stand will give you a token for a free soft drink. Depending on which stand you go to, you may be able to upgrade to a souvenir cup for the price difference, although they've gotten a bit stingy here. There's a liquor stand in the Upper 90 Club (or whatever they call it now) and one in the tent that serves hard stuff. The stadium closes 30 minutes after the game. After the game ends, immediately head to the tent on the west side and grab a beer. Things might have changed, but they used to stay open for a moment or two after the game ended, whereas other stands would shut down sales late in the second half. After you grab your beer, head to the team shop, at least just to browse. Even if you don't buy anything, it's a great "stall tactic" for a first-timer. By that point, it's generally an easy exit back to the freeway. Regarding the North Market, the "Hot Chicken Takeover" is crazy popular. They try to hire a lot of ex-cons as a way to get them back on their feet. Plus, their chicken and mac is good too. HOWEVER... there is a massive music/arts fest very nearby ( www.comfest.com ) that will absolutely flood the area with traffic and people. You may want to look online for alternative locations for Jeni's and Hot Chicken Takeover that aren't near Goodale Park. A tip on the rock hall. I went many years ago, but I've heard that if you go early and start at the top, you'll work "against" the flow of the crowds, which should work to your advantage.
To avoid the Comfest crowds and take in Jeni's/HCT, the obvious/only choice is Clintonville, which also happens to be just a few miles from Mapfre. The new Hot Chicken Takeover there just opened, and is about 50 feet from the Clintonville Jeni's. Not a place with deep Columbus roots, but this is the top-rated restaurant in town on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/momo-ghar-columbus It's becoming something of a destination for visiting foodies.
Thurman Cafe is a big tourist restaurant as it's been on tv and is a "famous " spot. If you have a woman with you I would recommend Easton Mall lots of food choices and Jeni's ice cream Not sure what time you plan on leaving Cleveland but if you leave after lunch you should have time to do all these things your about
Not to sound like a buzz-kill but personally, (taking into account time spent at the Rock N Roll, drive time at the speed limit ( again personal note but 2 of the last 3 times family has visited from out of state they were ticketed for speeding ) and time to get to the stadium and situated and take in the atmosphere and do selfies ) I would simply stop at the Polaris area for food. Polaris will be on your route in, has everything from low to mid to upscale to fast to odd food. When done, you're back back on the highway and a straight shot to MAPFRE. Are you driving back to Cleveland that night or staying somewhere in central Ohio?
Thank you guys so much for all of your posts. It will be a short stay, so I likely won't be able to get everywhere you all suggested. I'm looking forward to seeing another stadium and enjoying some great food and beer. Lets all hope for some great goals and a good game. PS The home team has only lost once so far in my travels, so hopefully I'm a good luck charm tomorrow night.
I'm not really a music guy, but I've been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a couple times, and honestly, I find it more interesting than I otherwise would have thought I would. You may spend a pretty good amount of time in there. In terms of food in Columbus, it's a bit on the kitschy side, but look into Schmidts. It's a German place but does have very good sausages (and they typically have a buffet, so you can try a bunch of different ones), if you're into that. outside of that, I'd say, maybe Thurman Café (very large burgers). Both are in the German Village area. Which isn't next to the stadium, but it's probably 15-20 minutes away. Hot Chicken Takeover is very popular. I think it's good, but nothing super special (okay, the Mac and cheese may be the best mac and cheese I've ever had). I'm on the Graeter's over Jeni's in terms of ice cream. Huge chunks of dark chocolate in any of their chip varieties.
I would skip the Rock and Roll Hall of fame and go to The Air Force museum in Dayton, the collection of old Air Force 1 planes alone is amazing and it's Free
Famous Columbus Food: Jeni's Ice cream (as mentioned) Thurman Cafe Dirty Frank's Hot Chicken Takeover (also mentioned, but you can get this in the stadium on game day from their food truck) Katzinger's Deli Los Gauchos (voted best street tacos in the country a few months back for the Al Pastor) http://www.tvfoodmaps.com/s4/Best-Thing-I-Ever-Ate/OH/Columbus http://www.tvfoodmaps.com/search/?searchlocation=Columbus oh But really this city is chock full of fantastic food. If you had a bad meal you weren't trying very hard. http://614columbus.com/category/special/columbest/ http://shortnorth.org/eat-drink/ http://eh.net/eha/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Columbus-Restaurant-Guide.pdf (this may be a bit out of date but a quick glance says most of it is still legit)
So, what did you think? What did you do? Where did you go/eat? Thanks for your home team good luck. We needed the 3 pts.
I'll be in Columbus this weekend in my red in black. My wife's family are from Grove City so we go up to that part of the country 3-4 times a year. As ATL UTD season ticket holders, it'll be nice to go to an away match. If you like beer, go to Land Grant brewery. It's one of my favorite places to drink in Columbus. An no matter what they say, Skyline is awful
If you say so....My Wife's cousin's took me there as if it was a big deal. Both are from Columbus, and went to OSU, and they bragged about it like it was the bees knees. Haha, but I'm sure Atlanta's obsession with Chick-Fil-A is similar.
At first I thought you meant the actual skyline of the city. Took my a while to realize you meant Skyline the Cincinnati chili place. Definitely a love/hate thing. Most people are one or the other, very few middle of the roaders (I am one of those few).
Likewise. Great game, fun atmosphere. I want to thank you and the other fans for being so welcoming to me. I had a great time at the game. Sadly I didn't get to do too much sight seeing while in Columbus due to some logistical nightmares (rental car wasn't ready, or my hotel room). So I basically had enough time on Saturday to finally check into my room and then drive down to Columbus for the game. But I still had a great time.
I didn't know it was in Cincy thing, just have only been to one in Columbus. Excited to be coming back up again this weekend for the match. I have been there and had me some Crew Brew before, wouldn't mind a pint or two again, but this time in my Atlanta United jersey.
Yeah, it's out of Cincinnati, but that type of chili is also knows as Cincinnati chili, as there are some other places that do it similarly.