Ohio Stadium (aka The Horseshoe)
Sorry I took a week off on stadium guides last week but things were a bit hectic here in State College. We are back in action here with Ohio Stadium, home of The Ohio State Buckeyes.
Quick Facts:
* Ohio Stadium was built in 1922 and had a capacity of 66,210
* Current capacity is 102,329
* The largest crowd ever was 105,708 versus Michigan in 2006
Seating:
The seats are bleacher style with an alright amount of room. Most important is to make sure that you are in a good section. Some sections don’t have great sight-lines like any section numbered 1-12 and 31-36.
The section labeling system is a bit odd, with “AA” sections being real low to the field, “A” being the normal lower level, “B” is the mid-level and “C” is the upper deck. For example, section 22 has 22AA, 22A, 22B and 22C in order from the field up to the upper deck.
Also remember that anything in the closed in horseshoe end (sections 31-39) does not have running water so restrooms are port-a-johns in this area.
Concessions:
Well, all I can say is your aren’t going to get anything unique here. The concessions are very basic and not too tasty. But, you don’t have to just believe me. Here’s another writer’s opinion.
Traditions (what to watch for):
There is only one tradition that you need to be on the lookout for. It is the infamous script Ohio with the sousaphone player “dotting the i” to cap off the performance. While I could probably add a few more things, everything else truly pales in comparison to this.
Tailgating:
If you want to tailgate with your friends, be sure to drive to the parking lots together. Since Ohio State is located in the city of Columbus, the parking lots are spread all over, so you have to follow the direction of the parking officials and the police.
Once in the lot, it is pretty much a free-for-all to find a spot, so be sure to stake a claim to your area quickly. Once we were parked, we had to take a shuttle a few miles to the game.
Here is the official parking information and the parking map.
Fans:
My experience was not very good. The fans were rude to us as visiting fans and generally made our visit difficult. Silly little things like sitting empty beer cans on my car, pushing my wife while waiting in line for the shuttle and constantly talking smack despite being behind a fair portion of the game.
Thankfully we didn’t experience any of the often talked about “urine-bombs.” Hopefully you will have a better experience.
Tickets:
Tickets are actually pretty easy to get except for when the team plays Michigan. Just go to Ticketmaster and purchase seats in the section you want. If the game you want to attend is sold out, Ohio State always has plenty of tickets on Stubhub.
Getting there:
Getting there is fairly easy. Here are the official directions:
From the North – Take I-71 South to I-270 West to SR 315 South. Exit at Lane Avenue and turn left. Turn right on to Fyffe Road. Turn left on Woody Hayes Drive. French Field House, St. John Arena, and the Ice Rink will be on your left once you cross the bridge. Ohio Stadium will be on your right once you cross the bridge. To proceed to Converse Hall, follow Woody Hayes Drive to Tuttle Park Place and turn left. Converse Hall will be on your left.
From the South – Take I-71 North to SR 315 North to Worthington. Follow to Lane Avenue exit and turn right. Turn right on to Fyffe Road. Turn left on Woody Hayes Drive. French Field House, St. John Arena, and the Ice Rink will be on your left once you cross the bridge. Ohio Stadium will be on your right once you cross the bridge. To proceed to Converse Hall, follow Woody Hayes Drive to Tuttle Park Place and turn left. Converse Hall will be on your left.
From the East (Airport) – Take I-70 West to SR 315 North to Worthington. Follow to the Lane Avenue exit and turn right. Turn right on to Fyffe Road. Turn left on Woody Hayes Drive. French Field House, St. John Arena, and the Ice Rink will be on your left once you cross the bridge. Ohio Stadium will be on your right once you cross the bridge. To proceed to Converse Hall, follow Woody Hayes Drive to Tuttle Park Place and turn left. Converse Hall will be on your left.
From the West – Take I-70 East to SR 315 North to Worthington. Follow to the Lane Avenue exit and turn right. Turn right on to Fyffe Road. Turn left on Woody Hayes Drive. French Field House, St. John Arena, and the Ice Rink will be on your left once you cross the bridge. Ohio Stadium will be on your right once you cross the bridge. To proceed to Converse Hall, follow Woody Hayes Drive to Tuttle Park Place and turn left. Converse Hall will be on your left.
There is also a good amount of alternative transportation options, such as using the cota service, are offered in the official parking information link in the tailgating section.
Where to Stay:
Finding a place to stay is pretty easy since Columbus is so big. Finding a room for a decent price at your favorite chain shouldn’t be too hard.
Downtown:
One popular area of town around campus is North High Street. You can find plenty of restaurant options in the area, most notably around the 11th street intersection. In this area you will find Cantoni’s Pizzeria, the Eddie George Grille and McFadden’s.
What to do:
Two of the most popular things to do while in Columbus are to visit the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens [link 6] and the Central Ohio Fire Museum.
For all of his stadium experiences, follow Joshua on Twitter @collegiatestdms or visit www.collegiatestadiums.com.
