Download GPX file for this article
39.99922-83.01012Full screen dynamic map

From Wikivoyage
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Gateway

University Area also known as the University District is the area around The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. It also includes the OSU Hospital and The James Cancer Research Hospital.

Get in

Map
39°59′58″N 83°0′47″W
Map of Columbus/University Area

By car

  • SR 23 (High St) runs N/S directly in front of campus, beginning at Lane Ave going S. and King Ave going N. on High.
  • SR 315 is west of the campus. Exit at W 12 St. takes you to East side of Campus and University Hospital.
  • I-71 Exit on 5th Ave. Go west, takes you directly to High and campus.

By bus

  • Greyhound Station, 111 East Town St, +1 614 228-2266, [1]. Hours: 24 hours a day.
  • Megabus, +1-877-462-6342, [2]. Service to Columbus from Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Chicago. Fares start at $1. Buses arrive and depart downtown Columbus at the COTA Express Transit Terminal, located at West Spring Street and North Wall Street. Buses also serve Ohio State University from a stop at the north side of the Neil Drive loop next to the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Neil Drive is located northwest of Neil Avenue and West 12th Avenue.

By plane

  • Port Columbus International Airport (CMH IATA), 4600 International Gateway, ☏ +1 614 239-4083. Port Columbus is served by all the major airlines, with direct flights to most major American cities. Aside from rental cars, the airport can also be reached by the #92 bus, or by taxi. A taxi ride to downtown is only 10 minutes and will cost approximately $25. Depending on your schedule and where you are connecting to, it may be worthwhile to check flights to Dayton as well, as they are often cheaper. 

By foot

Columbus downtown is a relaxed one hour walk away. Expect to cross diverse neighbourhouds. In the past one would from time to time get friendly asked for a dollar.

See

Ohio State University's Mirror Lake

Get Around

By car

Driving in and around the University area, is not difficult, but one should use caution, due to the number of students sometimes rushing to class or distracted by student responsibilities.

Parking

Once inside of the actual University grounds, parking is severely limited and being towed for improper parking, even for short periods is very common. Some areas require parking stickers and tow trucks cruise the area looking for offenders. Many spots just off the campus (High St.) are metered spots with a 1 hour limit. Perhaps the best deal for parking near campus is the South Campus Gateway Garage (corner of N. High Street & E. 11th Avenue) which charges $1 for the first 3 hours, and $1 per hour after that. There are also some spots in the area east of campus which don't require a residential permit nor are metered, however these spots are limited and they are also subject to seasonal street-sweeping restrictions.

Parking during Ohio State football games is a completely separate situation and you can except to pay a flat rate for parking in a garage or lot.

By bus

The COTA bus service [3], while not by any standard one of the greatest in the nation, can take you to most important places in the city, which should be about 5 blocks away from any conceivable location you need to go to. This service costs $2.00 for an express bus and $1.50 for a normal bus. Transfers are free; ask for one from the bus driver when you pay your fare.

By foot

Walking around the OSU area is more than common, many walkways exist (try to avoid alleys after dark), and the locals are very patient with those crossing streets. There are some homeless and beggars like most metro areas, but the best way to deal with them is by ignoring them, or a simple "no" and move on, if they ask for money. All in all, walking in the OSU area should be considered safe.

Do

  • Studio 35, 3055 Indianola Ave, ☏ +1 614 261-1581. Single screen independent movie theater with bar. Commonly has events with beer tasting from local breweries with that evening's film. 
  • Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center 55 Arena Dr. [4] (Take Lane Ave across Olentangy River.) OSU basketball and hockey, concerts, monster trucks. Great facility!!!! All tickets through ticketmaster [5] </do>
  • Wexner Center for The Arts, 1871 N High St, ☏ +1 614 292-0330. Weekly, depend on show. One of the country's leading modern arts centers. The center, named after the Limited Brands founder Lex Wexner, features world renowned visual art exhibits, international films, live theater, and modern dance. The center is conveniently located on High St. in Columbus' University District. 
  • Jogging Olentangy trail. One can esily run up the Olentangy trail along the river. The greenway crosses huge zones of marsh. If one runs south, one ends up in downtown. 

Buy

  • Good Will, 2768 N. High St, ☏ +1 614 784-9439. Slightly used clothes and furnishings. Numerous Columbus locations. 
  • Lane Avenue Shopping Center On Lane Ave. between Northwest Blvd. and the OSU campus.
  • Lennox Town Center Olentangy River Rd., next to State Route 315 just west of the Ohio State University. Theaters, Target, Bath and Body Works, Barnes & Noble, restaurants, student-oriented shopping center for the needs of OSU students.
  • North Market - Grocery store south of campus across from convention center. Good choice!
  • Used Kids Records, 1980 N. High St, ☏ +1 614 294-3833. This used CD and record store has been a Columbus staple for over 20 years. [6] 
  • Volunteers of America, 3620 Indianola Ave, ☏ +1 614 263-9134. Used clothes and furnishngs. Numerous Columbus locations. 

Eat

Budget

  • Hound Dog's, North High Street / Campus / Clintonville , great pizza, open 24-hours.
  • The Blue Danube, 2439 North High St, ☏ +1 614 261-9308. An Ohio State University institution, it's a cheap bar/diner with a wide variety of food and drinks, open late. Try the gravy fries. 
  • Buckeye Donuts, North High St Open 24-7, this is another Ohio State University institution. As their name suggests, they have a wide selection of donuts and crullers, as well as inexpensive gyros and falafel.
  • Lavash Cafe, 2985 North High Street, ☏ +1 614 263-7777. Mediterranean restaurant with classic dishes like shawarma, humus, kabobs, and baklava as well as daily vegetarian specials. 
  • El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant, 3230 Olentangy River Rd, ☏ +1 614 261-0900. 

Mid-range

  • Aladdin's Eatery, 2931 N. High St, ☏ +1 614 262-2414. Clintonville. Mediterranean cuisine, shawarma, hummus, mujadara. Lunch and dinner: daily. Children's menu; beer and wine. Entrees: $8.95-$11.95. Several Columbus locations. All are very clean and great food. 
  • Cap City Fine Diner, 1299 Olentangy River Rd, ☏ +1 614 291-3663. University area. Diner favorites with an upscale twist, meatloaf, Romano-encrusted chicken, chocolate cake. Lunch and dinner: daily; Sunday brunch. Children's menu; patio smoking; cocktails. Entrees: $7.95-$24.95. Several Columbus locations. 
  • 1 Bistro 2110 at the Blackwell Hotel, 2110 Tuttle Park Place, ☏ +1 614 247-2110. 06:30-22:00. Located at the ground floar of the Blackwell hotel the restaurant has a view on the historic Ohio Stadium and offers fusion cuisine with several vegetarians options. 
  • Taj Mahal, 2321 N. High St, ☏ +1 614 299-7990. Indian and Pakistani cuisines. Lunch and dinner: Tu-Su. Children portions available; patio smoking; cocktails. Entrees: $7.99-$22.99. No wheelchair access. 

Splurge

  • The Columbus Fish Market, 1245 Olentangy River Rd, ☏ +1 614 291-3474. University area. Seafood, cedar-roasted salmon, hoisin-glazed yellowfin tuna, Maryland jumbo lump crab cakes. Lunch: Monday-Friday; dinner: daily. Children's menu; cocktails. Entrees: $15.95-$28.95. 

Drink

  • Newport Music Hall, 1722 North High Street, ☏ +1 614 294-1659, fax: +1 614 294-4698. Popular music concert hall amongst college students. Newport Music Hall draws a fair number of national acts. 
  • Skully's Music Diner is a trendy, but unassuming bar in the Short North.
  • Ruby Tuesday Live, 1978 Summit St, ☏ +1 614 291-8313, . (Unrelated to the chain restaurant) A dive bar in the north campus area. Often hosts small- to medium-popularity bands and has special theme nights, including a themed weekly Nerd Night, and frequent sports-watching gatherings, especially for soccer and Columbus Crew games. Cheap drinks (many domestics under $2, most imports under $4) and a relaxed atmosphere. 

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

  • 2 The Blackwell, 2110 Tuttle Park Place, ☏ +1 614 247-4000, fax: +1 614 247-4040, . Located directly on Ohio State's campus, the Blackwell offers top amenities. The top floors over a nice view over the campus or the Olentangy river. Very clean and friendly staff. The rooms generally have a big working desk. The free Wi-Fi uses "The Ohio State University" connection. 

Connect

Cope

Newspapers

  • The Lantern - Student Newspaper. The Lantern is the student newspaper of The Ohio State University, and can thus be found in and around the University's campus. The writing found in the Lantern is sometimes of questionable quality, causing some students to nickname it The Latrine.

Stay Safe

Hospitals

  • Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University 410 W. 10th Ave. (Towards Olentangy River) +1-800-293-5123. [7] The Ohio State University's Medical Center is one of the largest and most diverse academic medical centers in the country.
This district travel guide to University Area is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Columbus/University_Area&oldid=2914936"