Game Weekend
Nationwide Arena’s brick-and-glass entrance and marquee in Columbus’s Arena District, with the AEP Tower on the left and trees along a brick-paved street

Columbus Blue Jackets

Nationwide Arena

Columbus, Ohio

A Blue Jackets night at Nationwide Arena, in the heart of the Arena District.

Plan my tripJust find a hotel

The local take

An arena ringed by bars and restaurants in the Arena District, with a to-go drinks zone that opens before every event, the North Market food hall nearby and the Short North Arts District up High Street.

Most Blue Jackets home games start at 7 p.m. Eastern, and more than half fall on Monday to Thursday nights, so plan for a game night as well as a weekend. A few games, including a Saturday in December and New Year’s Eve, start in the afternoon. Experience Columbus says doors open one hour before puck drop, though neither the arena nor the team publishes a doors time, and the Arena District’s to-go drinks zone opens three hours before.

Nationwide Arena

Your Columbus weekend

Pick your game, then your hotel, food and things to do, or let a quick start choose them with you.

Which game are you going to?

Columbus Blue Jackets

Exploring the weekend before choosing a game. Dates stay open.

Find your places.

Find your stay, your local pub, and everything around the game.

Each one picks a hotel and food that work together. Change anything below.

My weekend

7 hotels

Columbus places

HotelSuggested

Arena District and the convention center · 0.35 mi from the arena

A hotel joined to the convention center by a walkway, which lists Nationwide Arena half a mile away, with free hot breakfast, a free evening 5:30 Kickback and The Kitchen + Bar open late.

There’s no bus, rideshare or parking to plan on a game night: the hotel lists the arena half a mile away. Breakfast and the 5:30 Kickback are free, and the hotel bar stays open until midnight Monday to Saturday for food after the game.

  • Covered parking $24 per night
  • Free hot breakfast
Check rooms
Details

Keep in mind: Parking is paid. The hotel lists the arena half a mile away, the farthest of the three convention-center hotels here.

On game day: Arena District stay: walk to the arena. Sonesta describes itself as two blocks away and Drury as half a mile.

88 East Nationwide Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43215

0.35 mi straight-line from the arena. This is not a walking or driving route.

Live rates are not quoted here. Confirm the full stay total, fees, and cancellation terms with the provider. Arena directions use a general arena location; follow your assigned lot and gate instructions.

Expedia opens a named-hotel search, not a verified property page. Enter dates there; adults and rooms are prefilled.

Directions: Directions to arena for Drury Plaza Hotel Columbus DowntownOfficial details for Drury Plaza Hotel Columbus Downtown
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Hotel

Arena District and the convention center · 0.25 mi from the arena

Ohio’s largest hotel, with 1,000 rooms in two towers, connected to the Greater Columbus Convention Center and near Nationwide Arena and North Market. FYR, Spark and the Stories on High rooftop lounge are on site.

  • Self-park $43 a day; valet $50
  • 1% Short North community fee
  • CMH 8 miles away
Check rooms
Details

Keep in mind: Parking is paid, by the day, and a 1% Short North community fee is added to room and restaurant charges. It’s connected to the convention center, so check for a convention on your dates.

On game day: Arena District stay: walk to the arena. Sonesta describes itself as two blocks away and Drury as half a mile.

402 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215

0.25 mi straight-line from the arena. This is not a walking or driving route.

Live rates are not quoted here. Confirm the full stay total, fees, and cancellation terms with the provider. Arena directions use a general arena location; follow your assigned lot and gate instructions.

Expedia opens a named-hotel search, not a verified property page. Enter dates there; adults and rooms are prefilled.

Directions: Directions to arena for Hilton Columbus DowntownOfficial details for Hilton Columbus Downtown
We may earn a commission. Your final total is confirmed with the provider.
Hotel

Arena District and the convention center · 0.29 mi from the arena

A hotel that describes itself as two blocks from Nationwide Arena, with loft rooms in a historic wing and the Vine + Forge restaurant on site.

  • Self-park $34; valet $44 overnight
  • Destination fee $20 per night
Check rooms
Details

Keep in mind: A $20 nightly destination fee and paid parking apply, and guests must be 21 or older to check in.

On game day: Arena District stay: walk to the arena. Sonesta describes itself as two blocks away and Drury as half a mile.

33 East Nationwide Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43215

0.29 mi straight-line from the arena. This is not a walking or driving route.

Live rates are not quoted here. Confirm the full stay total, fees, and cancellation terms with the provider. Arena directions use a general arena location; follow your assigned lot and gate instructions.

Expedia opens a named-hotel search, not a verified property page. Enter dates there; adults and rooms are prefilled.

Directions: Directions to arena for Sonesta Columbus DowntownOfficial details for Sonesta Columbus Downtown
We may earn a commission. Your final total is confirmed with the provider.
Hotel

Short North Arts District · 0.45 mi from the arena

A 135-room art-themed boutique hotel in the Short North, hung with works from the developer’s family collection, with Liliana Spa, Soul at The Joseph and The Guild House.

  • Garage in the development
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Details

Keep in mind: The hotel’s own site couldn’t be checked, so room rates, parking prices and any fees are unconfirmed. Call the hotel before you book.

On game day: Short North stay: walk south on High Street to the Arena District, take COTA Line 1, 2 or 5 down High Street, or take a rideshare to West Street, where the arena says every drop-off and pickup happens.

620 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215

0.45 mi straight-line from the arena. This is not a walking or driving route.

Live rates are not quoted here. Confirm the full stay total, fees, and cancellation terms with the provider. Arena directions use a general arena location; follow your assigned lot and gate instructions.

Expedia opens a named-hotel search, not a verified property page. Enter dates there; adults and rooms are prefilled.

Directions: Directions to arena for Le Méridien Columbus, The JosephOfficial details for Le Méridien Columbus, The Joseph
We may earn a commission. Your final total is confirmed with the provider.
Hotel

Short North Arts District · 0.60 mi from the arena

A Short North hotel on the block between Warren Street and Bollinger Place, with interiors built around local history, Buckeye traditions and college nostalgia.

  • Valet $40
  • Breakfast for a fee
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Details

Keep in mind: Parking is valet only, at $40, and breakfast costs extra. Rates and any other fees weren’t confirmed.

On game day: Short North stay: walk south on High Street to the Arena District, take COTA Line 1, 2 or 5 down High Street, or take a rideshare to West Street, where the arena says every drop-off and pickup happens.

750 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215

0.60 mi straight-line from the arena. This is not a walking or driving route.

Live rates are not quoted here. Confirm the full stay total, fees, and cancellation terms with the provider. Arena directions use a general arena location; follow your assigned lot and gate instructions.

Expedia opens a named-hotel search, not a verified property page. Enter dates there; adults and rooms are prefilled.

Directions: Directions to arena for Graduate ColumbusOfficial details for Graduate Columbus
We may earn a commission. Your final total is confirmed with the provider.
Hotel

Short North Arts District · 0.68 mi from the arena

A hotel with what the Short North Alliance calls modern style and playful, boutique amenities, on North High Street between Hubbard Avenue and Hull Alley.

  • Valet only
Check rooms
Details

Keep in mind: The hotel’s own site couldn’t be checked, so rates and fees are unconfirmed. Parking is valet only, with no price published. It’s one of the farthest hotels here from the arena.

On game day: Short North stay: walk south on High Street to the Arena District, take COTA Line 1, 2 or 5 down High Street, or take a rideshare to West Street, where the arena says every drop-off and pickup happens.

808 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215

0.68 mi straight-line from the arena. This is not a walking or driving route.

Live rates are not quoted here. Confirm the full stay total, fees, and cancellation terms with the provider. Arena directions use a general arena location; follow your assigned lot and gate instructions.

Expedia opens a named-hotel search, not a verified property page. Enter dates there; adults and rooms are prefilled.

Directions: Directions to arena for Moxy Columbus Short NorthOfficial details for Moxy Columbus Short North
We may earn a commission. Your final total is confirmed with the provider.
Hotel

CMH airport · 5.1 mi from the arena

An airport hotel less than a mile from CMH, by its own count, with a free airport shuttle and a free light breakfast.

  • Free CMH airport shuttle
  • Free light breakfast
Check rooms
Details

Keep in mind: The shuttle serves the airport, not the arena. Parking isn’t described, and the page still uses the airport’s old name, so confirm details with the hotel.

On game day: Airport stay: drive downtown and park in one of the lots or garages within a 10-minute walk of the arena, or take a rideshare to West Street.

750 Stelzer Road, Columbus, OH 43219

5.1 mi straight-line from the arena. This is not a walking or driving route.

Live rates are not quoted here. Confirm the full stay total, fees, and cancellation terms with the provider. Arena directions use a general arena location; follow your assigned lot and gate instructions.

Expedia opens a named-hotel search, not a verified property page. Enter dates there; adults and rooms are prefilled.

Directions: Directions to arena for Days Inn by Wyndham Columbus AirportOfficial details for Days Inn by Wyndham Columbus Airport
We may earn a commission. Your final total is confirmed with the provider.

Your weekend

2 adults, 1 room
Stay
Not chosen
Food
None chosen
Do

Choose a hotel first

Travel & full itinerary

The full plan, stop by stop

2 adults · 1 room

Choose a hotel to plan travel.

Your home base

No hotel chosen yet

Your hotel sets the area, both arena journeys and the travel between your stops.

Nothing is in your plan until you choose it. A quick start above the list can choose one for you.

Make time for a good meal

Food for the weekend

Compare and choose food

No food picks yet. Add places in the comparison above when you’re ready.

Check opening hours for your dates and reserve directly where needed.

The reason for the trip

Nationwide Arena

Pick your game when you’re ready.

Nights open · 2 adults, 1 room

A different hotel?

Your arena travel updates to match. Any food you picked yourself stays.

Get to know the areas

Arena District and the convention centerWalking to the game with no transit or parking to plan

Stay by the Greater Columbus Convention Center, a few blocks from the arena, with North Market and the Arena District’s bars close by.

Convention-center crowds, sports bars and the North Market food hall

To the arena
Walk west along Nationwide Boulevard to the arena.
After the game
Walk back with the crowd, or stop at R Bar or Moran’s on Front Street on the way.
The tradeoff
All three charge for parking. They share the blocks around the convention center, so check for a convention on your dates before you book.

Hotels in this area

We may earn a commission. Rates and availability are confirmed with the provider.
Short North Arts DistrictA boutique hotel and a dinner-and-gallery night before the game

Stay among the galleries, boutiques and restaurants on North High Street, then walk south or take a rideshare to the arena.

Galleries, public art and restaurants along High Street, with Gallery Hop on the first Saturday of each month

To the arena
Walk south on High Street toward the convention center and turn west to the arena, ride COTA Line 1, 2 or 5 to High Street and Ohio Center Way, or take a rideshare to West Street.
After the game
Walk back north on High Street, or meet a rideshare on West Street.
The tradeoff
Parking is valet or a nearby garage, and no parking price could be confirmed. The arena is farther away than from the convention hotels, and no walking time from these hotels could be confirmed.

Hotels in this area

We may earn a commission. Rates and availability are confirmed with the provider.
CMH airportEarly flights and arriving with a car

Stay near John Glenn Columbus International Airport with a free airport shuttle and breakfast, then drive or ride downtown for the game.

Airport hotel corridor east of downtown

To the arena
Drive downtown and park, or take a rideshare to the drop-off on West Street.
After the game
Walk back to your garage, or meet a rideshare on West Street.
The tradeoff
The hotel shuttle serves the airport only, so the trip downtown is a drive, a rideshare or a COTA trip you plan yourself.

Hotels in this area

We may earn a commission. Rates and availability are confirmed with the provider.

Upcoming games at Nationwide Arena

Visiting with the away team? Each game has its own page.

To the game and back

Choose a route from the area you’re staying in.

From the convention center on footArena District and the convention centerwalk
Getting there
Walk west along Nationwide Boulevard to the arena. Sonesta describes itself as two blocks away, and Drury lists the arena half a mile away. Experience Columbus says doors open an hour before puck drop; the arena doesn’t publish a doors time.
Getting back
Walk back along Nationwide Boulevard with the crowd.

Leave bags behind: only clutches up to 8 × 5 × 1 inches, medical bags and diaper bags are allowed. Expect metal detectors at the doors.

Route information
From the Short North on footShort North Arts Districtwalk
Getting there
Walk south on High Street past the convention center, then turn west toward the arena.
Getting back
Walk back north on High Street. Jeni’s stays open until midnight if you want dessert on the way.

No walking time or distance from these hotels to the arena could be confirmed. For a weeknight game, COTA Line 1, 2 or 5 down High Street or a rideshare to West Street saves the walk.

Route information
From the Short North by rideshareShort North Arts Districtrideshare
Getting there
Set your drop-off on West Street. The arena says all drop-offs and pickups happen there.
Getting back
Walk to West Street and meet your driver there.

The arena publishes no separate Uber or Lyft zone. Vehicles on West Street must be attended, and unattended ones may be towed. Prices after the game are set by the app.

Route information
From the Short North on a COTA busShort North Arts Districttransit
Getting there
Take COTA Line 1, 2 or 5 south on High Street to the N. High St. and Ohio Center Way stop, then walk one block west to the arena. The Short North Alliance lists the same lines at stops by these hotels. A ride is $2, with free transfers for two hours.
Getting back
Walk one block east to High Street and take Line 1, 2 or 5 north from the Ohio Center Way stop.

No schedule or last-bus time is published on the arena’s page, so check times in the Transit app, which the arena recommends. The free CBUS downtown circulator isn’t running.

Route information
Drive in and park near the arenaCMH airportdrive
Getting there
Drive downtown and park in one of the surface lots or garages the arena counts within a 10-minute walk: more than 15,000 spaces. Parking can be bought in advance or on the day.
Getting back
Walk back to your garage and drive out.

Prices vary by lot and aren’t listed on the arena’s page. Accessible parking is at the McConnell garage’s north entrance and the Front Street garage’s northeast entrance, and may run short at busy events.

Route information
By rideshare from the airport areaCMH airportrideshare
Getting there
Take an Uber or Lyft to the drop-off on West Street. At CMH, rideshare pickups are across the Arrivals drive from level 1 of the terminal.
Getting back
Meet your ride on West Street, where the arena says all pickups happen.

The hotel shuttle serves the airport only, not the arena. Prices after the game are set by the app.

Route information

At Nationwide Arena

Bags

Bags generally aren’t allowed. The exceptions are clutches up to 8 × 5 × 1 inches, medical bags and diaper bags. Backpacks, luggage, coolers and laptops are banned.

Arena information
Security — Blue Jackets

For Blue Jackets games, you remove your hat, empty metal from your pockets and walk through a metal detector. Fans who refuse can be denied entry.

Arena information
Doors and tickets

Neither the arena nor the Blue Jackets publish a doors time; Experience Columbus, the city’s visitor bureau, says doors open one hour before puck drop, so confirm with the arena for your game. All tickets are mobile, so add yours to Apple Wallet or Google Pay ahead of time; without a smartphone, take your confirmation email to the box office.

Arena information
Cashless arena

Nationwide Arena is cashless for tickets, concessions and merchandise. Cash-2-Card reverse ATMs in the Ticketmaster Box Office and on the main and upper concourses turn cash into a no-fee Visa debit card.

Arena information
No re-entry to smoke

There are no smoking areas in the arena, and fans who leave to smoke aren’t let back in. Strollers and wagons are banned unless they assist a guest with a medical condition.

Arena information
Parking and drop-off

More than 15,000 spaces in lots and garages are within a 10-minute walk, for advance or same-day purchase. Every drop-off and pickup happens on West Street, and vehicles there must be attended.

Arena information
Arena District drinks zone

The Arena District’s DORA opens three hours before every event at the arena: buy a drink in a DORA cup at a participating bar, such as R Bar, Moran’s or Ted’s, and carry it inside the signed boundary. Empty the cup before entering another venue or leaving the zone.

Arena information
Accessibility

Free wheelchair escorts are available at any entrance on request. Guest Services is at section 112 on the main concourse and section 208 on the upper concourse.

Arena information

Find your game & tickets

Use the team schedule for home dates and puck drop times.

Columbus Blue Jackets schedule

Useful things to know

Can I bring a bag into Nationwide Arena?

Generally no. Only clutches up to 8 × 5 × 1 inches, medical bags and diaper bags are allowed; backpacks, luggage and coolers are banned.

When do doors open for Blue Jackets games?

Neither the arena nor the team publishes a doors time. Experience Columbus, the city’s visitor bureau, says one hour before puck drop, so confirm with the arena. The Arena District’s to-go drinks zone opens three hours before.

Can I pay cash at the arena?

No. The arena is cashless from tickets to concessions. Reverse ATMs in the box office and on both concourses turn cash into a no-fee debit card.

How do I get to the arena without a car?

Walk from the convention-center hotels, or take a rideshare to West Street, where every drop-off and pickup happens. COTA Lines 1, 2 and 5 stop at N. High St. and Ohio Center Way, one block east of the arena, for $2 a ride. The free CBUS circulator isn’t running.

Can I leave and come back in?

Not to smoke: fans who leave to smoke aren’t let back in, and there are no smoking areas inside.