OT: Parking at Ohio Stadium

Submitted by jman077 on

I'm going to Columbus for the first time this year and I was wondering if there are any places to park where your car is guaranteed not to get messed with. Is this even really that big of a concern? I do drive a car that makes it very clear I am a Michigan fan (even if I took off my UofM bumper sticker I'd still have one of those little great lakes ones, a Detroit Zoo membership, Michigan plates, and its an electric blue Ford), and am a little worried based on what everyone tells me about being in Ohio. Are there any parking spots where people have had good experiences? I've thought about renting but that seems like a hassle. I'd be willing to pay a fair amount of money to know my car will be safe. Thanks!

BlueReign

October 11th, 2016 at 3:47 PM ^

No personal experience, but have heard stories of slashed tires, keyed doors, etc.

 

OSU hat in the front or back windshield or rental are common suggestions. 

 

Realistically nothing is going to happen. 

bluebyyou

October 11th, 2016 at 6:29 PM ^

I live an hour out of Cbus.  All the MacDonalds sell large drinks with OSU stuff on the plastic cups.  Makes me throw up into my mouth a bit if I want a Coke.  On the bright side, just put the cup in your window when finished,  As I mentioned, If your car has Michigan regalia or plates, I'd definitely rent something for the day.

In large part, it's not the students or the alums that create incidents.  The students might on occasion make a comment or drunk, which works both ways of course, but it's the neanderthals with large foreheads, beer guts and missing teeth one should fear.

Ann Arbor is a much safer place to be for The Game than Columbus.

Erik_in_Dayton

October 11th, 2016 at 3:51 PM ^

I believe one of the hotels near the stadium (Springhill Suites? Hillton?) has a parking garage, but those hotels are almost certainly all booked.  I don't have any great ideas.  Sorry.  A rental is probably the way to go if you want to be sure you're not going to have to deal with damage to your car. 

GoBluenoser

October 11th, 2016 at 3:47 PM ^

Will be renting.  I'm assuming there will be threads closer to the game but ears are open for any tips/tidbits to avoid myself and MGoFiance getting in any sticky situations.  

danimal1968

October 12th, 2016 at 12:32 PM ^

tips for staying safe:

 

1.  safety in numbers.

2.  for whatever reason, if your stuff doesn't say Michigan on it they don't seem to pick up on the fact that you're a Michigan fan if you're wearing blue (like any true OSU fan would be caught dead wearing blue to the game on that day of all days).

3.  don't mouth off and be prepared to ignore pretty much any verbal insult.

4.  safety in numbers.

pdgoblue25

October 11th, 2016 at 4:05 PM ^

You are asking for it.  It's without a doubt the most unpleasant opposing fan experience that you will have.

If Michigan wins people will be in your face telling you to go fuck yourself, if Michigan loses people will be in your face telling you to go fuck yourself.

parking anywhere near campus will be murder to get out of.  If it were me heading down there again I would park on Summit or 4th street and walk.  Those were the only streets that didn't have parking passes for street parking when I was there.  The walk back will suck but at least when you get to your car you'll have no problem leaving.

READ ALL STREET SIGNS, they are the gestapo around there when it comes to towing cars, or handing out parking tickets.

As others have suggested, putting ohio state hats in the back windshield is a pretty solid idea.

ghostofhoke

October 11th, 2016 at 5:13 PM ^

Pretty spot on. Girls I worked with in college went to Cbus in 98 and were chased out of a bar and down the street by guys who threw bottles at them while they were running away. Girls. Not all people in Cbus are shitbags, I'm sure, but there are plenty of them there and it only takes one or two to really ruin your gameday. I wouldn't trust my car anywhere near the stadium if it had anything with the word Michigan on it. Would be totally worth dropping $50 to rent a car for the day for the trip. The hat ideal is really solid too, just sucks to spend money that will go to their athletic department or university. Burn it on the way out of town.

Helloheisman

October 11th, 2016 at 3:56 PM ^

Pick up two Ohio state hats and put them in the front and back windows. You'll be fine if you don't have any other u of m stuff on your car. A buckeye friend of mine who lives in Michigan and does the little hat trick doesn't have any problems.

The Legion

October 11th, 2016 at 4:06 PM ^

I have friend from high school who has to travel to Columbus for business several times a year and has had his tires slashed twice and car keyed 3 times. One of the times it was keyed it was a rental car he got from a rental place in Columbus that just happen to have a Michigan plate...he did not get the rental insurance

NittanyFan

October 11th, 2016 at 4:01 PM ^

and never had a single problem.  Admittedly, those weren't for U-M games, but I do think stories about how "Columbus is full of hooligans and you're taking your life in your hands" are rather overblown.  I had Michigan license plates on my car for the majority of those games.

I typically get off 315 at Ackerman and park somewhere well north of the stadium --- there are both open field and parking lot options there.  All are day-of-game parking (no need for a pre-pass) and relatively inexpensive.  It's still a good scene up there, though admittedly a bit of a walk (1+ mile) to OSU stadium.  If one IS worried about vandalism, it's really as safe as it could be up there.  Traffic exiting the game isn't terrible up there either.

Zoltanrules

October 11th, 2016 at 5:06 PM ^

as it should be. The hate towards UM has died down given their recent record versus us but once we start winning again it will be back to dangerous levels.

I used to go during the Cooper years and would park at a shopping mall a couple miles away that had a shuttle bus to the Shoe.

Given that the game is at noon and over Thanksgiving perhaps the natives will be relatively well behaved.

NittanyFan

October 11th, 2016 at 5:48 PM ^

a couple of the PSU games I attended were: 2008 (top-10 showdown, at night, PSU won to take OSU out of the MNC chase) and 2011 (PSU's first road game after the Sandusky story broke).  Certainly cases where the OSU fans had reason to be fired up as regards the visiting folk.  But I never heard of a single story from either of those games.  Those are only anecdotes; maybe I just got lucky.

Anyway, where I typically park (up north, as a couple others here have recommended) is likely a good spot to go if one is worried.

Chalky White

October 11th, 2016 at 9:49 PM ^

You don't understand. OSU and MSU fans hate Michigan 365 days/year. No other fan base has two teams that hate them like that even when they are irrelevant. They don't care If Michigan is winning or losing. They hate Michigan with the same intensity.  No matter what PSU does, OSU will never hate them the way they hate Michigan. 

Zoltanrules

October 12th, 2016 at 11:35 AM ^

and Cooper eras. Most OSU fans still have migrane headaches over times we screwed over their top ranked teams year in and year out.

PSU was good when they first into the league because baby JoePa got favorable schedules but has been very average since. I expected more big wins out of Nebraska and PSU when they joined the Big10, and neither school has done anything in basketball or the next tier of sports.

Bando Calrissian

October 11th, 2016 at 6:48 PM ^

The fact of the matter is going to Columbus isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. Between the 2004 and 2006 games, OSU spent a lot of time and money (and admirably so) working to get their fans to understand the violence, intimidation, and sheer ill-will towards opposing (particularly Michigan) fans was unacceptable. There were ad and print campaigns, PSAs, a lot of on-the-ground work on campus and in the community. It worked, particularly as Michigan has struggled in the rivalry. It was awful in the 1990s and early 2000s. It's not like that anymore.

It's a football game. You're not going to get killed. Rule of thumb is to never react, never engage, don't do anything to call attention to yourself, and don't be an asshole. It's not that hard. If you want to go to the game and have a good time, you can do it and get out unscathed.

rob f

October 11th, 2016 at 4:07 PM ^

1) Don't park next to a cooler in Columbus.

2) Don't open abandoned coolers ANYWHERE in Columbus

3) Don't even take your own cooler out of your vehicle.  Coolers attract buckeyes like the living attract the undead, like shit attracts flies.  You need to understand this or the Columbus undead and flies WILL start buzzing around your cooler.

4) Don't forget or ignore any of the above don'ts.

ColsBlue

October 11th, 2016 at 4:07 PM ^

Find a M alum, park at their place, take an Uber down. We've been to several recent games, even took kids in '14. This year could be ugly, especially with beer sales.




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BoFan

October 11th, 2016 at 4:15 PM ^

Worst place ever. Why would you even go! It will scar you for life!

If you must go, perhaps your boss or wife or wife/boss is making you, follow this advice:

1) Remove all items from car that identify you are from Michigan
2) Remove license plates and put them in trunk
3) Park at least 50 miles from Columbus
4) Take Uber
5) Hope your car isn't towed.

Good luck

Kevin13

October 11th, 2016 at 4:27 PM ^

to a game. If your willing to spend good money to keep your car safe, I would just suggest using that money to rent a car and make sure it has Ohio plates on it. Would even consider putting an OSU magnet on it, that is the best way to make sure your car is fine when you get back.

pwestrr

October 11th, 2016 at 4:28 PM ^

There is a lot that is off the Ackerman exit that is safe. Its a fundraiser for Franklin County Special Olympics. Get off the Ackerman exit, go east, once you pass Olentangy River Rd. Its the first entrance on the left. My family frequently volunteers to park cars there.

Mr. Robot

October 11th, 2016 at 5:29 PM ^

Not sure if you were the guy who recommended it before, but somebody on the board recommended this like 4 years ago and I found this to be a perfect option.

The lot is isolated from foot traffic and the people running it are not the type to let people walk in and look for cras to destroy. Plus, its reasoanbly priced and the cost is for a good cause.

The Alumni Association also had a thing going in one of their buildings and the building was very close to this lot. It was extremely convenient for that and reasonable walking distance from the stadium.

Also, I personally have never had a big issue in Columbus despite all the horror stories. I have never been egrigiously mistreated and have had plenty of good conversations with the people around me. Never had much trouble at MSU either, but definitely more so than in Columbus. In fact, I think I've had more trouble with VISITING Wisconsin fans than I ever had at a road game. I have no desire to go to Madison lest it be for a game against someone else in which I can be a neutral observer.