Wednesday – August 15 – We Explore Columbus, OH

This morning our carpool drove into Columbus, OH to tour the statehouse.  Our guide explained the history of the Ohio state capitol and how it was located in three other cities until finally being centrally located in Columbus.  The statehouse is located on ten acres of land with construction starting in 1839.  The statehouse was not completed until 1861.  Prison labor from the Ohio Penitentiary was used to construct the foundation and ground floors of the building.  The statehouse underwent a major restoration in 1996 to bring the structure up to 20^th century building codes. 

After leaving the statehouse, we drove into the German section of Columbus to enjoy an excellent German buffet lunch at Schmidt’s Sausage Haus.  In addition to the usual bratwursts, we also enjoyed a sampling of Schmidt’s Bahama Mamas, a sausage with a little “kick” to it.  Several people purchased additional sausage from the fresh meat market on the first floor of the restaurant.

After the delicious lunch, it was off to the Ohio Stadium, the home of the Ohio State University Buckeyes.  With a seating capacity of 102,329, it is the fourth largest football stadium in the United States.  We were led on an excellent tour of the stadium to see some of the corporate suites, press boxes, and suites used by Ohio elected officials and Ohio State University executives.  Our tour led us down onto the playing field, which is covered with athletic turf and not grass.  We were fortunate that the stadium has several modern elevators to transport us between the various levels.  The stadium crew is in the final stages of installing a new 45’ x 157’ “jumbo tron” screen at the south end of the stadium. 

  

This season, Ohio State University will host eight home football games.  Please check the dates to know when to stay away from Columbus, OH.  In addition to football games, the stadium rooms are rented out to host receptions of all sorts.  A local tradition is to get married at the stadium flagpole.  That will cost you $2,500.  If you want to get married at the 50-yard line, it will cost you an additional $10,000.