Columbus Blue Jackets
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
- Capacity
- 18,500
- Roof
- Indoor
- Surface
- Ice
- Opened
- 2000
- Tickets
- $20+
- Parking
- $10+
- Beer
- $10+
- Food
- $6+
- Est. total
- $46+
Against the other 31 NHL arenas, Nationwide Arena is the 4th cheapest game day: 4th for tickets, joint 9th for parking and joint 7th for food and drink, compared on market ticket medians and published lot and menu prices in US dollars. See the full ranking.
Prices are estimates. See our methodology.
What to Expect
Nationwide Arena anchors the Arena District in downtown Columbus, a purpose-built entertainment neighborhood with restaurants, bars, and a park surrounding the arena. The Blue Jackets' cannon fires after every goal and the building shakes. Columbus is a passionate hockey town that's earned its place in the NHL. The Arena District bars fill early on game nights, and the Short North Arts District is a 10-minute walk for more dining options. Games run about 2.5 hours in regulation.
View Seating GuideTips & Fan Reports
I work at the arena and my favorite spot is the upper part of 117, right in front of the organist closer to 116. Great atmosphere and energy in that section.
A corner seat on the power level like section 227 gives you a really good view of everything for a reasonable price. I would not worry about trouble for rooting for the away team at Nationwide.
Doors open at 6pm for a 7pm puck drop if you want to watch practice. There are a few restaurants around the arena in the Arena District but expect them to be packed on game nights.
Over 15,000 spaces sit within ten minutes on foot, so parking is rarely the problem in the Arena District.
Pick your COTA route by the direction you are coming from: lines 1, 2 or 5 from the north or south, 3 or 8 from the west, 6 or 9 from the east.
An ordinary Club Seat does not include the Loge Box or Terrace Table products.
Entry is at McConnell Boulevard or Front Street — those are the two doors.
Three of the four approaches end one block from the arena, so the walk is negligible whichever you use.
Loge Boxes and Terrace Tables sit on the Club Level, which for hockey is the height where the systems become visible.
The route in differs by direction: Neil Avenue off I-670, or Front Street off I-70.
Know Before You Go
Essential details checked against official venue information.
- Bag policy
Bags are generally prohibited; medical bags, diaper bags, and clutches no larger than 8 x 5 x 1 inches are permitted.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Permitted bags and clutches must use the dedicated entry screening lines and will be X-rayed.
- Venue payments
Nationwide Arena is cashless for tickets, concessions, and merchandise and accepts debit and credit cards.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Concessions and the team shop also accept Apple Pay and Google Pay. Cash-to-card reverse ATMs in the box office and on the main and upper concourses issue no-fee Visa cards that do not expire.
- Re-entry
Guests who leave Nationwide Arena to smoke are not permitted to re-enter.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- The current arena guide does not publish a broader re-entry rule, so do not exit for smoking expecting to return.
Guides for Nationwide Arena
- Game Day Guide
7 steps from arrival to puck drop, and 20 venue rules checked against official sources.
- Parking Guide
2 lots and garages with distances and entry routes, from $10.
- Pregame Guide
3 bars, patios and plazas near Nationwide Arena to fill the hours before doors.
- Food & Drinks
1 concession stand and 17 items researched from the venue's own menus, cheapest food $6 and drink $5.
- Seating Guide
8 seating areas at Nationwide Arena, with the level names printed on the ticket.
- Getting There
Driving routes plus every car-free way in — the cheapest is COTA Bus, $2.
- Cost Calculator
Build a total for your own party using Nationwide Arena's stored figures.
How We Checked This Page
Every section below names the source it was read from and the day it was read. Where we could not reach a published figure, the page says so rather than presenting an estimate as a checked fact.
- Venue facts
Wikipedia / Official Venue Page
- Venue policies
Current Nationwide Arena and Columbus Blue Jackets policy, accessibility, parking, and mobile-ticket pages reviewed for Blue Jackets game-day policies.
Not yet checked against a published source
These figures are estimates. Most venues no longer publish the numbers behind them — concession and ticket pricing moved to dynamic marketplaces — so we hold them as estimates rather than dating them as verified.
- Ticket prices — Secondary market averages (SeatGeek/StubHub)
- Parking prices — Never checked against a published rate: the venue's parking page, read 2026-09-05, publishes none — the page lists the garages and prices none of them. The 2026-07-27 figures were compiled from third-party listings (was: "Nationwide Arena 2026: prepaid $10-$20; Nationwide Arena Garage $10, Huntington Park $10, LeVeque Tower $12, McConnell Plaza $8, 5th Ave surface lot $7").
- Food prices — Team Marketing Report FCI + venue research
- Drink prices — Team Marketing Report FCI + venue research
Columbus Blue Jackets Fan Gear
Jerseys, hats, and licensed Columbus Blue Jackets gear, delivered before game day.
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