Columbus Commons

Venue is not a great place to watch a show. Poorly designed facility where you can’t see the show if one person stands up in front of you.
The walkway between the barriers of the 1^st lawn and second lawn very are distracting. The second lawn should have been built up several feet to allow a better view of the stage.
If your going to a show to party, not pay attention to the music and your surroundings… This place is YOUR venue!!!
I will never attend another show here unless I would be able to obtain an up close ticket to the stage.
1 star rating is better than my experience and the several hundred that had to stare at the back of three egotistical stooges.
Over 10 people asked security to remedy the situation, with no course of action from them…
Buyer beware if you purchase tickets to what could have been a cool venue if they built it correctly.

I just got to see one of my favorite artists of all time and it was pretty much ruined because this is such a terribly designed venue for music. I would never suggest going to see a concert here UNLESS you have a super close seat. We sat along the fence of the second section (general admission 2) and there was an extremely rude group of people that stood the entire show, mind you they were the only ones standing up in our are. (Also, in this section people walk in front of you the entire show, so that’s super distracting also)
We asked the security guards multiple times to have them sit down and they would ask them to sit and the group of people would just argue back and laugh in the security officers faces. Security did not enforce anything, which led to a lot of anger and harsh words back and forth between those of us that couldn’t see and the group of egotistic and disrespectful people that refused to sit down.
So A. Beautiful venue but Terribly designed, if you can’t get a ticket in the front sections, you might as well forget about buying tickets. At this particular show the big screens were not turned on so you literally couldn’t see at all.
B. Security seemed too afraid to do their job and be authoritative and dissolved an issue which could have easily turned into a fight.
C. The sound was great, band sounded amazing (or what I could enjoy of it)
2 thumbs down, go see your favorite artist elsewhere.

Happy belated 5^th Birthday @columbuscommons!!! I can’t believe you are 5 years old! You have surely grown up! You added so much nature, fun, food, music, and activities into your 5 years. I can’t wait to see you grow more over the years and what you will bring to us! Thank you so much!!!
Enjoy your Birthday CC!

So Columbus tore down its Eighties City Center Mall (that wasn’t open until the nineties, by the way) and turned it into a field? Yes. But the commons is a lot more.
There are pop up events like food truck days. There is an impressive outdoor stage venue. There is a merry go round and smallish kids’s area. There are a few permanent restaurant buildings.
The commons are ringed by high end apartment and condo buildings as well as some commercial office space and the alleyway to the Ohio Theatre. Effectively, the city tore down an outdated retail space and turned it into the city’s back yard.
It retains the mall’s underground parking garage, so in life after people, this park will eventually collapse into a cement pit filled with water. (Too many zombie shows? Maybe.) But at least there is parking.
Cool venue that was forward thinking when it was created. Neat space in an urban setting.

In an impromptu trip to Columbus, stumbled upon a free concert that this little nook just happened to host. It was just a block away from my hotel so didn’t have to worry about parking. The entire park looked like it was new. We probably sat about 300 feet from concert stage and could hear and see the group very well. At the very back of the park, there were about 5 or 6 gourmet food trucks which I would have eaten had we not had dinner before. For restrooms there were about 10 port-​o-​potties which did not make me throw up in my mouth. Smell was neutral for a refreshing change. The weather was perfect, all in all made for a delightful night outside.

With me, it comes downtown the point that Columbus built this green-​space park smack downtown (awesome, cause we didn’t have any others to showcase), then turned around and built a quite bland apartment building that takes up almost half of the urban park. That’s what has knocked my review from four-​star worthy to three.
This made me quite irked. Why? The city (aka, the mayor) had to push quite hard to get the had-​been downtown mall space torn down, and green to fill the area. Signed it into fruition with the clause to build the apartment building? Ugh! And I can’t help mention the design esthetic of the outside building is pretty poorly executed.
I’m done venting. The physical grass space is nice. Trees of course will take several years to provide substantial shade. But, nonetheless, the flowers and shrubs help. The few permanent food establishments are positioned where tables and chairs are spread around a small-​pebbles area. A giant stage is at the other end of the rectangle park. Room for music festivals, art shows, music concerts, etc.
I am extremely glad this space is reserved for the green environment, and not a parking garage or condo building!

my fiancé and i went there this past weekend for the food truck festival and i have to admit that it was also my first time being there at all. we had a ball there. i cant wait to go back again

Wanted to give Columbus Commons a shout out for their FREE outdoor group fitness classes! So fun and love that Columbus offers this. I especially like the outdoor yoga. It is so freeing to be outside with tons of personal space (unlike a lot of indoor yoga studios) stretching with your eyes closed and breeze blowing through your hair and the sun shining on whatever part of you that is facing up at the moment. It’s also fun when the Columbus Segway Tour comes through while you’re bent over at the waist :) If you haven’t tried a free group fitness class, what are you waiting for?

Columbus Commons is Columbus true gem for outdoor parks. The City of Columbus has a lot to be proud of with their idea of creating this area for everyone to enjoy the food trucks, chess games (yes, a giant chess board outside on the South end with plenty of tables and chairs to enjoy the game). As well as picnic with the pops, other community events and recreational fitness activities.
Today, was my first time walking around the Columbus Commons since I was here for the ADA Legacy Celebration at the park. I was happy with the amount of room the organizations that came to support the Americans with Disabilities Act had to get around and do their thing. I saw everyone from the Catholic Social Services, Easter Seals, Hollistic Wellness, COTA, Wright Choice Inc, OOD, and plenty others. I was happy to see them all enjoying the park and making it so accessible to those with wheelchairs.
I wish I brought plenty of dough for the food trucks there today from Mikey’s Late Night Slice, Paddy Wagon, Pitabilities, Challah Food Truck, Schmidt’s, Tortilla, Red Plate Blue Plate and Mixing Bowl Asian Grill. I didn’t know they come here every Thursday during the lunch hour.
Next time I will definitely grab a bite to eat and also check out their times for the activities such as Zumba. All this stuff really excites me and makes me want to spend a whole day there and soak up some sun! It’s definitely a kid friendly park and a way to relive your childhood years!

Its a great open park venue in downtown Columbus. They offer great scenery, often free music, food truck festivals, and a great time. Were down here watching Mojo Flow and the weather is fine.
Only downside is if it rains, well, then it rains.
Neighborhood is safe and real nice, and there are a few bars nearby like Little Palace, Dirty Franks, and 16-​Bit. Street parking and parking garages are nearby.

Over the past few years, I’ve watched the transformation of the Columbus Commons after it was City Center slowly become smaller and smaller. With the Highpoint apartments now built, you can’t see the Commons from High St. anymore, and once the new building at the Southeast corner of the green space goes up, you won’t be able to really see it at all unless you drive down Rich. That’s okay though, because it’s still an urban oasis in a quickly growing downtown scene.
Besides the nice change of scenery the Commons have a few great things to offer:
— Free concerts throughout the Summer and Fall. I saw Gin Blossoms last year, and while they may not have put on a great show, the venue and stage were great.
— Food truck court every Thursday running from May to the end of September. This year you can find Aromaku, Blue Olive, Mikey’s Late Night Slice, Mixing Bowl Asian Grill, Paddy Wagon, Pitabilities, Red Plate Blue Plate and Schmidt’s Sausage Truck as main stays in the Commons. They also have two rotating food trucks each month so be sure to check out the website.
— Tortilla is serving out great Mexican at their permanent location in the Commons along with a Jeni’s Scoop Shop directly across from it.
On top of all this, it’s a nice place to chill for people working downtown trying to get away from the busy streets. There’s a carousel and giant Chess at the Southern end as well as a bunch of chairs and tables to sit and relax or eat your lunch. If you’re downtown, you’re well aware that this is here, but if you’re looking for a cool little park and just passing through, be sure to check it out, especially on Thursdays!

A great park right in the middle of downtown Columbus. I’ve been to quite a few events here and love it. There’s plenty of parking nearby, and plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance to hit up before or after. The amount of good free shows here is a huge draw as well!

Building this park in the place of the old City Center Mall was a great idea. It’s a really nice green space in the middle of downtown. As a park, I think Columbus Commons accomplishes its intended goals.
This park also hosts numerous events throughout the year… and the way the events are run, is what disappoints me. Whether it’s the Slice of Columbus (which was 2 days ago), the Food Truck festival, or one of the Columbus Symphony Picnic with the Pops concert series, they always oversell the event. At the Slice of Columbus this year, each pizza joint had a line 50~75 people deep. At the Food Truck Festival, I had to wait 40 minutes to get a grilled cheese from the Cheesy Truck. It’s just too crowded! If you hate overcrowding and lines out the wazoo, you won’t like the events here.
Otherwise, I really like Columbus Commons… hopefully whoever that runs events at this park will come to their senses and work out a plan to alleviate the overcrowding before I get fed up and stop going all together. Columbus is a growing city and without adjustments, events here will only get more and more overcrowded.

City Center, the downtown mall that I found on my first day in Columbus two decades ago, was a fav of mine; but I did not cry when the wrecking balls started to swing. City Center died many years before that event. And when the City suggested turning it into office space my stomach sunk; for whatever the negatives of malls, they are public spaces, and the disappearance of this one seemed to be counter the goal of a vibrant downtown. Thankfully, they made this park instead, a blast of green in a cavern carved out of skyscrapers, just south of the Capital Building.
A couple years ago I was there for its unveiling and was impressed with the spectacular view looking north. My imagination did not expect the impression the buildings on Spring and beyond would make from the Rich Street gate. It more than exceeded my expectations, with them looming large and thick with the prestige and power that their glowing windows connotates.
Sitting near the base of these steal mountains is a stage, as Columbus Commons act as a venue as well as a park, hosting many musical acts of different genres. They also hold festivals here, and in the winter the park glows with Christmas lighting, a must see event if in the area. The park has gardens, benches, an outdoor reading room that is furnished with books and Wifi by the Columbus Library, a carousel of Ohio themed horses, a booth of Jeni’s ice cream, and other attractions, making it certainly a public space helping with revitalization. The passage into the Hyatt still exists giving easy access to the Capital Square stores and eateries. The City Center parking garage still stands too, making parking less of a hassle for events.
My only gripe – and I am a bit of two minds about it – is that I don’t like the new condos spanning the South High Street side. The condos are built in a style that fits the cosmopolitan spirit of the space, but they blocks the façade of the Lazareth building, who view looking west was awesome. Although I’d love to afford a place there some day. (those bastards have a swimming pool – check Google Earth!)
This is certainly a pillar of downtown community.

I applaud Columbus city planners for this wonderful and useful public space. I like what they did with the Scioto Mile, but I enjoy the Columbus Commons space even more.
The Columbus Commons is wonderful venue in downtown Columbus, adding some much needed greenery in an otherwise concrete landscape. It serves as an oasis of sorts in the heart of the city.
I’ve attended a few events at the Commons and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The space is big enough to accommodate large events.
I attended the Food Truck Fest and also the Gin Blossoms concert. I never felt too crowded or unsafe. There was plenty of security around and also plenty of restroom facilities.
An awesome space and I look forward to attending more events.

I’ve stumbled through the area when there was Indiana Jones on the big screen, and I’ve caught Ben Folds at Picnic with the Pops.
Needless to say… I love what they’ve done with this area. So many family friendly events, activities (haha, activities…), good landscaping (The Franklin Park Conservatory designers handle the landscaping? According to other reviews… great job!), good parking…
I mean, all in all, it’s pretty awesome. I’d love to see more big acts playing!

Aside from the fact that I feel a little bit of my soul died when the city center was torn down, I am glad that the city created the commons on this hallowed ground so I can continue to enjoy it, and relive memories of Christmas shopping, writing letters to Santa, and eating Steak Escape and Cinnabon with my mom.
Ok, that’s enough nostalgia for one review.
I love everything about the Commons. It brings people together. From the food truck lunch hours and festivals, to kickball, movies on the lawn, downtown live (free local music? yesssss!), and all of the amazing FREE fitness classes, this place has it all!
Imagine yourself on a segway tour of a city, and you roll right through a park full of a couple hundred people all in the middle of a sun salutation during a free yoga class. Petty freakin awesome, right? This happened a couple of Saturdays ago– I thought it was funny, having segways rolling right through our super zen yoga practice (hehehe) but I thought to myself what a great way to see our city!
I could really go on and on about how much Columbus Commons makes me proud to be a resident of this city, but just go and enjoy some of the awesomeness for yourself!

A great gathering place that is certainly fulfilling a need with the young professionals and young families. Good activity offerings that span from fitness to food and entertainment. Food truck lunches available on Thursdays spring through October. Franklin Park conservatory does a nice job on landscaping. Parking is a pain if you work in any of the nearby buildings as I do, b/​c the Commons Underground parking garage spots have been mostly reserved now for the new condo tenants.
Late night slice is a great addition to the scene and convenient for work.
I always feel safe, even when parking a bit further away from my office right there on State Street.

Love this open space downtown. You can see what everyone else has said about the amenities an it’s pretty much all true.
My only nit? Went here for an event not too long ago and was seated in one of their bistro chairs for a couple of hours. My god, what an uncomfortable chair. It’s not just that it’s not comfortable, it causes discomfort. I would go down here and work on more sunny days if I weren’t faced with sitting in one of those chairs (and also if I had a new laptop battery which I need to remedy soon).

The Columbus Commons rocks my socks off!
There are a ton of free events here and they are all family friendly!!! Seriously– no matter what you are into… maybe beer — maybe kickass local music — maybe food trucks (or the permanent Jeni’s or Mikey’s options) — maybe you are into early as all get out free fitness classes — maybe its outdoor movies at dusk — maybe it’s your toes in plush sticker-​free grass or oversized chess games or carousel rides… you get my drift!
If you haven’t enjoyed any of what the Commons has to offer… that’s your bad!!!