Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs 6000 S High St Columbus, OH 43207
Year Opened: 2012
Harness Racing Ohio
Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs is located a few miles south of Columbus, though technically still has a Columbus address. It boasts a horse racing track behind its casino, and unlike many horse racing facilities, Scioto Downs’ only live racing is harness racing (May to September), where the drivers ride in a small cart behind the horse, as opposed to riding the horse itself.
Scioto Downs also offers year-round simulcast viewing of horse races happening at other tracks, and besides horse racing, the track also sometimes hosts high school cross country championships.
Food & Beverage 5
There is plenty of food on offer at Scioto Downs – the main draw is the full-service restaurant and bar inside the clubhouse, where you can get table service while you sit and watch the races. Tables must be reserved if you want to sit down in time for the first race, but any unclaimed tables become available on a first come, first served basis 40 minutes after the first post time, which is at 5:50 pm on most race days, so you can grab a table without a reservation starting at 6:30. There should still be plenty of tables available then, but I would recommend making a reservation. There is also a Brew Brothers pub inside the casino, but you must be 21 or older to enter any part of the casino.
Besides the two restaurants there are a couple of food stands in the adjacent building, as well as next to the track – options include all the standards such as pizza, chicken sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, walking tacos, corn dogs, nachos, tater tots, pretzels, funnel cake, and packaged candy, as well as bottled water, bottled soda, and a full range of beer and cocktails.
Atmosphere 2
Scioto Downs doesn’t have much going on besides the racing itself – in past years they have had races where people dressed up in inflatable costume, like the T-Rex costumer popular at Halloween, but I didn’t see anything like that on my most recent visit. The big draw for most attendees is of course the gambling – I do recommend getting there early, maybe around 5 pm, as they sometimes start the races early without warning (technically your clubhouse table reservation doesn’t open until 5:30, since the first race is supposed to be at 5:50).
Neighborhood 3
Scioto Downs is about 11 miles south of downtown Columbus, but there are still several restaurants nearby, most of which are local diners and pizza places, but you can also find Asian cuisine and a Mexican restaurant, as well as the Ohio staple, Bob Evans.
There are a couple of hotels near the track, Budget Inn and Hampton Inn being the closest, and there are also several nearby attractions if you plan to be in town for the day or weekend, especially if you head toward downtown. Columbus Zoo is popular, and if you go to the races in September, you may also be able to take in a Buckeyes game during your visit.
Fans 3
Scioto Downs has pretty good attendance during most race days, especially up in the clubhouse, and you will see a few folks with children. There is pretty good crowd noise as well, most notably at the end of a close race as people cheer on their favorites, and a lot of hustle and bustle at the concession stands, as well as at the betting machines and betting windows.
Access 4
Getting to Scioto Downs is easy, as it is not far from I-70 and I-71, the two main arteries taking people to the bigger cities north, south, east, and west. Once you get on the property there is plenty of free parking right next to the facility; the track itself is hidden behind the casino; you just need to walk around back. Pro tip – when you get to the casino you should drive your car around back first to see if you can park closer to the racetrack, assuming there are spaces there; on my last two visits I made the mistake of parking way out in front, near the road, instead of checking for parking closer in first.
In addition, when going racing don’t mind the signs saying 21 and older – you only have to be 21+ to enter the casino or to make a bet on the ponies; visitors of any age can enter the clubhouse and racetrack.
Once you get to the track there is plenty of room trackside and in the clubhouse, and since you don’t have to buy a ticket or show an id to get it, there are no lines. You may have to wait in line at the concessions inside the adjacent building, as those stands tend to stack up, but the ones outside next to the track are very quick. There are also plenty of different seating options next to the track if you don’t want to sit in the clubhouse.
Return on Investment 5
No cost for admission, and no cost for parking means to a great return on investment, and it was fun to see a different kind of racing. I would definitely recommend a visit, especially if you have never seen horse racing, or harness racing, before.
Also, it is worth a visit even if you are not a big gambler – technically the minimum bet is only 10 cents or 50 cents, worst case 2 dollars, so you can have a bet just for fun without taking much of a risk. Note that the 10 cent and 50 cent bets are for superfectas and trifectas, which aren’t offered on every single race, but are offered during most races. Standard bets like picking the horse to simply win, or place, or show, start at $2.
During my last visit I introduced some family members to the trifecta box wager – for $3 you can pick the first 3 horses to come in, in any order, and they had a blast with that. We didn’t come out ahead, to be sure, but we only lost a few dollars on each race, so it was totally worth it just for the fun.
Extras 3
The casino that is part of the facility is a nice feature if you are into that sort of thing, and being able to see harness racing is a unique feature, since you can’t see that type of racing at most horse racing tracks.
They also sell track souvenirs, like t-shirts, in the building next to the clubhouse (walk out the left side of the clubhouse, then go down the stairs and up the other set).
The staff also had a charity activity for the kids set up during my most recent visit in front of that adjacent building – it was nice to see them supporting the local community like that.
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