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If you haven't visited Columbus in the last 10 years, you won't recognize the area on the northwest side of downtown. The Arena District has transformed into one of Columbus' most happening entertainment destinations.

The district used to be marked by the Ohio Penitentiary. Now Nationwide Arena is the centerpiece and home to Ohio's only National Hockey League team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Columbus Clippers, Triple A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, who play in Huntington Park, which opened in April 2009 to rave reviews and three "Best Ballpark" honors.

You may notice a large, ornate arch that sits at the head of McFerson Commons, a beautiful green space where kickball is played in the summertime. The arch is all that remains from Union Station, a 19th-century train station that was located nearby on what is now the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

See top touring music acts at Nationwide Arena and the LC Pavilion. Go ice skating at The Dispatch Ice Haus or see a movie in the plush Arena Grand Theatre, which even offers reserved seating.

Enjoy lunch or dinner one of more than a dozen restaurants, including Buca di Beppo for enormous platters of family-style, garlic-infused Italian, bd's mongolian barbeque where you create-your-own stir fry or Ted's Montana Grill for yummy fries and bison burgers. Also in the neighborhood is the North Market, where more than 30 vendors sell freshly prepared foods from pasta and sushi to ice cream and popcorn.

When happy hour begins, wander into the Park Street Patio, Park Street Saloon or Brothers for drink specials. Gordon Biersch pours fresh handcrafted German lagers brewed onsite.

And, if your stay lasts until late in the evening, there are plenty of hotels within a short walk.