I am writing this review based on a wedding I attended in Columbus, Ohio at the Hoover YMCA. As part of the bridal party, I got to spend several hours there in the two-day span. The wedding was in early June.
The main reception hall is a wooden lodge. There is no air conditioning, only one very large fan to create a breeze throughout the building. The industrial fan is rather powerful at creating airflow, so it made it difficult during decorating the hall because caused materials to fly off the table. This concern continued during the next day at the wedding, and I feel like it deterred the hosts in increasing the fan level as much as the guests needed it. The building was extremely hot, so much so that several people walked outside to cool down, they definitely were not dancing, and the reception ended almost two hours early because the majority of guests had left.
The building comes with basic metal chairs and tables, a kitchen area with a large industrial refrigerator, a fireplace, and a stage. You will need to bring your own tableclothes. There are two staircases, an upstairs loft on each side and also two rooms in the back. Our bride had pictures taken upstairs of her putting on her wedding dress and the heat was miserable. Also the stairs are very steep. I would be leery of allowing young children to climb up and down the stairs. The wedding party did make the loft very pretty by stringing lights back and forth between the two handrails to create lighting above the dance floor. The lodge has working bathrooms, although I noticed the hosts brought toilet paper to place in the stalls. The bathroom is a basic facility and not an area that the bridal party could have gotten ready. I'm so thankful we determined to do that at the hotel prior to coming.
If you are hosting an event with lots of food, the refrigerator should give you plenty of storage space. There is also a counter and a large wooden table nearby to place food and refreshments for your guests.
The wedding party also used the gazebo for the ceremony. The setting was beautiful and I imagine the pictures will be stunning. The most difficult part was the trail to the gazebo. The path is made up of various rocks which is not walking friendly to those wearing heels. I was advised to wear wedges or flats, and I went with a wedge but the small path was so uneven that the entire time down the aisle I was simply looking at my feet and trying to steady myself. The wedding took place at noon and the sun was out. Three fourths of the guest sat on one side to hide in the shade and the unlucky guests set on the opposite side direct in the gaze of the sun. We were under threat of scattered storms that weekend and had this happened, the lodge stage would have been utilized for the ceremony.
If you host an event at the YMCA, I would consider it only during the cooler months. Their website entails the rental fees according to the day of the week you rent. The lodge holds 75-100 people seated. Signage outside the venue is difficult to spot, so I recommend placing your own sign or balloons at the entrance. For events that require guests to come in from out of town, the Hampton Inn Scioto Downs is the closest hotel then you. It is attached to a casino and sits next to the horse racing track. read more