Where to Play, Eat, and Stay During PGA’s Memorial Tournament in Ohio

Known locally as The Memorial, this official PGA Tour event was founded and continues to be hosted by Hall of Fame golfer and Ohio native Jack Nicklaus, who created it to honor men and women who made significant contributions to the game. It’s held at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, a suburb about 20 minutes northwest of downtown Columbus, and it’s raised over $56 million for charity over its 50-year history for the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, Ohio’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play.

I came for a weekend, but the tournament spans a full week around late May or early June, held the week before the US Open, with three practice rounds and the pro-am up front before four days of championship play. This year’s tournament featured some of the world’s best professional golfers, including Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, and Scottie Scheffler, who won it the last two years. It was an impressive lineup with equally impressive amenities for spectators. Places to eat and drink were as varied as the course’s undulating fairways.

Pub 18 split food and drinks into separate tents near umbrella-covered picnic tables, and the Birdie Bar on 16 had a sunbaked row of Adirondack chairs facing a big screen. (Both areas had large restroom tents.) The Pavilion on 18, the VIP area next to the Member’s Club overlooking the 18th green, was built in 1986 specifically for the tournament. It featured an indoor area with dining stations including sushi, a garden salad station, Italian rigatoni, asada, Wagyu sliders, and gourmet donuts and ice cream along with a beverage bar, Golden Tee video game, and large-screen TV. The outdoor area included covered tables and had its own bar with table service for drinks. Food and drink were included with VIP passes.

The Memorial also had several activity tents available for those looking for respite. The Champions Pavilion across from the main entrance had plenty of shade and fans along with a big-screen TV, food and drink service, and a wine bar. The Patio at Patron Village between the 10th and 14th greens featured lounge-style seating, games of cornhole, and the all-ages Bunker Challenge game. The golf shop with merchandise was near the main entrance.

Patrons aged 21 and up could enjoy Muirfield’s famous course cocktail: the Transfusion (vodka, grape juice, ginger ale, and lime). It was something I heard ordered many times as I made my way around the grounds. This and other Memorial-specific cocktails were available at Patron Village, The Champions Pavilion, Golden Bear Club, Range Bar, and the Out of Bounds Bar.

For local beers or spirits, though, you’d have to head into Dublin, which fills up around the tournament all week and throws its own party once the golf wraps for the day, or Columbus, a bigger city with some excellent craft breweries. Here’s where to play, eat, and stay in both when you’re in town for The Memorial.

Things to do during the Memorial Tournament

Fore! Fest

The biggest Memorial-related event is Fore! Fest, a free outdoor music festival held Friday and Saturday night in downtown Dublin’s Bridge Park. Both nights the streets closed to cars on Bridge Park Avenue to showcase a stage with four musical acts. This year’s headliners were Ian Harrison and North to Nashville. Side streets at this family- and dog-friendly event are filled with beverage carts and food trucks along with lawn games like cornhole, minigolf, and Connect Four. After sunset on Friday there was an amazing drone light show over the river.

Fans who want to enjoy the music without standing in the crowd can listen across the street at Bridge Park, a greenway along the Scioto River with a large water feature, grassy hills for picnicking, and a covered pavilion with restrooms. Before or after the music, stroll across the Dublin Link Bridge to historic downtown Dublin with a variety of pubs and restaurants.

Bridge Park: 6741 Longshore St, Dublin, OH 43017

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Families can visit the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium a stone’s throw from the golf course. Spread across 580 acres, it’s one of the largest zoos in the country, home to more than 10,000 animals across roughly 800 species split into distinct regions: Heart of Africa, Asia Quest, Polar Frontier, the Congo Expedition, and more. Note that tickets must be purchased online in advance ($25 for adults) as there are no ticket sales at the gate. Memorial guests can also park for free in the zoo’s parking lot with complimentary tournament shuttle service.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: 4850 W. Powell Rd, Powell, OH 43065

North Market

A short rideshare from downtown Columbus, North Market is one of the country’s oldest and best-known indoor food markets with over 35 year-round vendors. The 150-year-old market has all kinds of fresh groceries, including a butcher shop, baked goods and cheeses, spices, a fruit and vegetable stand, and fresh flowers. If you’re looking for a meal, you can taste the world at North Market’s many ready-to-eat establishments from Polish perogies and Midwestern bar-b-que to a fresh-from-the-sea oyster bar.

North Market: 59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215

Jack Nicklaus Museum

The Jack Nicklaus Museum is located on the Ohio State University campus, Nicklaus’s alma mater. Museum curator Steve Auch said that Nicklaus’s wife Barbara never threw anything away, resulting in a collection of over 2,000 items from his high school and college days, his professional career including six Masters trophies, and memorabilia from the Memorial Tournament. A highlight of the museum is a living room copied from the Nicklaus’s home in Florida, complete with family photos on the walls and a comfy couch to sit on while a TV replays a Nicklaus documentary.

Jack Nicklaus Museum: 2355 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH 43202

Columbus Museum of Art

After two days outside at The Memorial, I spent Sunday afternoon perusing the air-conditioned halls of the Columbus Museum of Art, walkable on Broad Street from Hotel LeVeque, where I stayed. The museum had a collection of American contemporary and folk art in one wing and a permanent collection of European and American masters dating back to the 1800s in the other. Sundays at the art museum were free.

I was particularly fascinated with the museum’s Cubist Room with works by Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris. According to a passage from Gertrude Stein’s 1937 book Everybody’s Autobiography, all the room’s works were collected by a local who saw the paintings on visits to New York City, buying one on each trip. When he died, he donated his collection to the museum, which impressed Stein during her visit.

Columbus Museum of Art: 480 E. Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

German Village

German Village is a historic residential area south of downtown Columbus with brick homes and sidewalks and tall trees. While there, stop by The Book Loft, located in a historic home, with 32 rooms filled with all genres of books for all ages. My favorite part of the store was a courtyard that ran along the building’s side, filled with flowering plants, water features, and benches.

For more shopping, across the street is 3rd & Sycamore, a local shop with house-made candles, essential oils, and spa products (items the perfect size for my carry-on bag). The candle scents had names like Laundry, Tomato Plant, and Fruit Loops (which really did smell like Fruit Loops!). A young store employee said that they come up with these scents through trial and error. They put different scents together and then name the scent based on what the combination reminds them of.

The Book Loft: 631 S. Third St, Columbus, OH 43206
3rd & Sycamore: 650 S. Third St, Columbus, OH 43206

Scioto Mile Park

To counteract all the food and drink I overindulged in at the tournament, I ran part of the 12-mile Scioto Mile Park, a 175-acre greenway and series of parks along the Scioto River only a block from my hotel. I ran past water fountains and sculptures along the trail and underneath downtown’s three bridges, Main Street Bridge, Rich Street Bridge, and Discovery Bridge, all with views of the city skyline. The park’s highlight was the water fountain and splash pad at Bicentennial Park, which was packed with kids playing on the pad and adults lounging on the grass on a hot day.

Bonus activity: The annual Columbus 10K road race is held the Sunday morning of Memorial Tournament weekend and will celebrate its 50th year in 2027. The race begins at North Bank Park and runs 6.2 miles through the Scioto Trail, German Village, and downtown Columbus.

Where to eat during the Memorial Tournament

North High Brewery

Before attending Fore! Fest, I had a blackened chicken southwest salad on the tree-shaded patio at North High Brewery. Its signature brew is called Howl, a wheat lager sweetened with local honey. The brewery also makes a cucumber ale that a server told me was so good they kept running out of it, so I didn’t get to try it. There’s also a basement bar area that stays cool in the summer.

North High Brewery: 56 N. High St, Dublin, OH 43017

Momo Ghar

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I lunched on Nepalese dumplings at North Market’s Momo Ghar. Translating to “dumpling house,” Momo Ghar’s little doughy pillows were so popular the owners were featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives. I enjoyed a dumpling mix-n-match of jhol (chicken), veggie, and alu (potato) momos. All dishes were served with a tomato-based Nepalese dipping sauce; however, I didn’t turn down the server’s offer of spicy sauce, which isn’t hot but spicy enough that my nose ran.

Momo Ghar: 59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215 (inside North Market)

Schokko Café

Before leaving the Columbus Museum of Art, I had lunch at the museum’s Schokko Café. A grilled chicken Caesar salad with a glass of malbec in the museum’s outdoor sculpture garden was a delightful finish to an artful afternoon.

Schokko Café: 480 E. Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

Land Grant Brewing Company

A 20-minute walk from the hotel across the river is Land Grant Brewing Company, a popular local brewery with a large outdoor beer garden and two food trucks. The beer garden was shaded with umbrellas and canvas, and kids played lawn games on artificial turf. After a sample flight to get acquainted with the brews, I enjoyed a pint with an appropriately golf-themed name, Greenskeeper session IPA. While I sipped, I also enjoyed the steady parade of dogs people brought with them, including one small boxer-mix wearing an adorable straw hat with sunflowers.

Land Grant Brewing Company: 424 W. Town St, Columbus, OH 43215

The Keep

I made my last meal in Columbus a memorable one by dining at Hotel LeVeque’s mezzanine restaurant, The Keep. The restaurant continued the hotel’s Art Deco décor with wood floors and large booths; however, the real gem was the speakeasy-style bar next door. Tucked into a corner, it featured dark woods with ornately trimmed columns. I ordered some sesame encrusted tuna with fingerling potatoes and broccoli in a soy ginger cream sauce. And because I felt fancy sitting at such a beautiful bar, I washed it down with an Aperol spritz.

As I ate, some men just returned from The Memorial gathered in a corner enjoying The Keep’s version of an espresso martini served in bourbon glasses. I overheard them discussing J.T. Poston’s improbable Memorial victory after a dramatic playoff a short while ago. While I may have missed the playoff, I still enjoyed two days of watching the best golfers in the world. And I also enjoyed a weekend in Columbus, Ohio. I call that a two-putt.

The Keep: 50 W. Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215 (inside Hotel LeVeque)

Where to stay during the Memorial Tournament

Bigger and more walkable than Dublin, Columbus makes a great home base during The Memorial. Columbus also has more lodging and hotel options because hotels and inns in Dublin often sell out a year in advance.

I stayed at Hotel LeVeque, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel in the historic LeVeque Tower in downtown Columbus. This building was once the tallest in the US, and Amelia Earhart used it as a marker on her cross-country flights because the 47-story Art Deco building was easy to spot.

Rooms at Hotel LeVeque are quite large. In my experience, hotel rooms in historic buildings tend to be small, but the bathroom here was more than ample with a giant walk-in shower and floor-to-ceiling black and white tile. In keeping with the building’s style, the rooms featured Art Deco furniture and décor; I didn’t meet a light fixture I didn’t want to take home.

Hotel LeVeque: 50 W. Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215 (inside Hotel LeVeque)

Getting to and around the Memorial Tournament and Central Ohio

Eleven airlines serve John Glenn International Airport (CMH) less than a 30-minute drive from downtown Columbus. Dublin is another 20-25 minutes north of downtown. Rideshares are plentiful, but prices and wait times increase during The Memorial. It’s a good idea to add some extra time for the return trip from Dublin to Columbus.

If renting or driving your own car, Hotel LeVeque has valet parking for $50 per day. Most places are walkable from the hotel, but rideshares are readily available. The Memorial offers free parking at several lots around the grounds. Some lots, including The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, include complimentary shuttles.