Facility Overview

The Ice Arena Lot (officially designated as Lot 10 on the Bowling Green State University campus) is a spacious, open-air surface parking facility situated directly adjacent to the historic Slater Family Ice Arena. Serving university students, faculty, visiting athletic squads, and enthusiastic hockey fans, this lot provides expansive grade-level parking directly off Mercer Road and Stadium Drive. Because it is a ground-level outdoor lot without overhead structures or low-clearance overhangs, it easily accommodates all vehicle sizes, from compact commuter sedans and minivans to oversized pickup trucks, commercial transit vans, and full-size SUVs. Clear sightlines, wide maneuvering aisles, and standard 90-degree bays allow effortless vehicular navigation and stress-free parking.

Prime Location & Nearby Attractions

Located on the eastern edge of the BGSU campus, the Ice Arena Lot delivers unmatched convenience for campus events and local attractions. Guests can walk to premier venues within minutes:

• Slater Family Ice Arena: Situated right next to the lot (less than a 1-minute walk), providing immediate door-to-door access for NCAA Division I Falcon Hockey games, figure skating competitions, open public skate sessions, and curling events.
• Doyt L. Perry Stadium: Positioned just northeast across Stadium Drive (approx. 3–5 minutes walking), making Lot 10 a prime staging area and auxiliary parking hub for Falcon football game days.
• Steller Field & Meserve Softball Field: BGSU\'s varsity baseball and softball complexes are just a short 4-minute walk north along Stadium Drive.
• Stroh Center: Located just over half a mile to the south (approx. 10–12 minutes walking or a short shuttle ride), hosting Falcon basketball and volleyball, concerts, and university commencement ceremonies.
• BGSU Main Academic Campus & Bowen-Thompson Student Union: Reachable within an 8- to 12-minute walk westbound across Wooster Street and Ridge Street.

Access, Navigation & Transit Connectivity

Vehicular ingress and egress to Lot 10 are remarkably straightforward via Mercer Road and Stadium Drive. Drivers arriving via Interstate 75 can take Exit 181 (East Wooster Street), head west toward campus, and turn north onto Mercer Road, arriving at the arena lot in under three minutes. Exiting following high-attendance events is well-managed by campus safety officers and directional signage routing post-game traffic directly out to Mercer Road or northward toward Poe Road to circumvent Wooster Street congestion. For public transit users, Bowling Green Transit (BG Transit) offers demand-response on-call bus services throughout the city, while BGSU Campus Shuttle routes operate frequent loops connecting commuter lots, residence halls, and academic complexes during semesters.

Facility Amenities & Key Features

• Generous Open-Air Footprint: Completely open surface layout with no vertical clearance ceilings, perfect for high-profile vehicles, roof racks, and utility trucks.
• Digital & Cashless Payment: Seamless parking payments powered through the PayByPhone mobile app and BGSU\'s Offstreet virtual permit portal during enforcement hours.
• Accessible Parking: Designated ADA-accessible stalls positioned along the closest paved walkways leading to the Slater Family Ice Arena entrances.
• Nighttime Illumination & Safety: Well-lit with high-intensity LED light towers, campus emergency blue-light phones nearby, and regular patrols by the BGSU Police Department.
• Gameday Shuttle Proximity: Convenient pickup points for campus gameday shuttle vans during high-profile football, basketball, and hockey contests.

Ideal For

• Falcon Hockey Fans: Unbeatable front-row parking for BGSU NCAA hockey games and community skating leagues.
• Football & Tailgate Attendees: Direct proximity to Perry Stadium on fall Saturday game days.
• BGSU Commuter Students: Reliable, quick-access commuter parking on the perimeter of campus with shuttle connections to lecture halls.
• Youth Hockey & Figure Skating Families: Easy loading and unloading of heavy sports gear directly outside the arena gates.

Visitor & Driver Tips

On BGSU home hockey and football game days, traffic patterns along Stadium Drive and Mercer Road change, and campus athletics parking operations transition to cashless, flat-rate event pricing or require pre-purchased athletic parking passes. Non-game-day visitors should download the PayByPhone app in advance to quickly enter their license plate and zone number without visiting an office. When heavy snowfall occurs during Ohio winters, watch for posted snow-removal zone announcements to avoid ticketing or relocation.