OT: Stadium Tour

[RocketsandCanes]

Man, I love this thread. I got excited seeing it pop up. Great writing and very immersive style, great stuff OP. We live vicariously through you.

Hey thanks I really appreciate it! I'll keep it rolling. It's a good way for me to remember the details of each trip.

 

[RocketsandCanes]

Haha, oh yes. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Stadium itself isnt all that bad. It actually kind of reminds me of the Orange Bowl ONLY in the sense that it is basically in the middle of a neighboorhood. Like people used to charge for parking on their lot and stuff.

Hard Rock for a Canes game will def be soon hopefully.

That's awesome! I've never been to a CFL game. Would love to check one out one of these days.

 

[OriginalCanesCanesCanes]

I normally don’t comment in this thread because quite frankly, I have nothing of value to add.

I just wanted to thank OP for his CF travelogue, it’s really entertaining as well as informative, and I enjoy all the details about the different stadiums, towns and experiences.

Just a big thanks to OP and please keep it up. Just know that if people don’t comment, it doesn’t mean that they’re not enjoying reading about your experiences.

 

[RocketsandCanes]

I normally don’t comment in this thread because quite frankly, I have nothing of value to add.

I just wanted to thank OP for his CF travelogue, it’s really entertaining as well as informative, and I enjoy all the details about the different stadiums, towns and experiences.

Just a big thanks to OP and please keep it up. Just know that if people don’t comment, it doesn’t mean that they’re not enjoying reading about your experiences.

Hey thanks I appreciate it! I have a lot of fun with it. No worries about not commenting. I just like when people share their experiences because it gives me some ideas and I figured people don’t just want to hear from only me lol.

 

[RocketsandCanes]

Game: Kennesaw State University Owls @ Indiana University Hoosiers
Date: 9-6-25
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Stadium: Indiana University Memorial Stadium
Stadium Total: 36/136 = 26.5% complete

Back at it again this year, and am excited for how this season has started off for the Canes. It makes me look forward to watching more CFB in general when my team is playing well.

Made the 5-hour drive down to Bloomington to watch Kennesaw State take on the Hoosiers. My buddy works for KSU's athletic department so I've been hoping to watch the Owls play for the past couple seasons. Lucky for me, he was able to put me down for one of KSU's ticket allotment, so I got in the doors for free. My seat was in the upper deck in the southwestern side of the stadium. Great view, but like any outdoor bowl pretty much every seat in the house is solid.

Parking was a little more convoluted. Maybe someone smarter than me could figure this out but I didn't find a way to actually purchase parking online through the school, so I called the box office. They told me that since I got my tickets through KSU, that he couldn't sell me parking, but I could pay at the lot on gameday for $50. I thought that was a weird policy. Why would they turn down that revenue in advance of the game? He told me to contact KSU because they likely had a parking allotment. I wasn't going to bug my buddy for parking since he already hooked me up with a ticket so I just bought one on Seetgeek for $38 - in a campus-owned lot. This saved me a little money. Kind of a silly process.

For what the parking costs it was not very well set up. The lot was right across the road from campus, which is convenient. Problem is that the road it a busy 2-lane highway. Once I pulled in the lot attendant scanned my pass and told me to "park anywhere on the grass." She wasn't kidding. There was no one directing traffic in the field/lot so it was a free for all. That meant everyone just parked around the perimeter so they could exit quickly after the game. So I drove kind of through a ditch/under a tree to break that perimeter to get into the interior of the field. Not the best set up. Seemed like a good tailgating scene but I wanted to get into the stadium so I didn't stick around the check it out.

Then you walk across the aforementioned road to get onto the north side of campus. There weren't any crossing guards (which from listening to two older Indiana fans walking in front of me was not the normal situation), so we all had to play Frogger to try to get across this street. Got the adrenaline going. After the game there were cops serving as crossing guards thankfully.

Once we crossed the street that was the last of my constructive criticisms. Beautiful walk through campus past the baseball stadium and no wait at all to get in the building (about an hour before kickoff).

Stadium is beautifully done, kind of felt like a 'shiny' version of Notre Dame Stadium. The whole bowl kind of has a marblelike tone to it, which makes it feel Greek or Roman. It was built in 1960 and has held up great for being over 60 years old. It was a gorgeous 75-degree day. No shade though, which is not a problem if you are smart, which I am not, and bring suncreen. I got fried. Self-inflicted wound.

Wide, airy concourses around the whole stadium and a ton of local food options,. They sell beer/wine in the stadium. I had two beers from Bloomington-based Upland Brewing. The Hoosier Game Day Lager and the Firefly IPA. Both solid choices. Otherwise they had anheuser busch products.

I had an Indiana staple for lunch, the fried pork tenderloin sandwich. I've now had one in both Iowa and Indiana (from my knowledge Illinois completes the tenderloin holy trinity). I really enjoy them but I feel like I'm doing something wrong. The tenderloin is always comically too big for the bun, which is kind of the fun part. But what this leads to is a very dry sandwich. I've used ketchup, mustard, and mayo (the condiments that have come with the sandwiches I've been served) in different combos the times I've eaten these and while they do a good job on the area covered by the bun, the rest of it is just straight up breaded meat. So if anyone is from any of those states, or another tenderloin-loving state that I am missing, please bless me with your insight as to what to add.

The house was mostly packed, impressive for a nooner against KSU. Crowd was very into it. They were also really nice people. I was wearing a KSU shirt and the only person who consistently gave me **** was a kid that I somehow passed like 4 times on the concourse. Kind of funny. Also funny was a fellow Cane fan on the concourse. Decked out head to toe in orange and green. I saw a lot if IU fans with shirts/buttons/hoodies that had "Cignetti" in the Marlboro logo - a hilarious design.

I had to get on the road quickly after the game wrapped up so I didn't get to see any of Bloomington, but I've heard really good things about it from folks who have spent time there. Would love to get back for a basketball game one day so hopefully I'll have more time then.

Overall there wasn't anything that really stood out about the stadium, but it was certainly a nice looking building and the whole experience was top-notch despite the weird parking situation.

I'm excited for this season because I think I will get to 4 or 5 new stadiums. That is my preferred pace but I've only been able to make it to 2-3 new ones each the last couple of years. Life obviously gets in the way but it also gets harder when the closest stadiums I haven't been to near me are getting less and less drivable as I check them off the list. It's a good problem to have. Iowa, Iowa St., Ball State are all still reasonable drives for me. So we'll see if I can make it to any of them this year.

As for my concrete plans my annual CFB trip with my Toledo buddies will be over Halloween weekend in the state of texas. We will be hitting two games that weekend. I can't wait for it to come around.

I'm also going to be in the St. Augustine area the weekend of Miami/FSU. IF, the UCF-Kansas game is not at the same time as Miami/FSU my wife and I will likely check out the Bouncehouse. If it's the same time we will probably watch the Canes' game at a Miami-friendly bar in St. Augustine. I've been to Miami/FSU in Tally before so I don't plan on springing a few hundred each for tickets that weekend. If anyone knows of any good spots in that area for gameday please let me know. Definitely want to be around green and orange that day if possible.

Hope everyone is enjoying the season so far. Let me know which stadiums you will be checking out over the next few months.

Here are the photos I took:

 

[RocketsandCanes]

So the plan next week was to go to the UCF-Kansas game if it wasn’t at the same time as the Canes-Noles.

Unfortunately, for some god forsaken reason the TV execs decided the world wanted Kansas in primetime and I will be skipping that so I can watch Miami.

So possible backup options. My preferred choice would be to go to the Swamp for UF-Texas. Would be the only time I ever root for TX. Buttt, tickets are obviously pretty pricey. Looks like I can get in the door for around $130. Figured I’d check in here just in case. Anyone have a Gator ticket hookup? I’m looking for 2 tickets and would probably pay anything under the $130 mark for tickets. Just looking to save a bit of money.

Other option is to head to Tampa Friday night for the USF-Charlotte game. But id be lying if I told you I want to drive 3 hours each way to watch that game.

Obviously going to the Canes game would be sick. But I’ve watched Miami in Tally before and I just can’t justify spending like $300 a ticket.

Anyway, if anyone has any UF hookups (or USF hookups possibly) please let me know!

 

[CreamCityCane]

Commenting to mark this thread. I'm a fellow traveler myself with quite a few games under my belt.
I'd love to hear your favorites so far. Maybe an underrated gem or two...

 

[RocketsandCanes]

Commenting to mark this thread. I'm a fellow traveler myself with quite a few games under my belt.
I'd love to hear your favorites so far. Maybe an underrated gem or two...

Nice! Glad to have another stadium chaser on here.

As far as underrated spots I’m biased but I really think the Glass Bowl in Toledo is a really cool G5 spot. Especially if you can hit a rivalry game like Bowling Green or NIU.

Air Force was also super cool with the flyover and just the mountainous landscape around it.

Just in general as much as I hate to admit it the Horseshoe in Columbus is probably my top stadium + atmosphere combination.

What about you? What are some of your favorites?

 

[CreamCityCane]

Nice! Glad to have another stadium chaser on here.

As far as underrated spots I’m biased but I really think the Glass Bowl in Toledo is a really cool G5 spot. Especially if you can hit a rivalry game like Bowling Green or NIU.

Air Force was also super cool with the flyover and just the mountainous landscape around it.

Just in general as much as I hate to admit it the Horseshoe in Columbus is probably my top stadium + atmosphere combination.

What about you? What are some of your favorites?

University of Washington is probably my favorite environment in my 30s. Its a super quick subway ride from Downtown Seattle into the Campus area. We went down to campus for Gameday at 6:00 am their time and then went "Sailgaiting" on a booze cruise that drops you off at the stadium which has its own marina on gameday. Stadium was rocking all game, the game was a triller UW victory and we stormed the field after.

The pre/post game bar scene was weak. That campus should have been a zoo all night but there were few options and it was pretty tame. If you don't have a full crew to make your own tailgate, definitely do a sailgate where thats all planned for you and you just show up and enjoy the vibe for a couple of hours.

Red River Shootout the fun thing about neutral site games is the whole city is geared up around the event for the weekend -- but in a place with big city amenities. Cotton Bowl is a historic venue, at the Texas State Fair so there's plenty of things to do all weekend. Dallas is an easy flight, easy hotels and transportation. Lots of places to get great BBQ.

University of Tennessee I went to UT vs Bama so it was a big game for the campus. We bought tickets to a charity tailgate so we had access to a professional level SEC set up with catered food / drinks / TVs to watch the other games, etc. We walked down to UT's version of Sailgating Outside of UT's stadium people park their multi-million dollar yachts and tailgate on the boats in the river.

I always wear Miami apparel because it makes people ask "why." I tell them I travel to see the best of CFB (fans, places, games, etc). People always want to make sure I leave thinking their school is the best -- on this day, that got me onto a few yachts for bourbon and jell-o shots. Neyland stadium is awful, in the historic and charming kind of way. Food, concours, bathrooms... trash. But when you walk out the tunnel to your seats with the T marching band and fireworks its quickly forgotten.

Some of the Rest:

The Worlds Largest Outdoor ****tail Party -- see neutral site above but Jacksonville sucks compared to Dallas. You get to root against UF though.

ACC CG / B1G CG -- Pretty sterile environments but well run weekends with things to do for the fans. I would only go to another to see Miami.

Oklahoma and Nebraska had good stadium environments but I went with one other person and there just wasn't a lot to do. The bar scene was pretty lame and I found them to be pretty insular. They were happy to chat but never really invite me in on something. Louisville was the opposite, mediocre stadium environment but an underrated city to do things in.

I've stormed the field 3 times -- Ohio State @ Wisconsin, Kansas State @ Iowa State (Farmaggeddon) Oregon @ Washington.

I haven't been personally but my brother who does the same thing says Boone, NC (App State) is a hidden gem worth going to.

 

[RocketsandCanes]

University of Washington is probably my favorite environment in my 30s. Its a super quick subway ride from Downtown Seattle into the Campus area. We went down to campus for Gameday at 6:00 am their time and then went "Sailgaiting" on a booze cruise that drops you off at the stadium which has its own marina on gameday. Stadium was rocking all game, the game was a triller UW victory and we stormed the field after.

The pre/post game bar scene was weak. That campus should have been a zoo all night but there were few options and it was pretty tame. If you don't have a full crew to make your own tailgate, definitely do a sailgate where thats all planned for you and you just show up and enjoy the vibe for a couple of hours.

Red River Shootout the fun thing about neutral site games is the whole city is geared up around the event for the weekend -- but in a place with big city amenities. Cotton Bowl is a historic venue, at the Texas State Fair so there's plenty of things to do all weekend. Dallas is an easy flight, easy hotels and transportation. Lots of places to get great BBQ.

University of Tennessee I went to UT vs Bama so it was a big game for the campus. We bought tickets to a charity tailgate so we had access to a professional level SEC set up with catered food / drinks / TVs to watch the other games, etc. We walked down to UT's version of Sailgating Outside of UT's stadium people park their multi-million dollar yachts and tailgate on the boats in the river.

I always wear Miami apparel because it makes people ask "why." I tell them I travel to see the best of CFB (fans, places, games, etc). People always want to make sure I leave thinking their school is the best -- on this day, that got me onto a few yachts for bourbon and jell-o shots. Neyland stadium is awful, in the historic and charming kind of way. Food, concours, bathrooms... trash. But when you walk out the tunnel to your seats with the T marching band and fireworks its quickly forgotten.

Some of the Rest:

The Worlds Largest Outdoor ****tail Party -- see neutral site above but Jacksonville sucks compared to Dallas. You get to root against UF though.

ACC CG / B1G CG -- Pretty sterile environments but well run weekends with things to do for the fans. I would only go to another to see Miami.

Oklahoma and Nebraska had good stadium environments but I went with one other person and there just wasn't a lot to do. The bar scene was pretty lame and I found them to be pretty insular. They were happy to chat but never really invite me in on something. Louisville was the opposite, mediocre stadium environment but an underrated city to do things in.

I've stormed the field 3 times -- Ohio State @ Wisconsin, Kansas State @ Iowa State (Farmaggeddon) Oregon @ Washington.

I haven't been personally but my brother who does the same thing says Boone, NC (App State) is a hidden gem worth going to.

Oh man I would love to do some sailgating at either spot. That sounds awesome. The championship games are fun for disinterested fans. I went to the B10 CBB tourney in Chicago a few years ago. Paid like $5 to get in and had a blast. Never been to a P5 football one though. Boone sounds sick too with the backdrop of the forest.

Going to any games this year?

 

[RocketsandCanes]

Finally getting around to posting my last two new stadiums from last year. The first was the University of Wisconsin.

Game: University of Nebraska Cornhuskers @ University of Wisconsin Badgers
Date: 10/22/22
Location: Madison, WI
Stadium: Camp Randall Stadium
Stadium Total: 30/133 = 22.5% complete

Took the short drive over to Madison from Milwaukee and watched my first Badger game. I'm pretty excited to be able to go to these games more often in the future. Madison is a really underrated city with lots of stuff to do. It is unique being situated between two lakes. The road leading up to the capital building is a great view.

As far as the gameday experience goes, they do a great job. Not a huge parking lot/tailgating scene from what I gathered. More of a park where you can and pregame at the campus bars scene. I parked in some guy's driveway for $20 about a 10 minute walk from the stadium.

Crowd was large and rowdy from start to finish. It was a day game so they must have gotten up early to prep for the game. The highlight of course was watching everyone do 'Jump Around' at the end of the 3rd quarter. I'm looking forward to catching that at a night game in the future because that will just amplify the atmosphere.

I don't remember much about the concessions, but I did catch a pretty good cup of coffee on the walk back to my car from the stadium for the ride home. It was from a place called Indie Coffee (https://www.shopindiecoffee.com/).

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Not a new stadium but I made it back to Wisconsin last weekend for the Maryland game. I had a buddy in from my hometown so we made the hour trip to Madison. Took some pictures from different angles than last time (when I sat in the upper deck). This time I was on the 100 level and took a walk around the whole concourse.

Something I didn't love about the lower area was the concourses. They are the narrowest concourses I've ever seen in a power conference stadium. Still had a blast though and enjoyed seeing more of the stadium. It's an awesome place to watch a football game. Looking forward to catching a night game at some point. Jump Around is cool but seeing it at night would be electric.

 

[P-Tizzle]

I'm a lawyer. But I started doing this as a college student so the budget has always been a big factor. I usually buy the cheapest tickets available and drive to as many of the games as possible. Thankfully I've lived in areas that have quite a few stadiums within driving distance. This year me and a couple buddies figured since we are only trying to hit up one game that we wouldn't mind spending a little more cash than usual.

Can you represent me? I want to sue CIS

 

[Tony4Canes]

So the plan next week was to go to the UCF-Kansas game if it wasn’t at the same time as the Canes-Noles.

Unfortunately, for some god forsaken reason the TV execs decided the world wanted Kansas in primetime and I will be skipping that so I can watch Miami.

So possible backup options. My preferred choice would be to go to the Swamp for UF-Texas. Would be the only time I ever root for TX. Buttt, tickets are obviously pretty pricey. Looks like I can get in the door for around $130. Figured I’d check in here just in case. Anyone have a Gator ticket hookup? I’m looking for 2 tickets and would probably pay anything under the $130 mark for tickets. Just looking to save a bit of money.

Other option is to head to Tampa Friday night for the USF-Charlotte game. But id be lying if I told you I want to drive 3 hours each way to watch that game.

Obviously going to the Canes game would be sick. But I’ve watched Miami in Tally before and I just can’t justify spending like $300 a ticket.

Anyway, if anyone has any UF hookups (or USF hookups possibly) please let me know!

Did you move or just in FL next weekend?