We were at St Louis for the St. Louis Rams upset over the Seattle Seahawks. Could they do it again over the Denver Broncos today? Great Stadium and Tailgating. — at Edward Jones Dome.
Kansas City Chiefs – Arrowhead Stadium
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Super Bowl XLVI – Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, Indiana – A VenRoo favorite…
Indianapolis has always been one of our favorite venues for catching an NFL game. Everything about it makes the game day (and weekend) a wonderful experience. Indianapolis is one of the few stadiums we’ve seen that is located near everything you’d want. All the hotels, restaurants, bars, parking and tailgating are within walking distance of the stadium. Add that to the proximity of the stadium to the interstate, and you have yourself an easy drive in along with a hassle free stay.
Lucas Oil Stadium
The stadium is easy to find, just north of the I-465 on the south end of the by-pass. If you’re coming in for the day, you will find all kinds of parking at the stadium or along the streets in various lots. On game day, there is plenty of tailgating in all the lots and the fans are more than welcoming. Of all the stadiums we’ve been to, and all of the tailgating we have done, the Indy fans are probably the nicest and most welcoming of all NFL cities. I cannot count how many times someone in a Peyton Manning jersey has approached someone from our group to find out where we were from and to welcome us to their city.
We prefer to stay the weekend for our games and stay at one of the many downtown hotels. Nearly all the hotels and restaurants are within a 3 block by 4 block walking area. The Hilton and Hyatt are our favorites, but they can be a little pricey on game weekends. Once you are checked in and the car is parked, you will not have any problem finding a place to eat or drink (there’s even a downtown shopping mall)
Some of our favorite places include Ram Restaurant & Brewery, Alcatraz Brewing, and Kilroy’s Bar & Grill. And of course, you need to stop by the Slippery Noodle on your way back from the game. If you don’t know what the Slippery Noodle is all about, ask any local and they can fill you in.
When it’s game time, it’s a quick walk to Lucas Oil Stadium from wherever you are. We liked the old RCA dome, especially when it was connected with sky walks to the Hyatt hotel, but we love Lucas Oil. The brick and rectangle shape make it unlike any other stadium in the league and the retractable roof allows for watching the game in any weather condition. The seating is fairly typical with the usual “Lower Bowl” and “Upper Bowl” split by a few smaller sections. We loved the Terrace Level, which is the last section before the Upper Bowl with only 6 rows in the entire section. It makes for a shorter and easier walk if you need to get up and down from your seats during the game (it also makes the restrooms and concessions a lot closer…). But overall, there didn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house.
Indianapolis - Lucas Oil Stadium
Of course with the Super Bowl this weekend, the experience will be over the top compared to a normal regular season game day. And given the hospitality we receive from the Hoosiers, if you’re lucky enough to make it to Indy, it will be an experience of a lifetime.
Lucas Oil Stadium
Interview with Quest For 31
VenRoo – Tracking the venues you’ve visited. This is our tag line for our posters of stadiums on a map of the U.S., where you can display and track the stadiums you’ve visited. We created the poster for ourselves, as we started traveling with a group of friends to a different NFL stadium each year. As we started to grow and promote our business through blogs, social media, and our website, we started to meet new people around the country who loved to see various stadiums too.
One person, in particular, was Hans Steiniger and his Quest for 31 – One Man’s Crusade to Attend an NFL Game in all 31 Stadiums in the National Football League. What a great combination; we have a poster to track your NFL stadium travels, and Hans is on a crusade to see them all and experience the game from the perspective of the home team. We have since communicated through email and discussed various travels and tips and Hans has been very helpful in spreading the word about our poster.
Hans Steiniger with the Venroo Poster
We recently spoke with Hans to get more information on his ‘crusade’. He first attended games in Buffalo, as a Bills fan and moved to the Detroit area. While in Detroit he made it to a few Lions and Browns games and then traveled to Tampa to visit some family. While in Tampa he realized that the stadiums and games were a great opportunity to experience the various locations and thought it would be cool to see all 31 NFL stadiums.
Hans made it to all 31 stadiums, in only four years, while wearing a jersey from each home team, and saw a little over 50 games. He made some great friends along the way and always tried to find the ‘spot’ at the game where the locals hung out. He said he would even get calls from people asking when he was coming back to their stadium.
After experiencing all those games and stadiums, you get a good feel for various traits that make a stadium stand out. It was hard for Hans to pick out his single favorite stadium, but he did like: Quest Field (Seattle)– for its design (and 12th man noise) and awesome food varieties at the concessions; Lambeau (Green Bay) for its all around classic feel; Cowboys Stadium (Dallas/Arlington) for just being over the top on everything; and you can’t beat the pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium (Tampa). If you ever go to Minnesota you should buy a hollowed-out horn as a ‘glass’ to drink your beer.
With his quest for the 31 NFL stadiums complete, Hans continues to visit stadiums and maintain relationships with people he’s met on his quest. He’ll pull out one the team jerseys from a foot locker, where they’re safely stored, and hit the road for another fun weekend. Of course his favorite jersey is a Bills #31 with the name “Quest For” on the back.
Hans isn’t stopping with the NFL. He’s started other quests for NHL and NBA and even has a Sports Themed Wedding Invitation website, which is real cool. So, be sure to look out for Hans at your next tailgate and stop by his websites to catchup on his travels