Ann Arbor Trip

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Curseislifted33

Curseislifted33

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Our group is in the process of planning a trip out to the Big House for next year's game, any advice, insight, etc. for anyone whose done the trip before?

Thanks!
 

You can't bring bags or purses into the stadium, but they have a place to check them. That didn't go over well with the women in my group a couple years ago after a long walk.

We did have a good time at the Arbor Bar though. The rest of the town looked like a dump.

We stayed in a Detroit suburb so we may have missed some good spots?
 

I did a same day charter trip which I wouldn't recommend. I know some guys who drove there one time and said they'd never do it again as it is a long haul. I'd suggest booking a flight, hotel and car package and staying a couple of days.

I went in 1995 when Wacker was still coach. Wish I had packed more Advil extra strength.
 

I've been to 39 states and lived here my entire life, but for some odd reason, I've never been to Michigan. I am making an effort to make more road games, but my sights are set on Northwestern this year. That's MEA week, so it should work out for my family. I've been through Chicago a dozen times, but never spent any time there.
 

The four weeks in between home games is too much time to not see the Gophers in person, so I'm planning on making my Ann Arbor debut this season...looking forward to it!

Go Gophers!!
 


Buy the best rip t-shirt I have seen in recent history....it reads: Ann Arbor is a whore. Love it!

It is probably available in Buckeye red.
 

It's been about 10 years since I've been to the Big House. Could be that the atmosphere as changed, but I was not impressed. Yes, it's big, but somehow feels hollow. I sat in the endzone about halfway up the bowl. Don't expect any extra butt room as the Olson twins would be crowded.
It didn't help that Minnesota was out of the game by the end of the first quarter. Bring your passport and head to Windsor.
 

1) The stadium doesn't seem as big as its capacity.

2) The people are liberals, yet friendly.

3) You will get a ticket if you walk in the stadium with an open beer in hand.

4) This is the land where cans are gold. While tailgating, throw your empties away from your site where the homeless/poor are waiting to collect.

5) It's a long ass drive from Minneapolis.
 

Curseislifted33 said:
Our group is in the process of planning a trip out to the Big House for next year's game, any advice, insight, etc. for anyone whose done the trip before?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Tailgating areas are huge. Lots of Michigan garb for sale. Stadium is really something to see as you walk in to see the field. Overall a great trip. I didnt think the drive was bad, however we went through Chicago at 10:00 PM on Thursday before game day sat and back through 7:00 AM Sunday.
 



Talked to some Nebraska fans in Lincoln last year who went there and they said the seats are so small that you have to virtually stand the whole game. And stand sideways to fit in the space. Any confirmation? Thinking of making the trip myself.
 

Fly to Detroit and then drive to Ann Arbor. The town is known for micro brews. DO NOT SHOW UP TO THE GAME OBVIOUSLY HAMMERED. Parking is easy and the area is festive. The fans can be jerks but overall after 4 trips there, its a great time. The seating in the visitor areas is fine and yes its crowded but no worse than any other venue in the Big ten. I will say it is impressive after watching so many famous games there on TV.
 

beavergopher said:
Talked to some Nebraska fans in Lincoln last year who went there and they said the seats are so small that you have to virtually stand the whole game. And stand sideways to fit in the space. Any confirmation? Thinking of making the trip myself.
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I can definitely confirm that. I've never been packed in so tight...which is probably how that stadium can hold 100k plus without feeling like its any bigger than the Metrodome. It's not nearly as impressive a stadium as I had expected...but the people were quite nice (which may well be a product of being packed in like sardines with visiting fans every Saturday). Use the restroom before you take your seat.
 

gopherjay said:
...Parking is easy and the area is festive...
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I gotta say, the most surprising thing about my trip was how easy it was to get to and from the stadium. We got to the game a little late, and with such a small town (roughly Madison-sized) hosting such a big number of people, I expected it to be a huge hassle. But I was able to easily find free street parking not a mile from the stadium, and getting in and out of the area was a breeze. The city definitely knows how to keep everything running smoothly during a big event.
 



Thanks for all the responses, we were planning to drive but bought plane tickets instead. Hopefully it's not too crowded seating wise, learned how annoying that was at the Vikes playoff game at Lambeau.
 

Prepare to be underwhelmed. The Stadium is impressive from the outside and extremely quiet on the inside. The tailgating was alright. Other than that there isn't too much to report.
 

the accomplice said:
Prepare to be underwhelmed. The Stadium is impressive from the outside and extremely quiet on the inside. The tailgating was alright. Other than that there isn't too much to report.
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My wife is a Wolverine alum. So I went a few years back. It reminded me of a highschool stadium... one that seats 110,000! Concessions were outside. Restrooms from the 1920's!
 

EE_Gopher said:
My wife is a Wolverine alum. So I went a few years back. It reminded me of a highschool stadium... one that seats 110,000! Concessions were outside. Restrooms from the 1920's!
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She obviously married down LOL. Those Mechicken alums can be pretty smug. Will pass on the obvious Little Brown Jug(s) joke.
They did a remodel that was done by the same company that did the TCF design and the pictures look really nice.
 

beavergopher said:
Talked to some Nebraska fans in Lincoln last year who went there and they said the seats are so small that you have to virtually stand the whole game. And stand sideways to fit in the space. Any confirmation? Thinking of making the trip myself.
Click to expand...

and just what is so wrong with that? would love to see more of that at tcf stadium. :D
 

Agree that the stadium is under-whelming. Doesn't feel like 100k. Probably the nature of a shallow bowl. I felt really far from the field.

Recommend tailgating on the university golf course. Lots of room and a nice walk to the stadium.

Check out The Brown Jug bar near campus. They have both Michigan & Minnesota memorabilia.
http://www.brownjug-annarbor.com/

Take an afternoon to walk through campus. It's gorgeous. We played pool at their Union. Very cool old building.
 

We're Comin' said:
Buy the best rip t-shirt I have seen in recent history....it reads: Ann Arbor is a whore. Love it!

It is probably available in Buckeye red.
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That phrase is painful - I remember so many students wearing that t-shirt while tailgating and inside the Dome.....the night of the 4th quarter Michigan debacle of course.
 

Nokomis said:
Agree that the stadium is under-whelming. Doesn't feel like 100k. Probably the nature of a shallow bowl. I felt really far from the field.

Recommend tailgating on the university golf course. Lots of room and a nice walk to the stadium.

Check out The Brown Jug bar near campus. They have both Michigan & Minnesota memorabilia.
http://www.brownjug-annarbor.com/

Take an afternoon to walk through campus. It's gorgeous. We played pool at their Union. Very cool old building.
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Interesting takes. Ann Arbor is one away trip I would love to get to but have not yet. Hopefully my work schedule cooperates with me this year and I can get to a few away games this coming season! :)
 

-If you like microbrews, you'll love Ann Arbor. The owner of Ashley's is (or at least was in 2004) a Minnesota grad, and we were treated to a round of shots.

-Nice little downtown area with plenty of bars and restaurants. Try to take down Mount Nacheesmo at Tios, as seen on Man vs. Food.

-If you haven't already booked a hotel, do it soon - they sell out well in advance. We usually stay right by I-94, and it's an easy walk/drive to the stadium and cheap cabs to/from downtown.

-The golf course or Pioneer High School, which is across the street from the stadium, are the places to tailgate.

-You may be on the receiving end of some jabs from the traffic cops on the megaphones while crossing the street to enter the stadium if you're wearing Gopher gear.

-Michigan may have the oldest fan base in the Big Ten, other than Minnesota.

-The stadium itself...meh. It's a must-see just for the spectacle of being crammed in with 111,000 people, but the place just doesn't capture noise. TCF, with fewer than half the fans, can be louder. The recent renovations made the concourse much more pleasing to the eye, with lots of tributes to their rich tradition.
 


Ann Arbor Trip- October Gophers/Wolverines

Anyone have any tips on where to stay out there, tailgate, and any other information would be great. Also where the best spots to sit in the stadium are.

My friends and I are making our first trip to the Big House.
 


The hotel situation in Ann Arbor blows...very few hotels in the city center but a few typical low to mid-level hotels on the edge of town near the Interstate. Book soon, they fill up quickly.

Tailgate at Pioneer HS across the street from the stadium.

I haven't been since the renovations, but the stadium was a dump...basically a giant divot in the ground.
 

NateDawgUM said:
I haven't been since the renovations, but the stadium was a dump...basically a giant divot in the ground.
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Post-renovation, it's still a giant hole in the ground.

As far as seat selection goes, I can only say that you can probably do better than top level above the end zone. The scale of the whole thing is pretty amazing, but the big house is definitely not one of those "not a bad seat in the house" stadiums.
 

I'll disagree with others. The B1G house was an absolute blast to be at. Yes, you are stuffed in tight (buy your brats and beer from the vendor cause you ain't gettin' out once you squeeze your arse into your spot), but the folks around are having fun and loving life. When I was there the student section was having a great time passing people down the rows like it was a 110,000 person mosh pit. Start at the top and race the persons from the top to the bottom to see who could win. The band was out at half-time doing the Michigan high-step and rocking the place. We stopped along the way from where we parked and schmoozed with all the folks tailgating and just grilling on their decks. The atmosphere was fantastic. Sadly, the Gophers were pounded, but we had a blast in Ann Arbor. I hope you have fun. Don't let the downers here take the air out of your trip. I'm sure you'll have a blast.
 

I have some comments to add to those already made.

For those that haven't been to Michigan Stadium since Lloyd Carr (or Moeller or Bo) was roaming the sidelines, there are some significant changes. Much of the stadium has been re-done, from concrete in the stands, to a complete overhaul of the bathrooms and concessions. The two structures on the east and west side dominate what you see on TV, but there were also several other smaller structures added, most of them for restrooms. Women will find plenty of bathrooms now and men will find that the troughs are gone and individual urinals are not the norm. Technically, seats were widened, but it can still be a tight fit, especially if someone has tried to crowd an extra into the row. Michigan went through 10 rounds with the Feds over the ADA (and lost), and the stadium is now far more accessible for disabled patrons than at any time in its history.

As far as tickets go, the visiting section is the last 5 rows of the bowl that extends all across the south end zone (right side of your TV picture). Michigan has gone in with StubHub as a market to move extra tickets and these are almost uniformly overpriced well in advance of the game, but will drop as the game gets closer. Michigan still has a vibrant on-street ticket trade and there are usually plenty to find well under face value ($75 for the Minnesota game). If you are looking for a better seat than top of the end zone, I'd recommend this as a way to go. Separating the "pros" from a "guy with extras" is pretty easy to figure out. There is very little police hassle of those trying to get rid of extras. There WILL be tickets on the street for the Minnesota game.

Parking is getting more expensive. The Golf Courses and Pioneer High School (SE of Michigan Stadium) will be $50 per vehicle this year. They are a great experience, once, but if you don't mind a short walk (3/4 of a mile), there are lots of little gems of places to park for less than half of that. Tailgating can range from the loud party atmosphere, to the grass lot owned by families that are secure and picture-esque. The "X" factor to parking is always the weather. If there is heavy rain and the golf courses have to close, parking can turn into a free-for-all. I can provide some specifics if need be.

Travel into and out of Ann Arbor is well organized on game day. If you are coming the long distance, you might consider a hotel stay in Jackson or Battle Creek (home of Kelloggs) which are 30 and 70 minutes outside of Ann Arbor, respectively. Hotel rates there will be far cheaper than in A2 and it's a little bit easier on the travel day. Traffic along I-94 between Chicago and Ann Arbor in the state of Michigan is a speed limit of 70 with traffic often moving at 75-80

The atmosphere in the stadium is better than it used to be. The new structures help reflect crowd noise back into the stadium. Michigan has resorted to using microphones to amplify the sound of the Marching Band which can get annoying at times. Since it's Michigan's homecoming for the Minnesota game, there will be no Gopher band and the crowd may be a little bit "older" than it would be otherwise.

Security is visual based. They will try to weed out containers of any kind (even unopened bottled water is not allowed). I have never had a problem getting a 6" photo lens in via a pocket, but the best advice is to be subtle. The usher corps is beginning to turn from people who have been doing to for 40 years or more to a more responsive based system which means if you complain about something

I'm biased, but I don't find Ann Arbor a dump in any sense of the word. The downtown is a great college town environment with tons of places to eat and drink. You might consider parking downtown and then walking to and from the stadium (20 minute walk). Again with homecoming that weekend, some "destination" places will be more crowded than they already are for a football weekend.

FWIW, I'm a Michigan season ticket holder. I appreciated advice given to me for my first trip to your wonderful new-stadium and we had a great time in the FairGrounds lot (though we don't understand why everyone left to quickly) and would be happy to assist in any way possible to make a trip to Ann Arbor as enjoyable as possible.
 

DillonPGP said:
. . .men will find that the troughs are gone and individual urinals are not the norm.
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Are there "tandem urinals" or do we just pee into an open pipe?

Just kidding. Thanks for all the information. I haven't ever made it to Ann Arbor but would love to make the trip.
 

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