Been going to Husker games for a while now...will be at this one as well and bringing 5 Gopher fans with me!
A few "must do" items (in my humble opinion)...
Keep in mind, everything you could want or need for this game weekend is within walking distance. Parking information can be found here, but there is a little known rule in Lancaster county about parking on the street with out of county plates!!! I'll let you look it up...
Friday afternoon...
Walk around the stadium to get a feel of the area. Find your gate of entrance. Keep in mind that East Stadium is under construction and some gates are not accessible. Go into South Stadium for the trophies, Husker Gameday Experience (awesome video surround), see if a gate is open and sneak into the stadium, (they'll politely ask you to leave soon), check out the weight room, see the statue of Brook Berringer and Tom Osborne, stop into Huskers Authentic...all very close to each other.
Friday night...
Misty's is a good choice for prime rib but both locations will be very busy. Havelock will have the band/cheerleaders and LOTS of people. Plan accordingly. Lazlo's is another very good choice for food. Watering Hole for chicken wings and beer is on O street. Many other good places to eat and Google can help you find them...Misty's and Lazlo's (and Old Chicago) are my go to places while in Lincoln.
After food, O street and Haymarket are the places to be. Will be lots of people downtown and many Gopher fans should be around. The Single Barrel will have the Sidetrack Band playing until late. Nice place with a pretty good beer selection and food items. Crowd is generally younger but visiting fans are always welcome. Some very nice bars in the Haymarket (just west of 9th...within walking distance of O street.) Bar hopping is always fun the night before the game. O street will have several bars as well...plenty to choose from. Keep moving...
Saturday morning...
I expect that this game will have an 11:00 a.m. kickoff. Getting downtown early is a must...think 6:00 a.m. (Remember my hint about the parking...) The Holiday Inn has a very good breakfast buffet. Some smaller places downtown for breakfast food as well....hopefully you noticed them last night.
After food, the tailgating begins!!! Hopefully the weather cooperates... If you are fortunate to be going to the game, know that tailgating in Lincoln is spread out over several locations...not really a central location. Take a walk through some of these areas and enjoy the time with Husker fans and their hospitality. Visiting fans constantly remark how enjoyable their time is in Lincoln.
The Embassy has a great "tailgate" in their hotel (indoors and outdoors). This is a must stop for me on the way to the game as the bathroom furthest from the bar area has the shortest lines. From here, it is a quick walk to the stadium.
All of the bars in downtown will be busy. Pick your favorite(s) have one and move on towards the stadim.
My personal favorite is the Single Barrel with the Sidetrack Band. For me, this is something not to be missed on a Husker weekend. (Side note...I am going to this weekend's game against Michigan. I am leaving at 2:00 a.m. to get to the Single Barrel when they open at 8:00 a.m. The band starts at noon and the game at 7:00...I'll be there all day...yep, it's that much fun!!). If you go, be sure to where your Gopher gear. My friends and I pride ourselves on buying beer for any visiting fans. The band will have you come up and sing your fight song, (the guys coming with me are really looking forward to this!). The songs will be a mix of original, cover and reworded songs geared for the Husker crowd. When the band starts it, you should know that it is 'R' rated and young children are not allowed...imagine a 75 year old woman singing songs about 'that' stuff...funny as h3!! If there is one thing you do other than the game, I would recommend the Sidetrack Band.
For those bringing their kids, be sure to get to the Husker pavilion. This is a family-friendly event on the Ed Weir track just outside North/East stadium. Lots of games for kids, cheerleaders, room to throw the ball around, food, other games on the big screen. When I take my son, this is where we go. Opens 2-hours before kickoff.
For those that like the marching band, the UNL band will warm-up about 90-min prior to gametime and then march to the stadium. This is pretty cool to see.
Gametime...
Gates open 90 minutes ahead of kickoff. Be sure to arrive at least 30-minutes ahead of kick to find your seats, get your food/drink (remember that no alcohol is sold in the stadium...unlike TCF). You'll be walking with the Sea of Red to the game...kinda cool! You will want to see the pregame, especially the TunnelWalk. The Gophers do a similar presentation, but I like ours...of course, I'm biased. Should be a cool flyover as well. Expect to treated very well at the game (and then whole weekend). If not, let me know I'll come kick them in the shins!!
Postgame...
Depending on the outcome/time/weather...downtown is once again the place to go. I'll let you decide from here as to where to go. One thing that everyone should know...I-80 from Lincoln to Omaha is a PARKING LOT for 2 hours after the game. If you expect to get east of town/back to Minnesota right after the game, think again! Take your time and enjoy yourself.
One of the best things about gameday in Lincoln is that everything is right there, within walking distance. Whether you park or take a shuttle, once you are downtown, you are walking.
Have a great time! I'll be very interested in your stories/experiences. Nebraska prides itself (almost too much) on its class and hospitality to visiting teams/fans. I hope this is the case for you.
Go Gophers and Go Big Red!!!
Been going to Husker games for a while now...will be at this one as well and bringing 5 Gopher fans with me!
A few "must do" items (in my humble opinion)...
Keep in mind, everything you could want or need for this game weekend is within walking distance. Parking information can be found here, but there is a little known rule in Lancaster county about parking on the street with out of county plates!!! I'll let you look it up...
Friday afternoon...
Walk around the stadium to get a feel of the area. Find your gate of entrance. Keep in mind that East Stadium is under construction and some gates are not accessible. Go into South Stadium for the trophies, Husker Gameday Experience (awesome video surround), see if a gate is open and sneak into the stadium, (they'll politely ask you to leave soon), check out the weight room, see the statue of Brook Berringer and Tom Osborne, stop into Huskers Authentic...all very close to each other.
Friday night...
Misty's is a good choice for prime rib but both locations will be very busy. Havelock will have the band/cheerleaders and LOTS of people. Plan accordingly. Lazlo's is another very good choice for food. Watering Hole for chicken wings and beer is on O street. Many other good places to eat and Google can help you find them...Misty's and Lazlo's (and Old Chicago) are my go to places while in Lincoln.
After food, O street and Haymarket are the places to be. Will be lots of people downtown and many Gopher fans should be around. The Single Barrel will have the Sidetrack Band playing until late. Nice place with a pretty good beer selection and food items. Crowd is generally younger but visiting fans are always welcome. Some very nice bars in the Haymarket (just west of 9th...within walking distance of O street.) Bar hopping is always fun the night before the game. O street will have several bars as well...plenty to choose from. Keep moving...
Saturday morning...
I expect that this game will have an 11:00 a.m. kickoff. Getting downtown early is a must...think 6:00 a.m. (Remember my hint about the parking...) The Holiday Inn has a very good breakfast buffet. Some smaller places downtown for breakfast food as well....hopefully you noticed them last night.
After food, the tailgating begins!!! Hopefully the weather cooperates... If you are fortunate to be going to the game, know that tailgating in Lincoln is spread out over several locations...not really a central location. Take a walk through some of these areas and enjoy the time with Husker fans and their hospitality. Visiting fans constantly remark how enjoyable their time is in Lincoln.
The Embassy has a great "tailgate" in their hotel (indoors and outdoors). This is a must stop for me on the way to the game as the bathroom furthest from the bar area has the shortest lines. From here, it is a quick walk to the stadium.
All of the bars in downtown will be busy. Pick your favorite(s) have one and move on towards the stadim.
My personal favorite is the Single Barrel with the Sidetrack Band. For me, this is something not to be missed on a Husker weekend. (Side note...I am going to this weekend's game against Michigan. I am leaving at 2:00 a.m. to get to the Single Barrel when they open at 8:00 a.m. The band starts at noon and the game at 7:00...I'll be there all day...yep, it's that much fun!!). If you go, be sure to where your Gopher gear. My friends and I pride ourselves on buying beer for any visiting fans. The band will have you come up and sing your fight song, (the guys coming with me are really looking forward to this!). The songs will be a mix of original, cover and reworded songs geared for the Husker crowd. When the band starts it, you should know that it is 'R' rated and young children are not allowed...imagine a 75 year old woman singing songs about 'that' stuff...funny as h3!! If there is one thing you do other than the game, I would recommend the Sidetrack Band.
For those bringing their kids, be sure to get to the Husker pavilion. This is a family-friendly event on the Ed Weir track just outside North/East stadium. Lots of games for kids, cheerleaders, room to throw the ball around, food, other games on the big screen. When I take my son, this is where we go. Opens 2-hours before kickoff.
For those that like the marching band, the UNL band will warm-up about 90-min prior to gametime and then march to the stadium. This is pretty cool to see.
Gametime...
Gates open 90 minutes ahead of kickoff. Be sure to arrive at least 30-minutes ahead of kick to find your seats, get your food/drink (remember that no alcohol is sold in the stadium...unlike TCF). You'll be walking with the Sea of Red to the game...kinda cool! You will want to see the pregame, especially the TunnelWalk. The Gophers do a similar presentation, but I like ours...of course, I'm biased. Should be a cool flyover as well. Expect to treated very well at the game (and then whole weekend). If not, let me know I'll come kick them in the shins!!
Postgame...
Depending on the outcome/time/weather...downtown is once again the place to go. I'll let you decide from here as to where to go. One thing that everyone should know...I-80 from Lincoln to Omaha is a PARKING LOT for 2 hours after the game. If you expect to get east of town/back to Minnesota right after the game, think again! Take your time and enjoy yourself.
One of the best things about gameday in Lincoln is that everything is right there, within walking distance. Whether you park or take a shuttle, once you are downtown, you are walking.
Have a great time! I'll be very interested in your stories/experiences. Nebraska prides itself (almost too much) on its class and hospitality to visiting teams/fans. I hope this is the case for you.
Go Gophers and Go Big Red!!!
