Gophers fans will ascend on Detroit in a week for the Quick Lane Bowl.
The Gophers are just a week away from playing Central Michigan in the Quick Lane Bowl. Quick Lane is supporting Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in building awareness and raising funds through the Quick Lane Bowl festivities. The Ford Motor Company Fund is leading the way with a contribution of $50,000 to DAV. The Quick Lane Bowl will donate $10 for every ticket purchased through the DAV by going to www.helpkeepthepromise.org. Tickets can be purchased through the University of Minnesota’s ticket office and at QuickLaneBowl.com. In addition to @GopherHole and @GopherFootball, fans can follow @CMU_Football and @QuickLaneBowl for updates, activities and much as it relates to the Quick Lane Bowl.
For Gopher fans making the trip to Detroit for the game, a long-time GopherHole member provided tips on places to stay, eat, best bars and more. It’s always great to watch Gopher football in a bowl game and this should be no different! Here are the travel tips for Gophers fans:
Any of the major brand hotels you’ll find in MPLS are also in Detroit, but will probably be expensive. The Greektown area is kind of fun with a number of popular bars/restaurants if you can book something there, not to mention the Greektown Casino. If you’re on a budget, stay in Southgate, which is a 15 minute drive from downtown. The Comfort Suites is probably the best out of the half dozen hotels at the intersection of Hwy 75 and Northline. They also offer a shuttle if you’ve got a group. Arrange it in advance. As I said earlier, Ann Arbor is a 25 minute drive and a fun town to eat and drink in. I’ve not stayed there, but it’s probably cheaper than downtown Detroit. Out of the 3 options, Southgate will be the least expensive, and there are a number of eating and drinking options not far away. The Bierkeller in Taylor is less than a mile away and is outstanding for food/drink. A ton of local MI beers, which are fantastic.
For drinking/eating options, my town of Wyandotte is 10 minutes from the Southgate hotels. There are a ton of outstanding local pubs with good bar food. If you plan on this and want specific places, let me know and I’ll post a long list of them. The Corktown area near downtown on Michigan Ave is an outstanding area to eat and drink, mostly drink. Really strong drinks. It’s pretty similar to Nordeast in the type of bar and drink that you can expect. Casey’s and the Corktown Tavern are my personal favorites. Jimmy Doom, local actor, bartends at the Corktown and pours a wicked strong drink. Stay on Michigan Ave and head downtown from Casey’s and you’ll be loaded by the time you hit Ford Field. Slow’s BBQ in Corktown is outstanding for food. Downtown Detroit has a plethora of eating and drinking options. My favorite is the Bucharest Grill, which is a 5 minute walk from Ford Field (and 5 minutes from a ton of tailgate parking. The best sandwich on the face of the earth is the Bucharest Schwarma. The Park Bar and Cheli’s are nearby. The Detroit Beer Company has great beer and food, and is a 10 minute walk from the Stadium. All the casinos have great buffets with Motor City being the best. The Atwater in the Park brewery in Gross Pointe Park is outstanding, although the drive from Detroit is like a long drive down West Broadway in North Minneapolis. Hopcat, and the Heidleberg are my favorite watering holes in Ann Arbor, and the Grizzly Peak Brewery is a must stop as well.
An excursion to nearby Windsor, Canada is a good time and a few minute drive over the Ambassador Bridge. The Canadian Club distillery is a must stop just a few minutes north of town. The tours and tastings at the end are outstanding.
I am currently a member of the Quick Lane Bowl Preferred Blogger Program and this post is part of my involvement. While Quick Lane provides me material and necessary resources to complete various activities, all statements and sentiment in GopherHole are my own.