25 replies to this topic

[Wisconsin33]

A big hello to my Corn Husker brethren from Wisconsin. I first want to start out by expressing the absolute pleasure it was to host so many of you at our university this past Fall as well as in the city of Madison. Never in my life have I encountered or experienced such a wonderful, loyal and knowledgeable group of supporters as when Nebraska fans - all 30,000 (or more!) - came up to support their football team. We sure hope that you enjoyed yourselves and that it was a worthy start to the new traditions that we are sure to build between two great Midwestern States that love their only college football programs.

Well, just as excited as we were to meet Nebraskans in Madison this last year, I think many (though probably not AS many as Husker Nation) Badger fans will be equally as excited to return the favor and make the inaugural visit to Lincoln this Fall to see your wonderful university and beautiful football stadium. In fact, I'm writing this inquiry because I know I, as well as a group of fellow Badger fans, are very interested in making the trip this Fall for the Badger/Husker game!

While we are still very much in the early planning stages of our trip, I'd like to get some good insight from the people who know best- you all! I'll try to keep it simple, but any information that you'd be willing to give to help us out would be greatly appreciated!

In all, I'd expect our particular group to be about 15 people. We're all either in college still or recent graduates who would still probably be looking for the "student experience" as it pertains to game day in Lincoln. I'll post some questions and hopefully that will help make things easier:

1.) Tailgating:
As I just mentioned, we're a group of about 15-20 college-aged fans who are looking forward to both taking in as much of Nebraska's game day as possible, as well as settling down for several hours before kickoff to meet, eat and drink copious amounts of alcohol at a great location where we would be around the center of action as far as students go. I know this routine differs form place to place- for example if you were in Madison last Fall, you would have noticed that there were not real "tailgate lots" or parking lots where students and other fans often party before kick-off, but rather a series of house parties on campus and beer gartens tucked in and amongst the many bars and restaurants near the stadium. At other places like Michigan State or Iowa, they'll have huge plots of land like parking lots or golf courses sectioned off for people to park their cars and do a more traditional tailgate. What's the routine in Nebraska? Where is the center of action? Do students usually end up at different places than everyone else? Where would you recommend our group setting up to be in the midst of Nebraska game day glory? Are there any kind of special passes or anything that we should start thinking about?

2.) Parking/Cars
We'll probably have several cars, but we certainly won't be bringing them all to the tailgate. Where would be a good place to park extra cars within walking distance of the stadium? For the 1 or 2 cars that we'd probably want near our tailgate for supplies and set-up, can you usually just bring them right along to the site? Are there any special passes that we'd need to obtain to get into a good spot?

3) Hotels/Nightlife
We're college kids, so we're probably going to be OK with staying pretty much anywhere so long as it's half-way decent and it's semi-close (at least a cab ride's distance) from Nightlife and the Stadium. Any suggestions for something pretty inexpensive that would cater to that? The closer the better.

More importantly than that, where should we be for Friday night to take in the night life of UNL and Lincoln? We'd probably be interested in the pretty typical college bars and hotspots of your campus. Even though you might think of some of them as 'douchy' or 'fratty' or 'overcrowded' because you went to school there- as long as it's a happening place and there are lots of drinks and people- we honestly won't care because we're just visiting. For example... I cringe to send people to State Street Brats or Kollege Klub here in Madison because they are packed full of douche bags and sorostitues on any given night, but for visitors and first-timers, they are certainly neat inside and full of energy and so I swallow my pride (and my much more boring local favorite that I wanted to recommend) and send them there because I know that's what they're probably looking forward to. Does that make sense? With that in mind- where are some places we need to go to get our eat and drink on while we are visiting campus?

4) Other recommendations
Any other ideas or recommendations or must-sees while we visit? Any advice on tickets or whether it's worth it to try and get student tickets? Where's the visitor section?


Alright- Thanks for all the help in advance and I'll let you know that we are really excited to come see your city this Fall!

['SkersRule]

1. Any place in the Haymarket for drinks and/or food and plus it's within walking distance to the stadium on game day.
A. Lazlo's Pub--they brew some of their own beer in house.
B. The N Zone.

2. O St( That's the letter O) from basically 9th to 16th street is where the main bars are where most UNL students hang.
A. Sandy's for a pitcher of Elk Creek. It looks like orange juice but drink a pitcher of it by yourself and you'll see it's not OJ.
B. Duffy's Tavern for a fishbowl of any cocktail you choose--best if consumed by three to four people. Drinking one alone? LOL.
C. Iguana's for some Iggy Juice. A deceptively intoxicating grape looking drink.
D. The Watering Hole has great food (and of course beer).

3. There's a cigar shop / bar on 12th street (I believe it is a block or two north of O St).

4. The Night Before (a gentleman's club) at 13th and P St I believe. This joint had (when I was there) the hottest babes in town.

5. Sidetracks Tavern--go on a game day and get there EARLY--as visitors be prepared for some good natured ribbing.

6. Misty's Restaurant (66th & Havelock *) for their prime rib.

7. Valentino's Pizza at (44th & Vine *)

* I believe those are the cross streets...it's been over a decade since I've thought of this stuff.

8. Tailgating--I have no information available.

9. The Cornhusker Hotel is right downtown and within walking distance of everything. (I'd suggest you book your room as early as possible.)

10. Parking usually isn't a concern. If you stay downtown you probably won't need your car until you leave.

11. The vistors section of the stadium is located in southwest corner of the stadium.

Hope that works out for you and apologies in advance if any information is out of date.

[Mills]

Welcome!

College kids are mostly down in the North Bottoms (A smaller neighborhood with party houses mainly occupied by students just North of the stadium). There you'll find house parties up and down the streets with plenty of people offering there lawns/driveways as parking spaces.

A few blocks further North is the Indian Reservation (The Res). It's a wide open grass parking lot that's notorious for tailgating, drinking games, music, etc.
Red Bull came and set up a big tent for the OSU game last year. Music, contests, and tons of free Red Bull. No promises they come again this year, just thought I'd mention it. It's a pretty wild time down there, but I wouldn't spend too much time down in the Bottoms, it's easy to lose track of time.

[gin_32]

'SkersRule, on 19 February 2012 - 05:01 PM, said:

1. Any place in the Haymarket for drinks and/or food and plus it's within walking distance to the stadium on game day.
A. Lazlo's Pub--they brew some of their own beer in house.
B. The N Zone.

2. O St( That's the letter O) from basically 9th to 16th street is where the main bars are where most UNL students hang.
A. Sandy's for a pitcher of Elk Creek. It looks like orange juice but drink a pitcher of it by yourself and you'll see it's not OJ.
B. Duffy's Tavern for a fishbowl of any cocktail you choose--best if consumed by three to four people. Drinking one alone? LOL.
C. Iguana's for some Iggy Juice. A deceptively intoxicating grape looking drink.
D. The Watering Hole has great food (and of course beer).

3. There's a cigar shop / bar on 12th street (I believe it is a block or two north of O St).

4. The Night Before (a gentleman's club) at 13th and P St I believe. This joint had (when I was there) the hottest babes in town.

5. Sidetracks Tavern--go on a game day and get there EARLY--as visitors be prepared for some good natured ribbing.

6. Misty's Restaurant (66th & Havelock *) for their prime rib.

7. Valentino's Pizza at (44th & Vine *)

* I believe those are the cross streets...it's been over a decade since I've thought of this stuff.

8. Tailgating--I have no information available.

9. The Cornhusker Hotel is right downtown and within walking distance of everything. (I'd suggest you book your room as early as possible.)

10. Parking usually isn't a concern. If you stay downtown you probably won't need your car until you leave.

11. The vistors section of the stadium is located in southwest corner of the stadium.

Hope that works out for you and apologies in advance if any information is out of date.

'SkersRule pretty much broke it down pretty well......I hope you and your friends have a great time visting Memorial Stadium and Lincoln in general. Hopefuly the game outcome will be closer this time around! Welcome to the board as well!

[PaulCrewe]

'SkersRule, on 19 February 2012 - 05:01 PM, said:

8. Tailgating--I have no information available.

9. The Cornhusker Hotel is right downtown and within walking distance of everything. (I'd suggest you book your room as early as possible.)

There are many lots and areas right around the stadium that tailgates. Just go to any of them, not being an overflaming douche and you'll be taken care of with both food and beer.
The Embassy Suites downtown has Rock the Dock and it is a huge party with a live band. A good time.

As for hotels. You are not going to want the Cornhusker$$$ or Embassy or Holiday Inn right downtown. They jack up their nightly rates big time and usually require a three night stay.
Hotels by the Airport don't gouge their prices that bad and are an easy five minute drive to the stadium and festivities around it. Lincoln is not that hard of a town to get around in. Just follow any car with a Husker Flag on it and you'lll probably end up at your destination.

In closing tailgating is good, hotels downtown will cost ya a good chunk of change, Lincoln is easy to navigate, and after ya lose you'll probably get some pity beers

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

I hope our fans choose not to treat you the way that they were treated in Madison, for starters. I dont expect that to be the case, but I wouldn't go about acting douchey.

If you want a college scene for tailgating, go to the res. Its 20 bucks a car so I would park the majority of your cars somewhere else and cram as many as you can. Even if you cant get a spot, just walking there is always a good time. If you want to park your car there, I suggest getting there early as spots fill up quick. The bottoms are okay but I think you would probably enjoy the atmosphere better at the res, more open, party atmosphere.As far as other tailgating, under the bridge west of the stadium is good, but it is permit only, but you will have a good time just walking over there. The tailgating scene is really all over, which makes Lincoln somewhat unique. Put your drinks in cups if you are going to be on campus, it is dry, but they wont say anything to you if it is in a cup.

Friday night I would recommend O st bars, just follow the crowd. If your anything like me and my buddies, you will enjoy D'Leons when you are smashed. Find a way to one of the many locations after a long night downtown and get a chicken burrito, good stuff.

As far as tickets, it is up to you on what kindof gamble you want to take. Student tickets require validation on gameday, which is like 55 bucks, on top of whatever the student charges you. It can be a pain in the ass to have to wait in line to validate a ticket though. Idk how wiscy works, but say you find a student selling their ticket for $40, you will pay them for the ticket then have to go to the validation line and pay 55 to make it so you can get in. Student tickets are also GA seating so expect to be there early. With that many people you might be better off just looking for tickets online. if the student tickets do interest you however, look up the husker ticket exchange on facebook, there are always students selling tickets. If both teams are doing well expect them to be steep. Usually by friday tho, the supply exceeds demand and the prices plummet. So pick your poison in that regard.

Hope you guys get it all figured out, GBR

[Mills]

Lyons in the Sea of Red., on 19 February 2012 - 09:14 PM, said:

I hope our fans choose not to treat you the way that they were treated in Madison, for starters. I dont expect that to be the case, but I wouldn't go about acting douchey.

If you want a college scene for tailgating, go to the res. Its 20 bucks a car so I would park the majority of your cars somewhere else and cram as many as you can. Even if you cant get a spot, just walking there is always a good time. If you want to park your car there, I suggest getting there early as spots fill up quick. The bottoms are okay but I think you would probably enjoy the atmosphere better at the res, more open, party atmosphere.As far as other tailgating, under the bridge west of the stadium is good, but it is permit only, but you will have a good time just walking over there. The tailgating scene is really all over, which makes Lincoln somewhat unique. Put your drinks in cups if you are going to be on campus, it is dry, but they wont say anything to you if it is in a cup.

Friday night I would recommend O st bars, just follow the crowd. If your anything like me and my buddies, you will enjoy D'Leons when you are smashed. Find a way to one of the many locations after a long night downtown and get a chicken burrito, good stuff.

As far as tickets, it is up to you on what kindof gamble you want to take. Student tickets require validation on gameday, which is like 55 bucks, on top of whatever the student charges you. It can be a pain in the ass to have to wait in line to validate a ticket though. Idk how wiscy works, but say you find a student selling their ticket for $40, you will pay them for the ticket then have to go to the validation line and pay 55 to make it so you can get in. Student tickets are also GA seating so expect to be there early. With that many people you might be better off just looking for tickets online. if the student tickets do interest you however, look up the husker ticket exchange on facebook, there are always students selling tickets. If both teams are doing well expect them to be steep. Usually by friday tho, the supply exceeds demand and the prices plummet. So pick your poison in that regard.

Hope you guys get it all figured out, GBR

Nice mention of D'Leons, but I'd go with a Nebraska or Arizona burrito. Sooooooo gooooooood.

[Vanderoh]

'SkersRule, on 19 February 2012 - 05:01 PM, said:

1. Any place in the Haymarket for drinks and/or food and plus it's within walking distance to the stadium on game day.
A. Lazlo's Pub--they brew some of their own beer in house.
B. The N Zone.

2. O St( That's the letter O) from basically 9th to 16th street is where the main bars are where most UNL students hang.
A. Sandy's for a pitcher of Elk Creek. It looks like orange juice but drink a pitcher of it by yourself and you'll see it's not OJ.
B. Duffy's Tavern for a fishbowl of any cocktail you choose--best if consumed by three to four people. Drinking one alone? LOL.
C. Iguana's for some Iggy Juice. A deceptively intoxicating grape looking drink.
D. The Watering Hole has great food (and of course beer).

3. There's a cigar shop / bar on 12th street (I believe it is a block or two north of O St).

4. The Night Before (a gentleman's club) at 13th and P St I believe. This joint had (when I was there) the hottest babes in town.

5. Sidetracks Tavern--go on a game day and get there EARLY--as visitors be prepared for some good natured ribbing.

6. Misty's Restaurant (66th & Havelock *) for their prime rib.

7. Valentino's Pizza at (44th & Vine *)

* I believe those are the cross streets...it's been over a decade since I've thought of this stuff.

8. Tailgating--I have no information available.

9. The Cornhusker Hotel is right downtown and within walking distance of everything. (I'd suggest you book your room as early as possible.)

10. Parking usually isn't a concern. If you stay downtown you probably won't need your car until you leave.

11. The vistors section of the stadium is located in southwest corner of the stadium.

Hope that works out for you and apologies in advance if any information is out of date.

There is a Misty's Steakhouse at 11th & P in Downtown.

Also the Sidetrack Tavern space just went up for lease, so I don't expect it to be there next season. The Sidetrack Band has moved to a bar they own themselves now, called the Single Barrel. It is across P street from Embassy Suites.

I would recommend booking a hotel room in Downtown, and probably do it sooner than later. You could spend the weekend without driving that way. You have three choices: The Cornhusker Hotel, Village Inn, or Embassy Suites. You will be paying more to do this, but I think it would be worth it.

Embassy Suites is about as in the middle of everything as you can get. It is a few blocks from the Haymarket, the stadium, and the college bars. I recommend booking that ASAP. They also have a popular tailgate party. Wall to wall people on the entire main level and a band out side in the loading dock area. All free but pricey beers. Still a good time.

For Friday night, walk to 14th and O street and take you pick. You can bar hop around the couple of blocks there and should not have much trouble finding one you like.

[Foppa]

Your absolute best bet is the big building on the southwest corner of 14th and Hwy 2. Make sure you're really drunk and wearing all of your Badger gear. They make their own special drinks there and will hook you up with some nice, cheap not-so-sterile tattoos if you're into that sort of thing. Don't let the razor wire scare you, and watch your corn hole. Enjoy!

[Huskerlambs]

I can't imagine a college kid staying at a hotel downtown. I didn't have that kind of money in college.
Are you guys in fraternities? Maybe you could crash with your fraternity brothers.

[Wisconsin33]

Thanks for all the great feedback so far- definitely appreciate it.

How's the cab situation in Lincoln? Are they pretty plentiful? How are the rates? I'm trying to decide between paying for a cheaper hotel that is further away from the action and having to take cabs back and forth or paying more and staying in a hotel that is closer to the stadium and then not having to deal with cabs if they are bad like some cities. (East Lansing was a mess ... we had to wait an hour and a half at bar time because the entire city apparently had "run out" of cabs).

Also- for tailgating at "The Res" or "The Haymarket" you can just pull in there early on gameday and park anywhere? Do you pay right then and there, or is there a pass that I have to buy ahead of time?

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

At the res you pull up to the lot and pay there. Haymarket Park I think you can also pull up and pay there, but dont quote me on that. I know that at least half of that lot is permit only. Make sure you dont confuse the actual Haymarket to Haymarket Park. The park is the baseball field. The actual Haymarket is an area in downtown Lincoln with a bunch of restaurants, bars, shops, etc. There is no pull up tailgating down there that I am aware of.

My recommendation would definitely be the res, or if you can somehow get your hands on a permit to one of the lots near the bridge west of the stadium. The res is a good party spot and will probably provide you with the least amount of trouble as far as getting a spot.

I dont use the cabs in Lincoln so I wouldn't know first hand, but Ive heard it sucks. Similar to East Lansing from what it sounds like.

[krc1995]

Someone tell me where is the indian reservation area? I saw it mentioned in another thread

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

krc1995, on 22 February 2012 - 01:15 PM, said:

Someone tell me where is the indian reservation area? I saw it mentioned in another thread

Its on the corner of 10th and Military. Its about a block west of The Devaney.

[Jadler]

I really should save this instead of deleting it every time I make one.

[jimk]

Downtown hotels jack up their rates for big home games and require a two night stay. A quick look at one of the downtown hotels, rooms are 500 on up for Badger weekend.

[darkhorse85]

I've used passes for Haymarket Park before. Not sure if you can pay on the spot or not. Check out Lincoln and Omaha Craigslist postings a few weeks before you come out. There's usually people selling passes to various lots near the stadium.

[husker rob]

you can pay on the spot for parking and tailgating at Haymarket Baseball field.

Blackshirt and Eric the Red might even have a joint venture and have a Huskerboard Tailgate Party for this game like they did for the USC game in Lincoln. (i am sure they have had others, it was just the last one that i went to)

['SkersRule]

Wisconsin33, on 22 February 2012 - 12:27 PM, said:

Thanks for all the great feedback so far- definitely appreciate it.

How's the cab situation in Lincoln? Are they pretty plentiful? How are the rates? I'm trying to decide between paying for a cheaper hotel that is further away from the action and having to take cabs back and forth or paying more and staying in a hotel that is closer to the stadium and then not having to deal with cabs if they are bad like some cities. (East Lansing was a mess ... we had to wait an hour and a half at bar time because the entire city apparently had "run out" of cabs).

Also- for tailgating at "The Res" or "The Haymarket" you can just pull in there early on gameday and park anywhere? Do you pay right then and there, or is there a pass that I have to buy ahead of time?

Huskerlambs had a good idea. Staying at a fraternity if you or any of your buddies were in a frat and they have a house on UNLs campus. What about staying at a hostel? I'm not sure if one is even in Lincoln but it might be worth looking into. Honestly I think you should stay at a hotel downtown. It is definitely going to be more expensive but the ease and convenience of being within walking distance of everything will simplify the process immensely.

[95huskers]

CABS SUCK. we have very few cabs. it took me 4 hours to get a cab on gameday in madison. If you stay close to downtown you wont need cabs. My recommendation would be to just rent a car. Lincoln is easy to get around and if you stay away from downtown then you can save some dough.

[C N Red]

Ya, don't expect to get a cab in Lincoln. Worst public tranportation system I have ever seen! If you find a room for a reasonable rate downtown, get it! You can walk to everything you will want to see and enjoy and never have to worry about driving or getting picked up. There are a few hotels away from downtown that may be able to pick you up with a courtesy van, but that's something you would definitely want to find out before paying for the room. Good luck. And don't worry, you will be treated better in Lincoln than we were in Madison.

[Foppa]

I'd recommend the Ramada on South 14th. Bar with plenty of TV's showing sports (wouldn't call it a sports bar though) right across the parking lot, and an easy and cheap cab ride to downtown.

[Foppa]

Foppa, on 22 February 2012 - 05:07 PM, said:

I'd recommend the Ramada on South 14th. Bar with plenty of TV's showing sports (wouldn't call it a sports bar though) right across the parking lot, and an easy and cheap cab ride to downtown. And in reference to C N Red's post...I've used them 3 or 4 times on gameday, and never had to wait more than a half an hour. But we always wanted to go and have food and drinks downtown a few hours before the game anyway, and would call the cab from a downtown bar and have drinks after the game and wasn't in a huge rush to get home anyway, so it always seemed to work out fine. I'm sure it just depends on timing.

Sorry...not sure what I did there.

[RedDenver]

There are a few locations that will bus you to the stadium from distant lots. The one I remember is at 27th and Superior which is a large shopping center with lots of parking. I think they charge $5 for riding the bus. I'm sure there are more locations with both pros and cons others who have more recent experience can chime in on. Then you can take a bus back after the game, or stay downtown a few hours until the cabs are easier to come by.

I always recommend getting to the game a few hours early and leaving a few hours after the game. There's plenty to do both before and after and makes it less stressful than driving around in traffic when you don't know where you're going. While Lincoln is easy to get around in normally, the traffic - like most places - gets very thick as you near the stadium/campus, which can make it difficult especially if you miss a turn.

[Canttakeitanymore]

Wisconsin33, on 22 February 2012 - 12:27 PM, said:

Thanks for all the great feedback so far- definitely appreciate it.

How's the cab situation in Lincoln? Are they pretty plentiful? How are the rates? I'm trying to decide between paying for a cheaper hotel that is further away from the action and having to take cabs back and forth or paying more and staying in a hotel that is closer to the stadium and then not having to deal with cabs if they are bad like some cities. (East Lansing was a mess ... we had to wait an hour and a half at bar time because the entire city apparently had "run out" of cabs).


If you go to Misty's do not go to the one downtown. They have higher prices, and most locals wont go because the quality is inconsistent as well as the service. The original is at 6235 Havelock Avenue, try that one, but if its Friday night good luck. Also they have a new south location that seems to be pretty good. De Leons is good... Great post drinking food, and cheap... If you are in the area no trip in after hours Lincoln is complete without a stop at the Hi-Way Diner, your third egg is free, and the toast is magic...
Also- for tailgating at "The Res" or "The Haymarket" you can just pull in there early on gameday and park anywhere? Do you pay right then and there, or is there a pass that I have to buy ahead of time?

They are not over blowing how bad the cabs in Lincoln are. It is horrible, I took a cab from the airport to my house last week, and it was $79 dollars. Do not think you will get a cab in this town. On a friday night when the bars close you will be waiting for hours. Depending on where you stay, and if the hotel has a shuttle you might be able to talk them into picking you up, if you have a large enough group you might be able to work something out. Also downtown hotels are crazy expensive, look at ones on a street called cornhusker, or in the south east side out town. You will be away from the action and will need some sort of DD or shuttle, at this point it may be your only option left.

The Res is prolly your best choice. If your in for a lot of drinking and college age party atmosphere. Make sure you know where the public/private line is. If you step onto public property (ie a street) you will be ticketed for open container or MIP if your under 21. The cops here go under cover looking for this (happened to our tailgate this year, guy was maybe and inch over the line). As long as you booze is closed you are fine (in a cooler etc). If you park in the north bottoms, make sure it is legal. We tailgate in that area and watch cars getting hauled out non stop.

[OH HSKR FAN]

I stay at the Super 8 on 27th and Cornhusker whenever I come into town for a game. I generally imbibe at the Brewsky's across the street. There is a link where you can reserve a parking space online.