Football parking
So this may seem like a dumb question for regular game attendees, but I've been to the Big House twice and am planning to attend the UMass game on Sept. 18.
The first time I was there I was pretty young and we parked at AA Pioneer and it was fantastic....the last time I was there was 2 years ago (Toldeo) and we parked about a mile away and walked, which was nice. However, we kind of wanted to park at Pioneer again this year. So in order to park there (I know it fills up quickly) what time is best to try to get in there....or are there any other places to park just as nice?
Just looking for a little help from the MGoCommunity. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated and considered.
should get you a spot.
That will be a Noon game so I would say around 9a-10a would be fine but I would suggest getting there around 8a so you can tailgate longer!
I usually get there a little earlier for tailgating purposes, but 3 hours before would almost certainly get you a spot.
I'd recommend that you turn the walk into a true Michigan football experience. Don't park at the high school. Instead, park somewhere on campus - maybe near East Quad (on Church/E. U). There's plenty of street parking available. Then, walk with the students. Pass the house parties along the way. Notice as the smaller clumps of people turn into a giant mass as you make the turn onto Hoover. Grab a dog of some sort from the street meat vendors. For an early season game like UMass, it could be a perfectly sunny day. You'll enjoy it.
Your walk might be a few minutes longer, but it's well worth it.
I usually park in that area or south of it (Burns Park). As the parent says, you have to be OK with walking. Keep telling yourself that it's free (as opposed to 10/15/20/more). Nice, scenic neighborhoods, too...
If you're a big-time tailgater, of course, you can ignore that suggestion. Go to Pioneer or the golf course.
Another suggestion for a first-timer: Unless you really enjoy gridlock, avoid I-94 south of town, State Street, and Ann Arbor Saline Road before and after the game. Ann Arbor is a small town and you should be able to go around the masses without losing much time. This goes double if you're approaching from the west / north.
That's a great way to do it. I usually end up closer to Hill so that I can do a little pre-drinking at Dominick's, but anywhere in that general region brings me back to my undergrad days.
So true. We used to party at the apartments across from the athletic buildings on Hoover before games. There's nothing like watching thousands of people cully clad in Maize flooding Hoover street.
But I will say this; both the Pioneer Lot, which the Athletic Department has designated (at least a portion) as the Purple Lot and the U-M Tennis and Wrestling Complex (known as the Brown Lot) are seeing a lot more pressure from season ticket holders and Victors Club members, as the Blue Lot has been commandeered to a great extent by three big factors:
1. Suite-holder parking, now called the "Champions" lot;
2. Much more handicapped parking, per lawsuits and pr concerns, etc., and;
3. Crisler Arena construction.
All of that means downward pressure on parking, and I suspect that fans will see gradually increased pressure to get into places that they are accustomed to, at Pioneer, at the Golf Course, and all over.
Just to be clear there has always been a "Champions Lot" in the Crisler Lot. My friends and I wanted a Blue Lot pass and received a Champions Lot pass instead a couple years ago. It has always been the parking area in front of the tunnel. But now that will be used more and probably takes up a few more spaces.
But the construction for Crisler is taking up alot of parking right now. I will be interested to see if they reduce the amount of space the construction zone is right now for Saturdays in the fall.
Both golf courses are the best option if you plan to tailgate. Pioneer is "alcohol free" so you have to be much more discreet.
Pioneer is alcohol free? Whoops - been breaking that rule for ten years plus now.
it is a noon game and you want to bee able to get a good pregame in so you will want to be there by 6 ... that way you actually have time to enjoy some great slowly cooked meat and enough beverage to get you through a game against a FCS team
and if you think i am kidding i am not ... i got up at 6 last yr for every noon game last yr and enjoyed the hell out of it ... you can always sleep at a later date, you only get a few chances a yr to do the michigan football thing
all the responses. +1 for everyone from me and I am now considering the golf course since we do plan to "partake" publicly while tailgaiting before and after the game.
I highly recommend parking at Colonial Lanes (or a place near there) on Industrial. The places near there usually only charge $5-10 and the walk to the stadium is not bad at all. Plus, there is not much traffic after. I have always parked at the party/liquor store just south of the bowling alley.
Also you get an indoor restroom at the lanes which is better than a port-o-pottie.
Ann Arbor Golf and Outing or for a much cheaper alternative, I've parked in the Maynard Street structure when I have shopping and dinner plans on campus.
But they have a new parking lot right next to the stadium no one knows about. Just drive up to the East Side, about 15 minutes (or even less if the team starts sucking again) before kickoff and you'll get right in.
If it is raining, god forbid, the car wash or Colonial are good alternatives.