About two months ago, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. For my list, I’m basing this off five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here.
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
5. Anchorage
4. Minneapolis
3. Colorado Springs
2. Denver
This week, its city No. 1: Duluth, which is home to the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.
Access
This is the only criteria of the five where the city of Duluth struggles a bit, although in reality, it’s not too tough to get to for most fans. Duluth isn’t really far from any of the non-Colorado or Alaska-based WCHA teams. It’s about five hours or so away from Madison, and it’s less than four hours from cities such as Houghton, Grand Forks, St. Cloud, Minneapolis, and Mankato.
If you’re coming from the Twin Cities, 99 percent of your trip will be on Interstate 35, which makes for an easy commute. Those coming from places like Madison or Houghton will find that most of their travel will come on two-lane highways, which aren’t bad, but obviously don’t give you the chance to go at higher speeds like an interstate does.
Folks that need to fly to get to Duluth will likely need to fly into Minneapolis and rent a car, but it’s only 170 miles or so to Duluth from the Twin Cities International Airport, which isn’t too bad.
Bars
Canal Park – which is the area of downtown Duluth that the DECC is located – is full of bars and restaurants for fans to flock to before and after the games.
Before and after the games though, Grandma’s Sports Garden is the place to be. Located just out the backdoor of the DECC, it’s a spacious facility that serves decent food before the games, but really excels afterward. As frequent message board contributor and noted Duluth fan “Fire Helmet Guy” likes to point out, while other cities may have lots of bars to go to after the games are done, Duluth has just one, and it’s where almost everyone goes. And because of that, it does make for quite the post-game atmosphere. The Garden is noted for their pitchers of kamikazes and good drink specials.
Another arm of the Grandma’s chain – The Saloon – is another solid bar that’s located in Canal Park. It’s just upstairs from the main Grandma’s restaurant that many people are aware of, and it offers more of a laid back and traditional bar atmosphere.
Places such as Red Lobster, Timberlodge Steak House, Green Mill, Old Chicago, and Famous Dave’s offer everything you’d come to expect from those chain restaurants.
There are a few places outside of the Canal Park area that are worth your time if you head to Duluth. The Reef, which is located a bit closer to campus, is also a more traditional bar, but it attracts quite a few visitors at night and is a good place to maybe start your night, if you plan on finishing things up in Canal Park.
Just across the border (in Wisconsin, about five minutes from Canal Park) you’ll find the Anchor Bar, which to be honest is a complete dump. But, as many people know, bars like that can be hidden gems, and the Anchor is no exception. It’s very small on the inside, and only holds about two dozen people comfortably, but they offer one of the best burgers you’ll ever have. Those who are counting calories should probably not venture into the Anchor, since grease is about as prevalent as the meat on these burgers, but they are worth it.
City Experience
Duluth is one of the most family-friendly cities in the WCHA. Canal Park offers much more than just bars and restaurants for people to enjoy. Half of the famous Aerial Lift Bridge is based in Canal Park, and makes for some good photo opportunities, and the same can be said of the scenic views of Lake Superior. The lighthouse at the end of the pier is also a popular spot for tourists. Other highlights of Canal Park include the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, the Great Lakes Aquarium, and the William A Irvin floating ship museum.
If you venture out of Canal Park and head up the hill into downtown, there are several small shops to hit, as well as the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, which is great for kids.
If you visit the area in the winter, you can take advantage of the skiing options that the area provides, including the Lutsen Resort.
Click here for to visit the city of Duluth's official tourism website.
Hotels
Another great feature of Canal Park is that there are several hotel options to choose from. My personal favorite is the Comfort Suites, which features rooms for about $100 a night. But it’s worth it, since the hotel is nice and they offer, among other things, a free continental breakfast which features several different things to eat and drink.
Click here to see other hotels in Canal Park, and click here to hotels in the downtown Duluth area.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Tickets to Bulldog games are generally very easy to get. The only concern one should have is that if they are going to see either Minnesota or North Dakota play UMD, tickets to tend to go quick, especially if the Bulldogs are having or are expected to have an “up” year.
The price of tickets is about on par with the rest of the league. Single game tickets are $18 for most games, while the price rises to $25 for games against the Gophers and the Sioux.
UMD uses TicketMaster, which adds about $5/ticket to your cost, but most people are, unfortunately, accustomed to this type of fee these days.
Summary
Duluth is one of my favorite roadtrip towns because it blends the amenities of some of the bigger WCHA towns with the quaintness of some of the smaller towns. There are plenty of things to do in the area, and there are tons of restaurants and hotels to choose from; but at the same time, everything you need is right in Canal Park, and if you choose to stay there, you don’t need to move your car all weekend to have a great time.
Overall Grade: A
Showing posts with label Roadtrips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roadtrips. Show all posts
Friday, September 21, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
WCHA Roadtrip Town No. 2 – Denver
About two months ago, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. For my list, I’m basing this off five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here.
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
5. Anchorage
4. Minneapolis
3. Colorado Springs
This week, its city No. 2: Denver, Colo., which is home to the University of Denver Pioneers.
Access
Despite the fact that Denver is pretty far away from a vast majority of the other WCHA cities, it’s not too tough to get to. There are many daily flights from the Twin Cities International airport via carriers such as Northwest, United, and Frontier. You should never have to spend over $300 to fly from the Twin Cities to Denver, and often you can find flights for under $250, which isn’t too bad.
The schedule is also very flexible if you’re flying from the Twin Cities, as there are flights starting from about 7 a.m. each day all the way through the night. I’ve noticed that, over time, it seems like there are a limited number of flights leaving between 3 and 5 p.m., which is an ideal time for some people because it allows them to work a full day on a Thursday (for example) and still get out to Denver a day early.
Most flights from Grand Forks to Denver connect through Minneapolis, while flights from the Madison area can often connect through Chicago or Milwaukee.
Bars
Unfortunately, there aren’t very many bars in the area of the DU campus or Magness Arena. But, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of fun to be had in the city of Denver.
One of the best places to pregame near Magness Arena and the DU campus is Spanky's Roadhouse Bar and Grill. They have great burgers and because it’s one of the only places to pregame at, it’s always packed with hockey fans. It’s one of the better bars / restaurants to hit before a game in the WCHA.
Downtown Denver is maybe my favorite place in any WCHA city, as the city offers so many great bars and restaurants to choose from. The two main areas in downtown Denver – the 16th Street Mall and the LoDo area – connect to form a great stretch of establishments.
The area is laced with bars and restaurants on nearly every corner. Standbys such as an ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Café, and a Cheesecake Factory can be found on the 16th Street Mall. Once you get down to the LoDo area (which, by the way, is short for “lower downtown”), there are more bars than restaurants.
Braun's Bar & Grill, which is adjacent to the Pepsi Center (which is a little southwest of the LoDo area), is a great sports bar that was home to Minnesota’s fanbase during the 2006 NCAA West Regional.
My favorite restaurant that I’ve found in my travels to the Denver area is called The Delectable Egg, which is a great breakfast joint that features phenomenal food at very reasonable prices. The menu is very eclectic and the atmosphere is very cool. There are a handful of locations in the Denver area, including one just off the 16th Street Mall.
Another must-stop for our group in Denver is Woody’s Woodfire Pizza, which isn’t too far from the DU campus. They offer a lunch buffet for about $10 that features salad and pizza. Best of all, you can talk with the cooks about what type of pizza you’d like, and they have everything under the sun in terms of choices. Definitely worth a try.
City Experience
This is an area where a city like Denver really shines, as there are countless things to do aside from watching your team take on the Pioneers.
The 16th Street Mall makes for a great time-killer and is good for those who like to “people watch” as they say. The Pepsi Center – which is home to many events – is worth a visit as well, as the building (both inside and out) is pretty cool for a sports arena. If you’re lucky, you can catch an Avalanche game on the Thursday before or Sunday after your team’s games against DU.
Last spring, I took a tour of Coors Field and would highly recommend doing that if you need to pass some time. I’d image a tour of Invesco Field would be equally entertaining. The Coors Brewery isn’t really anything special, but the town of Golden is pretty cool to see. Plus, it’s only about 15 miles from the heart of downtown.
I also hear there’s some mountain range near the area, which of course makes for some great sight-seeing and picture-taking opportunities.
With a city this big, I’m sure there are many cool things I’m not even aware of, so feel free to visit the city of Denver’s official tourism guide.
Hotels
The city of Denver has many lodging options, as one would expect. There aren’t many hotels near Magness Arena, but with a city like Denver, it’s not as important to be staying near the campus / arena because there are so many more things to do in the city as opposed to a city like Madison, for example.
The Four Points by Sheraton Denver Southeast is a pretty close to campus and gets the seal of approval from the hardcore UMD fans who have made the trip to Denver. I’ve also stayed at this hotel and highly recommend it. The rates can get spendy, but you can also find times when you can pay less than $100 per night. The hotel has a solid bar in it and is right on the interstate, so it’s easy to get to and from.
Ticket Cost / Availability
The University of Denver uses TicketMaster, which means you can expect and additional $5 - 8 to be tacked onto your ticket price, which ranges from $18 to $25. It’s unfortunate, but there’s not much you can do about it.
Tickets are pretty easy to get for the games if you’re on top of things when single game tickets go on sale, which is usually early September. Tickets for the high-profile games (Colorado College, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin) tend to go quicker than others, so make you’re online or calling when the go on sale, but you shouldn’t’ have any issues.
Summary
The city of Denver is probably the one WCHA city that I’d go out of my to visit for a non-hockey based trip. There are so many fun things to do just in the downtown area, you could spend a weekend there and not feel like you missed out on anything. Throw in the picturesque scenery and some good hockey, and you’ve got all the makings of a great roadtrip.
Overall Grade: A
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
5. Anchorage
4. Minneapolis
3. Colorado Springs
This week, its city No. 2: Denver, Colo., which is home to the University of Denver Pioneers.
Access
Despite the fact that Denver is pretty far away from a vast majority of the other WCHA cities, it’s not too tough to get to. There are many daily flights from the Twin Cities International airport via carriers such as Northwest, United, and Frontier. You should never have to spend over $300 to fly from the Twin Cities to Denver, and often you can find flights for under $250, which isn’t too bad.
The schedule is also very flexible if you’re flying from the Twin Cities, as there are flights starting from about 7 a.m. each day all the way through the night. I’ve noticed that, over time, it seems like there are a limited number of flights leaving between 3 and 5 p.m., which is an ideal time for some people because it allows them to work a full day on a Thursday (for example) and still get out to Denver a day early.
Most flights from Grand Forks to Denver connect through Minneapolis, while flights from the Madison area can often connect through Chicago or Milwaukee.
Bars
Unfortunately, there aren’t very many bars in the area of the DU campus or Magness Arena. But, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of fun to be had in the city of Denver.
One of the best places to pregame near Magness Arena and the DU campus is Spanky's Roadhouse Bar and Grill. They have great burgers and because it’s one of the only places to pregame at, it’s always packed with hockey fans. It’s one of the better bars / restaurants to hit before a game in the WCHA.
Downtown Denver is maybe my favorite place in any WCHA city, as the city offers so many great bars and restaurants to choose from. The two main areas in downtown Denver – the 16th Street Mall and the LoDo area – connect to form a great stretch of establishments.
The area is laced with bars and restaurants on nearly every corner. Standbys such as an ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Café, and a Cheesecake Factory can be found on the 16th Street Mall. Once you get down to the LoDo area (which, by the way, is short for “lower downtown”), there are more bars than restaurants.
Braun's Bar & Grill, which is adjacent to the Pepsi Center (which is a little southwest of the LoDo area), is a great sports bar that was home to Minnesota’s fanbase during the 2006 NCAA West Regional.
My favorite restaurant that I’ve found in my travels to the Denver area is called The Delectable Egg, which is a great breakfast joint that features phenomenal food at very reasonable prices. The menu is very eclectic and the atmosphere is very cool. There are a handful of locations in the Denver area, including one just off the 16th Street Mall.
Another must-stop for our group in Denver is Woody’s Woodfire Pizza, which isn’t too far from the DU campus. They offer a lunch buffet for about $10 that features salad and pizza. Best of all, you can talk with the cooks about what type of pizza you’d like, and they have everything under the sun in terms of choices. Definitely worth a try.
City Experience
This is an area where a city like Denver really shines, as there are countless things to do aside from watching your team take on the Pioneers.
The 16th Street Mall makes for a great time-killer and is good for those who like to “people watch” as they say. The Pepsi Center – which is home to many events – is worth a visit as well, as the building (both inside and out) is pretty cool for a sports arena. If you’re lucky, you can catch an Avalanche game on the Thursday before or Sunday after your team’s games against DU.
Last spring, I took a tour of Coors Field and would highly recommend doing that if you need to pass some time. I’d image a tour of Invesco Field would be equally entertaining. The Coors Brewery isn’t really anything special, but the town of Golden is pretty cool to see. Plus, it’s only about 15 miles from the heart of downtown.
I also hear there’s some mountain range near the area, which of course makes for some great sight-seeing and picture-taking opportunities.
With a city this big, I’m sure there are many cool things I’m not even aware of, so feel free to visit the city of Denver’s official tourism guide.
Hotels
The city of Denver has many lodging options, as one would expect. There aren’t many hotels near Magness Arena, but with a city like Denver, it’s not as important to be staying near the campus / arena because there are so many more things to do in the city as opposed to a city like Madison, for example.
The Four Points by Sheraton Denver Southeast is a pretty close to campus and gets the seal of approval from the hardcore UMD fans who have made the trip to Denver. I’ve also stayed at this hotel and highly recommend it. The rates can get spendy, but you can also find times when you can pay less than $100 per night. The hotel has a solid bar in it and is right on the interstate, so it’s easy to get to and from.
Ticket Cost / Availability
The University of Denver uses TicketMaster, which means you can expect and additional $5 - 8 to be tacked onto your ticket price, which ranges from $18 to $25. It’s unfortunate, but there’s not much you can do about it.
Tickets are pretty easy to get for the games if you’re on top of things when single game tickets go on sale, which is usually early September. Tickets for the high-profile games (Colorado College, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin) tend to go quicker than others, so make you’re online or calling when the go on sale, but you shouldn’t’ have any issues.
Summary
The city of Denver is probably the one WCHA city that I’d go out of my to visit for a non-hockey based trip. There are so many fun things to do just in the downtown area, you could spend a weekend there and not feel like you missed out on anything. Throw in the picturesque scenery and some good hockey, and you’ve got all the makings of a great roadtrip.
Overall Grade: A
Friday, September 7, 2007
WCHA Roadtrip Town No. 3 – Colorado Springs
About one month ago, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. For my list, I’m basing this off five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here.
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
5. Anchorage
4. Minneapolis
This week, its city No. 3: Colorado Springs, Colo., which is home to the Colorado College Tigers.
Access
Most fans that visit the Colorado Springs area will likely need to fly. The city of Colorado Springs does have an airport, but I’ve always found that flights directly to the Springs are generally pretty expensive, and that flying into Denver’s international airport is often a better option.
If you’re flying from the Twin Cities to Denver, you can usually find a flight for less than $250, which is a pretty affordable rate for airfare. Denver’s airport is easy to get around and it’s on the outskirts of the city, so you’re not dumped into a traffic mess as soon as you land. It’s also very easy to head south to Colorado Springs right when you leave the airport, although make sure you have change with you, since it’s quicker to take the toll-road as opposed to cutting through the city of Denver.
Regardless, you’ll travel south on I-25 for a majority of the trip if you fly into or come from
Denver. As of last spring, there is some construction on the road the closer you get to Colorado Springs, which does result in some pretty heavy traffic. But, the speed limit for most of that stretch is 75 MPH, so you can make some pretty good time. It’s about 70 miles from Denver to the Springs.
Bars
Downtown Colorado Springs features several cool bars and restaurants. My personal favorite is the Jack Quinn Irish Ale House, which is located in the heart of downtown and near several other popular establishments. As the name would suggest, it’s an Irish bar that features some unique beer choices and also has a great food menu.
Just down the street from Jack Quinn’s is Sam’s, which claims to be the world’s smallest bar. And, after seeing the place in person, I can’t argue with them. It could probably hold about six people comfortably, and even that may be pushing it. There are several pictures on the wall of various visitors to the bar. If you visit downtown Colorado Springs, this is a must see.
If you want to stay close to the World Arena (which isn’t in downtown), there are a few options, but nothing special. The two most popular pre and post-game hangouts – an Outback Steakhouse and a Carrabba's Italian Grill – are adjacent to the World Arena. These places will fill up very quickly before and after the games, so make sure you get there early.
City Experience
This is one area where Colorado Springs really excels, as its right up there with Denver and Anchorage in terms of WCHA cities with the best “touristy” things to do. My personal favorite is the Air Force Academy, which is an awesome thing to see. It’s very easy just to drive through the base, although you should make sure you have I.D.’s on-hand for as many people in your group as possible, since they are somewhat inquisitive when you first enter the base.
Once you get in though, the scenery is great, and there are plenty of items that are worth seeing, including the football stadium, the hockey rink (nothing special, but worth checking out since you’re presumably a hockey fan), and the Cadet Chapel, which I haven’t personally seen up close yet but plan on doing that in October.
The U.S. Olympic Complex is located near the Colorado College campus which is a little north of the World Arena, and this is another good thing to see. They have a solid gift shop and lots of historic pictures, along with the actual facilities where Olympic athletes have trained in the past.
Finally, you can also make the drive up into the mountains and head toward Pike’s Peak. You can drive up towards the top, but this drive is, not surprisingly, not meant for those who are afraid of heights. There isn’t much between your car and the side of the mountain. Even if you didn’t want to make the drive all the way to the top, just driving in the general area of Pike’s Peak will give you plenty of photo opportunities.
Click here to visit Colorado Springs’ visitor’s guide.
Hotels
There is several lodging options right next to the World Arena, which makes for a great setup. Three hotels – a La Quinta Inn, a Fairfield Inn, and a Residence Inn – are located right next to the restaurants I mentioned earlier. They are solid options, but I usually stay at the La Quinta since it’s generally a bit more affordable that the other two options. Regardless, I highly recommend that you stay at one of these three places, since they are so close to the arena and won’t crush your wallet.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Unless you are going to watch CC play Denver, tickets are pretty easy to get for a Tigers game, although you should probably be online or calling when single game tickets go on sale to ensure that you get seats. Most of the lower bowl at the World Arena is made up of season ticket holders, and some of the seats in the upper-level get kind of crappy the more up in the corners you get. If you plan on flying to make a trip though, you should do yourself a favor and make sure you get good seats to watch your squad.
Tickets are about $18-25 each.
Summary
Along with Anchorage, this is another trip that all WCHA fans should try and make at some point. The hockey is always solid, since CC is generally a very good team, but even if there was zero hockey on the trip, it’s just such a great town and area to see. There are lots of fun bars / restaurants and lodging in downtown and near the World Arena, and the city experience is right up there with Anchorage in terms of scenery and fun things to do.
Overall Grade: A
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
5. Anchorage
4. Minneapolis
This week, its city No. 3: Colorado Springs, Colo., which is home to the Colorado College Tigers.
Access
Most fans that visit the Colorado Springs area will likely need to fly. The city of Colorado Springs does have an airport, but I’ve always found that flights directly to the Springs are generally pretty expensive, and that flying into Denver’s international airport is often a better option.
If you’re flying from the Twin Cities to Denver, you can usually find a flight for less than $250, which is a pretty affordable rate for airfare. Denver’s airport is easy to get around and it’s on the outskirts of the city, so you’re not dumped into a traffic mess as soon as you land. It’s also very easy to head south to Colorado Springs right when you leave the airport, although make sure you have change with you, since it’s quicker to take the toll-road as opposed to cutting through the city of Denver.
Regardless, you’ll travel south on I-25 for a majority of the trip if you fly into or come from
Denver. As of last spring, there is some construction on the road the closer you get to Colorado Springs, which does result in some pretty heavy traffic. But, the speed limit for most of that stretch is 75 MPH, so you can make some pretty good time. It’s about 70 miles from Denver to the Springs.Bars
Downtown Colorado Springs features several cool bars and restaurants. My personal favorite is the Jack Quinn Irish Ale House, which is located in the heart of downtown and near several other popular establishments. As the name would suggest, it’s an Irish bar that features some unique beer choices and also has a great food menu.
Just down the street from Jack Quinn’s is Sam’s, which claims to be the world’s smallest bar. And, after seeing the place in person, I can’t argue with them. It could probably hold about six people comfortably, and even that may be pushing it. There are several pictures on the wall of various visitors to the bar. If you visit downtown Colorado Springs, this is a must see.
If you want to stay close to the World Arena (which isn’t in downtown), there are a few options, but nothing special. The two most popular pre and post-game hangouts – an Outback Steakhouse and a Carrabba's Italian Grill – are adjacent to the World Arena. These places will fill up very quickly before and after the games, so make sure you get there early.
City Experience
This is one area where Colorado Springs really excels, as its right up there with Denver and Anchorage in terms of WCHA cities with the best “touristy” things to do. My personal favorite is the Air Force Academy, which is an awesome thing to see. It’s very easy just to drive through the base, although you should make sure you have I.D.’s on-hand for as many people in your group as possible, since they are somewhat inquisitive when you first enter the base.
Once you get in though, the scenery is great, and there are plenty of items that are worth seeing, including the football stadium, the hockey rink (nothing special, but worth checking out since you’re presumably a hockey fan), and the Cadet Chapel, which I haven’t personally seen up close yet but plan on doing that in October.
The U.S. Olympic Complex is located near the Colorado College campus which is a little north of the World Arena, and this is another good thing to see. They have a solid gift shop and lots of historic pictures, along with the actual facilities where Olympic athletes have trained in the past.
Finally, you can also make the drive up into the mountains and head toward Pike’s Peak. You can drive up towards the top, but this drive is, not surprisingly, not meant for those who are afraid of heights. There isn’t much between your car and the side of the mountain. Even if you didn’t want to make the drive all the way to the top, just driving in the general area of Pike’s Peak will give you plenty of photo opportunities.
Click here to visit Colorado Springs’ visitor’s guide.
Hotels
There is several lodging options right next to the World Arena, which makes for a great setup. Three hotels – a La Quinta Inn, a Fairfield Inn, and a Residence Inn – are located right next to the restaurants I mentioned earlier. They are solid options, but I usually stay at the La Quinta since it’s generally a bit more affordable that the other two options. Regardless, I highly recommend that you stay at one of these three places, since they are so close to the arena and won’t crush your wallet.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Unless you are going to watch CC play Denver, tickets are pretty easy to get for a Tigers game, although you should probably be online or calling when single game tickets go on sale to ensure that you get seats. Most of the lower bowl at the World Arena is made up of season ticket holders, and some of the seats in the upper-level get kind of crappy the more up in the corners you get. If you plan on flying to make a trip though, you should do yourself a favor and make sure you get good seats to watch your squad.
Tickets are about $18-25 each.
Summary
Along with Anchorage, this is another trip that all WCHA fans should try and make at some point. The hockey is always solid, since CC is generally a very good team, but even if there was zero hockey on the trip, it’s just such a great town and area to see. There are lots of fun bars / restaurants and lodging in downtown and near the World Arena, and the city experience is right up there with Anchorage in terms of scenery and fun things to do.
Overall Grade: A
Friday, August 31, 2007
WCHA Roadtrip Town No. 4 – Minneapolis
About one month ago, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. For my list, I’m basing this off five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here.
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
5. Anchorage
This week, its city No. 4: Minneapolis, Minn., which is home to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Access
This review as a whole is a bit different for me since I’ve lived in the Twin Cities area my whole life and therefore have never had a chance to ‘visit’ the area. However, as I’ve stated before, I’ve been to all the other WCHA towns, so I feel that I can compare the Minneapolis area to these towns.
Minneapolis is probably the easiest city to get to in the WCHA. It’s about an hour away from St. Cloud and Mankato, two hours from Duluth, and a little over four hours from Madison and Grand Forks. The drive from most of these areas is pretty painless, although the Twin Cities area can certainly generate its share of traffic as you get closer to either downtown.
With the 35W bridge disaster, it’s a little tougher to navigate the area around the Minnesota campus, but it’s still manageable, especially at night (when hockey games generally are) as opposed to rush hour.
The Twin Cities also features an international airport with several flights a day to the Denver / Colorado Springs area, among others.
Bars
As is the case with most big schools in major cities, there are plenty of options for having some fun before and after the games. There are obviously many bars in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area, but I think you’ll find that you won’t need to leave the U of M campus to find a good time.
Before the games, there are three places that most fans venture to that are all in the same general area. Sally’s Saloon and Eatery is the biggest hangout of the three. Like the others, it’s just a few blocks from Mariucci Arena and is a typical sports bar. It gets very busy before the games but is big enough to accommodate the hockey crowd. However, it can get very packed if the campus has another event going on that day. The menu is limited on gamedays but is still very solid. It’s a tad spendy, but the atmosphere is what keeps people coming back over the years.
Down the street a bit you’ll find Big Ten Restaurant & Bar. This place gets packed as well, but mainly because it’s very small compared to Sally’s. Big 10 is known for their subs, which are excellent. They have a much better selection of beer on tap, if that’s your thing.
Stub and Herbs is the other of the mainstays for pregaming. Featuring both an upper and lower level, there’s nothing overly special about it, but they have a lot of room and your traditional bar food.
If you’re looking to have some fun at night, The Library is the most popular bar on campus after dark. It gets very packed with the ‘hip and trendy’ crowd, but they have good specials on the weekend and the “scenery” is nice. And yes, it’s about two blocks away from the infamous Blarney Pub and Grill.
Finally, if you’re looking for a late-night snack after your do some bar-hopping, Burrito Loco, which is adjacent to The Library, is where you’ll want to go. They are open well past bar close and it is the place to go for after hours food.
City Experience
There are quite a few things to do in the Twin Cities area. In the fall, Viking and Gopher football games could kill some time on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. The Wild start up in early October, which would make for a good time in St. Paul on a Thursday or Sunday. Out-of-towners like to frequent the Mall of America as well if they’ve never been to the Twin Cities area.
Click here to visit the official visitors guide to the Twin Cities.
Hotels
There are not too many options near Mariucci Arena. The best bet for visitors is the Radisson that is right by the three bars / restaurants I mentioned earlier. It’s well over $100 a night though, which could be problematic.
There is a Days Inn down the street a bit that could be a more viable option for the money-conscience.
If readers have other suggestions here, please feel free to chime in via the comments section, since this is one area that I don’t deal with too often in Minneapolis.
Ticket Cost / Availability
As anyone who has visited the Twin Cities to watch a Gopher game, you know that this is a potential issue. Gopher games are all essentially sold out before tickets go on sale to the public. Scattered single seats and standing-room tickets can be had when tickets go on sale in mid-September each year.
However, buying tickets from scalpers out front has always been a popular route of attack, and now that scalping tickets is legal in Minnesota, this is likely to be an increased course of action for folks looking for seats. The standard ticket is $30, but unless the Gophers are playing someone like North Dakota or Wisconsin, you can likely pay under face-value from scalpers to get in if you play your cards right.
As with any roadtrip though, it’s nice to have tickets in-hand before leaving.
Summary
As I said before, I’ve never “visited” Minneapolis since I live here, but I think it has all the ingredients to be a great roadtrip town: the hockey will almost always be good because of the quality of Minnesota’s teams each year, it’s easy to get to the area and it’s centrally located, and there are plenty of places to hangout around Mariucci. Lodging could be a slight issue if you don’t want to have to drive at all, but finding a decent place isn’t an issue at all. And finally, tickets to Gopher games aren’t going to fall into your lap, but with some many resources online to find tickets, it really shouldn’t be too tough to have them with you before you depart.
Overall Grade: B
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
5. Anchorage
This week, its city No. 4: Minneapolis, Minn., which is home to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Access
This review as a whole is a bit different for me since I’ve lived in the Twin Cities area my whole life and therefore have never had a chance to ‘visit’ the area. However, as I’ve stated before, I’ve been to all the other WCHA towns, so I feel that I can compare the Minneapolis area to these towns.
Minneapolis is probably the easiest city to get to in the WCHA. It’s about an hour away from St. Cloud and Mankato, two hours from Duluth, and a little over four hours from Madison and Grand Forks. The drive from most of these areas is pretty painless, although the Twin Cities area can certainly generate its share of traffic as you get closer to either downtown.
With the 35W bridge disaster, it’s a little tougher to navigate the area around the Minnesota campus, but it’s still manageable, especially at night (when hockey games generally are) as opposed to rush hour.
The Twin Cities also features an international airport with several flights a day to the Denver / Colorado Springs area, among others.
Bars
As is the case with most big schools in major cities, there are plenty of options for having some fun before and after the games. There are obviously many bars in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area, but I think you’ll find that you won’t need to leave the U of M campus to find a good time.
Before the games, there are three places that most fans venture to that are all in the same general area. Sally’s Saloon and Eatery is the biggest hangout of the three. Like the others, it’s just a few blocks from Mariucci Arena and is a typical sports bar. It gets very busy before the games but is big enough to accommodate the hockey crowd. However, it can get very packed if the campus has another event going on that day. The menu is limited on gamedays but is still very solid. It’s a tad spendy, but the atmosphere is what keeps people coming back over the years.
Down the street a bit you’ll find Big Ten Restaurant & Bar. This place gets packed as well, but mainly because it’s very small compared to Sally’s. Big 10 is known for their subs, which are excellent. They have a much better selection of beer on tap, if that’s your thing.
Stub and Herbs is the other of the mainstays for pregaming. Featuring both an upper and lower level, there’s nothing overly special about it, but they have a lot of room and your traditional bar food.
If you’re looking to have some fun at night, The Library is the most popular bar on campus after dark. It gets very packed with the ‘hip and trendy’ crowd, but they have good specials on the weekend and the “scenery” is nice. And yes, it’s about two blocks away from the infamous Blarney Pub and Grill.
Finally, if you’re looking for a late-night snack after your do some bar-hopping, Burrito Loco, which is adjacent to The Library, is where you’ll want to go. They are open well past bar close and it is the place to go for after hours food.
City Experience
There are quite a few things to do in the Twin Cities area. In the fall, Viking and Gopher football games could kill some time on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. The Wild start up in early October, which would make for a good time in St. Paul on a Thursday or Sunday. Out-of-towners like to frequent the Mall of America as well if they’ve never been to the Twin Cities area.
Click here to visit the official visitors guide to the Twin Cities.
Hotels
There are not too many options near Mariucci Arena. The best bet for visitors is the Radisson that is right by the three bars / restaurants I mentioned earlier. It’s well over $100 a night though, which could be problematic.
There is a Days Inn down the street a bit that could be a more viable option for the money-conscience.
If readers have other suggestions here, please feel free to chime in via the comments section, since this is one area that I don’t deal with too often in Minneapolis.
Ticket Cost / Availability
As anyone who has visited the Twin Cities to watch a Gopher game, you know that this is a potential issue. Gopher games are all essentially sold out before tickets go on sale to the public. Scattered single seats and standing-room tickets can be had when tickets go on sale in mid-September each year.
However, buying tickets from scalpers out front has always been a popular route of attack, and now that scalping tickets is legal in Minnesota, this is likely to be an increased course of action for folks looking for seats. The standard ticket is $30, but unless the Gophers are playing someone like North Dakota or Wisconsin, you can likely pay under face-value from scalpers to get in if you play your cards right.
As with any roadtrip though, it’s nice to have tickets in-hand before leaving.
Summary
As I said before, I’ve never “visited” Minneapolis since I live here, but I think it has all the ingredients to be a great roadtrip town: the hockey will almost always be good because of the quality of Minnesota’s teams each year, it’s easy to get to the area and it’s centrally located, and there are plenty of places to hangout around Mariucci. Lodging could be a slight issue if you don’t want to have to drive at all, but finding a decent place isn’t an issue at all. And finally, tickets to Gopher games aren’t going to fall into your lap, but with some many resources online to find tickets, it really shouldn’t be too tough to have them with you before you depart.
Overall Grade: B
Friday, August 24, 2007
WCHA Roadtrip Town No. 5 – Anchorage
About one month ago, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. For my list, I’m basing this off five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here.
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
This week, it’s city No. 5: Anchorage, AK., which is home to the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.
Access
If there was ever going to be a mark against a city in the WCHA, it would certainly come here. Obviously Anchorage is very far away from most other WCHA schools, and requires a flight to gain access to the city.
There are daily flights from Denver and Minneapolis to the city of Anchorage, so finding a flight isn’t the problem. The price that one must pay for their ticket is the issue, as most flights from either airport cost in the neighborhood of between $500 and $600.
If and when a person gets to Anchorage though, it’s no different that navigating around a normal city, assuming the weather is decent. There are some minor hiccups, but all in all, getting around Anchorage is not problematic.
Bars
As with any large city, Anchorage’s downtown area features plenty of fun places to grab a drink or a bite to eat. I’ve only been to Anchorage once, but over those four days I tried to visit as many places as possible.
One of my favorites was the F Street Station, which is in the heart of downtown and near many of the other bars and restaurants in the area. We went there late at night and it was absolutely packed, mostly with college-aged kids. Because the bar itself is pretty small on the inside, it did get pretty tough to move around. The food is above-average and is served much later into the night than some other establishments in the area.
Chilkoot Charlie's was one of the most unique bars I’ve ever been to. It’s located just outside of downtown Anchorage and – like the Red Carpet in St. Cloud – features several different mini-bars inside. They have everything from a live band area to a room with wood stumps for tables and seats with underwear hanging on the walls. As you can imagine, most of the crowd was more young than old, but at the very least it’s worth a stop if you make it up to Anchorage.
Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse was another favorite of mine. It was very roomy inside and like the previous two bars, most of the clientele were college-aged. Because the inside was so large, it was much easier to spread out and getting service was also easier.
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced restaurant that’s close to the arena and is a step above the “college / bar scene,” Sorrento's Restaurant is an excellent choice. They feature outstanding Italian food in a classic setting.
City Experience
The city of Anchorage – or more appropriately the surrounding area – may top all other WCHA cities in terms of City Experience. In my opinion, if the City Experience wasn’t so great, very few fans would want to make the trip up to Anchorage to watch their team play.
Even from the downtown area, the views of the Cook Inlet and the nearby mountains are spectacular. But the real fun happens when you leave the downtown area. One drive that I was advised to make was down to Seward. On my lone trip, the weather was very good – near 50 degrees in February – and because of that, the highways down to Seward were drivable, although we were warned beforehand that the warm temperature could result in possible avalanches.
But, we encountered few problems on the 130 mile drive. Just outside the city, you’ll drive along Turnagain Arm, and there are several places to stop to take pictures on the road. Further along Highway 1, you’ll be able to turn off into the city of Alyeska. There are a few ski resorts here, and you can spend a few bucks to take one of the ski lifts to the top of one of the mountains. The ride up was fairly smooth and the view was great.
On this day, there were some melting problems on the road that results in some unexpected slick spots as you ducked in and out of the shadows, but we were able to manage. As we neared Seward, there was thick fog that almost ruined our view from the city out into Resurrection Bay. Luckily the fog lifted during our lunch-break and we were able to see what all the fuss is about – Seward is defiantly worth the drive.
One could also venture north out of Anchorage and up towards Wasilla. This is as far north as we went, but this drive was very picturesque, but much different than the drive to Seward.
Be on the lookout for wildlife on both drives though. We saw a handful of moose while in the Anchorage area, but fortunately none on or near the highway.
Hotels
There are several lodging options in downtown Anchorage. We were able to secure a very good rate at the Captain Cook Hotel, which is one of the best hotels in Anchorage. This hotel was very nice, and featured arguably the best hotel bar I’ve seen. There are a handful of restaurants in the hotel, and there are also several shops on the first floor. Ask a hotel worked about the “secret” breakfast area on the top floor, too.
Sullivan Arena is only a few miles from the heart of downtown, so there are plenty of hotel options near the arena, although most aren’t within walking distance.
Ticket Cost / Availability
This is another area where Anchorage excels. Tickets are very inexpensive and are easy to obtain on most nights. Additionally, because most of the crowds in Anchorage are sparse, one can move around Sullivan Arena a bit to find optimal seating or to view the game from different angles.
Summary
This is one trip that each WCHA fan should try to make at some point. Even though it’s much more expensive than most other WCHA trips, it’s worth it. The city is great and if you plan things out right you can really maximize your time in Anchorage.
Overall Grade: B
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
This week, it’s city No. 5: Anchorage, AK., which is home to the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.
Access
If there was ever going to be a mark against a city in the WCHA, it would certainly come here. Obviously Anchorage is very far away from most other WCHA schools, and requires a flight to gain access to the city.
There are daily flights from Denver and Minneapolis to the city of Anchorage, so finding a flight isn’t the problem. The price that one must pay for their ticket is the issue, as most flights from either airport cost in the neighborhood of between $500 and $600.
If and when a person gets to Anchorage though, it’s no different that navigating around a normal city, assuming the weather is decent. There are some minor hiccups, but all in all, getting around Anchorage is not problematic.
Bars
As with any large city, Anchorage’s downtown area features plenty of fun places to grab a drink or a bite to eat. I’ve only been to Anchorage once, but over those four days I tried to visit as many places as possible.
One of my favorites was the F Street Station, which is in the heart of downtown and near many of the other bars and restaurants in the area. We went there late at night and it was absolutely packed, mostly with college-aged kids. Because the bar itself is pretty small on the inside, it did get pretty tough to move around. The food is above-average and is served much later into the night than some other establishments in the area.
Chilkoot Charlie's was one of the most unique bars I’ve ever been to. It’s located just outside of downtown Anchorage and – like the Red Carpet in St. Cloud – features several different mini-bars inside. They have everything from a live band area to a room with wood stumps for tables and seats with underwear hanging on the walls. As you can imagine, most of the crowd was more young than old, but at the very least it’s worth a stop if you make it up to Anchorage.
Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse was another favorite of mine. It was very roomy inside and like the previous two bars, most of the clientele were college-aged. Because the inside was so large, it was much easier to spread out and getting service was also easier.
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced restaurant that’s close to the arena and is a step above the “college / bar scene,” Sorrento's Restaurant is an excellent choice. They feature outstanding Italian food in a classic setting.
City Experience
The city of Anchorage – or more appropriately the surrounding area – may top all other WCHA cities in terms of City Experience. In my opinion, if the City Experience wasn’t so great, very few fans would want to make the trip up to Anchorage to watch their team play.
Even from the downtown area, the views of the Cook Inlet and the nearby mountains are spectacular. But the real fun happens when you leave the downtown area. One drive that I was advised to make was down to Seward. On my lone trip, the weather was very good – near 50 degrees in February – and because of that, the highways down to Seward were drivable, although we were warned beforehand that the warm temperature could result in possible avalanches.
But, we encountered few problems on the 130 mile drive. Just outside the city, you’ll drive along Turnagain Arm, and there are several places to stop to take pictures on the road. Further along Highway 1, you’ll be able to turn off into the city of Alyeska. There are a few ski resorts here, and you can spend a few bucks to take one of the ski lifts to the top of one of the mountains. The ride up was fairly smooth and the view was great.
On this day, there were some melting problems on the road that results in some unexpected slick spots as you ducked in and out of the shadows, but we were able to manage. As we neared Seward, there was thick fog that almost ruined our view from the city out into Resurrection Bay. Luckily the fog lifted during our lunch-break and we were able to see what all the fuss is about – Seward is defiantly worth the drive.
One could also venture north out of Anchorage and up towards Wasilla. This is as far north as we went, but this drive was very picturesque, but much different than the drive to Seward.
Be on the lookout for wildlife on both drives though. We saw a handful of moose while in the Anchorage area, but fortunately none on or near the highway.
Hotels
There are several lodging options in downtown Anchorage. We were able to secure a very good rate at the Captain Cook Hotel, which is one of the best hotels in Anchorage. This hotel was very nice, and featured arguably the best hotel bar I’ve seen. There are a handful of restaurants in the hotel, and there are also several shops on the first floor. Ask a hotel worked about the “secret” breakfast area on the top floor, too.
Sullivan Arena is only a few miles from the heart of downtown, so there are plenty of hotel options near the arena, although most aren’t within walking distance.
Ticket Cost / Availability
This is another area where Anchorage excels. Tickets are very inexpensive and are easy to obtain on most nights. Additionally, because most of the crowds in Anchorage are sparse, one can move around Sullivan Arena a bit to find optimal seating or to view the game from different angles.
Summary
This is one trip that each WCHA fan should try to make at some point. Even though it’s much more expensive than most other WCHA trips, it’s worth it. The city is great and if you plan things out right you can really maximize your time in Anchorage.
Overall Grade: B
Friday, August 17, 2007
WCHA Roadtrip Town No. 6 – Madison
About one month ago, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. For my list, I’m basing this off five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here.
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
This week, it’s city No. 6: Madison, Wisc., which is of course home to the Wisconsin Badgers.
Access
Getting to Madison is not the easiest thing for many WCHA fans. The closest other WCHA city is Minneapolis, but that’s still about 270 miles – or four hours – away. Mankato (292) and Houghton (324) are the next two closest towns, and those are nearly five hours away because of the non-interstate roads needed to get there.
The city of Madison is not home to an international airport, so fans coming from areas too far to drive will likely have to fly into Minneapolis, Milwaukee, or Chicago and make the drive.
The drive from the Twin Cities to Madison is fairly easy, since 99 percent of the drive is on Interstate 94.
The area around the Kohl Center is a little tricky to navigate if you’re not familiar with the area, but it’s tough to get too lost in a city of Madison’s size.
Bars
If bars are your thing, then Madison is your town. As most people are well aware of, Madison is the quintessential college town, which means that locating a watering hole is quite easy.
Because there are so many bars in the area, I’m sure I’ll miss some that other people absolutely love and couldn’t live without on their trip to Madison. That being said, my farvoite Madison Bar is the Nitty Gritty. It’s one of the closest establishments to the Kohl Center and – like many bars in the area – gets packed before and after games, but the atmosphere is great.
Speaking of atmosphere, State Street Brats is another must-stop. As the name would suggest, it’s located on State Street and offers phenomenal brats. The building has two levels and is great for watching other games on TV. Like the Nitty Gritty, it gets very busy before and after games, so if you want to secure a seat, you’ll need to get there early. If you’re looking for something other than beer to drink, their Citrus and Rose Bowl drinks aren’t too bad.
The Red Shed is another favorite of mine. It’s much smaller than the other two bars I’ve listed so far, so getting up to the bar can be a bit of an issue. They are known for their Long Islands (told you I’d be fair) that are served in mason jars.
Finally, last year, my friends and I found a bar that we hadn’t been to before that offered a “hip and trendy” kind of vibe that is much different than many of the bars in Madison. The City Bar offers more of a Minneapolis feel, as it’s not packed with college kids, is dimly lit, and has couches and chairs to relax in. The food was a step above the other bars in the area as well.
City Experience
Because the downtown area offers so much to do before and after games, I personally haven’t ventured out into the Madison area. It’s not a very big city when compared to other WCHA towns, and I usually visit in the dead of winter, which isn’t real conducive to venturing around a city, but click here to visit the city’s convention and visitor bureau’s website.
Hotels
The city of Madison has plenty of hotels, but there isn’t a lot to be had around the Kohl Center. The Doubletree Hotel Madison is a stones throw away from the arena, but be warned – as is the case with most Doubletrees, it’s a spendy place: rooms often cost nearly $200 per night.
The University Inn is a few blocks away from the Kohl Center, but its closer to most of the bars I mentioned above, and is also less than $100 a night. It’s not the classiest place in the world, but it’s far from the “Roach Motel.”
For other lodging options in the Madison area, click here.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Because the Kohl Center is such a large building, getting a ticket to watch your squad take on the Badgers is never a problem. Where you sit inside the building could be an issue though, but we’ll touch on that more when we review the Kohl Center as part of the WCHA Blog’s arena ratings.
Much of the lower bowl is taken up by season ticket holders, but if you’re online or calling right when tickets go on sale, you’ll at least have a shot at sitting in the lower level.
Single game tickets cost between $18-22 dollars, which isn’t too bad for a program as big as Wisconsin. It’s less than what Minnesota and North Dakota charge. Additionally, UW doesn’t change ticket prices depending on who the Badgers are playing, so that is certainly a plus.
Summary
Although Madison is one of my personal favorite trips, the town itself is not the best for traveling fans. It’s far away from many WCHA cities, and the town itself doesn’t offer much in terms of things to do outside of the downtown area.
All that being said, there is a clear gap between city No. 7 (St. Cloud) and Madison on my list. Madison is a great town, and the rating of six is more representative of the other great cities to visit in the WCHA than it is Madison’s lack of appeal.
Overall Grade: B
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
This week, it’s city No. 6: Madison, Wisc., which is of course home to the Wisconsin Badgers.
Access
Getting to Madison is not the easiest thing for many WCHA fans. The closest other WCHA city is Minneapolis, but that’s still about 270 miles – or four hours – away. Mankato (292) and Houghton (324) are the next two closest towns, and those are nearly five hours away because of the non-interstate roads needed to get there.
The city of Madison is not home to an international airport, so fans coming from areas too far to drive will likely have to fly into Minneapolis, Milwaukee, or Chicago and make the drive.
The drive from the Twin Cities to Madison is fairly easy, since 99 percent of the drive is on Interstate 94.
The area around the Kohl Center is a little tricky to navigate if you’re not familiar with the area, but it’s tough to get too lost in a city of Madison’s size.
Bars
If bars are your thing, then Madison is your town. As most people are well aware of, Madison is the quintessential college town, which means that locating a watering hole is quite easy.
Because there are so many bars in the area, I’m sure I’ll miss some that other people absolutely love and couldn’t live without on their trip to Madison. That being said, my farvoite Madison Bar is the Nitty Gritty. It’s one of the closest establishments to the Kohl Center and – like many bars in the area – gets packed before and after games, but the atmosphere is great.
Speaking of atmosphere, State Street Brats is another must-stop. As the name would suggest, it’s located on State Street and offers phenomenal brats. The building has two levels and is great for watching other games on TV. Like the Nitty Gritty, it gets very busy before and after games, so if you want to secure a seat, you’ll need to get there early. If you’re looking for something other than beer to drink, their Citrus and Rose Bowl drinks aren’t too bad.
The Red Shed is another favorite of mine. It’s much smaller than the other two bars I’ve listed so far, so getting up to the bar can be a bit of an issue. They are known for their Long Islands (told you I’d be fair) that are served in mason jars.
Finally, last year, my friends and I found a bar that we hadn’t been to before that offered a “hip and trendy” kind of vibe that is much different than many of the bars in Madison. The City Bar offers more of a Minneapolis feel, as it’s not packed with college kids, is dimly lit, and has couches and chairs to relax in. The food was a step above the other bars in the area as well.
City Experience
Because the downtown area offers so much to do before and after games, I personally haven’t ventured out into the Madison area. It’s not a very big city when compared to other WCHA towns, and I usually visit in the dead of winter, which isn’t real conducive to venturing around a city, but click here to visit the city’s convention and visitor bureau’s website.
Hotels
The city of Madison has plenty of hotels, but there isn’t a lot to be had around the Kohl Center. The Doubletree Hotel Madison is a stones throw away from the arena, but be warned – as is the case with most Doubletrees, it’s a spendy place: rooms often cost nearly $200 per night.
The University Inn is a few blocks away from the Kohl Center, but its closer to most of the bars I mentioned above, and is also less than $100 a night. It’s not the classiest place in the world, but it’s far from the “Roach Motel.”
For other lodging options in the Madison area, click here.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Because the Kohl Center is such a large building, getting a ticket to watch your squad take on the Badgers is never a problem. Where you sit inside the building could be an issue though, but we’ll touch on that more when we review the Kohl Center as part of the WCHA Blog’s arena ratings.
Much of the lower bowl is taken up by season ticket holders, but if you’re online or calling right when tickets go on sale, you’ll at least have a shot at sitting in the lower level.
Single game tickets cost between $18-22 dollars, which isn’t too bad for a program as big as Wisconsin. It’s less than what Minnesota and North Dakota charge. Additionally, UW doesn’t change ticket prices depending on who the Badgers are playing, so that is certainly a plus.
Summary
Although Madison is one of my personal favorite trips, the town itself is not the best for traveling fans. It’s far away from many WCHA cities, and the town itself doesn’t offer much in terms of things to do outside of the downtown area.
All that being said, there is a clear gap between city No. 7 (St. Cloud) and Madison on my list. Madison is a great town, and the rating of six is more representative of the other great cities to visit in the WCHA than it is Madison’s lack of appeal.
Overall Grade: B
Friday, August 10, 2007
WCHA Roadtrip Town No. 7 – St. Cloud
Three weeks ago, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. For my list, I’m basing this off five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here.
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
This week, it’s city No. 7: St. Cloud, MN., which is of course home to the St. Cloud State University Huskies.
Access
St. Cloud is one of the more accessible towns in the WCHA. It’s similar to Mankato in that it’s about one hour from the Twin Cities. If you’re coming from the Twin Cities, you can either take Interstate 94 up through the Maple Grove / Rogers area; or, you can take Highway 10 through Anoka / Elk River. The two roads, which run parallel to each other, are about the same mileage wise. It’s a little easier to get to the downtown area in St. Cloud from Highway 10, but that route also features a handful of traffic lights in the Elk River area, and has a lower speed limit.
St. Cloud gets the nod for accessibility over Mankato because, despite the similarities in distance from Minneapolis (71 miles from St. Cloud, 81 miles from Mankato), the St. Cloud area is much closer to Grand Forks and Duluth, which of course feature a pair of WCHA teams.
Bars
There are not any bars within walking distance from the National Hockey Center, but downtown St. Cloud features plenty of eating and drinking establishments.
Before the game, arguably the best place is MC’s Dugout Bar and Grill, which is located in the heart of downtown. They have very good food and the place is always packed with hockey fans on the night of a game. Because of its popularity, it fills up quick, so you should arrive about two hours prior to puck-drop if you hope to obtain a table.
Another popular pre-game hangout is McRudy's Pub, which is right down the street from MC’s. If you’re looking for a family-friendly option in the downtown area, the Green Mill – which is connected to the Best Western Kelly Inn – is one of your better bets.
After the game, I’m sure there are many places to go if you want to have some fun, but in my mind, one only needs the infamous Red Carpet. It’s a multi-level bar with several themed “mini bars” inside. It’s my personal favorite in terms of post-game bars in WCHA towns.
City Experience
I generally visit the Granite City when the Golden Gophers are in town, and more often that not, the two teams play a home-and-home series, which means I haven’t had too many chances to visit the area around St. Cloud.
If your team visits St. Cloud early in the season, one could make the drive 10-mile drive from St. Cloud to Collegeville to check out the campus of St. John’s University. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to catch a St. John’s football game from famous Clemens Stadium.
Even if there isn’t a football game, it’s a cool campus to checkout, especially in the fall.
For more on the area, check out Granite Country, “official site for St. Cloud area travel.”
Hotels
I previously mentioned the Best Western Kelly Inn, and this in my opinion is the best option for visitors. It’s very close to the National Hockey Center and is located in downtown, so you are close to all the bars and restaurants.
The Kelly Inn can fill up quickly, but there are plenty of other lodging options in the St. Cloud area.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Tickets usually aren’t too tough to come by in St. Cloud, unless you’re attending a Gopher or Sioux game. The Gophers, of course, bring lots of fans up from the Twin Cities area – to a point where, last year, St. Cloud State decided they wouldn’t sell tickets online to the Gopher games. Fans had to either call the SCSU box office or drive up to St. Cloud to get tickets to that series, which is an obvious attempt to keep Minnesota fans out of the building. To me that’s a poor move, but they have every right to sell tickets how they feel.
The cost for tickets rises for Gopher games to around $25 per seat. I’m not 100 percent sure if the same holds true for other “big name” series, but SCSU certainly isn’t the first school to implement this idea.
Summary
St. Cloud is similar to Mankato in many ways. Both are pretty easy to get to from the Twin Cities, which is arguably the hub of the WCHA. They both feature some fun before and after game options for eat and/or drink, but both towns also features schools that raise ticket prices depending on who their team is playing, which is a negative.
The bottom-line is that they both make for fun cities to visit and are pretty accessible to the average WCHA fan.
Overall Grade: B-
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
This week, it’s city No. 7: St. Cloud, MN., which is of course home to the St. Cloud State University Huskies.
Access
St. Cloud is one of the more accessible towns in the WCHA. It’s similar to Mankato in that it’s about one hour from the Twin Cities. If you’re coming from the Twin Cities, you can either take Interstate 94 up through the Maple Grove / Rogers area; or, you can take Highway 10 through Anoka / Elk River. The two roads, which run parallel to each other, are about the same mileage wise. It’s a little easier to get to the downtown area in St. Cloud from Highway 10, but that route also features a handful of traffic lights in the Elk River area, and has a lower speed limit.
St. Cloud gets the nod for accessibility over Mankato because, despite the similarities in distance from Minneapolis (71 miles from St. Cloud, 81 miles from Mankato), the St. Cloud area is much closer to Grand Forks and Duluth, which of course feature a pair of WCHA teams.
Bars
There are not any bars within walking distance from the National Hockey Center, but downtown St. Cloud features plenty of eating and drinking establishments.
Before the game, arguably the best place is MC’s Dugout Bar and Grill, which is located in the heart of downtown. They have very good food and the place is always packed with hockey fans on the night of a game. Because of its popularity, it fills up quick, so you should arrive about two hours prior to puck-drop if you hope to obtain a table.
Another popular pre-game hangout is McRudy's Pub, which is right down the street from MC’s. If you’re looking for a family-friendly option in the downtown area, the Green Mill – which is connected to the Best Western Kelly Inn – is one of your better bets.
After the game, I’m sure there are many places to go if you want to have some fun, but in my mind, one only needs the infamous Red Carpet. It’s a multi-level bar with several themed “mini bars” inside. It’s my personal favorite in terms of post-game bars in WCHA towns.
City Experience
I generally visit the Granite City when the Golden Gophers are in town, and more often that not, the two teams play a home-and-home series, which means I haven’t had too many chances to visit the area around St. Cloud.
If your team visits St. Cloud early in the season, one could make the drive 10-mile drive from St. Cloud to Collegeville to check out the campus of St. John’s University. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to catch a St. John’s football game from famous Clemens Stadium.
Even if there isn’t a football game, it’s a cool campus to checkout, especially in the fall.
For more on the area, check out Granite Country, “official site for St. Cloud area travel.”
Hotels
I previously mentioned the Best Western Kelly Inn, and this in my opinion is the best option for visitors. It’s very close to the National Hockey Center and is located in downtown, so you are close to all the bars and restaurants.
The Kelly Inn can fill up quickly, but there are plenty of other lodging options in the St. Cloud area.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Tickets usually aren’t too tough to come by in St. Cloud, unless you’re attending a Gopher or Sioux game. The Gophers, of course, bring lots of fans up from the Twin Cities area – to a point where, last year, St. Cloud State decided they wouldn’t sell tickets online to the Gopher games. Fans had to either call the SCSU box office or drive up to St. Cloud to get tickets to that series, which is an obvious attempt to keep Minnesota fans out of the building. To me that’s a poor move, but they have every right to sell tickets how they feel.
The cost for tickets rises for Gopher games to around $25 per seat. I’m not 100 percent sure if the same holds true for other “big name” series, but SCSU certainly isn’t the first school to implement this idea.
Summary
St. Cloud is similar to Mankato in many ways. Both are pretty easy to get to from the Twin Cities, which is arguably the hub of the WCHA. They both feature some fun before and after game options for eat and/or drink, but both towns also features schools that raise ticket prices depending on who their team is playing, which is a negative.
The bottom-line is that they both make for fun cities to visit and are pretty accessible to the average WCHA fan.
Overall Grade: B-
Friday, August 3, 2007
WCHA Roadtrip Town No. 8 – Mankato
Two weeks ago, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. I'm basing my list off five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here.
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
This week, it’s city No. 8: Mankato, MN., which is of course home to the Minnesota State University Mavericks..
Access
The city of Mankato is about 80 miles south of Minneapolis, which equates to a drive that will take you a little more than an hour. Most of the drive will be on Highway 169. One must be careful as you get closer to Mankato, as the area is notorious for speed traps.
Fans coming from Duluth or St. Cloud don’t face drives that are too long, and the same goes for Madison (296 miles) and Grand Forks (385). Of course if you’re coming from out of state, Twin Cities International Airport is located just south of Minneapolis, so after the flight, you don’t have too far to go.
Bars
This is one area where Mankato really excels. If you’re into the bar scene, you should be set in Mankato. I’m sure there are many I won’t touch on here, but these are some of my favorites.
The Mavericks’ newly renamed arena (formerly the Midwest Wireless Civic Center, now called the Alltel Center) is located right in the heart of downtown. It’s a very short walk from the arena to the Holiday Inn, which is the main place to say (more on that later).
There are many bars in the area of the Holiday Inn and Alltel Center. My favorite is a nice little Irish place called Mcgoff's Irish Pub & Eatery. They have a great array of bar food and it provides for a great atmosphere.
If you want a more family-friendly atmosphere, there is a Buffalo Wild Wings that is just across the way from the arena. This BW3 is located inside a mall-type area called Mankato Place.
Also in this area is another establishment called The Underground Bar and Grill. As the name would imply, there is a steep walk down a flight of steps to get into this spacious bar. They have multiple foosball and pool tables, as well as darts and video games, and is a popular pre-game hangout.
For some late-night fun, The Haze, which is also located in this same area, gets quite packed and makes for a great time.
City Experience
Outside of the area in and around the arena, I haven’t found there to be much to do in the Mankato area. Part of that could be because there isn’t really a need to leave that area if you are able to stay at the Holiday Inn.
As I stated earlier, you’re not too far away from the Twin Cities, so if you wanted to head up there on Saturday morning to check things out, you could spend a decent amount of time there and still make it back to Mankato for the game.
The Greater Mankato Chamber and Convention Bureau has more info about the area.
Hotels
Because Mankato is a fairly good-sized city, there are plenty of places to stay. But, as previously stated, the Holiday Inn downtown is by far your best option.
You’ll usually pay about $100 per night, which is a little steep, but I’ve found it to be worth the price. You’re within walking distance of all the bars, restaurants, and most importantly the arena, so you’ll save some money right there on gas and parking.
Additionally, the hotel offers a large swimming pool and a very good game room.
Most visiting teams also make the Holiday Inn their home for the weekend, and I suggest you do the same.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Because the Mavs have struggled on the ice in recent years, tickets aren’t too tough to come by. For the Gopher series, they hike the ticket prices up and those tickets can be a little tough to get because of the hundreds of Gopher fans that make the trip down 169 to Mankato. But other than that, you really shouldn’t have a problem.
Summary
The Mankato trip is maybe one of the underrated trips in WCHA circles. There are lots of options close to the arena for dining and having a good time, and it’s easy enough to get tickets to watch your team play. There isn’t much else to do in the city though, which hurts its overall grade.
Overall Grade: B-
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
This week, it’s city No. 8: Mankato, MN., which is of course home to the Minnesota State University Mavericks..
Access
The city of Mankato is about 80 miles south of Minneapolis, which equates to a drive that will take you a little more than an hour. Most of the drive will be on Highway 169. One must be careful as you get closer to Mankato, as the area is notorious for speed traps.
Fans coming from Duluth or St. Cloud don’t face drives that are too long, and the same goes for Madison (296 miles) and Grand Forks (385). Of course if you’re coming from out of state, Twin Cities International Airport is located just south of Minneapolis, so after the flight, you don’t have too far to go.
Bars
This is one area where Mankato really excels. If you’re into the bar scene, you should be set in Mankato. I’m sure there are many I won’t touch on here, but these are some of my favorites.
The Mavericks’ newly renamed arena (formerly the Midwest Wireless Civic Center, now called the Alltel Center) is located right in the heart of downtown. It’s a very short walk from the arena to the Holiday Inn, which is the main place to say (more on that later).
There are many bars in the area of the Holiday Inn and Alltel Center. My favorite is a nice little Irish place called Mcgoff's Irish Pub & Eatery. They have a great array of bar food and it provides for a great atmosphere.
If you want a more family-friendly atmosphere, there is a Buffalo Wild Wings that is just across the way from the arena. This BW3 is located inside a mall-type area called Mankato Place.
Also in this area is another establishment called The Underground Bar and Grill. As the name would imply, there is a steep walk down a flight of steps to get into this spacious bar. They have multiple foosball and pool tables, as well as darts and video games, and is a popular pre-game hangout.
For some late-night fun, The Haze, which is also located in this same area, gets quite packed and makes for a great time.
City Experience
Outside of the area in and around the arena, I haven’t found there to be much to do in the Mankato area. Part of that could be because there isn’t really a need to leave that area if you are able to stay at the Holiday Inn.
As I stated earlier, you’re not too far away from the Twin Cities, so if you wanted to head up there on Saturday morning to check things out, you could spend a decent amount of time there and still make it back to Mankato for the game.
The Greater Mankato Chamber and Convention Bureau has more info about the area.
Hotels
Because Mankato is a fairly good-sized city, there are plenty of places to stay. But, as previously stated, the Holiday Inn downtown is by far your best option.
You’ll usually pay about $100 per night, which is a little steep, but I’ve found it to be worth the price. You’re within walking distance of all the bars, restaurants, and most importantly the arena, so you’ll save some money right there on gas and parking.
Additionally, the hotel offers a large swimming pool and a very good game room.
Most visiting teams also make the Holiday Inn their home for the weekend, and I suggest you do the same.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Because the Mavs have struggled on the ice in recent years, tickets aren’t too tough to come by. For the Gopher series, they hike the ticket prices up and those tickets can be a little tough to get because of the hundreds of Gopher fans that make the trip down 169 to Mankato. But other than that, you really shouldn’t have a problem.
Summary
The Mankato trip is maybe one of the underrated trips in WCHA circles. There are lots of options close to the arena for dining and having a good time, and it’s easy enough to get tickets to watch your team play. There isn’t much else to do in the city though, which hurts its overall grade.
Overall Grade: B-
Friday, July 27, 2007
WCHA Roadtrip Town No. 9 – Grand Forks
Last week, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. I'm basing my list off of five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here and scroll down a bit.
Here is a list of the cities that I've already covered:
10. Houghton
This week, it’s city No. 9: Grand Forks, N.D., which is of course home to the University of North Dakota and the Fighting Sioux.
Access
Getting to Grand Forks isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it’s far from the drive to Houghton on the difficulty scale. The city offers an international airport, which gives folks coming from the Colorado area (CC and DU fans) a viable option. Fans may also choose to fly into Fargo or Minneapolis as well, as both cities are within a reasonable driving distance.
Many folks who make the trip to Grand Forks, be it Sioux fans going to see their team or opposing team fans, may come from the Twin Cities area. It’s under a five-hour drive Minneapolis to Grand Forks, assuming the weather cooperates. Once you hit Fargo, it’s just 81 miles, and thanks to the 75 MPH speed limit between the two cities on Interstate 29, it’s a quick jaunt.
The downside to Grand Forks is that the closest other WCHA city is St. Cloud, which is still 251 miles away, so most fans will have a pretty long haul to get there.
Bars
Because Grand Forks is a fairly large city in WCHA terms, they have plenty to offer in terms of bars and restaurants. The downside to the city’s setup for the college hockey fan is that there is really only one viable bar within walking-distance of the Ralph Engelstad Arena, and that’s Suite 49. It’s a solid sports bar with a good variety on the menu.
Despite the fact that there aren’t very many bars close to the Ralph, a plus to the area around the arena is that they offer free parking a few blocks away from the arena, and that is complimented with a free shuttle service that takes you to and from the games. Opposing fans will have to put up with some good-natured ribbing on the ride over, but it’s worth it.
Personally, my favorite bar in the Grand Forks area is Overtime Grill & Bar. Overtime was formerly known as Dagwoods. It’s a smoke-free facility that makes for some great viewing for a sports fan. Not to mention the fact that some buddies and I had a great time the day after the Holy Cross debacle for the Gophers. I should note that I haven’t been to this bar since the name-change, but hopefully it’s still rock-solid.
If you’re looking to party it up a bit at night, the El Roco can get fairly wild. Other establishments to hit up include Southgate Lounge and Whitey’s, with the latter being located in East Grand Forks.
One thing to remember when going to bars in Grand Forks: many of them have some sort of casino-type game in them, which means they can be fairly strict on letting anyone under the age of 21 in, although there are some bars that may make an exception (relax…the Blarney’s cheap shots are on the way come Minneapolis’ review). There are several family-friendly options to be found, including typical establishments like Green Mill, Buffalo Wild Wings, and an Applebee’s, among others.
Though not bars, two must-stops for anyone include the famous Red Pepper, which is great for late-night dining, and Happy Joe’s, which has a great pizza buffet.
City Experience
Grand Forks really suffers in this area in my opinion, since there isn’t a whole heck of a lot to do aside from watch hockey games. The one staple that I try to incorporate into the trip is a visit to the Columbia Mall, which makes for a good time-killer.
Grand Forks’ official website goes into more details on some other offerings that the area presents, so hopefully some of these options will suite your needs.
Hotels
There are plenty of lodging options in the Grand Forks area, but there aren’t too many options within walking distance of the arena. I personally like to stay at either the Holiday Inn or Super 8 that are located right off of Interstate 29 and Highway 2. Both offer fair prices and decent accommodations. Most opposing teams shack up at the Holiday Inn, which offers a good-sized water park for those who enjoy that type of thing.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Because of the popularity of the Fighting Sioux, tickets can be tough to come by for bigger series (i.e. Minnesota and Wisconsin). For most other series, you’ll probably be able to get in the building, but the quality of your seats may not be the greatest. No matter where you sit, chances are your seats are going to be spendy. Single game tickets cost at least $25.00, depending upon who the Sioux are playing. Plus, if you buy them online, you’re subject to TicketMaster and their extra fees / charges, which is obviously a negative.
Summary
I personally rank Grand Forks as one of my favorite roadtrips, but it’s not because of the city. It gives you everything you need to make the trip solid, but it really suffers in terms of other things to do aside from watching hockey and it’s long distance from most other WCHA cities.
Overall Grade: C+
Here is a list of the cities that I've already covered:
10. Houghton
This week, it’s city No. 9: Grand Forks, N.D., which is of course home to the University of North Dakota and the Fighting Sioux.
Access
Getting to Grand Forks isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it’s far from the drive to Houghton on the difficulty scale. The city offers an international airport, which gives folks coming from the Colorado area (CC and DU fans) a viable option. Fans may also choose to fly into Fargo or Minneapolis as well, as both cities are within a reasonable driving distance.
Many folks who make the trip to Grand Forks, be it Sioux fans going to see their team or opposing team fans, may come from the Twin Cities area. It’s under a five-hour drive Minneapolis to Grand Forks, assuming the weather cooperates. Once you hit Fargo, it’s just 81 miles, and thanks to the 75 MPH speed limit between the two cities on Interstate 29, it’s a quick jaunt.
The downside to Grand Forks is that the closest other WCHA city is St. Cloud, which is still 251 miles away, so most fans will have a pretty long haul to get there.
Bars
Because Grand Forks is a fairly large city in WCHA terms, they have plenty to offer in terms of bars and restaurants. The downside to the city’s setup for the college hockey fan is that there is really only one viable bar within walking-distance of the Ralph Engelstad Arena, and that’s Suite 49. It’s a solid sports bar with a good variety on the menu.
Despite the fact that there aren’t very many bars close to the Ralph, a plus to the area around the arena is that they offer free parking a few blocks away from the arena, and that is complimented with a free shuttle service that takes you to and from the games. Opposing fans will have to put up with some good-natured ribbing on the ride over, but it’s worth it.
Personally, my favorite bar in the Grand Forks area is Overtime Grill & Bar. Overtime was formerly known as Dagwoods. It’s a smoke-free facility that makes for some great viewing for a sports fan. Not to mention the fact that some buddies and I had a great time the day after the Holy Cross debacle for the Gophers. I should note that I haven’t been to this bar since the name-change, but hopefully it’s still rock-solid.
If you’re looking to party it up a bit at night, the El Roco can get fairly wild. Other establishments to hit up include Southgate Lounge and Whitey’s, with the latter being located in East Grand Forks.
One thing to remember when going to bars in Grand Forks: many of them have some sort of casino-type game in them, which means they can be fairly strict on letting anyone under the age of 21 in, although there are some bars that may make an exception (relax…the Blarney’s cheap shots are on the way come Minneapolis’ review). There are several family-friendly options to be found, including typical establishments like Green Mill, Buffalo Wild Wings, and an Applebee’s, among others.
Though not bars, two must-stops for anyone include the famous Red Pepper, which is great for late-night dining, and Happy Joe’s, which has a great pizza buffet.
City Experience
Grand Forks really suffers in this area in my opinion, since there isn’t a whole heck of a lot to do aside from watch hockey games. The one staple that I try to incorporate into the trip is a visit to the Columbia Mall, which makes for a good time-killer.
Grand Forks’ official website goes into more details on some other offerings that the area presents, so hopefully some of these options will suite your needs.
Hotels
There are plenty of lodging options in the Grand Forks area, but there aren’t too many options within walking distance of the arena. I personally like to stay at either the Holiday Inn or Super 8 that are located right off of Interstate 29 and Highway 2. Both offer fair prices and decent accommodations. Most opposing teams shack up at the Holiday Inn, which offers a good-sized water park for those who enjoy that type of thing.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Because of the popularity of the Fighting Sioux, tickets can be tough to come by for bigger series (i.e. Minnesota and Wisconsin). For most other series, you’ll probably be able to get in the building, but the quality of your seats may not be the greatest. No matter where you sit, chances are your seats are going to be spendy. Single game tickets cost at least $25.00, depending upon who the Sioux are playing. Plus, if you buy them online, you’re subject to TicketMaster and their extra fees / charges, which is obviously a negative.
Summary
I personally rank Grand Forks as one of my favorite roadtrips, but it’s not because of the city. It gives you everything you need to make the trip solid, but it really suffers in terms of other things to do aside from watching hockey and it’s long distance from most other WCHA cities.
Overall Grade: C+
Friday, July 20, 2007
WCHA Roadtrip Town No. 10 – Houghton
Making roadtrips to watch your favorite team is fairly common amongst WCHA fans. Most fans are located in the Upper Midwest and are just a few hours away from several towns that are home to WCHA teams.
I have personally made roadtrips to each WCHA town for the purpose of watching the University of Minnesota at least one time, and have been to most towns several times for the purpose of watching the Gophers and other WCHA teams play. So, with that being said, I feel that I’m somewhat qualified to put together a ranking of all the WCHA towns and their ability to be a good host.
What makes a town good for roadtrips can obviously vary depending upon your prerogative and personal opinions. Some people go for the sole purpose of wanting to party and have a good time. Others may be traveling with kids and look for more family-friendly things to do.
In trying to put together this list, I took into account five different things that I personally would consider important to most fans in a hockey roadtrip town. In alphabetical order, here are those points.
Note that I plan on doing a separate list for WCHA arenas, starting with No. 10 next Wednesday.
I have personally made roadtrips to each WCHA town for the purpose of watching the University of Minnesota at least one time, and have been to most towns several times for the purpose of watching the Gophers and other WCHA teams play. So, with that being said, I feel that I’m somewhat qualified to put together a ranking of all the WCHA towns and their ability to be a good host.
What makes a town good for roadtrips can obviously vary depending upon your prerogative and personal opinions. Some people go for the sole purpose of wanting to party and have a good time. Others may be traveling with kids and look for more family-friendly things to do.
In trying to put together this list, I took into account five different things that I personally would consider important to most fans in a hockey roadtrip town. In alphabetical order, here are those points.
Note that I plan on doing a separate list for WCHA arenas, starting with No. 10 next Wednesday.
- Access – How easy is the city to get to for most WCHA fans?
- Bars – As any fan knows, it’s important to have a place to eat and/or drink before and after the games.
- City Experience – Some people like to make a three-day weekend out of a roadtrip, so what does the city have to offer outside of hockey-related places?
- Hotels – When traveling, it’s obviously important to have hotels that are decent, affordable, and close to your main points-of-interest while on the road.
- Ticket Cost / Availability – Arguably the key to any roadtrip is securing tickets to watch your team play. It’s important to factor in the cost of tickets and how readily available tickets are at various schools.
Starting today and continuing through the next nine Fridays, I’ll countdown my personal list, starting today with No. 10: Houghton, Michigan, which is home to Michigan Tech.
Access
Getting to Houghton is a challenge for most fans, regardless of where you’re coming from, for a few reasons. The main challenge for most fans is just the sheer distance you’ll have to travel. The closest WCHA town to Houghton is of course Duluth, which is still 217 miles away. If you’re traveling from the Twin Cities, you’re looking at a six-hour drive. Same goes for Madison, and Grand Forks is about 7 hours away.
The other challenge that travelers could experience is of course the weather. Those drive-times listed above don’t take into account the frequent snow that can occur in northern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan during the fall and winter. Most roads are single-lane highways on the way to Houghton, so bad weather can really make the drive slow and possibly dangerous.
Bars
Houghton is the smallest town home to any of the WCHA schools. That being said, there are still some decent watering holes to be found. Most of the viable bars are found in downtown Houghton along Sheldon Ave. The Library is my personal favorite, as it features a cool atmosphere, a great food menu, and its own brewery. The Ambassador is known by fans for its great pizza, and business usually picks up later in the evening for the “party crowd.”
There are a handful of other bars and restaurants found in downtown, but one issue here is that because the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena is up on a hill away from the downtown a bit, it can be a challenge to walk from a bar/restaurant all the way to the arena. Most fans would rather have the ability to walk to the arena before and after the game without having to worry about driving and parking.
City Experience
What makes a "city experience" good or not really depends on the type of person you are and what you enjoy. That especially holds true when it comes to Houghton. If you enjoy doing outdoor winter activities, then you’re set, as the area offers several offerings.
I am not that type of person, so for me, the thing I look forward to the most in terms of “non-hockey” things to do is to visit Dee Stadium, which is located right behind the Best Western. According to Wikipedia, it replaced the Amphidrome, which burned down in 1927, and was formerly home-rink for Michigan Tech. The rink itself is so-so, but the allure to the arena is that it has a pretty cool museum within it that houses some very cool memorabilia about the start of professional ice hockey in the U.S., which started in the Houghton-area.
The wild-card in the whole “city experience” situation when it comes to Houghton is Winter Carnival, which is the annual weekend in mid-February that turns the city into a complete zoo.
Hotels
Houghton doesn’t offer anything fancy in terms of lodging, but that won’t be an issue for most college hockey fans. I personally stay at the Best Western Franklin Square Inn. The rates vary of course, but I’ve usually spent in the neighborhood of $90 per night, which isn’t outrageous, especially considering most fans travel with other people and thus tend to split the cost of the room. It features a bar at the top of the hotel which features a nice view over Portage Lake.
There are several other lodging options, which can be found here.
Ticket Cost / Availability
Aside from Winter Carnival weekend, WCHA fans should have no trouble getting tickets to watch their squad take on the Huskies. Games are rarely sold out and ticket prices are very reasonable, especially in relation to some other WCHA rinks. Additionally, they don’t adjust their ticket prices based on which team coming to town (like other WCHA schools do), so that is another nice feature.
More info can be found here.
Summary
Overall, Houghton is one town that your average WCHA fans needs to visit at least once. It's very unique and different than the other towns the conference has to offer. That being said, part of that uniqueness also hurts it in some of the categories mentioned above, as the size of the town limits what Houghton can offer.
Overall Grade: C
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