Over the course of this college football season, Joshua Guiher of CollegiateStadiums.com has taken us on a week-by-week tour of some of college football’s biggest and best stadiums.
This week he takes us to the place that will host Saturday’s most important game: Spartan Stadium, where No. 4 Wisconsin will visit No. 15 Michigan State.
Spartan Stadium – Michigan State
What is a visit to Spartan Stadium like to see a game against Michigan State? Well, you better read up because they have a lot of unfriendly rules that will ruin your visit if you don’t know them.
Be sure to print this official game day guide or this official set of long rules. Or you can just read our guide here paying particular attention to the bag rules and the tailgating section for parking, drinking and tailgating rules.
The main thing is to beware that you basically cannot take anything into the stadium. Seriously. No purses, no bags, and no cameras over 2 ½ x 5 inches. Honestly, who has a camera that small that takes decent pictures?
Anything carried into the stadium has to be in a clear, gallon sized bag much like going through airport security. In fact, you can’t even take in a diaper bag! Honestly, what other stadium doesn’t allow baby necessities and a decent sized camera?
Quick Facts:
* Spartan Stadium opened in 1923
* Current capacity is 75,005 seats
* The largest crowd ever was 80,401 in a 20-19 loss to #1 Notre Dame on September 22, 1990
* Spartan Stadium saw then world record 74,554 fans attend an outdoor hockey game against rival Michigan on October 6, 2001
Seating:
Seating is bench style with a decent amount of room. In fact, prior to the 1994 season the seats were spaced out a little more, thus the stadium went from a capacity of 76,000 to 75,005.
The seating chart is here, but just know the design of the stadium is pretty good to make all seats have a decent view. I would try to avoid sections 4-5, 19-20 and 27-28 if you can, but those seats are alright for being corner seats.
Concessions:
Spartan Stadium has three good food stands that offer food outside of your typical burgers and hot dogs. Located near section 24 is a stand called Turkey Man that has a giant turkey drumstick and a pork chop sandwich among other offerings.
There is a taco stand near section 16 that has tacos for just $2.50 along with other Mexican style foods. If you are looking for BBQ type offerings, then nearby is the Smokestack BBQ stand with a selection of food that includes ribs, a BBQ sandwich and pulled pork nachos.
Traditions (what to watch for):
The team and band does the “Spartan Walk” from the Kellogg Center to the stadium and touch the giant Spartan statue along the way.
The band is fairly decent and enters the stadium with an odd, but famous kick-step. Their signature piece is called the spinning “S” which is done while the band plays the Spartan fight song.
Once the band has finished, the team enters to Thunderstruck by AC/DC while a video with clips from the movie “300” play on the scoreboard.
At halftime, fans are treated to Zeke the Frisbee catching dog, which is good for keeping the kids entertained (especially if they wet themselves and you can’t change their diapers. Woops, did I say that outloud?)
Tailgating:
You can tailgate at Spartan Stadium, but this is where the rules start to kick in. You can’t have any kind of drinking game setup, so that means no cornhole, no beer pong tables, no ladder ball, nothing.
Also, there is a series of rules about open containers that while relaxed for game days, still are enforced in some areas such as non-campus streets and in campus buildings, so be careful and read this entire page.
That link also explains the different times that tailgate lots open based upon the start time for the game. Basically, lots open at 7am for noon games, 9am for 3:30 games and 1pm for night games.
For parking, look at this map because the biggest and closest public lot to the stadium is Munn Field, but it costs $20 and is an alcohol free zone, so don’t park there if you want to drink. Also, the public spots that allow drinking only cost $10-15 to park.
Fans:
I liked the fans at Michigan State. Not a single one invited us to their tailgate like some other schools, but they also didn’t give us a hard time and we had no issues walking around. It was almost like we were non-existent, which was fine with me.
During the game, the fans were fairly loud and knew the rules of the game, not booing unnecessarily too much.
If you do have any issues, there is a text system where you text MSUPD and your issue to 274637.
Tickets:
Michigan State fans are very loyal and annually sell over 60,000 season tickets, so single game tickets can be hard to find. Most of the time you have to resort to the secondary market, so just select your favorite one and purchase with care.
Getting there:
The University offers these official directions but the page doesn’t work quite right so I will replicate them here.
From Capital City Airport: Turn right (west) onto Grand River Avenue to Waverly Road and turn left (south). Follow Waverly to I-496 East. Follow I-496 East to Trowbridge Road exit. Turn left (north) at first traffic light, which is Harrison Road. Turn right (east) on Shaw Lane. Spartan Stadium will be on the left.
From the South (Jackson): Take US 127 North to Trowbridge Road exit. Turn left (north) at first traffic light, which is Harrison Road. Turn right (east) on Shaw Lane. Spartan Stadium will be on the left.
From the North (St. Johns): Take US 127 South to Trowbridge Road exit. Turn left (north) at first traffic light, which is Harrison Road. Turn right (east) on Shaw Lane. Spartan Stadium will be on the left.
From the East (Detroit): I-96 West to US 127 (Exit 106) North to Trowbridge Road exit. Turn left (north) at first traffic light, which is Harrison Road. Turn right (east) on Shaw Lane. Spartan Stadium will be on the left.
From the West (Grand Rapids): I-96 East to I-496 East (Exit 95) to Trowbridge Road exit. Turn left (north) at first traffic light, which is Harrison Road. Turn right (east) on Shaw Lane. Spartan Stadium will be on the left.
From the Southwest (Charlotte): I-69 North to I-96 East to US 127 North to Trowbridge Road exit. Turn left (north) at first traffic light, which is Harrison Road. Turn right (east) on Shaw Lane. Spartan Stadium will be on the left.
From the Northeast (Flint): I-69 South to US 127 South to Trowbridge Road exit. Turn left (north) at first traffic light, which is Harrison Road. Turn right (east) on Shaw Lane. Spartan Stadium will be on the left.
Just refer back to the parking map from the tailgating section if you get lost, chances are you are on one of the roads pictured there.
There are also spots you can park at that have shuttle service to and from the stadium for $4 per person round trip.
Where to Stay:
Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and while it isn’t the best town in the state, it isn’t too bad either. We booked a local hotel for a normal rate.
In fact, I just looked for this weekend and there are still rooms available for under $100 at a few places that have a good national reputation.
Downtown:
If you want to explore downtown, try the area around the intersection of Abbot Road and Albert Avenue. There are a few restaurants and pubs in this area.
I honestly spent more time exploring the campus since it was a nice November day.
Things to do:
There is a lot to do the in Lansing area, and they have an entire website dedicated to the area attractions. They have everything from spas and gardens to historical sights and museums to a nightlife section.
If you have kids’ I recommend the Abrams Planetarium.
Overall:
Michigan State takes a stadium located in a picturesque setting with nice, loyal fans and ruins it with the rules that limit carry in items and tailgating. It’s a true shame and the reason why my one visit to Spartan Stadium will likely be my last.
To read all of Joshua’s college football travel experiences, be sure to check out his website www.collegiatestadiums.com. Also follow him on Twitter @collegiatestdms.
