First Things
First: GETTING THERE
Cincinnati
location wise is the second most
western Big East Football team. However, a large Delta Airlines hub makes it
possible for just about everyone to get a nonstop flight to Cinci. BTW, the airport
is actually about 10 miles SW of downtown and in Kentucky!
Much like when Pittsburgh was dominated by a single carrier you
may actually find a better rates flying into Dayton,
Louisville, Indianapolis, or Columbus. All of these
airports are within two hours of Cinci. Amtrak
might be an option for fans coming from Virginia and Maryland.
Questions about getting from the airport, train and bus stations can be
seen here.
If you plan on
driving, Cinci is less than two hours from
Louisville.
Pittsburgh and Morgantown based fans can get there in less than
five hours. If you make good time, the
next closest is Syracuse at 9 1/2 hours.
Otherwise, the other locations are a bit too far to make unless you have a
couple extra days. Unless you know someone with connections, a trip to Cinci might prove frustrating for tailgaters (due to lack
of facilities) but you should come anyway.
As UC grows in Football stature the amenities for great tailgating
should develop. The campus and stadium
are located about two miles north of downtown.
You can get a nice view of the campus here (might
require a media player download to view).
Two other good views of
the Campus.
I have never been to UC but it looks like a neat campus and could become a
favorite destination despite some tailgating handicaps. The campus is broken into two main
sections. The west campus has the
stadium and closeby parking. The east campus has the medical school. Some very detailed campus parking and shuttle info and big
picture view of the relationship
between both campuses is seen here.
The information
below has been taken from the
2005
Cincinnati Football Guide:
Getting to the Stadium:
Nippert Stadium is located on UC’s
main campus in Clifton (about two miles north of Downtown), and is
conveniently accessed from the East via I-71 and from the West via I-75. The following directions are from the
official University
website:
FROM I-71 South (Columbus)
• I-71 south to exit 3 - Taft Road.
• Stay on Taft approximately seven blocks to the
intersection of Jefferson Avenue.
• Turn right at the
University Plaza onto Jefferson Avenue.
FROM I-75 North or South
• Take exit 3 - Hopple Street. At the end of the ramp (stop
light) turn left (east).
• Cross over interstate and through
Central Parkway.
Hopple eventually becomes Martin Luther King Drive,
the campus will appear on the right.
FROM U.S. 50 (Portsmouth and the East)
• U.S. 50 to Taft Road (Taft is one-way going west).
• Stay on Taft to the intersection of
Jefferson Avenue.
• Turn right at the
University Plaza onto Jefferson Avenue.
FROM I-74 (Indianapolis and the West)
• Take I-74 to I-75 south
• Follow directions above from I-75.
Nippert
Stadium is actually one of the oldest stadiums in America. It is
smallish (about 35,000 capacity) but affords excellent sight lines. Like several other Big East stadiums beer may
be purchased inside the stadium until the middle of the third quarter.
Nippert Stadium
Game Day Parking:
Cinci
fan, Bourgeois Rage states,
"Parking is mostly limited to parking garages on UC's
campus. But if you don't mind walking parking is available around campus for
free (on street) if you can find it. There isn't a lot of tailgating and where
it does happen it is mostly off campus in small lots. I don't think I've ever
seen the big campers that you see at some schools as there isn't a large lot
for them to park at. It's mostly out of the back of people's cars/trucks/SUVs."
The information
below has been taken from the
2005 Cincinnati
Football Guide:
For those not interested in
tailgating but just purchasing game day parking, the Clifton Court and Campus
Green garages, accessible from Martin Luther King Drive, sell gameday parking
while space is available. Overflow parking is available at the Eden Garage, on
Eden Avenue just east of Jefferson. The gameday parking fee is $8.
DISABLED PARKING
Close by parking for disabled patrons is available in CCM Garage on
Corry Ave. near Nippert
Stadium. You’ll need a state issued
handicap tag or placard. Patrons with
disabilities should contact the UC Athletic Ticket Office so that their needs
may be attended to effectively.
Tailgating
Map of Cincinnati Campus
NOTE: UC Campus is
not RV friendly. Cinci is a cramped campus.
Add a lot of current (2005) campus construction and you don’t have a
classic tailgate environment. I would
strongly recommend to leave the RV behind and tailgate
out of a Van, Pickup truck, SUV, etc…Unless you have connections it will be
tough to tailgate on campus. The two on-campus tailgating lots will most likely
be sold-out. They are the Corry
Lot (next to the new UC Baseball Stadium) and the Daniels Lot (next to the Corry
Lot). These two lots are sold on a
seasonal basis and filled with Cinci fans.
There are five additional off
campus lots you can tailgate at but only total about 500 tailgating spaces. They
do allow normal tailgating activities to include grills.
Schiel School Lot: located on the corner of Vine and Daniels streets,
across from the Sigma Sigma House.
Bogart’s Lot: located
behind Bogart’s on the corner of Glendora Street and Corry Boulevard.
Martino’s Lot: located
directly behind Martino’s Restaurant on Short Vine. Martino's
Restaurant was originally located in Pittsburgh.
LaRosa’s Lot: adjacent
to LaRosa’s Pizza located on Short Vine.
Benchmark Lot:
across from the Post Office on Short Vine.
Spaces available on a first-come basis. Both season and individual game day passes will be
sold. For information call: Martino's, 513-221-8487.
Some basic
Tailgating rules to follow on the UC Campus taken from the official
website:
1. Tailgating lots open four hours prior to kickoff
and will close one hour after the conclusion of the game.
2. There are
no designated parking spaces; cars will be parked on a first-come first-serve
basis.
3. Tailgating
passes are required for the two on-campus lots while the four off-campus lots
will park cars on a first-come first serve basis.
4. All
alcoholic beverages must be kept in a cup at all times.
5. Grills are
allowed in tailgating lots but a fire extinguisher must be present with your
grills at all times. Please note that
alcohol and charcoal grills are prohibited for fans parking in an on-campus
garage.
If you (the reader) know of
any good tailgate spots in private lots pass them on. I’ll need an address, cost, charity if any
they support, and how many cars it can park and when does it fill up. Email me.
Tailgate Alternatives
“Cattitude on the Commons” is an official
sponsored pre-game party before all Bearcat home games. It is located on the Sigma Sigma Commons and starts about 2 ½ hours before
kickoff. “Cattitude
on the Commons” offers food, drinks, live music, promotions and tented
seating. Also, the UC Band, Dance Team
and Cheerleaders will be there to provide spirit.
For the kids: The Bearcat Kid’s
Zone is located at UC’s beautiful new Baseball Field
next to Nippert.
Kids and older folks can enjoy inflatable games, carnival style
concessions, music, giveaways, and visits from the UC Bearcat. The Kid’s Zone starts about 2 1/2 hours prior
to kickoff. It can be accessed through
the outfield fence adjacent to the East Concourse of Fifth Third Arena.
LODGING:
A
real
nice website to get you aquainted with Cinci, it should help you with your search where to
stay. There isn't a whole bunch of lodging near the UC campus but I think
I have found most of it. Kingsgate
Marriott Hotel on UC's campus is a nice, brand
new facility. The Vernon Manor
is a nice hotel with good proximity to UC. It is an older historic
hotel about 5 blocks from Nippert Stadium.
There are other
hotels near UC. A Holiday Inn
Express is about two miles north of campus and a Day's
Inn about a half mile to the west of campus. I get the impression
these places are two or three star quality. If you are
interested in a B+B the
Parker
House might fit the bill for you. If you want to save some money you
have several budget motels available within a mile of campus.
The Travelodge
closed recently but it is now renamed
the Rest Inn, 3244 Central Pkwy, #513-559-1800
cheap under $60, no website. Nearby is also a Budget Host Motel and
a Interstate Motel, 3035 W McMicken Ave,
#513-559-0600 (no website). Finally, this guide is good for giving you
phone numbers for various "Mom
and Pop" Motels.
Downtown
Lodging
There are other
hotels
downtown
which are about two miles south of UC. Several of
these are
business hotels and if you catch the right weekend you might find a great weekend
rate. I have attached Hyperlinks to all the downtown hotels:
Cincinnatian Hotel, Terrace Hotel, Symphony Hotel,
Millennium Hotel, Garfield Suites Hotel,
Four
Points by Sheraton,
Hilton
Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Hyatt Regency,
Westin,
and the
Ramada
Inn at Union Terminal
Shopping:
The big shopping areas
are the Tri-County Mall, but it's
quite a drive from UC. Rookwood Commons is a new outdoor mall that is
very popular right now. Newport on
the Levee is just over the river in Northern Kentucky and is very popular on the weekends. Downtown
Cinci does have some limited shopping. A
bit out of town is Cincinnati
Mills, well worth the visit if you want some serious outlet shopping.
Newport on the Levee
Note:
The area surrounding the UC campus is undergoing a lot of change. Cinci fans have
told me the restaurant and shopping options will improve by 2006.
DINING:
Christy's and Lenhardt's is a close bar/restaurant right off UC's campus. Grab a beer or some good German Cuisine
here.
The Mount Adams area is about 3 miles from the UC campus and features a number
of fun bars, as well as some restaurants and nightclubs.
Downtown on Fountain
Square is a Rock Bottom Brewery.
The fountain is a must see of Cincinnati; one of the city's icons. A nice
variety of dining is available at Newport on the Levee. Skyline Chili is also a must for
those from out of town. They are all around town, though the closest is on Ludlow, which is about 1/2 a mile north of UC.
The
Ludlow
area also supports a variety of locally owned restaurants. This area is
about 1/2 mile north of UC. Typical with other cities in the Big East is
the Main
Street area. It has several bars and restaurants in a restored urban
warehouse environment.
Main Street
