Tailgating at Target field

[titelines]

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been covered already...looked but maybe I missed it. Also haven't heard much from columnists or talk radio.

I've seen a few games at other stadiums (most recently in Milwaukee) and it seems that these cities/teams really cater to a tailgating crowd, and they realize that it's a great part of the fun.

I was driving around our new stadium the other day and was struck at the lack of areas to tailgate down there. Am I missing it?

Was tailgating taken into consideration at all when building this place, or is everyone hoping that people will spend $7 for a beer and $10 for a sandwich at one of the local establishments down there?

I'm not talking about slamming a case of beer before a game. Just simply doing some grilling and having a couple beers on a nice day...like people have been doing for years and years all around the country.

I hope there will be opportunities for this, but my gut tells me that our fair city either didn't factor this into the equation, or has found some way to limit the fun, just like they seem to do with everything else.

Thanks.

[SledNeck]

Milwaukee is a fantastic place to tailgate for sure

[blue_healer_guy]

The lack of area to tailgate? They put the thing in a soup can, dissapointing yes.

[SledNeck]

The lack of area to tailgate? They put the thing in a soup can, dissapointing yes.

I think they intentionally did it to make people spend money at the local businesses in stead

[croixflats]

Should not be surprised its not about making the fans happy its about the revenue they can bring in. Other wise they would have put the stadium in a more accessible area.

[Drewski]

Parking is gonna be crazy.

[DonBo]

Milwaukee and Kansas City have the best tailgaiting set ups in the major leagues. Minnesota? Not so much. It's illegal to tailgate in most parking lots near the Dome and Target Field will be worse. It's a shame really, but that's what you get when you move downtown. Without the backing of the local businesses there would be no new stadium.

[titelines]

"Minnesota - The State Where Nothing is Allowed". Getting more true every day...

This really is too bad. We used to get to a hockey game early to go to one of the restaurants...but you can't get a seat anywhere within 20 blocks of the place.

Even with the number of options down by Target field, I can't imagine cramming 30,000 people into the restaurants/bars on game day.

It's really too bad that things are so short sighted. The residents of Hennepin County also put up some big $$ for this place, but I guess we can't be trusted to grill a burger and have a beer.

[SledNeck]

tailgating is okay, but I care more about the game

[SkunkedAgain]

I grew up in Milwaukee and tailgating is as much a part of the game experience as the actual game. We used to tailgate before games, get the $3 bleacher seats, and sit in the sun at County Stadium. I can still smell the stale beer, cigarettes, and here the announcer warning us not to be the "two-fisted slopper." Ahhh, the memories.

Anyway, the Twin Cities is terrible for tailgating. I even have great memories of tailgating for Gopher and Vikings games before they turned everything into condos. Tailgating is what makes going to games fun even when your team sucks. I wasn't going to Brewers games in the late 1980s because they were good. Same with the Vikings and Gophers. Teams need to recognize that tailgating is actually part of the draw to sports.

Instead, those in charge decided that a 0.15% county stadium tax would be a good reason to drive ticket holders into local establishments. Whatever, I'll likely only go to these games where they are winning since the powers-that-be took away the only fun part of it that was left...tailgating.

[montanagriz]

I think we need to weigh the pros and cons of this one. I agree with SledNeck, at the end of the day I'm there to watch the Twins. I've been to Miller Park and while there is tailgating as far as the eye can see, personally I think its kind of a dump. It's like the stadium fell out of the sky and landed in the middle of a overgrown WalMart parking lot with nothing else around.

From everything I've read and from the pictures I've seen posted online, Target Field is going to be a pretty special place to watch a baseball game. While there might not be the same tailgating opportunities as say a Miller Park, I think the gameday atmosphere will be awesome. I travel for work and go to quite a few Colorado Rockies games in Denver. Their stadium is right downtown, with no tailgating lots that I am aware of and it's an fantastic neighborhood to hang out before/after a game. Also, since they squeezed Target Field into such a small space, I think fans are going to happy with the number of quality seats regardless of where they are in the stadium. I personally can't wait for Target Field, it should be a great improvement over the Dome. My only negative is that it should of had a retractable roof. Early spring and late fall games will be chilly.