Purdue Roadtrip

I'm heading to Purdue with 7 guys this year to take in the game. We went there in 2008, so it's been a awhile. What has changed from a tailgating scene there? We tailgated in the Intramural lots last time, and despite the weather being crappy, we had a great time.

Anyone else going? Where are you tailgating? Any suggestions on bars, brew/pubs?

We pregamed two years ago at Harry's Chocolate Shop, which was fine until the sewage system stopped working, the floors became a *mess* and they had to shut the place down. Pretty much sums up Purdue.

Jike Spingleton said:

We pregamed two years ago at Harry's Chocolate Shop, which was fine until the sewage system stopped working, the floors became a *mess* and they had to shut the place down. Pretty much sums up Purdue.

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I've only been there once and that vision sums up my thoughts of the place.

My father and I are heading down there. Is the tailgating scene a good time? Is it worth it or would we be better off bar-gateing prior to the game? We generally set up a pretty good tailgate in Lot 37 for home games so we'd be willing to take our tailgating equipment with us.

UST_Gopher said:

My father and I are heading down there. Is the tailgating scene a good time? Is it worth it or would we be better off bar-gateing prior to the game? We generally set up a pretty good tailgate in Lot 37 for home games so we'd be willing to take our tailgating equipment with us.

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No bar-gating for us. We are bringing all our tailgate stuff down and had a great time tailgating last time, but that was 9 years ago. Just wondering what lot to zero in on. Guessing either the golf course or the IM lot, since we dont like to tailgate on concrete.

4 of us heading down - would be interested in knowing a tailgate lot open to common folk and recommendations for a) any cool college bars and b) any microbreweries/taprooms. Row the boat !!

There is a place not far from the stadium that is a greasy burger joint like an old diner. Need help with the name but is was a cool place.

gopherjay said:

There is a place not far from the stadium that is a greasy burger joint like an old diner. Need help with the name but is was a cool place.

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Triple XXX

Just down the street, The Pint has a good list of craft beers. If you want to try blending in with the college crowd, Neon Cactus.

I preferred the other side of the river - downtown Lafayette has Chumley's (plenty of TVs if you want to watch early games), Knickerbocker and Lafayette Brewing Co.

Do most of you leave Friday and spend Friday and Sat night in Chicago?

Firejumper said:

4 of us heading down - would be interested in knowing a tailgate lot open to common folk and recommendations for a) any cool college bars and b) any microbreweries/taprooms. Row the boat !!

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The Intramural Playing Fields are $20 on gameday. The Gold Intramural lot is closer than the Black Intramural Playing Fields:

Looking to pick up tickets on StubHub for this game but want to be around some Gopher fans. Did anyone buy their tickets through the Gopher ticket office and be willing to share which section they were put in. That would be yuuge and much appreciated.

UST_Gopher said:

Looking to pick up tickets on StubHub for this game but want to be around some Gopher fans. Did anyone buy their tickets through the Gopher ticket office and be willing to share which section they were put in. That would be yuuge and much appreciated.

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Just buy single tickets on site. They will be dirt cheap and you will be able to sit anywhere inc. near Gopher fans.

Our tickets are in Section 103. Two years ago we sat with MN football guests in the end zone - Section 33 or so.

MirandaB said:

Our tickets are in Section 103. Two years ago we sat with MN football guests in the end zone - Section 33 or so.

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Section 33 in the end zone is where tickets through the ticket office end up. Have been to Purdue three times. Gophers lost all three, I'm a jinx in person, not going back to West Laffy.

gopherdudepart2 said:

Section 33 in the end zone is where tickets through the ticket office end up. Have been to Purdue three times. Gophers lost all three, I'm a jinx in person, not going back to West Laffy.

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Good man!

Stuff like this is what being a good fan is.

We bought our tickets through the ticket office too. Jeez - I hope we're not sitting by Coyle. Also I believe XXX is cash-only, although they do have a cash machine.

Thanks everyone for the advice. Especially the bar advice Our tickets were thru the ticket office - Section 103 Row 10

Firejumper said:

Thanks everyone for the advice. Especially the bar advice Our tickets were thru the ticket office - Section 103 Row 10

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I flew into Chicago a few years ago in Brew year zero and met an old pal at the Midway airport, who was marooned on an assignment in Resnealaaaaaaar Indiana. or some other miserable burg off I-65. He wanted to go to the 2007 IU game and agreed to meet me at Midway and head south.

We had a hotel in Indianapolis Thursday night but stopped at the Walmart in Lafayette for supplies. That was one great Walmart, and probably the highlight of that leg of the trip.

Actually we wanted to see the campus, and we were able to park right behind the "bowl" end of the Purdue stadium and walk right in to view the field. I have posted this before, but I expected it to be a mirror image of our old Memorial Stadium, since it looked very similar on TV before the addition of the giant block of suites on the west side. It turns out is was a giant HS looking erector set place with very flat, poor sightlines.

After that we went to Brothers and had a bunch of beers and then made our way to Walmart and on to Indy.

My impression that day was that the area to the east, just over the river in Lafayette might be a better pregame place than the campus side.

On to IU:



The highlight of the rest was tailgating in the heat in the grove area south of IU Memorial Stadium, and hitting the legendary IU bar, Nick's English Hut on Friday night.

All I can say about downtown Indianapolis is that it two hours from downtown Chicago and lot closer in spirit to Arkansas or Kentucky.


Oh yes, our Maroon and Gold clad warriors, led by Brewster were beaten handily that day. At least is was sunny and 90 degrees, and we went back to our Hotel inside the IU Memorial Student Union, freshened up and went back the Nick's English Hut and even had some great BT Basketball/ Bobby Knight talk with the locals.

These types of experiences are why I treasure traveling for Gopher Football, win or lose.