Have you ever been to Dolphin Stadium?

[mgcolby]

Thinking about making Miami the destination for our annual family Pats trip, but I here the Stadium is in a bad area. I also don't know anything about Miami i.e. where to stay. So if any of you travel Vets have some advice its appreciated.

To the mods: Sorry for posting this in the main forum, but the road trip forum doesn't get much traffic and I am looking to make reservations soon.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Stay a half hour north in Ft Lauderdale which also has an airport. The Pats used to stay at the FtL Marriott, may still do so. Just don't go 'off campus' at the stadium or Miami airport.

 

[borg]

The stadium is completely independent of the surrounding neighborhood so there are no worries...basically a giant stadium in the middle of a giant parking lot. Be warned that day games in Sept and Oct are brutally hot. If you prefer not to deal with the South Beach scene, definitely stay in Ft Lauderdale and fly into FLL airport also. A great beach hotel in Ft Lauderdale, but not centrally located, is Lago Mar... 2 pools, huge beach and reasonably priced. There is a beautiful Marriott on the beach next to an entertainment complex (including a Hooters) that is pricey but in a central location. Avoid Bahia Mar and Yankee Clipper (Sheraton) because they are both dumps.

 

[primetime]

I've been there a few times, though never for a football game. Went to a few Marlins games the year they won their first World Series. The stadium is, like most, independent of the neighborhood, as someone said. I was fairly young at the time and don't remember it being in a particularly bad part of town, too.

 

[Welker83]

dolphin stadium is in the middle of a neighbor hood in the center of a gigantic parking lot. There is always a lot of visiting fans and Dolphin fans generally will leave you alone unless you get obnoxious or act like an ass. (there are always exceptions). Trust me when i say there will be AT LEAST 15,000 pat fans there...

Lauderdale is a good bet. As far as hotels go...you get what you pay for. There are ghettos in lauderdale, and there are also REALLY nice areas...Remember that.

It is EXTREMELY hot in september and august. The best seats are on the Home side...if it's a day game you will have the sun in your face the entire time if you sit on the visitors side.

The stadiums renovations will mostly be done by them...specifically the concourses widths have been doubled, and they increased bathrooms by 30%. Also there are the largest HD screens in the world.

Bring a poncho Just in case. And when you travel to the game take the turnpike(toll road)...the stadium has it's own exit. U can take 95, but then you need to drive 5 miles through a little neighborhood.

Hope to see you there. Go fins!

 

[Michigan Dave]

I was there when we played Alabama in the 2000 Orange Bowl. I thought it was a great stadium for football, granted I was on the field. The area seemed OK, there was a huge lot around the stadium, so I don't think you'll have safety concerns.

 

[Crowpointer]

I love the Miami trip. You are smart to book your tickets now . I already booked mine on Jetblue. I tried the waiting game last year and the prices only went up. I make it a vacation so I go down early with the wife and stay in the Keys(Isamorada) and drive up early Sunday morning. Try Cheeca Lodge if you want to go this route. Stadium tailgating is great. I like the lower endzone seats since I want to be low but don't want to pay sideline prices. The Endzone seats are also closer to the field than the sidelines. A good deal of space behind bench to where the stands start on sidelines. Dolphins fans are no big deal . A little obnoxious if they win but no biggie. Try Ebay in September when season starts. I paid $260 for 2 seats 5 rows off the field right next to tunnel where Pats come in. My Pats seasons are $250 a pair so I thought no big deal. It included a season ticket parking pass that allows you to park close to stadium . Other than that cash lots farther away. Good luck.

 

[mgcolby]

Thanks for all of the advice. We will be driving down (all the tailgating equipment) and I always get nervous about blindly picking a hotel in a city I have never been to. Especially one with Miami's crime rate.

Anyhow Ft Lauderdale seems like the place to be. Again thanks for the heads up.

 

[fitch]

Know for a fact the Pats stay at the Westin in Ft Lauderdale.....I was down there this past weekend and spoke with a number of employees. They all said they have been there for the past few years.

Dolphins Stadium is a very good place to see a game.

 

[BionicPatriot]

Well, it's still in Dade county but I don't think the north side of Miami is that bad. I go there every year, and I love it. The fans are pretty good. You have your loudmouths, but you'll get that anywhere. Some fans are real fun though, so it definantly evens out. The stadium is awesome, always liked it. Also, they're re-modeling the stadium so it should be a pretty nice experience. Hotel wise I'm uesless, I go to the game and head home, sorry.

 

[SamBamsFan]

Well, it's still in Dade county but I don't think the north side of Miami is that bad. I go there every year, and I love it. The fans are pretty good. You have your loudmouths, but you'll get that anywhere. Some fans are real fun though, so it definantly evens out. The stadium is awesome, always liked it. Also, they're re-modeling the stadium so it should be a pretty nice experience. Hotel wise I'm uesless, I go to the game and head home, sorry.

I agree w/ you. But for someone coming from out of town I'd enter from Florida's Turnpike. Pay the toll. No fuss. No worries. Great place to watch football.

 

[PatsSteve1]

I've been to about 8 games there and the parking lots around it are so big you dodn't notice what the nieghborhood is like at all. Just stay in Ft Lauderdale or down at the beach, there's many, many hotels and enjoy south beach and the game.

 

[Boston Jay]

Yeah definitely stay in Fort Lauderdale (Miami is a headache and traffic is horrific).

As SamBam said take the turnpike exit to the stadium but if you must must use I-95 S then you have to take Ives Dairy Rd/Honey Hill Rd all the way west to the stadium.

 

[SoCal Bong]

With so many of us going, we should definitely have an organized tailgate.

If there are an locals who know the stadium policies and parking lot well, please PM me and I can help you organize it. Its not necesarily a lot of work, its all about communicating as many details as possible upfront and then you can enjoy yourself on gameday.

If there is any way for us to buy tickets in one Patriots section, we should organize that as well.

I guess we should take this to the Road Game forum. Please post here:
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?p=408988#post408988

 

[richpats]

Safe to say if you're in Ft Lauderdale or South Beach you won't be able to go anywhere without running into a ton of Pats fans.

Since the turnpike has an exit that goes right into the parking lot, I never got the sense that I was in a 'neighborhood'.

My only visit to Dolphin Stadium was last year and 8 weeks later Peyton Manning won the SB in the same stadium so I probably will never return

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I lived in Miami for a couple of years. I never went into the Stadium but drove nearby it a couple of times. You shouldn't have any "safety" concerns on gameday if you just use the common sense that you use in Boston or any big city.

Enjoy. Stay in South Beach or the Grove. The "downtown" hotels are nice, but cater primarily to business travelers. Of those, the Intercon used to be my favorite.

Miami's a wonderful city, the northernmost city of South America, as we used to say.

 

[Kontradiction]

Eh, in my experience, Ft. Lauderdale is just as much of a ****hole as Miami is. Less traffic, but just as much crime going on. Still, it has a lot of good areas surrounding it, just like any other city. And, it's a fun place to stay (bar and club scene is good). All in all, Ft. Lauderdale is "safer" than Miami, but not by much. Just use the common sense that God gave you and you'll be alright.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

You folks make it sound like Miami is Downtown Baghdad. About 15 years ago the downtown had some well-publicized problems that it worked hard to fix and now it's no different than other large cities. Common Sense and you're OK.

SoBe and the Grove are great for hotels and hanging. The Grove's a younger crowd with a lot of students from the University. SoBe is ground zero for models, actors and wannabe's and "easy on the eyes" all around.

 

[Welker83]

You folks make it sound like Miami is Downtown Baghdad. About 15 years ago the downtown had some well-publicized problems that it worked hard to fix and now it's no different than other large cities. Common Sense and you're OK.

SoBe and the Grove are great for hotels and hanging. The Grove's a younger crowd with a lot of students from the University. SoBe is ground zero for models, actors and wannabe's and "easy on the eyes" all around.

seriously!
Miami is not bad as long as you stay out of random ghettos and don't wander into any crackhouses and then try to sample stuff for free...

Honestly...i had more problems in boston at 1 AM then i ever had in miami at 1 AM.

If you stay in lauderdale a great place to hit up is Las Olas...it's a collection of Clubs, restraunts, and shops in downtown lauderdale. Lots of people, lots of fun, lots of security and cops. Enjoy!

Also...remember to pronounce your R's.....

 

[fgssand]

You folks make it sound like Miami is Downtown Baghdad. About 15 years ago the downtown had some well-publicized problems that it worked hard to fix and now it's no different than other large cities. Common Sense and you're OK.

SoBe and the Grove are great for hotels and hanging. The Grove's a younger crowd with a lot of students from the University. SoBe is ground zero for models, actors and wannabe's and "easy on the eyes" all around.

We have stayed at the Marriott - just down from SoBe and have had great time three of the last four years. No problems, the beach is great, hotel fun and the SoBe area at any time of day or night is quite fun - no matter what you seek, you will find (including god clean family fun).

The stadium is fair - I think the remodel will help, Low down in the end zone offers great sightlines and is really close to the field. Crowd is fun and only a little good natured ribbing. Miami fans are pretty cool in victory or defeat.

Remember Patsfans, when you are in an opposing teams stadium, be respectful and act like you have been there before.

Nothing bothers me more than *******s from oppsosing teams visiting Gillette an d being jerks, they usually get the worst treatment from us as well.