PRVCA Explore Magazine PRVCA Explore PA 2020 | Page 15

College Football
Penn State University
Penn State fans don’t tailgate as much as
they transform the parking lots outside of
Beaver Stadium into a small city for multiple
weekends each fall. The festivities begin
on Fridays, as a caravan of motorhomes
and cars packed to the gills work their way
through the mountains to State College –
with the grills and the coolers coming out
shortly after fans have arrived.
As a result, PSU has been rated in the top
10 for tailgating by USA Today and in the
top 25 by Bleacher Report.
With Penn State home games routinely
attracting more than 100,000 spectators,
the university and city of State College
have a variety of available options for
parking and tailgating – including a
450-space lot specifically for recreational
vehicle owners wanting to spend the
night. Attendees who can’t secure a spot
in the overnight lot have the option of
purchasing a space at Grange Park in
Penns Valley. Situated roughly 14 miles
from campus, spectators will need to
take a shuttle to the game but the facility
offers overnight parking as well as water
and electric hookups, flush toilets and
concession stands. Penn State also offers
approximately 80 day-of-game recreational
vehicle spaces which many times are sold
out in advance. Football fans travelling to
the game using these lots will often arrive
the night before and spend the night
in commercial parking lots the evening
before gameday.
Fans who are not traveling to the game by
recreational vehicle and are simply looking
for tailgate parking have multiple options to
choose from, including reserved parking
lots, alcohol-free family-friendly parking
and general parking facilities.
Glass bottles and kegs are prohibited in
the tailgating lots and the university no
longer allows alcohol consumption in the
tailgating lots during the game. Coolers
are permitted to come back out after
the final play, as many people will eat and
drink while waiting for traffic to disperse.
Weapons, fireworks, charcoal grills and fire
pits are not permitted in any of the parking
facilities.
Website: www.gopsusports.com; www.
visitpennstate.org
Phone: 1-800-NITTANY (648-8269)
Penn State University football
University of Pittsburgh
While Heinz Field is home to the Steelers
on Sundays it also is home to the Pitt
Panthers on Saturdays. Since moving
into Heinz Field with the Steelers when it
opened in 2001, Pitt fans have been able
to utilize the same variations of parking
and tailgating options that Steelers fans
enjoy on Sunday afternoons.
With Pitt using the same surface and
garage parking as the professional teams,
the same rules and regulations are in
place. Campers, motorhomes, buses
and any other type of oversized vehicle
are not permitted in any of the facilities.
Tents, glass bottles and open flames of
any kind also are banned from parking
lots but gas grills are permitted.
Much like Steelers fans. Pitt fans also have
the option of securing tailgating space
through Tailgate Guys. This company con-
structs tents along the river and contracts
with local restaurants to provide seating,
food and beverages for groups as large as
60 people.
Thanks to the success inside the stadium,
fans are starting to turn out in support
– and that is having a noticeable impact
outside the stadium.
With Temple using the same stadium
complex as the Eagles and Phillies the
same rules apply – with tailgating permitted
in certain designated lots and oversized
vehicles allowed for an additional cost.
Grills and alcohol also are allowed within
the parking lots. Additionally, season
ticket holders can purchase a season RV
parking pass for $306 annually.
Temple alumni and donors can also
purchase space in Tailgate Row, touted
by the university as one of the best party
atmospheres in college football. This lot,
which requires a $2,500 donation, is the
only guaranteed reserved space and offers
front-row access to all pregame festivities
and direct contact to Owl Club staff members.
Website: www.owlsports.com
Phone: [phone]
Website: www.pittsburghpanthers.com
Website: www.tailgateguys.com
Phone: [phone]-PITT
Temple University
Since joining the Eagles as a tenant of
Lincoln Financial Field when the facility
opened in 2003, the Temple Owls football
program has seen recent success it had
never accomplished previously – winning
10 games back-to-back years and winning
the American Athletic Conference champi-
onship in 2016.
Temple University football
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