Stadium and hotel info please

[canepain]

Came on as a visitor beginning of season received a great deal of help on your city and stadium.

Believe we are going to the Capital One Bowl but if the supposed match ups change we will opt for the Outback.

Have reversations @ Berns for dinner, our tickets section 131 row f appear a bit low how are the sight lines and our hotel Days Inn (stadium) good choice?

Glad to see the team win @ UAB hope to see some bulls here in the Keystone State next season

[BullWriter]

131 F is a great area.  Seats are high enough so that the sight lines aren't really an issue at Raymond James.

Berns - excellent choice

Days Inn - not so excellent, although definitely affordable.  If you're looking for something a bit more luxurious, the Wyndham Harbour Island is about a 10 minute cab ride away.  There's a Holiday Inn Express north of the Stadium as well.

[Kizarvexis]

Here's a copy of my post for fans who were travelling to the Army game. I added info on the Outback Bowl seating diagram. Good luck in whichever bowl you get.

Raymond James Stadium® Security Policies

To ensure the security and safety of guests entering Raymond James Stadium, everyone and everything is subject to inspection and search. This includes vehicles, players, coaches, media, entertainers, employees, guests and personal belongings. THERE ARE NOT EXCEPTIONS. As a result, guests are strongly encouraged to arrive at Raymond James Stadium earlier than usual because of security procedures. Inspection points will be established at all entry points of the stadium.

Listed below are items which are not permitted in Raymond James Stadium.

Backpacks

food, drinks, cans, bottles, glass

seat cushions

banners/flags with sticks or poles

video cameras

umbrellas or anything that would obstruct a fan's view

coolers

horns of any type

weapons/fireworks

lasers

items that could be missiles or projectiles

cameras with lenses longer than 12"

Chucky dolls

thunder sticks

footballs.

PROHIBITED ITEMS WILL NOT BE STORED AT THE GATES, THEY MUST BE RETURNED TO YOUR VEHICLE OR THROWN AWAY.(Kiz: They are serious about this)

Reminders Ponchos may be worn, carried over the arm or presented in their original factory sealed package. Contraband items will not be permitted into the stadium and cannot be stored at the stadium. They must be returned to the car or thrown away.

There is no stadium RE-ENTRY. If you leave the stadium you will not be permitted to re-enter.  Banners must meet the stadium's code of good taste and approved by a TSA stadium manager.

Actions Prohibited In Raymond James Stadium

Smoking (except in designated locations)

throwing or kicking any objects

standing on chairs

stepping over chair backs

standing or sitting in these areas: main level, club level or upper level walkways, aisles, ramps and chair backs

Disorderly conduct including public intoxication, fighting and profanity (Kiz: I personally haven't seen stadium security do anything about profanity unless asked.)

Abuse of intoxicants

Spitting tobacco juice

Placing cups on any walls

Running or jogging

Entering field without proper credential

INFRACTIONS MAY WARRANT EJECTION AND/OR ARREST

Actions and items not permitted in the parking lots

Infringing on another's guest's area when tailgating

Saving parking spaces

Throwing or kicking of balls or other objects (The TSA employees seem to try to stop this, but I've heard that the regular parking lot people don't seem to care much as long as you do it safely.)

Disorderly conduct (including profanity)

Running or jogging

Tents without proper permits or approval

Picketing or political campaigning

Distributing handbills or pamphlets

All cars are subject to search  

Here is the Tampa Sports Authority page with the rules quoted above.

Here is a link to the Outback Bowl Stadium diagram.

Outback Bowl home page

Here is a link to the RJS stadium diagram for Bulls games.

The purple sections are the student sections and the yellow sections are general admission. Fans who get their tickets via the opponent school travel packages are in sections 131 and 132. (We sit in section 125 for the Outback Jr. Bulls club.) The north end of the stadium has the pirate ship and is rowdy because of the students. The south endzone is usually quieter and more reserved. The club lounge sections on both sides are only accessible via special tickets, but each endzone has a wide patio area and ample food and beverage stalls. For those travelling with little ones, the stadium has a free Tag-a-Kid service where they put an wristband on your child with your contact info in case your little one gets lost. Oh, and the Glazers (Buc's owners) sell over-priced (IMO) beer.

For those who like in depth info on their opponent, here is the USF 2004 Football Media Guide in pdf format.

The RJS parking lots open 3 hours before the game, but there are two grass empty lots at the SE corner of the stadium that I believe open earlier. I have seen cars in the old mall parking lot just east of the stadium at 8am on gameday. Lots of people near the stadium sell space in their yard for parking, but I don't know how many allow tailgating. There is a big park just north of the stadium that is usually open for tailgating as well, but I do not know when it opens. For those that do to tailgate, there is a grocery store just south of the stadium on Dale Mabry Hwy for anything you may have forgotten. There are many restaurants near the stadium and just south of the stadium are a few 'adult' establishments for those who aren't traveling with their families. Ybor(ee bor), just east of downtown, has all the clubs that the college age crowd likes so much.

The airport is a few miles away to the west of the stadium, but the Tampa and Hillsborough County governments have never supported public transportation the way it should be, so I would not count on the bus system to run many buses on a Saturday. Cabs should be available and there are many car rental outlets in or near the airport.  

If you are driving down, the I-275 Dale Mabry Hwy exit will drop you just about 2 miles south of the stadium. If you are on I-75, the Dale Mabry Hwy exit near the Hillsborough county line, will leave you about 12 miles from the stadium, so skip that one and get off on the I-275 exit just past downtown.  Of course to the west is St. Pete and Clearwater with all the beaches and Tampa has beaches on the bay. For those coming down I-95/I-4, you will drive through Orlando past all the theme parks, in case you have little ones and a little extra time.

The following pages will offer additional info on local sights and events.

Tampa Guide

Explore St. Pete

Beaches in the Clearwater/St. Pete area

www.tbo.com TBO is Tampa Bay Online a partnership between Channel 8 (NBC) and the Tampa Tribune. There is community info, news, weather and the best Bulls coverage of the two papers in the Tampa Bay area.

Tampa Tribune Main page

St. Pete Times Main page

Kizarvexis

[bulls96go]

there is a new four star that opened in august at the new mall on columbus just down the street from the stadium (almost walking distance)

they are running specials $65 @ night for a four star is not bad and they are a nice hotel. that is a true bargain esp. if you use priceline

[canepain]

Could some one shed some light as to what hotel he (bulls96go) maybe refering to ???

[BullWriter]

It's the Marriott Renaissance hotel, located at International Plaza.  

http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage.mi?marshaCode=TPAIM

[bulls96go]

bullwriter goes to the head of the class, he is correct