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Sports Authority at Mile High Stadium
Stadium Tour Denver, CO |
Denver Broncos Stadium Tour November 23, 2009 |
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NFL Stadium Tours: Bank of America Candlestick Park Edward Jones Dome FedExField Ford Field HHH Metrodome Invesco Field Lucas Oil Stadium McAfee Coliseum M&T Bank Stadium Paul Brown Stadium Raymond James Reliant Stadium Texas Stadium University of Phoenix RETURN
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Stadium Vitals Built: 2001 Capacity: 76,125 seats Playing Surface: Natural Grass Draft Beer: $8.00 Hot Dog: $4.75 Stadium Parking: $30.00 |
 Sports Authority
FieldStadium Address 1701 Bryant Street Denver, CO 80204 (720) 258-3000 Get Directions |
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Stadium Review - Sports Authority Field Stadium Tour  My
28th Stadium on the Quest for 31 was Invesco Field at Mile High in
Denver, Colorado, which I visited in November of 2009. Fortunately
for me, stadium tours are offered each Monday after gameday, so I
seized the opportunity and arranged for a tour while I was in town.
Invesco Field is a more than impressive facility. Built with public
funding on the same site as the original Mile High Stadium, the
designers of Invesco Field strived to maintain several of the design
elements that made the original Stadium such an imposing place for
visiting teams to play in. The horse shoe shape of the original Mile
High Stadium was kept for the stadium's upper deck, as were the
great site lines that were afforded by the steep sided bowl design.
Designers also inserted the familiar steel treads and risers that
Broncos fans were accustomed to stomping on in order to create the
trademark Rocky Mountain Thunder, which sends a booming wall of
noise to the field level to disrupt opposing offenses. The final
accent that stadium creators carried over from
 the
original Mile High Stadium was Bucky the Bronco, the 1600 pound,
27-foot tall horse statue that was created from a mold of the most
recognizable horse in show business, Trigger, the horse of Roy
Rogers. The Denver Broncos actually obtained special permission from
Roy Rogers in 1975 to obtain a mold of the mounted horse's remains
which are still on display at the Roy Rogers Dale Evans Museum
located in Branson, Missouri. The only stipulation being that the
Bronco's horse could not be named "Trigger". After a contest run by
the Denver Post, the name Bucky was selected as the most popular
entry submitted to the newspaper, much to the chagrin of the Broncos
faithful. Tours of Stadium are available during select times throughout the week and they are run by 
the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, a non-profit organization that
resides onsite at Invesco Field At Mile High. Stadium tours begin at
the Colorado Sport Hall of Fame located just inside Gate 1 on the
west side of Invesco Field at Mile High. The tour is extremely
informative and reasonably priced at $9 for adults, $7 for kids and
seniors. I would even suggest arriving a few minutes early to allow
yourself extra time to peruse the exhibits and take a walk into the
kids zone where parents and kids can try on NFL gear including
player pads, helmets and even Denver Broncos cheerleader apparel.
i was actually quite impressed by the depth of knowledge of the stadium tour guides as they relayed facts, figures and stadium anecdotes to visitors throughout the 75 minute walking tour. Our tour began with a walk to the suite level to see how some of the more affluent  Broncos
fans take in the typical gameday. With exceptional site lines,
leather seating, and plenty of food and drink served throughout the
day, the hefty price tag that each suite carries with it seemed well
worth the creature comforts they provide. Also at this time, tour
guides provided a detailed description of the innovative DD
GrassMaster natural grass field system that is employed on the
playing surface at Invesco Field. Utilizing synthetic fibers to
stabilize the natural grass root system and providing artificial
ground warming through a network of underground water-heated piping
and improved drainage, the DD GrassMaster System is capable of
extending the growing season of the natural grass throughout the
winter months. With a root system that doesn't freeze and a
synthetic fiber network that provides protection against the ruts
and divots that are typical with the traditional sod systems, this
natural grass system is a more stable surface for pro football play
especially in the temperature and climatic extremes of the colder
outdoor venues dotted throughout the NFL. The DD GrassMaster System
is also being effectively used at Heinz Field in Pitsburgh, Lambeau
Field in Green Bay, and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.  Following
our visit to the suite level, our tour continued to the United Club
level where common areas hosted leather furniture and full sized
bars serviced the needs of Club level patrons on gameday. Although
access to outdoor club level seating is provided for these
privileged few, it was easy to see why those seats always seemed
empty on gameday. Massive concourses providing plenty of gathering
spots were flanked by flat screen TV's to keep club level guests
abreast of the gameday happenings in a warmer, more inviting
environment. The harsh Denver winter is easily kept at bay by
remaining in these cozy confines while sipping on a glass of wine or
a beverage of choice from the bar. I'm not sure it's where I'd be
most comfortable on an NFL gameday, but I can certainly see the
attraction to some. Our
next stop was the gameday broadcast booth, which is the nerve center
of the gameday telecast. Fairly plain in design, there were plenty
of media ports to provide and route camera feeds from all over the
stadium which link into the live video feed. The press box was next
and it was one of the largest I've seen. Wrapping along the entire
sideline of the west side of the stadium the press box is where
writers from the local and national press gather to eat, drink, and
analyze the game. Power, phone, and internet connections are
provided at each station, with a great view of the action down
below. After
a walk through the press box, we headed to the visiting team's
locker room. Very few Stadium tours actually allow access to the
home team locker room, but I was most impressed by the description
of the psychological games that NFL teams will play with the
visiting team locker room layout (all within the guidelines
established by the NFL). The carpet used in the locker room was
specifically patterned to disorient and when coupled with the
lighter Mile High air, the thought was that it might cause visiting
players a bit of additional discomfort. The layout of your typical
football locker room is usually completely open without an divisive
forces, in this locker room an interior wall of lockers extends into
the middle of the room in order to figuratively divide the room. One
game clock is required in each NFL locker room. In the Broncos
Locker room there are game clocks on every wall, but in the visitors
locker room, one game clock is mounted on an interior wall out of
view for most of the team. the list goes on and on, including the
provision of older equipment and even putting the team kicker in the
locker that's required to comply with handicapped regulations. It
was probably the most entertaining part of the tour. On
gameday, as the players are introduced, the Denver Broncos horse,
Thunder, trots onto the field to the delight of the crowd. As part
of our tour we stopped by Thunder's stall to see where he resides
throughout the game and then into the Keg room where beer is stored
and cooled before being routed to each beer tap throughout the
facility. The tour ends with a visit to the field for a closer look
at the DD GrassMaster natural grass field surface, which is a great
photo opportunity , but unfortunately guests are not allowed on the
field surface itself. All things considered I found the stadium tour
to be one of the more informative facility tours I've taken. I would
definitely recommend it to any Denver Broncos fan or football fan
for that matter.For more information on the city of Denver, Colorado, check out my other review by clicking on the link below: NFL: November 22, 2009 - San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos |
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| City of Denver Local Information | |
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Top Tourist Attractions: Pike's Peak, Rocky Mountain National Forest, Garden of the gods Denver Mint Take a Tour of the Coors Brewery Big Blue Bear Local Foods: Rocky Mountain Oysters What They're Drinkin': Fat Tire, Coors, All types of locally brewed microbrews. Tailgating Hotspots: Lot C with the Mile High Jester Lot M with Danny the Greek Fan Resources: Pocket Map of Denver RTD Light Rail System Map Stadium Policy Stadium Parking Map Local Sports Media: The Denver Post |
Popular
Bar Districts: LoDo District - (Giggling Grizzly, LoDo's, Red Square, The Wine Loft) The Corner Office, 9th Door, Walnut Room Best Restaurants: The Fort (Buffalo, Elk, Quail - typically western pioneer cuisine) Falling Rock Tap House LODO's Bar and Grill Steubens (Local Restaurant - try the green-chile cheesburger) Getting to the Stadium: To fully experience Mile High Stadium, you need to drive there to take part in some top end tailgating. There are plenty of spaces available and parking is a reasonable $30. If you prefer public transportation, the RTD is available. Take the orange or purple lines to the Invesco Field station. Where To Stay: Downtown Denver is where you want to stay. With the stadium close by and the nightlife all around you, I would suggest Sheraton Downtown or the Hyatt. The Red Lion Hotel or the Days Inn are also good options. |
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Compare Prices for Denver Broncos Football Tickets Here: Click on the following links for Denver Broncos ticket availability at each of the top online ticket brokers on the web. Try each link to find the cheapest NFL ticket prices: TicketCity.com StubHub.com TicketsNow.com RazorGator.com |
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Take a Stadium Tour of Sports Authority Field at Mile High: Sports Authority Field Stadium Tours - click here for info Ticket Prices: Adults $9, Kids/Seniors $7 Phone Number: 720-258-3888 Areas Covered: Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Museum, Party Suites, United Club Level, Budweiser Champions Club, Visitor's Locker Room, Keg room, The Field, Thunder's Stall, Press Box, and much more. Hours: Tours begin every hour from 10:00am to 2:00pm and last about 75-minutes unless otherwise specified. Visitors should meet at the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Museum located just inside Gate 1 on the west side of Invesco Field. Tours are unavailable on some days, therefore reservations are suggested. Stadium tours of Invesco Field are available on the following days: - Sept-Dec & Mar-May: Tues-Sat,10:00am-2:00pm,on thehour - Jan - Feb: Thurs & Fri 10:00am, Noon, and 2:00pm only Saturday: 10:00am - 2:00pm, on the hour - Jun - Aug: Tues - Sat, 10:00am-2:00pm, on the hour - Monday after Broncos Games - 10:00am tour available |
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| Club Level Leather | The Budweiser Champions Club | Visitors Locker Room | ||
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| Miles of Cooled Pop and Beer Piping | The Keg Room - My Favorite Spot | The Stall for "Thunder" the Horse | ||
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| Checking out the DD GrassMaster Turf | Can't Wait for Gameday | The Denver Broncos Pro Shop | ||
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| Terrell Davis's Teeth | A fond farewell to Invesco Field | Our tour guides Kristen And Laura | ||
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A Production of Madness Unwatched LLC |
