Bryant-Denny Stadium - Alabama Crimson Tide

Photos by Jack Quinn, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.71

Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium 920 Paul W Bryant Dr Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Alabama Crimson Tide website

Bryant-Denny Stadium website

Year Opened: 1929

Capacity: 100,077

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It’s All About Bama

When you take the exit towards Tuscaloosa, you’ll come upon a quaint southern town that merely sits in the shadow of a cathedral that is Bryant-Denny Stadium. The massive bowl carries countless stories of success at the highest level of college football. The Alabama Crimson Tide has ruled the SEC and college football in general for many years, recently hosting opponents in their 100,000+ seat stadium, which is always buzzing on gamedays since it was expanded in 2010. Bryant-Denny is a full bowl-shaped stadium with a lower bowl and an upper deck that is disconnected into four large parts, one on each side of the field.

Food & Beverage   5

Bryant-Denny Stadium has no shortage of places to buy food and drinks during the game. Outside of the regular stadium food offerings, the venue has a World of Beer stand with extra items such as the “Denny Dog” and a German pretzel. In addition, the Poppin’ Sisters Popcorn stand offers fans the opportunity to buy gourmet popcorn in many different flavors.

For drinks, fans can enjoy Coca-Cola products of their choice alongside domestic beer options that have prices around $12 to 15 per can. If you want an ice-cold water while you watch the Tide roll, make sure to grab it early, as concessions will run out of bottles fairly quickly, especially in the upper sections.

Overall, you can’t go wrong with a Denny Dog and a drink of your choosing to keep your stomach satisfied during four quarters of thrilling football.

Atmosphere   5

Be prepared to chant “Roll Tide” after every Alabama first down and see those patented red and white pom poms waving all around you. And if you’re not a country music fan, you soon will be, as the stadium tunes certainly are the songs of the Southland.

The layout of the stadium is an upper and a lower deck, with the students and the Alabama band situated on the south end. You’ll be faced with bench seating and generally experience a sellout crowd, at least for the first few quarters of the game. Despite the large capacity of the structure as a whole, the view from the upper sections is not a bad one at all.

The videoboard situation is a unique one with four medium-sized boards, one at each corner of the stadium in between the lower and upper bowls; this is different than the typical two boards above either end zone, or one big one on one side only.

The promotions during the game typically highlight other Alabama athletic teams, as well as student highlights such as the homecoming court. The band does a fantastic job of spelling out the letters B-A-M-A by sprinting to predetermined spots all at once, and they perform the alma mater song beautifully.

Other entertainment factors include the LED light show that can be seen during night games, particularly during the singing of “Dixieland Delight” when the lights go red and the fans sing along to the words (and add a few questionable phrases of their own). Other sing-along hits include Sweet Home Alabama and Friends in Low Places.

As far as seating is concerned, if you want to avoid the sun as much as possible, sit on the north to northeast side of the stadium. Or if seeing the logo right side up is important to you, then look for seating on the east side. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house, regardless of how big the stadium feels.

Neighborhood   5

Bryant-Denny Stadium is located on the southwest side of the University of Alabama’s campus and is surrounded by various apartment buildings, fraternity houses, and academic facilities. The main strip is a short 5-minute walk away, as are stores to get groceries and gas.

Tuscaloosa is a fabulous college town highlighted by the main strip of University Boulevard, containing bars, restaurants, and shopping. After the game ends, the police do a great job of controlling the crowd and the cars, making the boulevard safe to roam about on.

There are plenty of great places nearby to get a bite to eat, just a few of which are Avenue Pub, Dreamland BBQ, and Urban Bar & Kitchen. There’s also a wide variety of fast food options littered throughout the strip.

For game night entertainment, check out The Houndstooth for a vibrant outdoor/indoor experience, Galletes for a more nightclub situation, or Lookout for a nicer rooftop environment. Don’t let the long lines scare you away from a fun night out in Tuscaloosa, ideally after an Alabama victory!

For lodging, there are numerous hotel chains in Tuscaloosa to book a room at, as well as tons of Airbnb opportunities outside of downtown. If you’re flying to the game, you’re most likely headed through Birmingham, which is not a bad option for lodging as well, being about an hour’s drive away from Tuscaloosa.

Fans   4

The Alabama fanbase is one of the most passionate there is…but also one that expects victory every single Saturday. Don’t take the rating here the wrong way; 100,000+ fans screaming at the opposing team during a 3rd-and-long is quite the scene. However, contrary to some other SEC environments, the Tide fans lean more toward sitting down for most of the game rather than getting active and into every play.

Nevertheless, when Bama fans want to make life miserable for the opposing team, they certainly can do so. And with the stadium at full capacity nearly every single Saturday, the one critique that could be placed on the shoulders of these fans is their energy on all the non-game-altering plays.

With that being said, one of the best traditions in college football is hearing the roar of Dixieland Delight echo across the bowl during a timeout in the 4th quarter of a tight game.

Access   4

Access into Bryant-Denny Stadium itself has its ups and downs, as you might expect with a place that holds as many fans as it does. Going through the gates can be congested, and it’s recommended that you head toward your seat well before kickoff. One of the best features of Bryant-Denny, though, is the spiral ramps at each corner of the stadium; these thick passageways are perfect for a sea of people to walk up to get to their seats.

Transit into the stadium is hit or miss as well. If Ubering into the area, you may not get as close as you want to, so preparing to walk around 5 to 10 minutes is encouraged. If attending a game during homecoming weekend or another university event, road closures may play a role in transportation into town, as well.

While Ubering as close as you can get to the facility is recommended, you can park near Bryant-Denny as well, if you get there early enough to snag one of the few open spots. There will typically be makeshift signs detailing the price to park on someone’s lawn or outside of their residence, and street parking is also available, again with early arrival recommended.

Return on Investment   5

You come to Alabama to see where legends are made, and the fan experience certainly gives you a taste of that firsthand. The sheer size of the venue where the Crimson Tide takes on its opponents is enough to get an audible “wow” out of anyone who sets foot inside.

With prestige comes price, of course, and tickets to a conference game, for example, can reach up to $150 for the upper bowl and $300 for the lower. However, if you are smart with parking, lodging, and food, you should be able to make your trip well worth it.

Extras   5

The stadium opened with a 55-0 win over Mississippi College in 1929.

Bryant-Denny is 5th in the SEC in stadium capacity behind Texas A&M, LSU, Tennessee, and Texas. When full, the stadium would qualify as the fifth-largest city in Alabama.

Final Thoughts

When the Tide is rolling, you can feel it. There’s a reason the SEC runs through Tuscaloosa each year, and you can feed off that energy, excitement, and success. Alabama is a bucket list college football experience not just for Bryant-Denny Stadium, but also for Tuscaloosa as a town, and the pageantry involved with one of the most successful programs in college football history.