Carson Park - UW-Eau Claire Blugolds
Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.43
Carson Park 100 Carson Park Dr. Eau Claire, WI 54703
Year Opened: 1936
Capacity: 6,500
Our Name is our Colors
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire football team is nicknamed the Blugolds, a creative play on their team colors. The team plays its home games off campus, but still in the city of Eau Claire, at community-owned Carson Park, nestled behind the baseball and softball fields sharing the same facility name. The Blugold band is ginormous, boasting 400-475 members, which is about half the size of the school’s total student-athlete population.
The field is a bit hard to access, and the band members tend to have more energy than the rest of the crowd.
Food & Beverage 2
Carson Park has a concessions building behind the main grandstand, which doesn’t boast a lot of options. Hot dogs and brats are the only main dishes (brats are a must in Wisconsin), accompanied by popcorn, chips, ice cream, candy, and beverages such as soda, bottled water, hot chocolate, coffee, and cappuccino. Most items are under $2, but the quality of the food is not the best.
There is also a beer garden behind the opposite grandstand (beer is also a must in Wisconsin); no alcohol is allowed inside the stadium except within the beer garden itself.
Atmosphere 3
The Blugold band is very lively and brings a lot of energy to the experience, with their constant playing, chanting, and (gentle) harassment of the other team. The band is so large they practically stretch from end zone to end zone when performing before the game and during halftime, and as you might expect, they are quite loud, given how many instruments it includes.
The halftime performance seems to be the highlight of the day, with many fans recording it on their cell phones; the football game itself doesn’t generate quite as much excitement (more on this later). The band also competes at times with the PA system, which plays upbeat music that gets a few fans grooving rather than letting the band play those types of songs.
Occasionally, the band picks up where the PA system leaves off; for example, when the PA system started playing “Jeopardy!” music during a replay review, the band jumped in, prompting the PA system to stop. It was unclear whether this was intentional.
Neighborhood 3
There is a lot to do in Eau Claire, with plenty of restaurants, nature trails, and even a zoo. Carson Park itself, though, is separated from the rest of the city by being on a peninsula, almost an island, which juts into Halfmoon Lake. This peninsula includes a train-themed amusement park ride, a local museum, and the Wisconsin Logging Center, which shares a parking lot with the football, baseball, and softball fields.
I recommend stopping at Roadside Ice Cream & Diner (at the tip of the peninsula) for a “Legend” (soft-serve ice cream mixer) before or after your Blugolds game.
Fans 2
The Blugold fans at Carson Park are not very lively; they are totally overshadowed by the noise of the band. The only cheering after big plays seems to come from the south side of the field, where the band sits, in their very own triple set of bleachers. The student section on the east side of the field also completely emptied out by the end of the third quarter, even during a tight game.
Access 3
Getting to Eau Claire is simple enough; the city is located on I-94, which you can take east from the Twin Cities or west from Madison or Milwaukee. Getting to Carson Park itself, however, is a little tricky as it sits in the middle of Halfmoon Lake, with only two roads going in or out. Parking is also very haphazard; there are parking lots next to the field, but the football stadium is blocked from view by the baseball and softball diamonds, so it is hard to tell where you’re supposed to go. A lot of people just park on the grass or under trees along the road that winds its way toward the facility.
Some of the gates are also locked, so you may have to walk around the property a little to actually get inside to see the game.
Return on Investment 2
I’m not sure I’d recommend making the trip to see Blugold football. Don’t get me wrong; there is no cost to get in, no cost for parking, and the concessions are dirt cheap, so this would make a great low-cost (practically free) outing for friends or family. However, there did seem to be a lot more interest in watching the band than watching the team; the concessions weren’t great, and getting in and out was a bit confusing.
Extras 2
There is a team gear stand next to the concessions, and the staff brings in boxes and boxes of stuff to ensure they don’t run out of anything. I did not see a mascot on site, and the scoreboard is static, not video, but the beer garden is a plus (many college stadiums at this level do not permit alcohol). No cost to enter or park is also hard to beat.
