Michigan Stadium - Michigan Wolverines
Updated: 1 day ago
Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.14
Michigan Stadium 1201 S Main St Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Year Opened: 1927
Capacity: 107,601
Welcome to The Big House
Michigan Stadium is one of the truly legendary college football venues in the country. Built during the Great Depression, it provided jobs for thousands of locals who helped to build a stadium that would last for ages. It started big, with a capacity of 72,000, and has continued to grow to its present capacity of 107,601. This makes it the largest stadium by capacity in the United States, and the third largest stadium in the world. It truly deserves its nickname as “The Big House”.
Despite its large capacity, Michigan Stadium does not appear that big from the exterior. This is because the playing surface and most of the seating is below ground level. The stadium’s exterior gates bring you in at the midway point of the seating bowl.
Food & Beverage 3
Serving the food and beverage tastes and the needs of more than 100,000 fans is a tall order, but Michigan Stadium offers a wide variety of food categories through its concession stands to meet the demand.
The Big House Bites stands have multiple locations throughout the stadium, and offer the concession standards of hot dogs, popcorn, candy and soft drinks.
BBQ specialties are available at Slow’s BBQ stands while burgers are available at Big House Burgers and Big Boy stands. State Fairs are popular in the Midwest, so fair fare is available at State Street Fair Food stands, while several types of pizza are available at Hungry Howie’s
Other more specialized stands include Nacho Cantina (nachos), Flock (honey chicken tenders and chicken sandwiches), Carvel (ice cream treats) and Acai Superbowl (frozen Acai bowls).
Michigan Stadium offers Coca-Cola branded soft drinks and water.
Alcohol can be served at Michigan Stadium, making it one of the few college football stadiums to serve alcoholic beverages in all areas of the stadium. Stands offering alcoholic beverages include the Beverage Express outlets throughout the stadium.
All concession stands operate on a cashless basis.
Atmosphere 5
Michigan excels in gameday atmosphere. It seems that everyone is decked out in maize and blue, the Michigan team colors. Tailgates are taking place on virtually every street corner.
Once inside the stadium there are several traditions that take over the day. Many of these involve the Michigan Marching Band. The first of these is the creation of the Block “M” formation at the 50-yard line. The team then takes the field under the “Go Blue” banner, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Finally, the band begins playing one of the great fight songs of college football… “Hail to the Victors”. Everyone in maize and blue knows every word of the song.
The experience literally sends chills down your spine.
Neighborhood 5
Ann Arbor is a quintessential college town, and as you can imagine, the town is completely overtaken on Saturday gamedays. There are plenty of things to do in the area, before or after a game.
There are several restaurants near Michigan Stadium. These include the Zingerman’s Delicatessen, Miss Kim Korean Restaurant, Zingerman’s Roadhouse and York and Ricewood BBQ. If you are interested in craft brews, there are several breweries in the Greater Ann Arbor area. These include the Homes Brewery, Mothfire and the Ann Arbor Distilling Company.
It is a good idea to check out the beautiful University of Michigan campus while you are in town. The campus features well maintained grounds, stunning architecture and lots of historical interest for visitors to enjoy. The University of Michigan Museum of Art features both permanent and rotating exhibitions, and admission is free! Other interesting sites on the campus include The Diag (center of campus life), the Law Quadrangle and the Michigan Union Building (the school store and lots of eating establishments.
Despite having a 100,000 plus seat venue down the street, the area immediately surrounding Michigan Stadium is surprisingly residential in nature. Many locals and area churches rent out parking in their driveways and parking lots. It is a very walkable environment and safe area any day of the week. Others choose to park on the University of Michigan Golf Course, which is just across the street from the stadium. Free parking is also allowed on area streets at no charge.
Hotel rooms are nearly impossible to book on game weekends. A second option is to stay at one of the many hotels located around the Metro Detroit Airport (DTW), which is located only 20 miles from the stadium and does not charge special event rates on Wolverines home game weekends.
The campus is especially beautiful in early fall as the leaves are changing colors.
Fans 4
The Michigan Wolverines are one of the most storied programs in college football. They have won 45 Big Ten Championships and 12 National Championships over the years. This has garnered them with one of the most loyal fanbases in the country.
The Wolverine fans have filled the stadium on a regular basis for decades, no matter how much the temperatures drop, or how bad the winter storms are. It has drawn more than 100,000 fans for nearly 300 straight games, spanning several seasons.
Fan tailgates are located throughout the Michigan campus, including the University Golf Course across the street from the stadium. Your golf slice never tasted so good! The student body turns out in mass and works closely with the cheer squad to disrupt the visiting team’s on field communications.
Access 4
Typically, you would think getting to and around a facility seating 107,000 fans would be a nightmare, but the University of Michigan has the experience and resources to manage the huge crowds efficiently. The key is to arrive early with your plans of what you want to do firmly in place.
The main route to Michigan Stadium starts with I-94. Fans will exit I-943 via Exit 175 (Ann Arbor-Saline Road). This quickly becomes Main Street as you head north towards Ann Arbor. Michigan Stadium is at the corner of Main Street and Stadium Boulevard.
Once you draw close to the stadium, your task becomes where to park. The city of Ann Arbor and the university work together to provide adequate parking for the more than 100,000 fans descending on the city on football Saturdays. Game day parking is available at the University of Michigan Golf Course, Pioneer High School, and several University of Michigan athletic facilities (the Tennis Center, Soccer Complex, the Wrestling Center, the Track and Field Stadium and the Lacrosse Stadium). Free shuttles will ferry fans to the stadium.
In addition, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (www.theride.org/services/event-service) offers FootballRide shuttle services from five different locations in the Ann Arbor area on gamedays. These shuttles run every 20 minutes beginning two hours before kickoff.
Once at the stadium, there are ten gates into Michigan Stadium. Gates open two hours prior to kickoff. Once inside the stadium access was improved through a widening of the concourses as part of a 2024 renovation. If you want to purchase some spirit items on the way to your seats, there are eight M Den stores spread around the stadium. Concession stands are also located throughout the stadium.
Following games, the shuttles will return you to your parking spaces. The section of Main Street between the stadium and I-94 becomes a one-way street, with all lanes heading southbound towards I-94 to facilitate quicker returns to your home.
Return on Investment 3
High demand means high ticket prices, and Michigan tickets are in very high demand, as they are always in the hunt for the Big 10 or NCAA Championships. Big 10 games cost between $150-$250, while games against major competition (i.e., Notre Dame, Miami or SEC teams) can cost upwards of $300. Low demand games against MAC foes or lesser competition cost $80-$100.
Parking fees vary by location. The accessible lots near the stadium are $60. Parking at the University Golf Course is $55. The parking decks at the various sports facilities charge $25. The shuttles from these facilities to the stadium and back are free. The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority buses charge $3 round trip, with seniors and youth able to ride for $1.50. If you don’t mind a short walk, free parking is available on neighborhood streets.
Concession prices are very reasonable compared to ticket costs.
Extras 5
Michigan Stadium is constantly evolving to better meet the needs and demands of the Wolverines fanbase. Renovations have occurred in 1928,1949,1956,1973,1992,1998, 2003 and 2010.
In 2023, a pair of new videoboards were added atop the stadium behind each end zone. They measure 152 feet x 55 feet, making them the third largest videoboards in college football. Michigan Stadium was also the first stadium in the country to feature electronic scoreboards back in the 1930’s.
Michigan Stadium hosted the NHL Winter Classic Hockey Game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2014 that drew 105,491 fans, setting a world record for the largest attendance ever for a hockey game.
Fans should download the Michigan Athletics Mobile App prior to attending a Wolverines home game. It can make your visit much easier with ticketing, seating maps of the facility, parking information, gameday traffic info and much more.
While Michigan will always be associated with the anthem “Hail to the Victors”, one of the newer traditions at Michigan Stadium is the playing of “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers at the end of the third quarter. This drives the crowd into a frenzy, with the stands becoming a mosh pit and the fans singing the final verse acapella.
Final Thoughts
Any true college football fan needs to make a trip to Ann Arbor for a Michigan home game as it is a bucket list item. The color, pageantry and traditions of Wolverine home games are hard to beat. The experience of a watching a football game in the presence of 100,000 plus fans may seem overwhelming, but the crowds are Midwestern friendly…. except to Michigan State Spartans/Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans…. of course!
