August 29, 2011

Tailgating, parking options for Golden Eagle fans heading to Iowa opener

Tennessee Tech football fans planning to make the trek to the midwest this weekend for the Golden Eagles' season opener at Iowa should take a few minutes to learn their options for tailgating and parking at Kinnick Stadium.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech football fans planning to make the trek to the midwest this weekend for the Golden Eagles' season opener at the University of Iowa should take a few minutes to learn their options for tailgating and parking at Kinnick Stadium.

Kickoff Saturday is at 11:01 a.m., making for an early start for fans planinng to include tailgating activities in their gameday experience.

The University of Iowa has numerous special events planned for Friday and Saturday, and a sellout crowd of 70,585 is expected, so traffic will be heavy and parking will be at a premium around the stadium.

Click here for a link to football gameday information.

Tech returns home next week for its Tucker Stadium opener on Thursday (Sept. 8). Kickoff against Maryville College is at 7 p.m. The Magic 98.5 Tailgate Park opens at 4 p.m.

The game against Maryville features three special events -- Military Appreciation and Public Safety Night, Communiversity Night, and First Tennessee Bank Poster Night.

For ticket information, or to order season tickets, visit or call the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center at 931-372-3940.

Additional information provided by Iowa is listed below.

Listed below is detailed information from the Universty of Iowa regarding tailgating and other options at the game at Kinnick Stadium:

Hawkeye fans can avoid traffic congestion and a shortage of parking near Kinnick Stadium by taking advantage of other parking facilities in the area and either using free shuttles or public transportation, or walking to the games.

From downtown Iowa City, fans can ride free Cambus “Athletic Event” shuttle buses to points near Kinnick Stadium. Additionally, the Hawkeye Express train can be boarded just minutes off of Interstate 80 on Highway 6 near the IHOP restaurant and Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville. Parking is also provided in university-owned parking lots located away from the stadium.

Parking adjacent to Kinnick Stadium is limited. Most parking spaces are reserved for fans with pre-paid parking privileges. Season ticket-holders who have access to priority parking lots as a result of their annual contribution to the National I-Club are required to prepay for their game-day parking. Permits cannot be purchased at the lots on game day. Contact the UI Athletics Ticket office at 319-335-9327 or 1-800-IA-HAWKS to purchase a pre-paid parking permit for the 2010 football season. Parking permits do not guarantee a spot.

A number of convenient parking alternatives are available to fans:

Downtown Iowa City parking ramps are only a short walk from the Pentacrest, where fans can catch the free Cambus “Athletic Event” shuttles to Kinnick.

Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville offers free parking and close proximity to the Hawkeye Express Train Depot. Free Hawkeye Express parking is also available minutes off of Interstate 80 near the IHOP restaurant. The train begins transporting fans three hours before game time and resumes at the end of the third quarter until 90 minutes after the game end. Round-trip tickets are $10 and children age 12 and under ride free.
Free parking for autos is available at Hancher Auditorium (Park Road and North Riverside Drive), the Athletics Hall of Fame Lot at the corner of Melrose and Mormon Trek Boulevard, and the Hawkeye Commuter Parking Lot on Hawkeye Park Road, just off of Mormon Trek or Melrose Avenue.

Beginning two hours before game time, the free Cambus “Athletic Event” service will shuttle fans from the Hancher, west campus Hawkeye Commuter and Hall of Fame parking lots to locations near the stadium. The shuttles will also operate for approximately 30 minutes after the game, taking riders back to their lots.

Riders can also catch regular Cambuses after the game at the Veterans Administration Hospital on Newton Road, at the Center for Disabilities and Development loop, or at Slater Hall. Buses will not have access to the bus stop at Hospital Ramp 2 immediately after the game, as that portion of Hawkins Drive will be closed to traffic for one hour after the game.

Public parking on football Saturdays is permitted at the Iowa Memorial Union Parking Ramp, the North Campus Parking Ramp and Lot 11 (behind the Johnson County Jail). The charge is 90 cents per hour.
$15 parking for automobiles is available at Hospital Ramp No. 4, the Finkbine Commuter Parking Lot (Hawkins Drive), the Finkbine Golf Course grass driving range (weather permitting), Lower Finkbine Lot, Softball Complex Lot, and the Myrtle Avenue Lot.
Hospital Ramp No. 2 is reserved exclusively for fans with disabilities and UI Hospitals and Clinic patients. Hospital Ramp No. 1 is reserved for patients and visitors; no football parking is allowed. Hospital Ramp 3 is reserved for permit holders only.
Recreational vehicles may park at the Hawkeye Commuter Lot, the Hall of Fame Lot, the Softball Complex Lot, the Lower Finkbine Lot, and the hard surface only lot at the Finkbine Golf Course. There is a $30 charge for recreational vehicles and a $40 charge for cruiser buses.
Pull behind trailers/5th wheels are not permitted in reserved lots; however, space is available in the Hawkeye Commuter lot west of Finkbine Golf Course off of Mormon Trek.
The Alcohol Free Lot (Lot 14, south of Slater Residence Hall) is available only for automobiles at $15.

UI-owned cashiered parking lots will be open for overnight parking beginning at 7 p.m. on Fridays before games. Likewise, overnight parking is allowed after 4:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Hawkeye Commuter Lot on Hawkeye Park Road near Iowa City West High School and at Lots 11 and 64 south of Burlington Street at Madison and Prentiss Streets.

Parking spaces are for vehicles only. The use of a parking space for other reason, such as portable grills, tents and chairs is not permitted. Likewise, saving spaces for other motorists is not permitted.

Beer trucks, panel trucks, rental trucks, and buses with storage decks on top are not allowed in UI parking lots or ramps. Likewise, kegs and open bars are prohibited in those areas. Amplified sound (which must be confined to tailgate area,) LP and charcoal grills are permitted only in parking lots and are prohibited in parking ramps. Open wood fires or wood fires in portable fire pits are not permitted in any UI lot or ramp.

All UI parking lots and ramps must be vacated two hours after the game.

For safety reasons, Evashevski Drive (old Stadium Drive) north of Kinnick Stadium will be closed to vehicles when pre-game and post-game pedestrian traffic becomes heavy. In addition, Melrose Avenue at the corner of Hawkins Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic going west approximately one hour before game time to increase safety of pedestrian traffic.