Saints and Superdome, New Orleans

All right, so as of November 2002, New Orleans now has 2 major sports franchises. First, we have the long standing New Orleans Saints of the NFL and the recent addition of the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA. Also within close proximity is the AAA franchise of the Houston Astros of MLB. The team has produced some real good talent over the past few years, most notably All-Star Lance Berkman. UNO and Tulane also have the normal array of college athletic teams.

We saw the Superdome on the way in from the airport, and of course when we took the New Orleans tour, they mentioned it again.

They used to have tours of the Superdome but since 9-11 they no longer do that.

Equipment: Major Sports Events
* New Orleans Saints (NFL Football).
* NOKIA Sugar Bowl Football Classic.
* Tulane University (NCAA Division I Football).
* Bayou Classic Football (Grambling State and Southern University).
* Nokia Sugar Bowl Prep Classic (LHSAA Football Championships).
* Super Bowls XII (1978), XV (1981), XX (1986), XXIV (1990), XXXI (1997) & XXXVI (2002).
* NCAA Basketball Final Four (1982, 1987, 1993, 2003).
* NCAA Basketball, Division I Regionals (1981, 1990, 1999, 2001).
* Southeastern Conference (SEC) Basketball Tournament (1996, 2003).
* New Orleans Bowl (Sun Belt Champion vs. Conf. USA)

Other ANNUAL SUPERDOME Sporting Related EVENTS

* Louisiana Sportsmen Show.
* U.S. Hot Rod Assn. Grand Slam Motor Jam.
* New Orleans Boat & Sport Fishing Show.
* LA Bike Expo
* Mardi Gras Marathon

The huge structure is the place where the local team plays, a modern indoor stadium that has already hosted 6 super bowls. But during our visit there wasn’t any match (the famous SAINTS play here) so we didn’t have the chance to go inside and just took this pic from the highway.

The superdome is also used for big concerts, presidential conventions etc. And -sad but true- thousands of people transfered here during the city's evacuation when Katrina hit. There used to be tours inside the stadium but I didnt see any leaflet so I guess they dont do it anymore.

Football, especially college games, attracts huge crowds to New Orleans. If you're going to a game, be prepared for peak hotel rates during such well-publicized events as the Bayou Classic game. The streets will be choked with traffic and tourists. For this reason, we spent time in New Orleans before Thanksgiving, then left town against the flow of traffic to visit our family in Rapides Parish.

While not long ago you would see people with paper bags over their heads at games because the team was so bad, currently these guys are pretty good. A game at the Superdome is fun anyway. We almost lost this NFL franchise last year, because the city wouldn't pony up the $$$$ to keep them. That's where the LA taxpayers come in! Leave it to the state of Louisiana to determine that spending cash to keep the NFL in town, and bring in an NBA franchise is more important than giving a raise to some of the worst paid teachers in the country. But, I digress...

Equipment: See equipment for Hornets game...

Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster at:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/805984

Prices range from $35-60

Next to the Zeyphers stadium is the New Orleans Saints spring training facility. If you are looking for autographs, this is the place to come. Obviously, you have to show up during spring training, but the field and players are very accessible. And, its free!

Equipment: Bring your pens and football cards!

This is the worlds largest steel constructed covered arena which is unobstructed by posts. It is home of the city's professional football team - the New Orleans Saints. The arena holds the worlds records for an indoor concert of 87,500 people which was for the Rolling Stones concert in 1981. It has also played host to more Superbowls than any other facility. With all the buildings attached to the Superdome, the complex covers 52 acres. The height is 272 ft and the diameter of the dome is 680ft.
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American Football
Since Rob is the biggest sports fan there is, we had to check out the Superdome. It's really hard to miss since you pass it coming into New Orleans from the airport.

Equipment: The Superdome was built in 1975 and seats about 100,000 people.
The Superdome played a vital role during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. During our visit any of the floats for Mardi Gras were stored here.

We had the thrill of watching the Saints win (only an exhibition game) but the real winner was the Bloody Mary's. We drank a lot of them on our vacation, but they were more fun at the Superdome, greens galore, as much of a salad as a drink.

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My first REAL professional football game (I had been to one pre-season game prior) was on December 4, 2011 - Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints at the Superdome. Very exciting for this New Orleans girl! My husband is a huge Lions fan, which made for some friendly rivalry.

The Dome (as it is known) is one of the LOUDEST football arenas in the league. It was fun to check out the outfits of the other fans - being from New Orleans, costuming is almost a religion.

Equipment: Since the Saints won the Super Bowl in 2009 (hurray!), it is no longer possible to get cheap tickets. We bought ours from a scalper on game day, but still paid $20 over ticket price for each ticket. We thought it was worth while and had a wonderful time. You can also check out after-market ticket sale websites like stubhub.com to get tickets.