First Time Attendee to any NFL game

Looking for the must dos when attending an NFL game but what to experience at a Seahawk game is important as well. My 16 year old son and I are coming from Alberta to attend the season opener. We will be in Seattle for the Mariner game as well on the 30th. Ideas and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated in what to catch while in Seattle. :th2thumbs:

This has been asked multiple times over many years and I wish we could sticky a thread with all the excellent suggestions made in those threads.

It depends on what you are wanting to do/eat. So many options. Do you want to do touristy things? Or just sample the city?

Hit up Pike Place Market (touristy, but very cool)
Pike Brewery is right there.
EMP is cool if you are into music

Thai food?= Buddah Ruksa in West Seattle
Pizza = Pegusus..West Seattle
Giant Burritos=Gorditos...Greenwood
Elysian Brewery on Pike. Fantastic

Just a few.

People are going to name a bunch of bars, restaurants and places to go, which is fine but you're getting away from why you traveled all this way......to experience the game.

IMO the best advice for anyone coming to see the Hawks or Mariners in person for the first time is to come early to the stadium and just soak up all the atmosphere, which is awesome on game day.

So come down early and give yourself plenty of time to walk around and be first in the stadium so you can walk around and see everything. Both stadiums have lots of nooks and crannies to see cool stuff and views of the field.

Yeah, you need to name what you are looking for. You will get a lot of different replies.

Opening day will have a ton of activities right outside the stadium. Im pretty sure there will be live free concerts from big names as well outside. Come early, see all the cool stuff outside the stadium. Mingle into some tailgate parties (great atmosphere and free food if you play your cards right). Dont forget to see the Drummers (i can never remember their name) and then head into the stadium early to see all the player warmups and just soak it all in.

You can head into seattle afterwards for some night time fun if you want.

three hours before the game 'touchdown city' is open at the wamu theater which is basically on the southwest side of the stadium. my advice is to head down the alley there.

Here's my 'game day' suggestion as long as you don't mind a walk:



Starting off at the stadium, occidental will be a flood of people and vendors and team shops. This is a good place to grab some grub from the street vendors (most of them are pretty good) or check out the pro shop, or other apparel stores.

three hours prior to the game you can also go into the WAMu theater there and there will be various events happening. You can check out the game broadcasters who are doing the radio pre-game show. they usually have bands or something going on.

If you follow the green path I laid out down to utah street that is a nice little area full of tailgaters, although I have no idea what it will look like for a thursday night game. but in general I find that's a nice route to pass through if you just want to mingle with other fans

I recommend getting into the stadium no later than 90 minutes prior to kick off. If this is your one shot in the known future to see a game it'll pay off to find your seat, get your bearings, scope out what's near your seats and otherwise just check out the stadium. If you've never been to an NFL game before you'll want to be seated an hour before kick off to watch the teams come out and warm up. That hour will fly and it'll also get that atmosphere seeping in so by kickoff you'll be chomping at the bit. Note that there are elevators, along with a large cargo elevator located in the NW area of the stadium - so if you have seats in the upper level jump on that to save you some walkin.

I know a lot of people say that the NFL experience is better at home these days with HD TV's and such.

But for my money there's nothing like game day and being there. And these past couple years of seahawks football have been electric, to the point where you can literally feel it in the air.


Bring to the game:

-if you need a bag make sure you have one of the NFL approved clear bags

-try to smuggle in a plastic pop cap from a bottle of coke if you plan on buying one at the stadium. They take the caps away when they serve them to you so people don't throw them or slip on them.

-if it's raining bring a small towel or paper towels to dry off your seat; ponchos are available at the team store or kiosks

-tea with lemon a few times the 24 hours prior to the game will help those vocal chords =)

-have fun, be loud.

I claim credit for the pop bottle cap idea!


The pro shop is a fun place to check out, but it sucks on gameday. If you're going to be in town a few days, take a tour of the stadium and hit up the pro shop then. Otherwise, head there before the Mariners' game and it shouldn't be too packed. Gameday, it is wall to wall people. Also remember that you have to babysit everything you buy at the stadium, so a shopping spree before the game is ill advised unless you're making a trip back to your car.

Seeing as you're a first time attendee, you're essentially a rookie when it comes to making noise.
Hydration during the game will be important. You'll lose your voice a lot faster if you let your throat dry out.

If you feel yourself starting to lose your voice too early, relax a bit and save it for important situations. Once the 4th quarter hits, let it all go. You don't need your voice after the game, but the hawks need it during the game.

Sgt. Largent":3ukwxtlr said:

People are going to name a bunch of bars, restaurants and places to go, which is fine but you're getting away from why you traveled all this way......to experience the game.

IMO the best advice for anyone coming to see the Hawks or Mariners in person for the first time is to come early to the stadium and just soak up all the atmosphere, which is awesome on game day.

So come down early and give yourself plenty of time to walk around and be first in the stadium so you can walk around and see everything. Both stadiums have lots of nooks and crannies to see cool stuff and views of the field.

Click to expand...

I cant recomend this enough. I have been to 5 games and I always love going early and hanging out and checking out the stadium and all that. They also have the mornings games being shown so you dont miss out on anything.

Don't cheer when the SeaHawks are on offense.
:{)