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Stadium Review - Lucas Oil Stadium Tour
Passing through Indianapolis as part of a road trip down south, I decided to stop in on Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the 2006 World Champion Indianapolis Colts. Opened in 2008, Lucas Oil Stadium is one of the league’s premiere facilities serving as a model for the super stadium structures that many NFL teams these days covet. The massive red brick exterior houses state of the art technologies that offer its fans the best aspects of an outdoor stadium with the convenience of an indoor venue sheltering fans from the harsh winters of central Indiana. With Lucas Oil Stadium, fans can bid a fond farewell to air-supported dome roof of their previous residence to usher in the modern era of the fully retractable roof to allow for exposure to the elements during ideal weather conditions. But to truly appreciate the impressive magnitude of this facility, fans should plan on taking a stadium tour of Lucas Oil Stadium.

The tour begins at Lucas Oil Plaza located at the north entrance of the stadium. Forrest Lucas, the founder of Lucas Oil Products purchased the naming rights for the venue for a sum of $121 million over a period of twenty years. The former trucker and self-made millionaire founded Lucas Oil Products in 1989 to distribute automotive oil and additives. His influence on the facility is most evident in and around Lucas Oil Plaza. Full sized race cars, tractors, and speed boats provide a unique décor to make this common area a great spot for fans to gather at on gameday. The massive horse shoe stage at the center of Lucas Oil Plaza plays host to different marching bands on gameday, welcoming fans to the stadium as they enter through the north gate.

Designed to be a multi-purpose facility, in addition to the typical monster truck rallys and concerts that the venue hosts, Lucas Oil Stadium can be reconfigured to host tradeshows, exhibitions, or conventions as well. Multiple meeting rooms and massive exhibit halls adjacent to the field area are available for tradeshow planners that are capable of accommodating exhibit booths and even vehicle exhibits. Additionally, tunnel access to the newly expanded convention center links the stadium to the rest of the city through a network of tunnels and overpasses that link many area businesses and hotels.

The two piece retractable roof, known as the SuperFrame Structural System, is the first of its kind. Opening from the center of the building, each half of the roof rides on five structural steel rails to expose the field below to the open air. As the roof opens, its long, narrow panels stack over the building and do not overhang or cover the structure itself when fully opened. The roof takes 9 - 11 minutes to open or close completely and by NFL rule, the home team must determine whether the roof will be open or closed 90 minutes prior to kickoff. If there is precipitation in the area, the temperature is lower than 40 degrees, or winds gusts are greater than 40mph, the roof will be closed in order to protect the FieldTurf playing surface and sensitive electronics inside the building.

After the Lucas Oil Plaza, the tour continues down at field level where the artificial FieldTurf surface is accessible to tour participants. I’ve found from personal experience, if your stadium tour includes time down on the field, that it’s best to bring your own football with you. Once at field level, the temptation to run the same field that Peyton Manning commands on gameday is too great to pass up without a football to throw around. Following my own advice, I took the opportunity to run a few fade patterns in the Colts endzone and run back a couple of imaginary kickoffs to the thrill of an equally imaginary crowd.

Between three inch blades of plastic grass, the FieldTurf infill is a 1 1/2-inch layer composed of sand and recycled rubber tires. To keep the buildup of bacteria and germs at bay over the course of the season, the field surface is periodically sprayed with Virkon, a disinfectant chemical used sterilize the field.  There is however no drainage built into the underside of the field surface, so exposing this FieldTurf to rain or snow could be devastating.

What I found most unique about the field level at Lucas Oil Stadium were the eight field suites that lined the south endzone. Colts fans fortunate enough to hold a ticket in these areas are treated an unparalleled gameday experience as the field suites open up directly to the field like a baseball dugout. Unless you’re standing on one of the sidelines, you’re not going to get a closer seat in any NFL stadium.

The tour concluded with a stroll through the Bud Light Zone mezzanine common area, a look and the luxury box and suite level, and a look at the press box. All in all it was very impressive tour of one of the most state of the art facilities in the National Football League. This is a tour that’s not to be missed by the most devout of NFL fans.


For more information on the city of Indianapolis, IN check out my other reviews by clicking on the links below:
     NFL: December 6, 2009 - Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts
     NFL: December 2, 2007 - Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts
     NBA: Indiana Pacers, Conseco Fieldhouse
 

         Indianapolis Colts
        2010 NFL Schedule

1 Sunday, 12-Sep IND @ HOU 1:00 PM
2 Sunday, 19-Sep NYG @ IND 8:20 PM
3 Sunday, 26-Sep IND @ DEN 4:15 PM
4 Sunday, 3-Oct IND @ JAC 4:05 PM
5 Sunday, 10-Oct KC @ IND 1:00 PM
6 Sunday, 17-Oct IND @ WAS 8:20 PM
7 Bye
8 Monday, 1-Nov HOU @ IND 8:30 PM
9 Sunday, 7-Nov IND @ PHI 4:15 PM
10 Sunday, 14-Nov CIN @ IND 1:00 PM
11 Sunday, 21-Nov IND @ NE 4:15 PM
12 Sunday, 28-Nov SD @ IND 8:20 PM
13 Sunday, 5-Dec DAL @ IND 4:15 PM
14 Thursday 9-Dec IND @ TEN 8:20 PM
15 Sunday, 19-Dec JAC @ IND 1:00 PM
16 Sunday, 26-Dec IND @ OAK 4:05 PM
17 Sunday, 2-Jan TEN @ IND 1:00 PM 

          NFL Football Stadiums

 

Ticket Prices: $7 Adults, $5 Children (4-12 years), $5 Seniors (65+)
Phone Number: 317-262-8600 (ask to speak with Guest Services)
E-mail: tour@icclos.com
Tour Information: Tours of Lucas Oil Stadium last approximately 45 minutes to an hour in length and involve quite a bit of walking therefore wearing comfotable shoes is recommended.
Areas Covered: Lucas Oil Plaza, Clubs, Luxury Suites, Press Box, an NFL Locker Room, the Field, and much more.

Public tours
No reservation required – Tuesday & Wednesday  at 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm.  Tickets can be purchased the day of your tour at the exterior ticket window of the Colts Pro Shop located on the northeast side of the stadium, near the corner of South Street and Capitol Avenue.

Lucas Oil Stadium Scheduled Tours – Groups of 25 or more
For larger groups, it is suggested that a private tour of Lucas Oil Stadium be scheduled.  To request a private tour, click on the stadium tours link above and fill out the appropriate forms.

Premiere Fan Forums
Post your thoughts on the Indianapolis Colts here:
ColtFreaks.com
IndyBlueCrew.com
 

Check out my YouTube Video from Lucas Oil Stadium: