We recently had the opportunity to attend a NFL football game with the kids. We went to TIAA Field in Jacksonville, Florida and had the best time. The Jaguars are my husbands favorite team so this was a dream come true. Thanks to Ocean Florida we had some great tickets and made this a fun filled day for the family. I have to say I was so impressed with the whole experience and can’t wait to take my family again. This time, since I have a game under my belt, I will be much more prepared. An NFL game with kids can be a lot of work and that is why being a little prepared can make your day run smoother.
My girls are still young, 5, 4 and 2, so I was a little worried that they wouldn’t enjoy themselves. I was so wrong. The girls had a blast but I left the game wishing I knew everything I now know after the whole experience. So here I am. Writing this post to share a few small things to prepare you for a fun family day at an NFL game. If you have the opportunity I hope you will go and see the Jacksonville Jaguars play. The atmosphere is indescribable and that city’s love for their team is inspiring.
- Travel light – You might not know this but many NFL stadiums have guidelines in regards to what you can bring into the game. Be sure to educate yourself on that before hand by looking at your teams website. In this case with the Jaguars they required your bag over a small clutch size to be clear. Unfortunately I didn’t know that before hand so I had to leave everything but one diaper, that could fit in my husbands pocket, in the car. Even if you can bring a bag I still advise traveling light. Less stuff = less to worry about and you will be able to find almost everything you need in the stadium.
- Come early – We arrived to the stadium about 2 hours before the game and we were so glad we did. Some of my children’s favorites were the pre game activities. At the Jaguars game all of these activities are included with your game day ticket so they were able to play in the bounce house, take souvenir pictures, meet the minions, get balloon animals, and get their face painted. Check your teams website to see when they open their gates and try to get to the game as soon as you can.
- You don’t have to sit in your seat – One of my favorite parts of the Jaguars game was that when it got too hot to stay in our seats we had plenty of options of places to watch the game around the stadium. There were open areas that were under cover and air conditioned all over the stadium and we were so thankful for that. Plus it was a nice change of scenery for our young kids who cant really stay in one place very long.
I hope these tips for going to a NFL game with kids helped you prepare for your next trip. I would love to hear about some things you do to prepare for NFL games with your family. Please leave those in the comments below.
Thank you again to Ocean Florida for the amazing tickets, we loved the Jacksonville Jaguars game.
If you are interested in reading about more family travel tips you can find those here.
