SportsQuest
All games

Week 16, Sun, Dec 27, 1:00 PM local

Cincinnati Bengalsat Indianapolis Colts

Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis. Fly into IND.

Build the quest

Kickoff slot

Early

Lots open before breakfast.

Lots open

9:00 AM

Local time on game day.

Where to stay

In the city

Tailgate from 9:00 AM, then the game.

The matchup

Form, ESPN's model and the stat leaders
Form

The Bengals are 2-1 after 3 games, 3rd in the AFC North.

They are 1-1 on the road.

The Colts are 1-2 after 3 games, 2nd in the AFC South.

They are 1-1 at home.

What we know about Lucas Oil Stadium

Where visiting fans stay

Checked at the source
  • Skywalk-connected downtown hotels. 12 min. enclosed skywalk to the Convention Center, then the pedestrian connector to the stadium. The one thing worth knowing about an Indianapolis trip: 4,700 hotel rooms connect to the Indiana Convention Center by skywalk, and the Convention Center connects to Lucas Oil Stadium by an enclosed walkway on the Event Level. That means you can go from your hotel room to your seat without stepping outside. JW Marriott is 2 minutes from the Convention Center, Hyatt Regency and The Westin are 3 to 5 minutes away, and Crowne Plaza at Union Station is 5 minutes away. From the Convention Center to Lucas Oil is another 5 to 8 minutes. No other stadium in this group gives you this at this scale.
  • South Street / stadium-adjacent hotels. 4 min by walk. Four hotels sit across the street from Lucas Oil, 0.1 to 0.3 miles away. They cost less than the convention hotels and it's a two-minute walk, though you won't be on the skywalk. Pick these if price matters more to you than staying dry.
  • Georgia Street corridor. 8 min by walk. This is where the pre-game actually happens. Georgia Street is a pedestrian street built for events, two blocks north of the stadium, and it's where the sports bars fill up on a Colts Sunday. Stay on or near it and you're in the crowd instead of stuck at a hotel bar. You're also close to St. Elmo's Steak House, and you can get the local pork tenderloin sandwich at Loughmiller's Pub or Coaches Tavern.

Around the stadium

Checked at the source
Downtown Indianapolis is the most walkable NFL stadium city in this group, and the most overlooked. The stadium sits at 500 S. Capitol Avenue, inside the downtown grid, physically joined to the Convention Center, with about 70,000 downtown parking spaces and thousands of skywalk-connected hotel rooms around it. Walking in from a mile or more away is normal for this crowd, not a hardship. You don't have to choose between staying downtown or staying near the stadium here, it's the same place.

Getting in from the airport

From a specialist guide
IND Indianapolis International Airport connects to downtown by IndyGo Route 8, a non-express fixed-route bus, from the stadium Transportation Center on Level 1 of Terminal Garage 2, or by taxi or rideshare.

Getting to the stadium

Checked at the source
Indianapolis skywalk system plus the Convention Center pedestrian connector. The connector comes out on the stadium's Event Level, so you never go outside. IndyGo Route 8 (airport service). Downtown, then a short walk or skywalk to the stadium.

Tailgating

From a specialist guide
Lucas Oil isn't a tailgate stadium in the Midwest sense, so don't plan a trip around tailgating. The Colts leave it up to the lots: tailgating policies are at the discretion of the lot operators throughout the downtown area, so there's no single team policy, you'd need to ask the operator of whatever lot you're in, and you'd need a car. What's there instead for fans on foot is Touchdown Town, the Colts' pre-game fan zone outside the north gate, opening three hours before kickoff, and the Georgia Street bar strip two blocks away. Whether you need a game ticket to get into Touchdown Town isn't stated anywhere official. American Family Insurance Touchdown Town opens three hours before kickoff outside the north gate. No admission charge is advertised, and whether you need a game ticket to get in isn't confirmed.

Getting in

Checked at the source
  • Bag policy: You can bring one clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag no bigger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches, or a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag, plus a small clutch or purse about the size of your hand. Fanny packs aren't allowed. Diaper bags get no exception, they have to be clear too and follow the same rules as any other bag. Medical device bags are allowed but will be checked at the gate.
  • Re-entry: If you leave the gated area around the stadium, you can't come back in during a Colts game. The boundary is the outer gated perimeter, not the stadium doors. Other events run by outside promoters may allow pass-outs at their discretion, but that doesn't apply to NFL games.
  • Prohibited items: You can't bring outside food and drinks, liquor containers, video cameras (depends on the event), poles, sticks, noisemakers, selfie sticks, blankets, seat cushions, animals other than service animals, or large bags.

Touring the stadium

Checked at the source
Tours don't run on game days. The stadium notes that tour routes and times can change based on the event schedule. The Lucas Oil Stadium Public Tour runs on Fridays, not Saturdays, usually at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., with extra days sometimes added, though event days and holidays are always excluded. For a Sunday game, that means you'd need to arrive on Friday, not Saturday, which catches a lot of visiting fans off guard. Tickets go on sale two weeks before each tour date through Ticketmaster or the Lucas Oil Stadium box office, so you can't lock in a tour when you book your flights. Sellout risk is moderate. It costs $20 for adults, $15 for seniors 65 and over, children 4 to 12 and military, and is free for kids 3 and under with a paying adult. The tour runs about 60 minutes and covers the field, an NFL locker room and the press box. Meet at the Southeast Entrance next to the box office, near Merrill St. and Capitol Ave.

After the final whistle

From a specialist guide
No official clearance time is published. The real issue after the game is walking, not traffic. The stadium sits inside the downtown grid, connected to the Convention Center and surrounded by hotels, so the crowd walks out into Georgia Street and the hotel district instead of lining up to leave a parking lot. The Colts' own advice is about arriving early, not about how long it takes to leave.

One thing to avoid

From a specialist guide
Don't rent a car. The Colts warn that you should arrive downtown at least 3 hours before kickoff to allow time to get around because of road closures, construction and heavy gameday traffic. Downtown closures on a Colts Sunday are hard on drivers and easy on walkers. Also don't book a hotel out by the airport to save money. You'd lose the skywalk, the Georgia Street pre-game scene and the walk home, and you'd be stuck with a slow non-express bus instead.

Bars near the stadium

Checked at the source

  • Slippery Noodle Inn

    372 S Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46225

    This building has the best story in Indianapolis. It went up in 1850 as the Tremont House roadhouse and has stayed open under a string of names since, Concordia House, the city's first German-American club, then Germania House, then Beck's Saloon, then Moore's Beer Tavern, which ran as a restaurant during Prohibition while stills worked in the basement.

    Away fans: mixed, welcoming to away fans

  • The Hangar

    501 Madison Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46225

    The Hangar runs a ticketed Colts Game Day Tailgate & Watch Party on home Sundays, and doors open at 8:00am for an afternoon kickoff. That gives you a full tailgate morning indoors, with food, drinks, competitions and raffles built in, and HandleBar shuttles run the group to the stadium so you don't have to worry about the walk or the weather.

    Away fans: mostly home fans.

  • Kilroy's Bar and Grill

    201 S Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46225

    Kilroy's is the volume option on South Meridian, the street that carries foot traffic from the Wholesale District down toward Lucas Oil, and it works because it's reliably open, large and right on the way. It shows the full NFL slate instead of just the Colts, which is good if your group follows different teams, and it runs food and drink specials every day.

    Away fans: it's a mixed crowd in a large, high-turnover downtown bar.

  • Coaches Tavern

    28 S Pennsylvania St, Indianapolis, IN 46204

    Coaches Tavern is the locally owned downtown bar that's been around for more than a decade, the one Indianapolis locals point you to if you want to skip the Meridian Street crowd. It has a big bar menu for sports fans and a late-night crowd, and it runs daily drink specials it advertises as some of the best value downtown.

What to eat

The local food this city is known for: the breaded pork tenderloin.

Inside the stadium, 2026 season

  • New for 2026: Ultimate Pork Sliders on a Swayzee pork tenderloin fritter, and a smoked pork loin sandwich in the clubs. A full-size tenderloin sandwich is not on the list. Source

Stand line-ups change every season.

Sidequests in Indianapolis

Listed in the order they happen. Each one earns points.

  1. Tour100 points

    Lucas Oil Stadium public tour

    This hour-long tour takes you through the field, the NFL locker room and the press box for $20 for adults and $15 for kids 4 to 12. It usually runs Fridays at 11, 1 and 3, never on event days, and is paused from Nov 7 to Dec 14.

    $$. The day before. Bookable

  2. Outing40 points

    The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

    It's one of the largest children's museums in the country, three miles north of downtown on Meridian St. Hours are 10am to 5pm and it's closed most Mondays, with admission varying by day and free for kids under 2.

    $$. The day before

  3. Landmark65 points

    Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Monument Circle

    This 284-foot limestone monument went up in 1902 at the center of downtown, about a mile north of the stadium. The observation deck opens Fridays 10am to 4pm for $10, reached by 330 steps or an elevator.

    $. The day before

  4. Landmark65 points

    NCAA Hall of Champions

    This Michael Graves-designed sports museum sits in White River State Park with two floors covering all 24 NCAA sports and every member school's banner. It's about a mile west of the stadium along the canal.

    $. The day before

  5. Eat65 points

    St. Elmo Steak House shrimp cocktail

    St. Elmo has been serving steak downtown on Illinois St since 1902, just a few blocks north of the stadium. Order the shrimp cocktail, four jumbo shrimp under a hot horseradish sauce, which the kitchen serves over 100,000 of a year.

    $$$. 18 hours before kickoff

  6. Landmark65 points

    Downtown Canal Walk

    This 3.4-mile paved path runs both banks of the old Central Canal through White River State Park and the state government center, with footbridges connecting the sides. It's a flat walk northwest of the stadium.

    Free. 5 hours before kickoff

  7. Eat65 points

    Shapiro's Delicatessen

    Shapiro's has been slicing pastrami and corned beef on rye since 1905 on S Meridian St, a short walk south of the stadium. Weekend breakfast runs 9am to noon, though that may change on game days.

    $$. 4 hours before kickoff

  8. Eat65 points

    Tavern on South

    Tavern on South sits across South St from the stadium and has a 60-seat deck on the second level facing the skyline. It only opens on Sundays for Colts home games, built for a pregame lunch.

    $$. 3 hours before kickoff

  9. Drink25 points

    Tom's Watch Bar, Georgia Street

    Tom's Watch Bar on Georgia St has more than 100 screens and sits steps from the convention center and stadium. It opens at 11am on weekends, lets in all ages, and takes reservations on game days.

    $$. 3 hours before kickoff

  10. Tailgate65 points

    Touchdown Town on South Street

    Touchdown Town is the Colts' free pregame party outside the North Gate on South St, open three hours before kickoff with no ticket needed. It has a drumline, cheerleaders, food trucks, $3 Bud Lights and a Play 60 kids' zone.

    Free. 3 hours before kickoff

  11. Photo25 points

    Peyton Manning statue

    This nine-foot, 1,000-pound bronze of Peyton Manning by Ryan Feeney went up outside the stadium in 2017. It's the usual meeting point and photo stop before heading to the gates.

    Free. 1 hour 40 minutes before kickoff

  12. Ritual25 points

    Walk from Monument Circle

    It's a 15 minute walk from the center of downtown to the stadium, so stay anywhere in the middle and leave the car.

    Free. 1 hour 30 minutes before kickoff

  13. Drink25 points

    Slippery Noodle Inn

    The Slippery Noodle Inn has been open since 1850 in its original building, making it Indiana's oldest bar, and now runs as a blues club three blocks from the stadium. Sunday hours start at 4pm, so it's a good postgame stop after a 1pm kickoff.

    $$. 3 hours 30 minutes after kickoff

Seats and views

Where each part of Lucas Oil Stadium sits, and what you see from it.

What kind of game day do you want?

Pick one and Scout shows you where to sit.

Street level, end zoneStreet level, corner, home sideStreet level, home sidelineStreet level, corner, home sideStreet level, end zoneStreet level, corner, visitor sideStreet level, visitor sidelineStreet level, corner, visitor sideLoge level, end zoneLoge level, corner, home sideLoge level, home sidelineLoge level, corner, home sideLoge level, end zoneLoge level, corner, visitor sideLoge level, visitor sidelineLoge level, corner, visitor sideTerrace level, end zoneTerrace level, corner, home sideTerrace level, home sidelineTerrace level, corner, home sideTerrace level, end zoneTerrace level, corner, visitor sideTerrace level, visitor sidelineTerrace level, corner, visitor sideHomeVisitors
Street levelLoge levelTerrace levelTap any part of the stadium to see its view.