SportsQuest
All games

Week 12, Thu, Nov 26, 1:00 PM local

Chicago Bearsat Detroit Lions

Ford Field, Detroit. Fly into DTW.

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 Bears are 2-1 after 3 games, 3rd in the NFC North.

They are 1-0 on the road.

The Lions are 2-1 after 3 games, 2nd in the NFC North.

They are 2-0 at home.

What we know about Ford Field

Where visiting fans stay

From a specialist guide
  • Downtown Detroit. 6 min. walk, or free QLine to Grand Circus Park / Montcalm. Ford Field sits right in the city center. Hilton Garden Inn Detroit Downtown, Aloft at The David Whitney and The Siren Hotel sit within 0.3 miles of the stadium. The QLine streetcar and the People Mover, both free, stop within a block or two. Here, staying near the stadium means staying in the city. No trade-off.
  • Greektown. 10 min by walk. Five blocks from the stadium sits the densest cluster of post-game bars and late food in the city. Try Pegasus Taverna, Fishbones, Baltimore Bar and Grill. The Atheneum Suite Hotel sits on top of it. Better for a Saturday night than the Woodward corridor.
  • Midtown / New Center. free QLine streetcar along Woodward Avenue. This end of downtown has cheaper rooms, plus the Detroit Institute of Arts and Motown Museum. The free QLine connects it to the stadium along Woodward. Worth it if downtown rates spike. It costs you a 10-minute streetcar ride each way.

Around the stadium

From a specialist guide
This is the downtown Detroit sports district: Ford Field, Comerica Park, Woodward and Broadway. Ford Field sits next to Comerica Park. Builders raised both as one downtown project, and they share a block. Elwood Bar and Grill sits at the main entrance. Brass Rail Pizza Bar, Detroit Beer Co., Parlay Detroit, and rooftop bars 3Fifty Terrace, Tin Roof and Exodos sit within a few blocks. American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island sit a short walk away. Hotels sit inside this same cluster.

Getting to the stadium

Checked at the source
Walk from any downtown hotel. Ford Field is at 2000 Brush Street, on the eastern edge of downtown. QLine. Get off at Grand Circus Park / Montcalm. Short walk to the stadium. Detroit People Mover. Broadway Station serves Ford Field directly. Grand Circus Park Station sits about five blocks away.

Tailgating

Checked at the source
Car tailgating is banned at Ford Field. Tailgating and re-entry are prohibited in parking lots next to the stadium. But what replaces it works well for a fan without a car. Pride Plaza, on Brush Street right outside the stadium, runs as a free official Lions tailgate with food trucks, drinks, music and fan games, starting about three hours before kickoff. Separately, the ticketed Eastern Market Tailgate bills itself as Detroit's largest tailgate, with food trucks, music and a shuttle to Ford Field. So a fan without a car gets a free option at the stadium and a paid option with transport included. Pride Plaza, Brush Street. Free official Lions tailgate. Opens about 3 hours before kickoff. Eastern Market Tailgate, with shuttle to Ford Field. Ticketed. Soaring Eagle Power Hour inside the stadium. Hot dogs $5.49, beer $6.29. Runs 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Needs a game ticket. Opens 11:00 a.m.

Getting in

Checked at the source
  • Bag policy: Bring clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags no bigger than 12" x 6" x 12". A one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag works too. Small clutch bags, camera cases and binocular cases under 4.5" x 6.5" are fine. Diaper bags are not allowed. Strollers and car-seat carriers are not allowed either; carry infant items in a clear bag instead. Medically necessary items like insulin, medication, portable oxygen and small soft coolers get checked, then allowed in.
  • Re-entry: Two separate facts here. First, the stadium: no re-entry during Lions home games or big events. Second, the Lions' ticket policy allows a narrow exception for medical conditions, handled through First Aid stations. So it's not a flat no. It's no, except for medical cases routed through First Aid.
  • Prohibited items: Leave at home: strollers, car-seat carriers, diaper bags, cameras with lenses over five inches, large umbrellas, outside food and drinks, laptops, GoPros, video cameras, noisemakers, standalone chairs, aerosol cans, and marijuana (Michigan state law allows it, but stadium rules don't). Ford Field is smoke-free under Michigan law. Only outdoor designated areas allow smoking.

After the final whistle

From a specialist guide
Best option for a fan without a car. You walk out of a downtown dome into a downtown bar district. Two free transit systems back you up. Watch the QLine's 9 p.m. Sunday finish. After a Sunday night game, it may have stopped already. Walk or take the People Mover instead. Ford Field posts alternate driving routes since I-75 exits get jammed. That's a driver's problem, not yours.

One thing to avoid

From a specialist guide
Skip hotels near DTW airport or in the Dearborn and Southfield belts. You'd need a taxi at both ends. You'd miss what Detroit does better than most NFL cities: everything within walking distance of the stadium. Check if the Tigers play at home too. Ford Field and Comerica Park share parking, so a doubleheader weekend squeezes both.

Bars near the stadium

Checked at the source

  • Elwood Bar & Grill

    300 E Adams Ave, Detroit, MI 48226

    The Elwood is an Art Moderne building from 1936, designed by Charles Noble. Its name comes from two streets it once stood on, Elizabeth and Woodward.

    Away fans: mixed crowd, low risk.

  • Nemo's Bar & Grill

    1384 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI 48226 (Corktown)

    Nemo's is a Detroit sports bar, about sixty years old, in Corktown, the city's oldest neighborhood. It sits a short walk from the old Tiger Stadium site.

    Away fans: mostly home fans. Shuttle is open to everyone.

  • Jacoby's German Biergarten

    624 Brush St, Detroit, MI 48226

    Jacoby's has served drinks since 1904, one of the oldest bars still running in the city. It keeps a classic German beer-hall style: long room, long beer list, communal feel.

    Away fans: mixed crowd. The beer-hall format draws a broader room.

  • Bookies Bar & Grille

    2208 Cass Ave, Detroit, MI 48201

    Bookies sits close enough to walk to the stadium, but it still runs a shuttle. It's on Cass Avenue, on the Midtown fringe, between the Ford Field area and the university district.

    Away fans: mostly home fans.

Sidequests in Detroit

In the order they happen. Each one earns points.

  1. Landmark65 points

    Eastern Market Saturday market

    Detroit's public market sheds open every Saturday 6am to 4pm year round, about a 10-minute walk north of Ford Field. On Lions Sundays the same lots host the city's biggest ticketed tailgate.

    Free. The day before

  2. Tour100 points

    Ford Field stadium tour

    Guided 60 to 90 minute tour covers the concourse, suites in the old Hudson's Warehouse, Level 7 press box, players' tunnel and midfield turf. Not offered on Lions game days; book the Friday or Saturday before.

    $$. The day before. Bookable

  3. Outing40 points

    Detroit Historical Museum

    Midtown museum with the Streets of Old Detroit cobblestone streetscape, an auto assembly line, toy trains and a City of Champions sports gallery. Open Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 1pm to 5pm.

    $. The day before

  4. Photo25 points

    Monument to Joe Louis (The Fist)

    Robert Graham's 24-foot bronze arm and fist, a 1986 gift from Sports Illustrated, hangs at Jefferson and Woodward by Hart Plaza. Free, outdoors, about a mile south of Ford Field on the riverfront walk.

    Free. The day before

  5. Eat65 points

    The Hudson Cafe

    Breakfast and brunch cafe on Woodward, open 8am to 3pm daily, a 10-minute walk from Ford Field. Try cinnabun pancakes, benedicts, and a Maurice salad from the old Hudson's recipe.

    $$. 4 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  6. Eat65 points

    American Coney Island

    Founded 1917, next door to Lafayette in Detroit's coney rivalry. Seasoned hot dog, chili, mustard and chopped onions on a steamed bun. Sunday hours 11am to 7pm.

    $. 3 hours 20 minutes before kickoff

  7. Drink25 points

    The Old Shillelagh

    Three-story Irish pub in Greektown since 1975 with a rooftop bar, four blocks from Ford Field. Opens early for Lions home games and runs a free shuttle. Good before, during and after the game.

    $$. 3 hours before kickoff

  8. Tailgate65 points

    Pride Plaza on Brush Street

    Brush Street closes outside Ford Field to become the Lions' free official tailgate. Food trucks, beverage tents, music, fan games, photo setups. No ticket needed, and it is family-friendly.

    Free. 2 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  9. Drink25 points

    Elwood Bar & Grill

    1936 Art Moderne diner moved in 1997 to Brush and Adams, between Ford Field and Comerica Park. Opens on a game-day schedule, so check the calendar. Closest bar to the main gate.

    $$. 2 hours before kickoff

  10. Ritual25 points

    Ride the free QLine down Woodward

    The QLine streetcar runs free, 3.3 miles along Woodward with 13 stops. Hours run 8am to midnight Monday to Saturday, 8am to 9pm Sunday. Get off at Grand Circus Park and walk five blocks.

    Free. 2 hours before kickoff

  11. Eat65 points

    Buddy's Pizza, Downtown

    Detroit-style square pizza from the chain that started it, three blocks from Ford Field on Broadway. Opens 11am, closes 9pm Sunday, good for lunch or an early post-game dinner.

    $$. 4 hours after kickoff

Seats and views

Where each part of Ford Field sits, and what you see from it.

Indoors. Every seat is under the roof.

Lower level, end zoneLower level, corner, home sideLower level, home sidelineLower level, corner, home sideLower level, end zoneLower level, corner, visitor sideLower level, visitor sidelineLower level, corner, visitor side200 level, end zone200 level, corner, home side200 level, home sideline200 level, corner, home side200 level, end zone200 level, corner, visitor side200 level, visitor sideline200 level, corner, visitor sideUpper deck, end zoneUpper deck, corner, home sideUpper deck, home sidelineUpper deck, corner, home sideUpper deck, end zoneUpper deck, corner, visitor sideUpper deck, visitor sidelineUpper deck, corner, visitor sideHomeVisitors
Lower level200 levelUpper deckTap any part of the stadium to see its view.