Three Two-Sport Pittsburgh Steelers Road Trips for 2024
Want to make the most out of your Steelers road trip? Check out these three two-sport Pittsburgh trips for 2024.
There’s nothing quite like seeing your team play in a road venue, and this fall, the schedules are aligning Pittsburgh sports fans will have a few opportunities to double dip across multiple sports on one trip.
Taking over visiting venues is a staple for fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers all over North America, and Pittsburgh Penguins fans are especially noteworthy for their presence in places like Columbus and Washington, D.C.
This fall, the city’s sports fans will have four chance to make one trip to see two of their favorite teams in action.
MIDWEST ROAD TRIP – STEELERS & PENGUINS
Who doesn’t love a drive to the nation’s heartland? Even better, you can get through this one without stopping in Ohio, if you play your cards right.
The Penguins play the Detroit Red Wings in a preseason game at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, Sept. 28 with a 7 p.m. face-off. In the game, you can potentially get a glimpse of Penguins top forward prospect Brayden Yager before he likely goes back to the WHL for this season.
While you’re in Detroit, you can get yourself some tasty square pizza or a Coney Dog, and visit the sites of the Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup win and the Steelers 2006 Super Bowl win, though the now-demolished Joe Louis Arena is rapidly being filled with condos.
The Motown Museum and Belle Isle Park are also top visitor spots in the underrated tourism city. Finally, the Detroit Tigers are home that weekend, hosting the Chicago White Sox on Friday night and Saturday afternoon if you want to make it a three-game weekend.
Drive from Pittsburgh to Detroit: 286 miles in 4 hours, 15 minutes
Along the way: Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio; Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Richfield, Ohio; Cedar Point, Sandusky Ohio; boo at Browns fans and complain about Ohio drivers, throughout; World’s Largest Tire, Allen Park, Michigan.
Tickets: Not yet on sale.
After taking in everything the Motor City has to offer, you’ll need to rise fairly early to make the 4 1/2-hour trek to Indianapolis, where the Steelers will visit the Colts for the main course of this midwestern weekend for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday.
Lucas Oil Stadium is right in downtown Indianapolis, which is one of the most walkable big cities in the country. Definitely make dinner reservations if you want to try the legendary St. Elmo Steakhouse, and don’t bother to go unless you’re going to order the shrimp cocktail. There are plenty of other great bars and restaurants in walking distance from the stadium, as well. If you’re in the mood for some lower-class fare, find an Indiana fried pork tenderloin sandwich. You won’t be disappointed.
If you want to extend your stay a day in Indy, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway offers tours, though its museum is currently being renovated. You can also check out the home of the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Victory Field, which is only a few blocks away from the stadium. Hinkle Fieldhouse, one of the cathedrals of college basketball, is on the suburban campus of Butler University, and worth poking your head into, as well. Indianapolis is one of the few places where you can still roll on vintage duckpin bowling lanes.
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- St. Elmo Steakhouse in Indianapolis, March 1, 2022. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
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- Shrimp cocktail from St. Elmo Steakhouse in Indianapolis, Nov. 28, 2022. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
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- Fried pork tenderloin sandwich at the Slippery Noodle Inn in downtown Indianapolis on March 2, 2022. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
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- Shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo’s Steakhouse, March 4, 2022. — Alan Saunders/ Steelers Now
Drive from Detroit to Indianapolis: 288 miles in 4 hours, 35 minutes
Along the way: National Museum of the Great Lakes, Toledo, Ohio; Johnny Appleseed’s Grave, Fort Wayne, Indiana; lots and lots of corn.
Tickets: From $103 per seat plus fees, via Ticketmaster.
The big downside of ending the trip in Indy is a somewhat dull trek across I-70 on the way home. Try to break it up if you have the time.
Drive from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh: 360 miles in 5 hours, 35 minutes
Along the way: Hoosier Gym, Knightstown, Indiana; Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, New Castle, Indiana; National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Dayton, Ohio; Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus, Ohio
FLY WEST FOR TWO – STEELERS & PENN STATE
Flying across the country is expensive, and it can be hard to justify the cost to make the trip to see one West Coast football game. This year, though, economies of scale work in our favor, as you can fly to across the country to see two football games.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are visiting USC for the first time since 1991 and the first time as new Big Ten Conference foes, and potential first-round draft pick Drew Allar will be quarterbacking the Lions. That game will be at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 12, with a time TBA.
For a notoriously tough to get around town, the football venues are mercifully close to LAX, with the Coliseum just about a 25-minute trek toward downtown L.A.
There is no shortage of things to do and see in Tinseltown, from Universal Studios, the Hollywood Sign, Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame. You can also find your fix if art (The Getty Center), science (Griffith Observatory), or history (Battleship Iowa Museum) are more your thing. Of course, there’s the beach, whether you want to show off your physique in Venice or just want to chill out in Santa Monica. And don’t forget Disneyland.
Flight from PIT to LAX: Spirit will get you there for $135 or so. If you want to bring clothes, it’ll be significantly more. Breeze Airways is another low-cost option with direct flights. If you’re an airline traditionalist, you’ll have to make a stop.
Tickets: Not yet on sale.
After the Lions and Trojans tear up the college gridiron, it’s time to make the quick jaunt over to Las Vegas, where the Steelers play the Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 13. It’s a 4:05 p.m. Eastern kickoff, so it’ll be an early afternoon game on West Coast time.
If you need help on finding something to do in Vegas, I’m not I can be of too much help. But beyond the gambling, shows, dining, drinks and shopping, the High Roller Ferris Wheel gives great views of the strip. Check out the fountains at The Bellagio, get a cabana at one of the numerous hotel pools, or go ziplining over Fremont Street.
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- Fountain at Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nov. 12, 2018. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
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- Downtown Las Vegas Sign, Nov. 14, 2018. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
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- High Roller Wheel in Las Vegas, Nov. 14, 2018. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
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- Casinos on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, Nov. 14, 2018. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
Outside of town, you can take the tour at Hoover Dam.
If you just want to be as close as possible to the stadium, Luxor, Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand are solid options.
Flight from LAX to LAS: This short hour and a half jaunt can be regularly had for $50 or less.
Tickets: Starting at $389 via Ticketmaster. This is one of the most expensive tickets in the NFL this season.
Flight from LAS to PIT: The red-eye home from Vegas is something that must be experienced to fully comprehend. Choose your seat-mates carefully. If you’re able to sleep on a plane, I recommend finding a direct flight, even if it’s more.
WEEKEND IN WASHINGTON — STEELERS & PENGUINS
This one is probably the highlight of the bunch. The Pittsburgh Penguins play the Washington Capitals on Friday, Nov. 8. Who knows how many more times we’re going to get Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin against Alex Ovechkin? Go see them before it’s too late.
Also, if you’ve never partaken in a revelatory Penguins fan gathering on the steps of the National Portrait Gallery across the street after a Pittsburgh win in D.C., then you haven’t truly lived as a Pittsburgh hockey fan.
Move the Caps to Virginia? And miss out on this? pic.twitter.com/kqJewUfe6e
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) April 5, 2024
You could fill a decent-sized book with things to do in Washington, D.C., and there’s an entire day off between the Penguins on Friday night and the Steelers at the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon.
There are more monuments and museums than could be seen in a lifetime, let alone one Saturday, plus the National Zoo, Arlington Cemetery, Library of Congress, and a number of outdoor parks and recreations areas.
The U Street corridor is a popular entertainment district with lots of bars and restaurants. It’s also the center of the city’s African American cultural district. Get the original glizzy, a half-smoke from Ben’s Chili Bowl (it’s a hot dog) while you’re there.
Commanders Field is out in the suburb of Landover, Maryland. It’s an old-school stadium, and not in a good way most of the time. But it does have the old-school sea of parking lots surrounding the stadium, which creates a solid tailgating scene. Get parking in the RedZone lot if you want to tailgate. It opens an hour earlier and has bigger spaces.
Drive from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C: 240 miles in 4 hours, 30 minutes each way.
Along the way: Recreate the world’s most hated photograph, Breezewood, Pennsylvania; Berkeley Springs State Park, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia; Van Gogh’s Starry Night Made Out of Doornobs, Bethesda, Maryland
Capitals tickets: Starting at $115 via Ticketmaster. Commanders tickets: Starting at $180 via Ticketmaster.
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