Hughes Stadium

Cops shut down the tailgating a half hour before the game, great. Came back to our cars and our cooler was stolen and other items from cars in our section were also stolen.

While I love football, I must say that this stadium has some design flaws if they wish to sell out games. First of all, why the dirt parking lot? I felt SO bad for the parking attendants at last night’s game as they stood in the midst of mini dust storms. That can’t be healthy!
The beer lines… OMG. I would not stand in those for a measly Coors Light! The line for beer goes one direction and the line for the bathrooms goes the other. Creates a nice little intersecting that makes passers through be creative. There simply is just no room.
I can’t comment on the food as I didn’t eat there, but I can again confirm there was never a shortage of a line.
Long (line) story short, if you’re there to watch football, pack your own sandwiches. Otherwise, expect to find yourself checking for score updates on your phone as you stand in a seemingly motionless line.
One last tip: invest the $ 4 in the rental chairs for the bleachers. Well worth it!
Happy to see CSU bringing in the crowds and would love to see that continue… But there are some logistics that need to be covered in order for that to be maintained.

A very old stadium with no modern amenities (or concrete paving on the concourse! Thanks cheap CSU!), but I suppose most people are there for the glory of their beloved Rams. Not being a fan, I can tell those discerning patrons that almost all the food vendors are all hot boxed and not fresh, and while they boast being one of the only stadiums to serve beer, the lines are 5 – 6 times longer than a regular stadium experience. And, to make it worse, you have three choices of beer and you can only order one beer at a time.
It’s all aluminum bleachers (thanks cheap CSU!), no tilt up plastic seats so you will absolutely need a blanket to sit on if it gets below 30 or so or you’ll catch a bad cold — I did.
Parking is reflective of the stadium, just a open field with cow and horse crap everywhere and plenty of places to sprain your ankle if you’re wearing any kind of heels ladies. I think it’s about $ 10 to park, but if you come after the first quarter ends the cash collectors have gone to watch the game so it’s free. Leaving the stadium is a joke. Everyone is put onto one small, one lane road and everyone gets frustrated and tries to cheat through the neighborhoods but that never works.
The new stadium should be such an improvement that all the patrons who love Hughes will realize what a dive it is.

Soooo many good memories (and lack there of) from Hughes Stadium! Stupid capitalistic money hungry university fools trying to build a new stadium when this one is perfectly operational, full of history and beautiful to boot! I love and will always love this place!
One of the very few college stadiums in the country that serves beer INSIDE the venue so bring cash! Otherwise the line for the ATM is a hassle. There are also plenty of snacks, memorabilia stands and lots of restroom space for all your needs. Where else can you make a friend while yarfing on the bathroom floor but at a college stadium? Love it!
The ample room for tailgating in the HUGE dirt parking lot means opportunity to make friends, play games and enjoy the glorious outdoors of the foothills. On occasion the wind can pick up so bring layers (or lots of booze for internal warmth). Also, those who drink must get a wrist bracelet or face the wrath of the horse-​face, I mean horseback police. MIP tickets are prevalent so be careful!
Those who watch the game from the student side, or the East Stands are always on their feet, cheering, heckling, partying and having a good olé time. Seats in the West Stands are just that — seats. A little dullsville but that’s how some alumni prefer to watch.
Be wary that a cannon is blasted at the beginning of the game and every time the RAMS score so it’s not a barrage of shells but a fun way to get into the spirit of the game!
Best place to watch the RAMS so I hope it sticks around for a long while! Fight on you stalwart Ram team! On to the goal!

Seriously??? $ 10 to park in a dirt pile? That was our first impression of the CSU Hughes Stadium. Luckily, the rest of our experience was much more positive.
The signage as far out as Harmony Road helped to direct traffic along various routes so all 22,000 fans could arrive without too much built up road rage. There were enough parking attendants to keep the line moving along at a decent pace. Tailgating areas were spacious but so dirty and dusty. Our parking spot was so far from the ticket gate, I’m glad we didn’t forget our tickets in the car. However, when it was time to leave, having a parking spot so near the lot exit made our departure from the area smooth. Again, traffic flowed steadily out of the lot. Since that is usually a huge source of frustration when leaving a venue like this, we all remarked on how impressive it was.
The stadium backs right up into the hills. What a gorgeous setting it is. We were unaware that most seating is bleacher style. However, for $ 4/​each, you can rent seats for the duration. What a great money maker.
Concession prices were a little high, but we we not surprised after experiencing the high-​priced parking costs. They do have credit card lines as well as cash lines. Get cash early in the game because the line at halftime was horribly long. We left the game with 2 minutes left in the first half and we were in line until there were only 3 minutes left of half-​time. I guess everybody else was trying to beat the rush, too.
The stadium does allow factory sealed BOTTLES and a limited number of snacks. Most stadiums don’t allow any outside food or drinks. They also serve beer for those who want to imbibe.
The downside to the stadium is that it’s not on campus. While visiting, we hoped to have a chance to check out campus, but didn’t.
There is only one ‘jumbo-​tron’ on the south side of the stadium and the set of speakers are there, too. We were rarely able to hear the announcer over the sound of the crowd.
I’m not usually a big fan of bands, but the CSU band was impressive. They obviously practice quite a bit and they put on a very good pre-​game show. I’m sure they did something during half-​time but we were waiting in line at the concession stand.
The people of Ft. Collins were all very friendly, employees and fans at Huges Stadium included.

How can a stadium where my beloved Colorado State Rams football team that is one of just a very small handful of college football venues that sells alcohol to fans other than just Club Level not be rated 5 stars?! Other highlights include a wide-​open and easily accessible open parking lot for ample tailgating and a rowdy standing-​only student section! Go Rams!

A bad day at Colorado State University proved to be a good time to review Hughes Stadium and the last time I was there it was a nasty one… wind, rain, temperatures hot, then plummeting… I got to see the stadium working at its worst and it didn’t perform badly. Good sight lines from everywhere, fast ticketing lines (worth one star by themselves) clean restrooms and other facilities, and very well-​stocked concessions. While it’s tough to see how any stadium could have handled the amount of water that came from the rains that fell that day I thought the drains could have handled things a bit better.
Compared to a lot of other college football stadia I have visited, Hughes wasn’t too expensive, either in the prices of tickets or for items at the concession booth. Parking is plentiful and easy to navigate, although the rains during my visit turned the nearby lot into a quagmire pretty fast. The fans were enthusiastic without being too loud or bombastic and I found the setting, in a bowl just down from some small hills, an absolutely breathtaking place to watch a game. A lot of larger college football programs could take a lesson from how Colorado State manages its stadium. They do pretty well.