Pro tips to get accessible Cornhusker seats, where to park, and more
November 2023
This Fall we took advantage of Minnesota’s MEA long weekend to do some college visits with my daughter. Since one of our stops was University of Nebraska Lincoln, we thought, “Let’s go to a Cornhuskers game!” This was exciting to me for so many reasons. First, it is the birthplace of my twin sister and me, and there’s nostalgia in returning to Lincoln and UNL even if I don’t remember a bit of it since I was just a baby when we were there. Second, I came across a Sports Illustrated article that showcased a Bucket List of sporting events you must do before you die, and attending a Nebraska Cornhuskers game was on the list. It has always been on my radar as a “maybe someday I’ll get there” destination. When the chance came, I jumped on it! I was excited to have my first-ever top ten football college stadium experience as fresh new content for Wise Blue Yonder.
So, off I went to attempt to get accessible tickets for my family and friends. Let me tell you, getting accessible tickets for a University of Nebraska Lincoln Cornhuskers football game is NOT easy. It’s so hard in fact, that I never was successful.
I try not to get on my “the world should be accessible for everyone” soapbox too often. I intentionally choose to celebrate what is right in the world of accessible travel, applauding the fine folks who make the world equally open to all people, regardless of ability. But every once in a while, I fall off my pillar of positivity and I get…well…pissed off. This is definitely one of those times. As a person with mobility issues, stairs at stadiums and arenas are treacherous. I can’t get up or down them without help, which leads to uncomfortable stares by fans in each row as I attempt to (not so gracefully) get to my seat. I can’t carry a frosty beverage or a tasty treat because I need both hands to use the railings, which are usually too far apart for me to safely get up and down each stair. Once I get to my seat, if I have to go to the bathroom… forget about it! I’ll go up to the bathroom level and watch the game from there, so I don’t have to do it all over again. I look on with envy as fully mobile folks gracefully hop up and down the steps with hot dogs, beers, cotton candy, kids on their shoulders… you all make it look so easy! For me, those stairs are nasty little buggers that make me worry for days before events I attend.
Navigating the sections and the main areas amid the crowds can also be difficult but not nearly as dreadful as the stairs. Given that 86,700+ fans gather every Saturday at Memorial stadium, the staff does a fairly good job making it easy to navigate the perimeter of the stadium, which I very much appreciated.
Although I was unsuccessful, I learned quite a bit and am sharing it here with hopes that you CAN successfully get accessible seats for a Cornhuskers home football game. If you do, please share your experience so we can in turn share it with our readers! Just send an email to info@wiseblueyonder.com or submit it on our community page at www.wiseblueyonder.com.
How to Get Accessible Seats for a Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Game
- Contact the Cornhuskers box office to purchase tickets to your game of choice well in advance of the game. Try to purchase them 4+ weeks before the game if possible. You can start by contacting the ticket office directly for accessible seats.
- If the game is sold out, (which has been the case for 30 years and is more likely than not going to be the case for you) you must purchase tickets from SeatGeek or another third party and then contact the ticket office to exchange your tickets.
- The office exchanges tickets for accessible seats in two time banks:
- They release accessible seats starting on the Monday before your scheduled game. The number of accessible seats available varies based on the game. Some people have accessible season tickets, and there is a very long list to obtain these.
- They open up another bank of accessible tickets the day of the game. Go to Memorial Stadium between 10:00 am – noon and go to gate 21. This is not a guarantee as the quantity of tickets released on game day can vary from a few to several tickets. You must go to gate 21, which is 1/3 to halfway around the entrance, so it is about a five-minute walk.
- Have your barcode from your tickets ready when you try to exchange your tickets, it is required by the ticket office. If you are exchanging tickets by phone, you will read off the barcode. If you are exchanging them in person, they will collect the information from you.
In my conversations with the Cornhusker staff, accessible tickets are in high-demand so it is often very difficult to obtain these tickets.
Parking Advice for Cornhusker Games
There are a few options for parking if you are looking to limit walking to Memorial Stadium.
Cornhusker Fan Bus
Cornhusker fan buses run from nearby parking lots and will help you avoid traffic. We found the experience to be seamless and enjoyable. The fee is $15 per person and the bus entry is low to the ground and very easy to get on. The bus has an area for wheelchairs and strollers if needed. It gets crowded but there were several buses running so if you need a seat and its standing room only, you can wait for the next bus. To get more details, visit this site.
Parking at or by Memorial Stadium
Handicap parking is available on a first-come first-served basis in the garage on Lot 9 on the corner of 14th and Avery. The Cornhuskers staff estimated about 100 spots in this location. A golf cart shuttle will take you from here right to the stadium so this option would be your best option for the least amount of walking to the stadium.
Other lots also have some designated handicap spots but do not have the golfcart or as many spaces. You can learn more here.
Uber and Lyft
Another very popular option to get to a Cornhuskers game is to avoid parking altogether and take an Uber or a Lyft. We took a couple Ubers and while we had to wait about 20 minutes, the drivers were friendly, knowledgeable and very reliable. When you book your Uber you can see the type of car arriving so if it is one you cannot get into, simply cancel the ride with a comment as to why and request another ride. It’s possible you may receive a cancellation fee, but the majority of the time I have had to do this, Uber refunded me.
Pro Tip: Remember where you parked and carefully check that you get on the bus back to the same place you parked. We made the mistake of not paying attention and ended up hiring an Uber for the 10-mile journey back to the lot where our car actually was. Oops! Brightside: we met two lovely ladies from South Dakota who made the same mistake.
Drop off
Fans can also be dropped off northwest of Lot 8 via eastbound Salt Creek Roadway.
Additional information about accessibility within Memorial Stadium
The game day information page on the Nebraska Cornhuskers site provides additional information about ADA accommodations, including where to find accessible parking, mobility impaired entrances, assistive learning equipment and service animals.
Memorial Stadium Football Seating Map
I used this map to help purchase our tickets. If you can, sit close to the ground (sections 1 – 40 on the map), the stairs will be easier and you will have closer access to your seats. Of course, these are the most expensive seats and will likely be sold out by season ticket holders. Otherwise, you will walk up a series of ramps to the middle-top of the stadium and then go up or down stairs from that point. There are no elevators so it is very likely you will be navigating stairs to seats one way or another.
Pedi-cabs
We saw pedicabs taking passengers directly to Memorial Stadium. This could be a fun way to get to the stadium and limit your walking. Here is an article that tells you more about the pedicabs in Lincoln. It doesn’t appear you can book one but rather you hail one much like a taxi.
The Struggle is Real!
I ask WHY is it so darn hard to get accessible tickets for a college football game!?! Stadiums the age and size of Memorial Stadium should be able to easily and conveniently provide patrons who need accessible accommodations with seats they can navigate to. By helping those who need a little help, you can turn a scary, crappy, and dangerous experience into a memory of a lifetime. These experiences and my frustration in trying to explore our world and being met with obstacles like these are exactly what propels me forward in building Wise Blue Yonder. If even one person reads this article and makes a change to their seating policies, all the work we’ve done will have been worth it. Thanks to all of you who are doing your part to make the world explorable for people of every ability. We appreciate you!