Iowa football fans: Headed to the Big Ten Championship? Here's what to know about tickets, hotels and restaurants
For the first time since 2015, the University of Iowa football team heads to Indianapolis for the Big 10 Championship game.
The Hawkeyes clinched the Big Ten West Division Title Saturday thanks to Minnesota's win over Wisconsin. Since it owned a tiebreaker against Iowa, a Badger win would have sent Wisconsin to the Big Ten Championship. On Friday, Iowa defeated Nebraska 28-21, keeping its title game hopes alive.
Iowa will face Michigan in the 11th annual Big Ten Championship on Saturday, Dec. 4, at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on FOX and stream on the FOX Sports app.
More: Iowa football faces Michigan in the Big Ten Championship. Here's how to watch and stream the game
For Hawkeye fans interested in traveling to Indy to watch the game, here's everything you need to know:
Tickets
On ticketmaster.com, Big 10 championship game tickets range from $50 to $95 based on seat location, but are sold out and the deadline to request tickets from Iowa expired on Nov. 1.
Currently, resale tickets on stubhub.com start at $325.
How do I get there?
The Des Moines International Airport unfortunately doesn't offer direct flights to Indianapolis. According to Google Flights, a nearly four-hour flight with a connection that leaves on Friday, Dec. 3, and returns Sunday, Dec. 5, would cost just under $600.
Des Moines road trippers can hit the pavement for a little over seven-hour drive across Interstate 80 in Iowa and Interstate 74 in Illinois and Indiana. According to the AAA gas calculator, a vehicle that gets 25 miles per gallon can expect to spend about $116 roundtrip for the nearly 500 miles between Des Moines and Indianapolis.
Lodging
Right across the street from the stadium is a Staybridge Suites and the Tru by Hilton hotel.
A short walk away are a Marriott and The Alexander, a Dolce by Wyndham, a boutique hotel.
More: What Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Michigan's Jim Harbaugh said about Big Ten title game matchup
Here's where to eat and drink in Indy
Earlier this year, Indianapolis landed itself on Time Magazine's list of The World's Greatest Places of 2021 for its growing dining and entertainment scene.
Time mentioned the city's redevelopment of the Bottleworks District, where Indianapolis' former Coca-Cola bottling plant operated.
There you can find The Garage, a food hall offering various vendors that carry arepas, poke, oysters and more. If you missed out on tickets to the game, head over to Kilroy's Bar & Grill with pub grub and barbecue. After an Iowa win, check out St. Elmo, the oldest steakhouse in Indianapolis still in its original location, or Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse for celebratory steaks and drinks. If you drank a little too much, nurse your hangover with Milktooth's weekend brunch specials such as beignets, biscuits and gravy, or Dutch baby pancakes.
What else is there to do?
Indianapolis offers an abundance of museums scattered across the metro. Currently featured at Newfields is "The Lume," an immersive Vincent Van Gogh art exhibit and the art and nature museum's largest exhibition ever.
Also popular is the world's largest children's museum. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a five-level playground with exhibits on art, history, science and culture.
Hannah Rodriguez covers retail for the Register. Reach her at herodriguez@registermedia.com or on Twitter @byherodriguez.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: An Iowa football fan travel guide for the 2021 Big Ten Championship
