For many footfall fans, there is nothing they’d like to do more than travel to the Super Bowl to see the festivities unfold live. When the championship game of the NFL comes to a town, it takes over the whole place. Celebrities, athletes, and the world’s media descend on a city and make camp there for more than a week. The Super Bowl is far more than just a football game. There are a whole week of events related to the game, and every city offers other attractions and things to do for their guests.

If you think it seems silly to travel to the Super Bowl, spending all that money just for a game, you don’t really know what it’s all about. In fact, you could go to the town hosting the game, have a blast, and not see one second of football actually being played.

If you plan to take in this year's festivities, there are some preparations you'll want to make. We've broken it down below for you to ensure you have a ball.

If you are going to travel to the Super Bowl, finding a place to say is the most important step in your planning. It’s also something you are going to have to take care of as soon as possible. When the game’s location and date are announced, the hotels in the area fill up quickly. In fact, the luxury accommodations available are usually the first to go.

It’s not only the teams, coaches, and NFL officials who need a place to stay. National sports media figures will also want nice accommodations close to the action. Celebrities who come to town will also need places to stay, though some of them might simply rent homes or mansions for their Super Bowl travel extravaganza. So, if you don’t act fast, you could have your vacation cut short before you even begin.

First, you have to act fast. As soon as you know when and where the game will be, make a reservation. Even if you end up not being able to make it on the trip, someone will be willing to take your place and will pay a premium to do it. Secondly, you have to find out what hotels offer easy access to not just the stadium where the game will be played but other events associated that week. If you travel to the Super Bowl, you don’t want to spend most of your time stuck in traffic or waiting on your ride service.

One of the best ways to take a vacation is to learn what your destination has to offer by way of sights and activities, and then just go with no plan. Instead of trying to tightly schedule tours and meals, you just go with the flow and follow adventure wherever it leads. While this might be good for luxury resorts in the tropics, it is not the best approach for a vacation that involves travel to the Super Bowl.

If you try to go with the flow, you might end up caught in the flow of traffic and missing the very thing you wanted to do. Be aware not just when certain events are set to take place, but also do your best to find out how those events will affect traffic. Try to schedule your activities so that you are touring a museum or sitting down to a great, local meal when everyone else is stuck waiting in one line or another.

Of course, in some places, lines are unavoidable. Especially if you plan on going to the game itself, the crowds are going to be massive. So, in these circumstances, figure out the best way to manage these moments. Maybe you get there as early as possible, doing your best to be at the front of any lines you might encounter. Perhaps you bring an elaborate tailgating set-up, so you can eat, drink, and relax and wait for the lines to thin out. Whatever you do, make sure you have a plan and a back-up plan in case something goes wrong. This way, you don’t the stress of these events, especially with the all the rushing around and crowds, ruin your good time.

While there is definitely plenty to do other than watching the game, if you are going to travel to the Super Bowl, you should probably watch it. Getting tickets to the Super Bowl is only slightly less difficult than getting tickets to hit shows like Hamilton. You’re going to pay a lot of money for them, and you have to be careful where you get them. There are a lot of folks out there who try to take advantage of fans by selling fraudulent tickets. So, even though they might offer a good deal, don’t get your tickets from anyone but an authorized seller or reseller. Of course, you don’t have to go to the stadium to have a great time at the Super Bowl. 

Any town in America will have hundreds of restaurants and bars trying to drum up business on a night when most people stay in. If the game is happening in that town, then they are going to offer quite a bit to draw in the crowds who couldn’t get tickets. In fact, you might find a rowdier, louder, and more comfortable venue to watch the game than you could ever find in the stadium. Way more people travel to the Super Bowl than have tickets for the game, and one of the best joys of watching sports in public is how a crowd of strangers can come together with something to cheer (or jeer) for.

Unless you travel to the Super Bowl all the time, chances are visiting this spectacle is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, you want to make the most of your short stay in football heaven. However, the Super Bowl is always held in a great American city with plenty to offer visitors that has nothing to do with the game. So, while you are there, make some plans to see the sights the city has to offer. If they have an iconic landmark or a world-famous place to eat, carve some time out of the schedule and go there. You don’t want to miss out on what a city has to offer, just because it’s not tied in to the big event.

This year, the Super Bowl takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, a city that has plenty to offer its visitors. You can visit the Centennial Olympic Park, built for the 1996 Olympics the city hosted. You can visit their world class aquarium or their zoo. There are tours through the CNN studios, which made Atlanta its home base, or you can visit the Coca-Cola museum. Of course, if you’d prefer a more traditional museum check out the High Museum of Art, full of modern masterpieces and architecture. If that doesn’t satiate your need for museum tours, you can check out the Fernbank Museum of Natural History or the Atlanta History Center. Finally, you can visit the Center for Civil and Human Rights, a museum archiving the fights for equality that happened on the streets of this city and elsewhere in the world.

The Super Bowl is a huge spectacle and a great excuse to get away after the holidays. So, if you are going to dive into this mess, you need to make sure that you do plenty of planning. Otherwise, one little hiccup and your whole trip could end up derailed. Hopefully, that won’t happen, but if it does following our tips will help you salvage your stay. Because as important as it is that you have a great time and get to do all the things you want, what will make the trip truly special are the people you are with and the time spent together.

What do you think? How would you travel to the Super Bowl? Tell us, along with your thoughts, experiences, and reactions in the comments below. Don’t forget to share the article on social media if you liked it.

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