Questions about going to Maryland

Get the crabs.

Crab cakes and football...that’s what Maryland does!!!

I was there for the game a few years ago.  Their crowd is mellow.  Sit in the Michigan section with like-minded individuals.  I don't know what it would be like sitting with the Maryland folks, they did seem very inoffensive.

There will be a boatload of Michigan folks tailgating before the game.  Get there early and mingle.  

We didn't eat any place near there as we live in northern Virginia and just got in the car after the game and drove home, so I can't give you any pointers on where to eat.

It's certainly a more pleasant experience than going to East Landfill, Purdue, Slap Happy Valley, the Toilet Bowl or Rutger.

Edit: some folks have mentioned eating crab somewhere in the area.  The Inner Harbor in Baltimore isn't far and it's a great place to visit. Restaurants serve fresh crab from the bay there.  It's as short drive north (which could be a long drive) on diabolical I95.  You could also google best crab restaurants near the campus.

If you are staying overnight, would go into DC.  There are more good restaurants than you can eat in a week.  

Urban Butcher in Silver Spring is only 5 miles away from the stadium, if you want something a bit closer.

Local crabs are out of season in the fall, so if you get blue crabs in November, they are trucked in from Louisiana, Florida, or Texas.

I’ve been to the game the last 2X in College Park and it’s a fun place. The stadium and campus is not integrated with the actual suburb (it’s not really a town). I’d highly recommend tailgating. The crowd will be 50% Michigan fans and the MD fans are really nice and know they will lose. 

Get a parking pass and look for tickets on Maryland’s official site. They are usually cheaper than stubhub. 

If you are flying out of BWI or heading towards Baltimore or simply want the best crabcake around, there is a restaurant about ten minutes from BWI called G&M Seafood.  The crabcakes are the best in the area.  It's a busy place and we often sat at the bar.

https://gandmcrabcakes.com/

When my kids were at U of M, when they flew home they would often request we head to G&M.

You will not be disappointed.  

JBlaze said it - get a parking pass for one of the various lots.  There is virtually no place to park otherwise, and nothing is overly close to the stadium.

Some folks will recommend RJ Bentley’s.  Place is a total hole.  Table was sticky, floor was sticky...Unless you are 21 enjoying your first beer, you will likely find a better experience elsewhere. 

My wife and I went a few years ago. It didn't feel like an away game, more like a neutral site. We found some great tailgates to join. Everyone was friendly in our section which was a pretty even split of fans. 

We bought tickets from the Maryland athletic department. They still call me every year to see if I'm coming back to see UM. 

It'll be a good time

Not sure where you’re coming from, but I can relay some of my experiences from going in 2015 (scheduled to be a night game and moved to noon to get ahead of a hurricane that never really materialized).

I took the Metro there, and it’s super easy. Green Line goes right to College Park, and will be full of Michigan fans coming in from DC. The school provides free shuttles that pick you up at the metro station and drive you to campus, and back to the station after the game. Makes it so much easier than driving.

For tickets, it’s an interesting phenomenon, similar to games at Rutgers and Northwestern. There isn’t a ton of fan demand for Terps football, and we’re not a main rival like we are to Illinois (I never expected the hate I got when I went to an away game in Champaign, with the entire student section wearing Muck Fichigan shirts). Yet with the huge alumni population in DC (like in NYC and Chicago), this will probably be the most expensive Maryland ticket of the year. I anticipated this, and bought my tickets well in advance from the Maryland athletic department website. The hurricane screwed things up and tanked the resale value, but even up to about a week out, before the weather panic, the ~$65 I paid per ticket was still cheaper than the cheapest tickets on StubHub. So keep that in mind, and don’t expect a $20 ticket because just because they’re a crappy team.

Overall was a really fun experience, and like I said super convenient to get there.

Busboys and Poets just over the College Park border in Hyattsville (10 min drive from the stadium https://goo.gl/maps/QJSCZNtFJLhCrH9S7) is very good.

Busboys and Poets
5331 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20781
(301) 779-2787
https://goo.gl/maps/gQtzTo4k19viRE8BA

I lived in College Park for a while. It is an ok at best college town. I would rather recommend other places in MD. Depending upon how long you are in the area, there are some good places to go.

Up north towards Baltimore are some great crabcake places. My two favorites are Timbuktu in Hanover and G and M in Linthicum. And if you are in that area on a weekday, stop at the NSA cryptology museum.

East from College Park about half an hour is Annapolis. Just park and walk around. There are some breweries and plenty of places with crabcakes. During the summer I recommend Cantler's Riverside Inn in Annapolis. Best crabs in MD IMO.

I've only been to the stadium once and the road team, Bowling Green, had more fans than MD. There was a massive storm at halftime so most MD fans left while we all stayed. And we won in a blowout. So I can't say much about the fans and game atmosphere.

I went twice, if you think we’re a “down in front” crowd you will be pleasantly surprised to see there are worse fan bases than ours.  I sat below row 10 near the 50 both times, easy to find cheap tickets on the secondary market.  I stood and cheered for them a couple times on big plays just to show them how it worked.  I got threatened that they would call an usher on me... for standing and cheering for Maryland...

We went there a couple years ago and had a great time.  (Of course Michigan won!)  The campus is pretty nice actually.   You can get parking lot passes ahead of time, but you should reserve a spot well in advance if you want a particular location.  However, we just parked in lot 11b and paid the day of the game.  There was plenty of room in there for our tent, not overly crowded, and mostly Michigan fans.  It's also adjacent to the Paint Branch River which runs through the east side of the campus, where they have some nice trails.  The walk to the stadium isn't too bad - maybe less than a mile.  

We wanted to stay very close to the campus so we didn't have far to go after the game.  The university operates a really nice hotel along Baltimore Ave. on the east side of the campus called (creatively) The Hotel at the University of Maryland.  It's really nice and not overly priced - although not the cheapest place you can find.  We walked through it and there were lots of Michigan fans.  Also, not sure if they charge for parking there.  A cheaper alternative (where we stayed) is the Holiday Inn Express just up the road on Baltimore.  They were filled with Michigan fans when we were there.  And you can get there pretty fast after the game too.  

We didn't try any of the restaurants around there, but the people who sit next to us at the Big House said Looney's Pub  is good.

We're going back this year and plan to tailgate again.  Hope to see some MGoBloggers in 11b.

Went in 2015. Had a nice time. We sat in the end zone and were able to see everything. Had a choice between endzone seats and upper deck. I was glad we chose the endzone seats. They serve beer in the stadium. And the Maryland fans sitting near us were nice to talk to. Most of the Maryland fans were gone by the 4th quarter. 

The stadium will be filled maybe 2/3 full of maize and blue, in my experience there the last few times. By the 3rd quarter this may even be higher.

I don't know where you're staying, but the Metro has a stop right at the college, and there are free shuttles to the stadium from there. Even if you aren't taking the Metro in, it's a good place to park.

As for a drink, closer to campus Looney's is pretty good. Before past basketball and football games, there have been plenty of Michigan fans at Hard Times.

I can't really recommend any good crab joints down that way, but if you're up toward Baltimore I could give you the names of a few of the best. Guinness's North American flagship brewery is up by BWI, too, and has excellent food as well as a bunch of experimental beers.