All roads this NFL season lead to Levi’s Stadium for the Super Bowl. For the 49ers to become the third-ever team to play for a Lombardi Trophy on its home field, they’ll have to conquer a regular-season schedule that includes nine road trips.
Here is my personal away-game guide for the 49ers Faithful:
Seattle Seahawks
The game: 1:05 p.m. Sept. 7 at Lumen Field. One of the loudest, rowdiest outdoor venues in the NFL will be rocking for the season opener.
Transit: Light rail is definitely doable from the airport and around town. Walking is also recommended if you can handle Seattle’s hills.
Grub + brew: From Fremont Brewing atop Lake Union over to Ballard’s brewery district (Reuben’s, Stoup, Bale Breaker, Lucky Envelope) toward downtown (Holy Mountain, Cloudburst, Pike breweries) and south (Georgetown Brewery), get out your compass and enjoy. Wine lovers should hit Purple Café.
Signature spots: Pike Place Market (flying fish, a bubble-gum alley and the original Starbucks) and the Space Needle (great view of it and downtown from Kerry Park in the Queen Anne neighborhood).
Sports detour: Head to Husky Stadium on Saturday night, as the University of Washington hosts U.C. Davis.
New Orleans Saints
The game: Noon (CT) Sept. 14 at the Superdome. The 49ers haven’t been to the epic venue since 2020, when only 5,979 fans were allowed in amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is where the Niners won a Super Bowl (1990) and lost one (2013).
Transit: If you don’t rent a car – there is plenty of parking in the city – use Uber/Lyft. Depending on where you stay, you can take an iconic New Orleans streetcar to the Poydras Avenue stop, the nearest station to the Dome.
Grub + brew: This season’s ultimate tour stop for culinary delights. Favorites: Cochon Butcher (lunch/deli), Pascal’s Manale (barbecue shrimp/oysters), Café de Monde (beignets), Jacques-Imo’s Café (Big Easy vibe), Commander’s Palace (legendary), Clancy’s (No. 1 recommendation by New Orleans colleague Jeff Duncan). It’s almost a rite of passage for French Quarter first-timers to take down a Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane.
Signature spots: The French Quarter’s spectacle of architecture, balconies, alleys and people watching is unmatched. But go trek down Magazine Street in the Garden District and explore Audubon Park uptown.
Sports detour: The Tulane Green Wave, who in 2014 moved out of the Superdome to open Yulman Stadium a couple miles down the road, take on Duke University on Sept. 13.
Los Angeles Rams
The game: 5:15 p.m. Oct. 2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. It’s a Thursday night game, but that won’t prevent the annual Sea of Red takeover at what many call Levi’s South. 49ers fans have packed the 70,000-seat stadium since it opened.
Transit: As vast as the parking lot is, brace for traffic jams. If you are flying into LAX, consider staying in one of the surrounding beach towns and make it a long weekend. There is a free shuttle from the LAX Metro station to SoFi.
Grub + brew: Don’t settle for the stadium’s closest fare (a $1.50 Costco hot dog). There’s enough excellent cuisine for whatever you desire in and around this metropolitan mecca.
Signature spots: The nation’s best jogging path for out-of-shape NFL beat writers exists along The Strand, flanking beachfront property from Hermosa through Manhattan to El Segundo.
Sports detour: If the Dodgers don’t win the NL West they might host a wild card game Wednesday night (Oct.1.)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The game: 1 p.m. (ET) Oct. 12 at Raymond James Stadium. Before kickoff, don’t miss Bucs beach and the iconic pirate ship in the south end zone.
Transit: Tampa International Airport’s runways are just across the street on the Dale Mabry Highway.
Grub + brew: All within a mile or two of the stadium are hotels, restaurants and bars. Cuban spot La Teresita is recommended by locals and within walking distance on Columbus Drive.
Signature spots: If you do leave the stadium’s entertainment zone, Tampa has a downtown riverwalk among hotels, museums and the University of Tampa (not to be confused with the University of South Florida, which is 10 miles north.)
Sports detour: The closest Florida college football game this weekend is four hours away at Florida Atlantic, but the Tampa Bay Rays might be hosting an American League playoff game down the street in their temporary digs at George Steinbrenner Field.
Houston Texans
The game: Noon (CT) Oct. 26 at NRG Stadium. The massive, multipurpose facility built in 2002 bills itself as the only rodeo and NFL indoor/outdoor retractable roof stadium in the world.
Transit: You can get to the downtown stadium from Hobby Airport via light rail (50 minutes) or car (15 minutes, no traffic).
Grub + brew: Houston is known for its BBQ, of course. It’s also the home to one of the nation’s oldest bars: La Carafe. It’s dark, dingy, and there are no TVs, so just talk, have a beer and listen to music.
Signature spots: Houston has an aquarium, a theater and a symphony. NASA’s Johnson Space Center offers a cool museum and tour to explore, about 30 minutes southeast of downtown.
Sports detour: On Saturday, about 2 miles up the road, you can catch college football as Rice hosts Connecticut, the latter which is coached by former 49ers defensive coordinator Jim Mora.
New York Giants
The game: 10 a.m. (ET) Nov. 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The 15-year-old, 82,500-seat stadium is a rather bland island among asphalt parking lots and swampland.
Transit: The New York Marathon is being run on game day, so find safe harbor across the Hackensack and Hudson rivers. Staying in New Jersey may not be the sexy getaway for a “New York” game, but it will make life easier on game day.
Grub + brew: Finnerty’s, a refuge for Bay Area sports fans, has reopened after a five-year break and is next to the Empire State Building. A few blocks northwest of Central Park is Tom’s Restaurant, the true exterior of “Monk’s Cafe” in Seinfeld.
Signature spots: If you’re strolling the blocks near Times Square’s spectacle, swing through Bryant Park for a break. Central Park is definitely worth a visit or a run or a carriage ride.
Sports detour: Game 7 of the World Series could fall on Nov. 1. The Yankees and Mets offer a double chance that New York makes it that far.
Arizona Cardinals
The game: 2:05 p.m. (MT) Nov. 16 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
Transit: Unless you’re staying right by this spaceship-looking desert facility, you’re likely facing a 30-minute drive from Scottsdale, Phoenix or Tempe.
Grub + brew: They’ve improved the grassy, west-side tailgate area to set up a canopy or makeshift bars. Westgate Entertainment District, just north of Glendale’s former NHL arena, features plenty of bars and restaurants.
Signature spots: Old Town Scottsdale is a tourist mecca; Tempe works for those reliving college life, and downtown Phoenix seems to be on the come. Go take a hike or get in a round of golf.
Sports detour: Brandon Aiyuk’s alma mater, Arizona State, is hosting West Virginia, Colton McKivitz’s alma mater, on Saturday (Nov. 15) across the Valley at Sun Devil Stadium.
Cleveland Browns
The game: 1 p.m. (ET) Nov. 30 at Huntington Bank Field. The Browns’ new home opened in 1999 but still hasn’t quite replicated the Dawg Pound of its former home in the East End Zone.
Transit: An easy walk from downtown will get you to the stadium.
Grub + brew: Aliens, from Masthead Brewing, is an award-winning West Coast IPA. Also check out BrewDog, just over the Cuyahoga River, and try out Noble Beast. The Clevelander, Whistle and City Tap are closer to Cleveland’s basketball and baseball venues but still downtown and a few blocks from the Dawg Pound.
Signature spots: Next door to the stadium is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Better yet, take an hour drive south to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
Sports detour: On Saturday, Ohio State plays at Michigan about three hours up the road in Ann Arbor.
Indianapolis Colts
The game: 8:15 p.m. (ET) Dec. 22 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The home of the annual NFL Combine. It will be cold, but the game is indoors, and Indianapolis will insulate you with its enclosed walkways between buildings.
Transit: If you don’t have a car or want to use Uber/Lyft, public transportation is available using the IndyGo bus system or Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). An Amtrak/Greyhound station is within walking distance of the stadium.
Grub + brew: Bluebeard is a homey, farm-to-table spot a few miles from downtown that is a definite must (and the top choice of any restaurant this season on the 49ers beat). Be sure to clear your sinuses with a shrimp cocktail (and a steak and martini) at St. Elmo downtown.
Signature spots: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is enormous and offers a race-car museum to behold. If you have the time, Newfields is a 152-acre cultural campus that is home to the Indianapolis Museum of Art galleries, gardens, two historic homes and a lot more.
Sports detour: This time of year in Indiana calls for a college basketball game, so on Saturday (Dec. 20), you can catch Indiana (playing Chicago State an hour south in Bloomington) or Butler, which hosts Northwestern at Indy’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers.