Stadium Survival Guy’d: Gillette Stadium

Gillette Stadium

1 Patriot Pl, Foxborough, MA 02035

Twitter.com/GilletteStadium

Sitting in Foxboro just a short drive from Boston lies Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. Although it sits 22 miles outside the city, Gillette is an entertainment center worth perusing on game day, especially in the late fall when the Pats make their usual playoff run.

Gillette Stadium Fun Facts

• Built – 2002
• Capacity – 68,756
• 500+ concession stands
• Opened in 2002 after the old Foxboro Stadium was torn down following the Patriots famous win in the “Snow Bowl” in the 2002 AFC Playoffs.
• [CBS Boston] “The spot where Adam Vinatieri kicked the two legendary “Snow Bowl” field goals was marked with a plaque in the Gillette Stadium parking lot in 2002. It was removed when Patriot Place was built on the site, but the exact spot was left unoccupied for a future memorial to the event. The Patriots won’t say where it is in Patriot Place. See if you can find it.”
• The Patriots have a sell-out streak dating back to 1994 and have a season-ticket waiting list of 50,000. It costs $100 just to join that list.

Snapshots

Where to take your picture

The Patriots have been the most successful football team of the last decade. Unless you find a Gisele Bundchen look alike to snuggle up to for a quick shot, your best bet is to find ‘Super Bowl Champions’ signage.  

Gillette Stadium Attractions

Where to visit nearby

Patriot Place – Restaurants, bars and shopping that wraps around Gillette Stadium.

The Hall at Patriot Place

The Hall at Patriot Place is a museum dedicated to all the greatest Patriots’ moments of all time. 

Wrentham Village Premium Outlets – A bunch of stores for your girl to shop at while you drool over Pats relics. 

Where to sit

Anywhere you can find a ticket! Patriots tickets are some of the hardest to get in the NFL. Your best bet is to try TicketMaster or VividSeats — you’ll likely pay about $100/per for upper deck seats.

You can see what the view is from different sections here. 

What to eat

Gillette isn’t known for it’s food, but it does provide the essential game day items: Burgers, sausages, BBQ, pizza, etc.

Here is a PDF guide of the food at Gillette.

The stadium was also recognized as being ‘vegetarian friendly.‘

Advice From A Local Fan

On Gillette Stadium

“Gillette is about 30 miles from Boston in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, it’s on a small 4 lane highway. The only thing to do there is at Patriot Place which has several restaurants, bars, and a Christmas Tree Shoppe.”

Best local bars and restaurants

Where to party with the locals

TIP: Be sure to get pre-game reservations!

CBS Scene Restaurant and Lounge – For the traditional, has all-you-can eat wings every Thursday. 

Blue Fin Lounge – For the rugged. 

Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro – For the classy.

Twenty8 Food and Spirits – More upscale.

Other popular joints include Davio’s and Skipjacks. Both have full bars where you can drink or enjoy meals pre-game or following the game while you wait-out the crowd leaving the parking lot.  

What is said about the area

[Stadium Journey]

Aside from the surrounding Patriot Place, which serves as the stadium’s primary neighborhood. Just down the street from the commercial feel of the stadium, advertisements and bigger shops are family-owned businesses, eateries, liquor stores, and neighborhoods that could be found around the corner of every other small New England town. Only a little over 20 miles away sits the city of Boston, which is connected to Gillette by a commuter rail train only on game days, and that’s the closest Gillette Stadium will ever be connected to a big city type feel, which is just fine with New England fans.

​Hotels

Highest rated closest to GIllette Stadium

Courtyard by Marriott

Residence Inn

Comfort Inn

Renaissance Boston Hotel & Spa

Patriots all-time moment you need to know

Adam Vinatieri kicks the Pats past the Raiders in the 2001-02 AFC Playoffs

Cut to 11:49 to see the Adam Vinatieri game-tying field goal from this ‘snow bowl.’

Locals don’t want to hear…

• Anything surrounding the Bills, Jets or Dolphins — all division foes. 
• The word ‘Spygate.‘ 
• Bashing Tom Brady, about anything, ever.

Brady is a three-time Super Bowl Champion and has nearly 50,000 career passing yards.

Don’t wear…

• Anything comfortable. It’s going to be cold. Wear layers. 

TIP: If you need gloves, hat or other additional items to keep you warm, go to Old Navy close by.

Numbers To Know

Send a text to 78247 with your location and any problems you experience for help. For conduct issues, the first word in your message should be CONDUCT. 

The Patriots GameDay App is here. 

Transportation Tips

Train

[Boston CBS]

There is public transportation for all Patriots games and it’s pretty affordable. This is a special train service from South Station in Boston and TF Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island. Round trip fare is $15. The trains will leave Gillette a half-hour after the end of the game. Visit the MBTA’s web site for more information.

Parking

… is pricey, at $40 a pop. Click here for the complete parking guide.

Other directions can be found here.

Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.

Photo Credit: Getty