Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, La.

The Superdome

Exterior of the Superdome from Claiborne Avenue, Jul-2020.

Quick Facts:

Location: Sugar Bowl Boulevard, Claiborne Avenue at Poydras Street, New Orleans, La. (map it using Google Maps)
Opened: 1975 as Louisiana Superdome
Additional names: Mercedes-Benz Superdome (2011)
Home team: New Orleans Pelicans, American Association (1977); New Orleans Saints, National Football League (1975-present); New Orleans Breakers, United States Football League (1984)
Capacity: 73,208

The Superdome is one of the best known indoor sporting arenas in the nation, thanks to its location in the Crescent City and its size. In addition to Saints football, it hosts the annual Sugar Bowl college football game and is in regular rotation to host the NFL’s Super Bowl championship game. It is also used for basketball; the New Orleans Jazz used it for four seasons in the 1970s, and the NCAA Final Four has visited the Superdome at least five times.

Baseball first arrived at the Superdome with an exhibition game between the Houston Astros and the Minnesota Twins before the 1976 season. The stadium was given consideration by two Major League Baseball teams, the Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates, who were unhappy with their home stadium leases, but both clubs ultimately stayed put. In the meantime, the building hosted Triple-A baseball for the 1977 season, with the New Orleans Pelicans of the American Association, who had moved from Tulsa. After one season in which they averaged about 4,000 fans per game in the cavernous facility, the club moved on to Springfield, Ill. The Superdome continued to host baseball exhibitions and occasional college games through the 1999 season.

I was unable to get into the Superdome on my 2020 visit.

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