By Jesse Wood
When the Miami Hurricanes storm into town to face the Mountaineers on Saturday, traffic is going to be crazy throughout Boone, especially as you get closer to downtown and Kidd Brewer Stadium on the App State campus.
“My advice is to plan for an early arrival to park and be patient. Because of the noon kickoff, [there will be] a lot activity early that morning,” Watauga County Tourism Development Authority Executive Director Wright Tilley said.
Parking and tailgating is offered throughout the Appalachian State University campus and town. Much of the campus parking is reserved for Yosef Club donors, students and faculty and staff working during game day. The Town of Boone and Watauga County both offer parking in and around downtown, and of course, a number of parking enterprises activate on game day.
Check below for ideas on where to park:
So Where to Park on Saturday?
On-Campus Parking, Tailgating
Most of the campus lots open for Game Day activities and parking are reserved for donors of the Yosef Club, however permitted students and faculty/staff working during the game have spaces available.
Students can park in Hill Street lot, lots at the former Broyhill Inn, State Farm Lot, and the lots on Bodenheimer Drive between the rec center and Mountaineer Hall. All of the other lots on campus usually available for students require a game day permit. See more on student parking here.
Handicap patrons have options for gameday parking. See those here.
The lots open for tailgating and Yosef Donors on campus open at 8 a.m., while gates for Kidd Brewer Stadium open at 10 a.m. This will ensure, the athletics department says, “students and fans to have plenty of time to enjoy the gameday experience with a 12 p.m. kickoff.”
See the university’s parking department webpage for more info.
For tailgating information on campus, click here.
Town-Owned Parking in Downtown
Business as usual for town-owned lots in downtown Boone.
The town’s parking program downtown is “running a normal operation schedule,” according to Virginia Falck, downtown coordinator for the Town of Boone.
Queen street meters will cost $0.50 cents per hour for up to three hours of parking, and pay station lots at Depot and King streets offer up to nine hours of parking at $1 per hour.
County-Owned Parking in Downtown:
According to the TDA’s game day parking guide, parking is allowed – some of it for free – near the Watauga County Courthouse and Administration Building, the Agricultural Extension Center and the Appalachian Enterprise Center/Watauga County Health Department facilities.
See the game day parking guide site for more information.
Private Lots
A number of private lots in town offer game day parking and tailgating space for a fee. See a list of those here.
Both Falck and Tilley recommended the online Game Day Parking Guide, which the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority produced in collaboration with the Downtown Boone Development Association.
This guide features the skinny on a number of private lots offering game day parking. There will also be other enterprises that aren’t listed selling parking spaces on Saturday, so you may just have to drive around a bit to scope out those sites.
Tilley said the info on that guide was updated prior to the season, which began two weeks ago.
See the game day parking guide site for more information.
Parking for Friday Evening Pep Rally and Sunday Block Party
While the game starts at noon on Saturday, the football festivities begin on Friday evening for the Miami Pep Rally at Peacock Hall lot produced by App State Athletics. Parking for this event is available at Rivers Street Parking Deck, Stadium Lot, Schaefer Center Lot and King Street.
However, game day towing begins at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17. To ensure you know where your ride is in the morning, be sure to not leave vehicles parked overnight.
On Sunday, High Country Local First is hosting the inaugural Boone Block Party on Howard Street from 1 to 5 p.m. The road will be closed from 12 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Click here for more information.
“We hope everybody comes early to enjoy the pep rally and stays late to enjoy the street festival on Sunday,” Tilley said.
AppalCART Routes on Saturday
With all the traffic and congestion expected on Saturday, it might be a better idea to take the bus if you need to get around town. AppalCART routes to run on Saturday are listed here. Starting between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m., nine routes through Boone until 8:30 p.m.