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Preds fans trying to make Winter Classic in Dallas “a home game”

By Cliff McArdle Jan 31, 2019 | 10:25 AM

Nashville Predators fans are excited to have their team involved in a Winter Classic. They’re also pretty upset their city isn’t hosting the annual outdoor outing. As a result, there’s an effort to make the event a “home game” for the visiting team on January 1, 2020 when the Preds take on the Dallas Stars at historic Cotton Bowl Stadium.

As you can see by the small sample of the responses below (and trust me, there were many many more), an overwhelming amount of fans have already booked their hotels and AirBnB’s — or alerted their Dallas-based family members — in preparation for the trek to Texas.

Lodging is only half the equation. The other half is deciding how to get there. Flying is the default assumption but there are several options you need to consider. After all, the game is just a couple of states away. It’s not like it’s being held in Vancouver or anything.

Option #1: DRIVE
Using Bridgestone Arena as the starting point of reference, it’s roughly 660 miles to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. That’s a 10-hour drive according to Google Maps. If you don’t mind piling into a car, creating a playlist on the ol’ iPod and spending an entire day on the road, this may be an option for you. Obviously gas prices are subject to change but, at $2.50/gallon in a vehicle that gets 30mpg, you can get there and back around $125. If you’re splitting the gas with somebody, that lowers your cost even further.

For some, the concern is wear and tear on your vehicle. Or perhaps your car isn’t reliable enough to go on a 1,300-mile round trip excursion. If that’s the case, you can often find weekly car rentals for under $200.

Option #2: FLY
Southwest has only released their flight schedule through August 5 at the time of this post so fares aren’t available yet but, given their history, one could probably get from BNA to Dallas-Love Field for roughly $200 each way. If you rope yourself a non-stop, you’re looking at just two hours in the air on the way there and an hour forty on the way back. Typically Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s are cheaper days to fly but with the game day being on New Year’s Day, New Year’s Eve flights almost certainly won’t be as cheap as one would like.

Preds fan Codey Holland used Twitter to go directly to the source.

UPDATE (5/30/19): Southwest fares were released earlier today and it looks like non-stops are averaging around $160 each way.

Option #3: TRAIN
And now for an outside-the-box alternative that also just so happens to be my personal favorite. In fairness, it takes some jumping through hoops to make this happen but, I promise, it’s worth it.

There’s no Amtrak availability in Middle Tennessee. Matter of fact, the closest station is in Memphis or Dyersberg. Problem is, those stations are on the Spirit of New Orleans route that travel between Louisiana and Union Station in Chicago. If you drove the three hours to Memphis, you’d waste a half of a day going to Chicago before then going onto Dallas if you picked up the train on that line. But, if you drove to St. Louis (just two hours longer), you could hop on the correct Amtrak route there at 7:55pm and arrive in Big D by noon the next day.

At the time this post was published, you can grab your own roomette for just $287 if you leave on December 30 or just $234 if you leave on December 29. A roomette, for those who don’t know, is your own little studio apartment on the train. It’s small but extremely efficient with two large chairs that turn into a bed for the overnight part of the journey. And, if you’re traveling with somebody else, there’s a second bed that comes down from the ceiling of your roomette as well. It should be noted that, if you purchase a roomette on an Amtrak train, your meals are included in the fare. Whereas, if you travel coach, you may save money on your ticket but you’ll be purchasing food at close-to-concession stand prices.

I understand that driving five hours just to hop on a train that will take 15 is a total turn off for some people but, trust me, find time to do it. Maybe not on this trip but in the future.

Regardless of travel method, Nashville needs to represent and show the League that it should be Music City hosting this game, not Dallas. There are logistical reasons Nashville isn’t hosting of course (NFL allowing the NHL to take over Nissan Stadium for the weeks leading up to New Years Day, the Music City Bowl either suspending the game for a year or drastically altering their usual date, Vandy’s stadium is a complete joke, etc.) but that’s not the point. The point is, if there’s more gold than green in the Cotton Bowl stands it’ll make quite a statement.

So, c’mon Nashville. Do your part. Book your lodging. Decide on your method of transportation. Start budgeting now so it’s easier on the pocket book later. Those who have attended a Winter Classic will tell you it’s an unforgettable experience. And those people didn’t necessarily have their favorite team playing in it.

But your favorite team is playing in it. So let’s roll.

Just be sure to fly a brightly colored gold Preds flag in whatever window you’re sitting in on the way.