Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what is fun for one person is drudgery for another. However, there are a few stops on the Pittsburgh Penguins schedule that should offer fans looking for a getaway the opportunity to spend a reasonable amount of money and explore a new city for a few days.
There’s nothing better than getting a text message on the road that training has been cancelled. That means an afternoon of wandering around. Some of us opt for the touristy stuff, others go underground and try to find the hidden local restaurants that offer a dish you can’t find anywhere else or that is simply incomparable.
Personally, I’m the type of person who likes to eat at cheap restaurants, looking for a burrito with special green sauce (Denver), a tiny bistro with incredible goulash (Edmonton), or the most tender steak I’ve ever had for under $30 (Calgary). Except on special occasions, you won’t find me in a four-star restaurant or a place with valet parking.
In new cities, I want to eat where the locals eat (not chain restaurants) and hang out in a place where I can hear my thoughts but isn’t sad and empty. As in personal life, this isn’t always easy.
As part of the road trip guidelines, it is important that you stay within walking distance or public transportation to the hockey arena. Renting a car and parking are hassles you don’t need except in a few places.
We also assume that most Penguins fans have been to Columbus, Washington, and New York at some point in their lives, so we don’t need to sing the praises of those places. However, I would happily talk for days about my favorite places in New York City.
Other places like Toronto and Boston are often difficult to afford. If the hotels don’t eat your wallet, the ticket prices will. We’re leaving these cities out as well.
And there are some places that don’t have an arena district or an arena near anything else. Ottawa and Florida spring to mind. If you want to stay in Fort Lauderdale and drive 45 minutes through construction to go to a Panthers-Penguins game, go for it. Otherwise, there are only two hotels near the arena and not much else to do.
If you want warm weather in the winter, that’s certainly possible, but we’re talking about hockey vacations here.
Here is our list.
The Best Penguin Road Trips 2024-25 (That You Can Afford)
5. Detroit
Believe it or not, one of the worst stops on the Penguins’ calendar is turning into one of the easiest, cheapest and most fun places on the schedule.
The roads from Toledo to Detroit are cratered, with billboards mostly advertising alcohol, cannabis and lawyers, but once you reach Detroit, the city quickly loses its dubious reputation.
Detroit: Photo courtesy of Visit Detroit
Detroit has cleaned up. The extremely dirty streets and unsafe areas have been replaced with newly built streets, inviting restaurants, and lush parks. The French restaurant near Grand Circus Park was fun and lively.
Although this guy isn’t a huge fan of Detroit pizza, they’re a charming throwback to the carnivorous Pizza Hut deep-dish pan from the 1980s. There’s also a hundred-year-old hot dog shop in the center of Downtown – Lafayette Coney Island. If you go there, lunch will cost about $6.
There are countless hotels within walking distance of the arena, from budget to luxury. There are several densely packed nightspots, including the Shinola Factory Outlet and a huge record store that hosts live bands on a large stage.
The riverfront is making progress, but up-and-coming Detroit is worth a four-hour drive. If you’re a racing fan, you know Roger Penske has been one of the beneficiaries of the city’s turnaround, and he usually does things pretty, pretty well.
4. Tampa Bay
I’m a fan of this sleepy little downtown neighborhood. Depending on the time of year, the weather can be great for a mile or two walk to the arena, but be warned, Tampa is not a public transit city.
The restaurant scene is scattered throughout downtown, but there are plenty of options and small cafes (or cozy bars) to while away an afternoon. There’s even a collection of food trucks downtown. A growing number of riverfront hotels line the Hillsborough River, and there are also a fair number of restaurants and shops just north of the city in Tampa Heights.
Tampa, FL: Photo courtesy of Visit Tampa
You can walk the Riverwalk from Tampa Heights to downtown (pictured above) or take the River Taxi to the arena. You can also stay overnight downtown along the river (but it will be expensive).
The pool scene at hotels is too much for this guy, but if that’s your thing, the riverfront is pretty spectacular. If you’re taking a sensitive partner, a pre-pool conversation or a make-up margarita afterward may be necessary. You’ve been warned. Tampa is laid-back with a touch of Miami chic, but there’s also Eddie & Sam’s Pizza, which imports water from New York City to make the dough. It’s a great place to grab a slice of pizza and a Coke. Yes, NYC water makes a difference.
3. Denver
Denver has become a hub and is also served by several low-cost airlines, so a flight often costs less than $150.
You may have heard that the city has legalized things that some of you might like, but the quiet downtown area has a lot more to offer. There are several streets with nightlife, but none of it is over the top. Rooftop bars accentuate the Rocky Mountain backdrop, and the Denver Mall Ride is a long street of shops and restaurants with a streetcar running through it.
There are two places that you also have to visit.
The first is Sam’s No. 3, a small downtown spot with a famous green sauce that goes perfectly with a burrito or fried potatoes. About a block away is Tarantula’s, a brick-walled pool hall with dim lighting, good drinks and affordable bar bills. There’s no better way to spend a bad night.
Denver offers a wide variety of eateries and champagne vending machines. The city doesn’t have the energy of New York or Chicago, but that’s what makes it so charming. “Denver casual” is both fashion and lifestyle.
Public transport is good – there is a train from the airport directly to the city centre and numerous hotels within walking distance of the final stop and the Ball Arena.
2. Vancouver
If you know where to look and do your due diligence, both the flight and the hotel can be affordable. Vancouver offers endless food options that are both unique and affordable. My favorite is a small Italian speakeasy, a second-floor restaurant with a dingy and massive steel door. But once inside, it’s Italian restaurant heaven.
You can walk to the harbor and take a whale-watching cruise or do some shopping. If you like Asian food, there’s no better time in the Penguins’ schedule to sample the continent’s wide variety of dishes, including the “#1 Korea Hangover Cure,” a red soup so spicy it could peel the pink off your body (I can handle the spiciest of spicy, and this stuff nearly killed me).
Vancouver is an endless, relaxed city exploration with a diverse group of people. Last season, a guy in line at the coffee shop struck up a conversation with me. I’m not usually into this sort of thing, but I went along with him. It was former Penguins forward Dave Mcllwain.
Fortunately, the city also addresses many of the problems that plague West Coast cities.
Beautiful weather. The harbor is indescribably picturesque with its rolling mist, the snow-capped mountains in the background and the slow rolling of the ships. Food. Whales. Scenery. A must-see.
1. Edmonton/Calgary
Alberta is a throwback to the rough America of years gone by. Oil, farms and cowboys. On the lonely highway between Edmonton and Calgary you see a few Trump signs, and you also see a few secession signs. Alberta is an energy-producing centre that loves rodeos and doesn’t like to be told what you can and can’t do by politicians in Ottawa.
Aboriginal people remain strong, especially near Edmonton. And there is a surprisingly large Asian population in northern Alberta. The towns don’t like each other, and that’s half the fun of the hockey road trip you have to take.
The easiest way is to fly to Calgary and rent a car there. The drive to Edmonton only takes a few hours and is almost straight.
The restaurant scene is interesting, with a large number of Asian restaurants and cozy sports bars. The best of the best is a small Czech bistro near the arena called Bistro Praha. It’s a small, unassuming, family-run place and serves goulash that’s worth the airfare. Dinner costs about $20 Canadian.
The traditional hangout is Sherlock’s, a run-down bar with wood-paneled walls that immediately brings to mind Cheers. The best thing about a trip to Edmonton, however, is not the variety of restaurants, the fact that it gets dark at 4 p.m., or the freezing temperatures that can freeze various parts of your body off, but the hockey.
Edmonton LOVES hockey. Rogers Place is simply enormous. As you walk up to the rink, the gigantic barn looks more like a scene from Independence Day with its shimmering silver exterior and 10 stories. A Wayne Gretzky statue and trinkets honoring the great line the way inside, where you’ll be greeted by adoring fans.
Calgary is like visiting Texas… with feet of snow. It’s a little tricky to navigate, so generally stick to your quadrant, but the food choices are vast, especially if you like beef. And oh boy, the beef is incredible. For about $25 Canadian at the Oil Rig, I had an Alberta beef sirloin that was so tender and juicy I wanted to drop the cutlery and pounce on it. I washed it down with a strong and balanced local lager.
I’ve limited my shot to two…as far as you know.
The Saddledome will be closing in a few years, but for now it’s an old school arena with no bad seats. The fans are passionate and dedicated and take good care of you too.
The Calgary-Edmonton trip is not one you will take often, but if you like the Northern Lights dancing above you during the trip, down-to-earth people, first-class food for us mere mortals and deeply passionate fans, then you have to make this trip once in your life.
