Penn State Football has arguably the best game day atmosphere in college football, and a big reason for that is the tailgating experience.
Around Beaver Stadium, there are over two dozen different tailgating lots and each one has its own personality with plenty of pros and cons.
After much research through social media, it seems as though Penn State fans have a select few favorite tailgating lots. Let’s take a look at those lots and the pros and cons that come with them.
Ranking the Top Penn State Football Tailgate Lots
No. 1) ORV Lot
The overnight RV lot may be the best lot for big tailgating parties.
On Thursdays of game weeks, the field is transformed into a miniature town with rows of RVs lining up and setting up shop for the weekend.
If you’re lucky enough to own an RV and love Penn State football, this lot is the place for you.
Of course, if you don’t have an RV, parking in the lot will be impossible.
Moreso, the lot is quite the walk from the southern and western lots, so if you plan on visiting someone in the ORV lot, try to find parking in North or East lots.
No. 2) Lot 41
Located directly behind the South endzone, there is not many spots with a shorter walk to the stadium than lot 41.
This allows for more tailgating time before the game as you don’t need to worry about a long walk into Beaver Stadium before the game.
An even bigger pro is that this lot is paved, so you don’t need to worry about dirty shoes or your car getting stuck if there’s rain and snow.
There are a few cons to lot 41 though.
For starters, it’s a reserved spot lot, meaning you have a specific spot no matter what time you show up. That means if you want to tailgate with friends, you need to coordinate parking likely years in advance as these spots are difficult to get a hold of.
Additionally, the reserved parking means you can’t take up the spot next to you for more tailgating space, limiting the room you have to work with.
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No. 3) Lot 12
Located along Park Ave in the IM soccer fields, lot 12 is one of the larger tailgating lots around Beaver Stadium.
This is a lot where you can coordinate with friends to create a large tailgate with multiple cars. Because this is a first come, first serve lot, you can use the aisle space for your tailgate as you don’t have to worry about a car trying to get through.
The parties here are big and usually a good time.
There aren’t many cons with this lot except you need to get there bright and early to get a spot along the fence, which makes your walk into the stadium shorter and gives you more tailgating room.
Secondly, it’s a grass field so conditions can be less than ideal if it rains.
No. 4) Lot 34
One of the larger lots is lot 34, located in the East section in the fields below the baseball field.
Like with lot 12, this is a first come, first serve lot, making for huge tailgates.
Because of the size of the lot, there’s plenty of room to spread out and set up tents and play cornhole and throw the football around.
If you like to party, this definitely the ‘bang for your buck’ lot.
On the downside, it’s a bit of a walk to the stadium and if you’re trying to find a friend, it can be a bit of a maze at times. Also, if you’re coming from the West lots, prepare to walk a while.
Lasty, with it being a field lot, you run the risk of less than ideal conditions later in the season.
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