Super Bowl Travel Guide 2025: From Ghost Town to Football Mecca

Super Bowl travel follows a simple rule: They take us to those special spots in America boasting huge, extravagant football temples (65,000+ seats) and t-shirt weather in February. Until 2027, the world's biggest single-sport event will continue to hop between the West Coast (Santa Clara, Los Angeles) and Southern cities like New Orleans.

Be honest: do you have a bucket list? For many Americans, "attend a Super Bowl live" is a top entry. Interestingly, only about half of them consider themselves sports enthusiasts, let alone football fanatics. Regardless, the lack of "extra cash" often leaves this wish unfulfilled… For Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, the cheapest ticket was around $7,000!

When Katrina struck: Seeking refuge in the Saints' Superdome

Super Bowl LIX travel packages on event-breaks.com require a big budget. For our blog readers who dream big, the NFL offers a yearly lottery for original-price Super Bowl tickets. Only 1,000 are available, making your chances of winning quite slim. A few years ago, I’d have compared these odds to another Super Bowl in the Caesars Superdome.

Hurricane Katrina left a devastating trail of destruction here in late summer 2005. The death toll? Around 1,800! Economic damage? Over $120 billion. The floodwaters spared nothing, including the New Orleans Saints' football temple, where tens of thousands sought refuge. The Superdome became a symbol of desperation and despair. New Orleans, the ghost town of Louisiana.

Super Bowl Travel Guide: Rendezvous in the French Quarter

Recovering from one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history somehow fits the easygoing and joyful spirit of "The Big Easy." In 2014, the French-influenced Southern city welcomed nearly as many tourists (9.5 million) as it did before Katrina. "Laissez les bons temps rouler" (let the good times roll) echoes from every corner. For a Super Bowl trip to New Orleans, the best place to experience this is the French Quarter.

Before Super Bowl XLVII, Joe Flacco fell in love with the historic district. On Bourbon Street, a 13-block stretch in the heart of the French Quarter, the former Baltimore Ravens quarterback enjoyed local delicacies. It must have been MVP-worthy: Flacco (now with the Indianapolis Colts) threw three touchdown passes against the favored San Francisco 49ers, leading his team, along with Ravens legend Ray Lewis, to a 34-31 victory (watch the highlights here).

Yet, this Super Bowl is also infamous for its 36-minute blackout, making it the longest Super Bowl ever. My own Super Bowl party ended at 4:50 AM! New Orleans has something to prove in this regard. "We want to make this one of the best Super Bowls ever," said Governor Jeff Landry, backing up his words with a $500 million renovation for the Superdome’s east and west wings.

Super Bowl Halftime Show: Lots of Star Power, but no "Swiftie Bowl" in sight

Is this a challenge to Miami? With 11 Super Bowls between 1968 and 2020, the Sunshine State metropolis is practically the Capital of the Super Bowl. New Orleans will tie this record in February 2025. With a growing number of hotel rooms (from 19,000 to 29,000) and restaurants (from 900 to 1,500) since the Hurricane year, "The Big Easy" is gearing up for Super Bowl travel groups. What makes a perfect game? A thrilling Halftime Show, which gives the mega-event the star power to even surpass the TV ratings of a European soccer Championship final.

Who embodies the ideal solution for this, especially for "Swifties"? The answer is obvious. The NFL's marketing geniuses already capitalized on pop icon Taylor Swift’s popularity, especially with her connection to Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce. However, a Swift gig at the Super Bowl would need to fit into her packed "The Eras" tour schedule. The location is crucial too. Simply put: No Nashville, no party!

Unfortunately, the Tennessee Titans are one of 16 (!) teams that have never hosted a Super Bowl. Without a dome stadium like Minnesota (Super Bowl LII), the NFL bosses are unlikely to warm to Nashville. Possible headliners for the Super Bowl Halftime Show 2025? Names like Grammy double-winner Miley Cyrus, local hero Lil Wayne, or Billie Eilish are being floated. Let’s wait and see, and let the good times roll during a Super Bowl trip to New Orleans…