Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, Indiana - home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts

Boasted as "America's newest special events venue,'' Lucas Oil Stadium is home to the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, a professional football team. Located in Indiana's capital city, Lucas Oil Stadium is also scheduled host to events such as NCAA men and women's basketball and the DCI World Championship in future years.

Opened on August 16, 2008 after three years of construction, Lucas Oil Stadium replaced the RCA dome as the home playing field for the Colts. The opening game was between the Colts and the Buffalo Bills on August 24, but the first game played in the stadium was actually a series of high school football games as part of the PeyBeck Classic. The two games played were Noblesville High School versus Fishers High School, and New Palestine High School versus Whiteland Community High School.

The stadium itself cost $720 million to build, and operating costs are expected to be $10 million more per year than the RCA Dome. The name of the venue is part of a $121 million deal with Lucas Oil, a California-based company that specializes in automotive products, particularly oil. The contract is expected to last over the course of 20 years. Lucas Oil Stadium is owned by the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority.

One of the stadium's most attractive features is its retractable roof, consisting of two panels weighing roughly 2.7 million pounds apiece. Opening or closing the roof takes about nine minutes.

The venue offers 63,000 seats for football fans, and up to 70,000 for other events such as basketball games and concerts. All entrances to the venue are easily accessible for those with disabilities, and five guest service kiosks can be found about the stadium for fans in need of any extra assistance. Parking is available for roughly 9,000 vehicles around the venue, with 40,000 spaces available within an area of ten-blocks.

Within the walls of Lucas Oil Stadium are 160 concession stands, 51 of these being permanent stands. Fans also have the option to visit the Colts Pro Shop, a multi-leveled center for anything even the most die-hard Colts fan might need. Of course, plenty of novelty stands are also stationed about the venue, allowing fans to get their Colts memorabilia while on the go.

The playing surface is FieldTurf, and resting on the northwest and southeast corners of the field are Daktronics Hi-Definition scoreboards, each with dimensions of 97' x 53'. Eight field suites are part of the 137 luxury suites available at Lucas Oil Stadium. Twelve super suites are also available for lease. Another option is the Quarterback Suite, which has room for 200 people, and can be used for private events.

Tours are offered, but the suggested group size should be larger than 25 people. Tours generally last about one hour and allow visitors to see the playing field, locker rooms, and other parts of the stadium, such as the press box, that are usually closed off to the public.