City: Minneapolis, MN

Category: Spectator Sports

Telephone: (612) 338-4537

Description: The Minnesota Vikings, founded in 1961, have long been one of the most underachieving teams in the National Football League. They’ve been to four Super Bowls, the first team to reach that mark—and they’ve lost all four, the most recent being in 1977. Since then they’ve made five appearances in the NFC championship game that would take them back to the Super Bowl—and they’ve lost all five. All eyes were on the Vikings in 2009–10 when, in a bizarre twist of fate, they acquired 40-year-old quarterback Brett Favre, longtime staple of their archrival Green Bay Packers, and under Favre’s leadership rode to an NFC championship game that they lost in a torturous overtime battle with the New Orleans Saints. The loss was greeted with a shrug: For all their devotion, Vikings fans have learned not to get their hopes up.The Vikings play at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, of which they are left in (grudging) sole possession after the recent departures of the Minnesota Twins and the U of M Golden Gophers football team. The Vikings have a tremendous home-field advantage at the Dome, where Vikings fans cheer loud enough to create a near-deafening din. The Vikings’ “Dome field advantage” acts as the 12th man on the field at Vikings home games.Vikings tickets are pricey, but nonetheless their home games regularly sell out. See the team’s Web site for details on availability and packages. Parking near the Dome is relatively convenient, but plan on doing some walking and paying $5 to $20 for parking, depending on how close to the action you want to be.