The whole city of New Orleans objected to the idea of a space ship in downtown New Orleans. The father of the superdome concept, Dave Dixon, had a hard time convincing locals of his idea in the mid-to-late 1960’s. But when the Louisiana Superdome opened it's doors August 3, 1975, after four years of construction, everyone realized this was a premier facility. The building encompasses 52 acres in the heart of downtown New Orleans. The roof of the building is 9.7 acres. The height of the facility is 273 feet or 27 stories. The building dominates the skyline of the city.

To make a building of such magnitude work, it had to be air conditioned. And it is, with 900 tons of good old A/C. There are 400 miles of electrical wiring in the building. To travel to the various locations in the Louisiana Superdome, one would use one of the 12 passenger elevators and a single freight elevator. On-premises parking spaces number 5,000 for autos and another 250 for buses.

The Louisiana Superdome is home to the Nokia Sugar Bowl Football Classic and Basketball Tournament, the NFL's New Orleans Saints, Tulane Football and the Bayou Classic. Superbowls have been held here in l978, l981, l986, l990, l997  and scheduled for 2002. The road to the NCAA Final Four has ended here in l982, l987, l993 and scheduled for 2003. High School Gatorade Superdome Classic (Louisiana High School Athletic Association) Football Championships are held here annually.

In the Louisiana Superdome, movable seats allow the venue to play hast to small arena events, as well as large festivals and conventions. Considered to be the world's most versatile, the building can house concerts, family shows, trade shows or sporting events and within just hours it can be converted to a playing field for either football or baseball. All 166,000 square feet of its concrete floor have 118 built-in utility boxes and it is covered with 15 foot wide strips of Astroturf. Known to the locals as "Mardi Grass," this turf can be laid by special machines called Grasshoppers and fitted together for a sporting event.

The building has guided tours weekdays at 10:30, noon, and 1:30pm, except during particular Superdome events. Your tour includes the main arena, working press area, upper level, private box suites and locker rooms. Again, your tour may be altered slightly during some events.

For rates and daily tour information, call 504-587-3808.
 

By Frances Vance