Paycor Stadium — Attraction in Cincinnati

Our first visit to Paycor Stadium for the Bengals' season opener against the Patriots was, unfortunately, a bit of a disappointment. After attending dozens of games at the neighboring Great American Ball Park (GABP) for Reds baseball, perhaps our expectations were set a little too high. Paycor Stadium, in comparison, felt dated and rundown.

The overall atmosphere lacked the charm and attention to detail that GABP offers. Instead of a simulated city street with cool storefronts, like at the Reds' stadium, Paycor’s food and merchandise stands resembled street vendor stalls or folding tables scattered around. There were no giant player or team graphics to enhance the long, concrete walkways—just raw, industrial walls and floors, which added to the underwhelming experience. Maybe there is an area somewhere like that at this stadium - we didn't see it if so.

That said, none of these factors seemed to impact the enthusiasm of the crowd. Attendance was strong, and fans were fully engaged, bringing plenty of energy to the game. The stadium seats were relatively comfortable, though we were glad to have avoided the upper deck, which appeared incredibly steep, similar to older venues we've been to in the NFL and NBA.

For die-hard football fans who thrive on the live, in-person experience, these shortcomings might not matter much. However, when comparing Paycor Stadium to others we’ve visited across the country—and especially to the Reds’ stadium next door—it does not rank high...

Beautiful stadium! We bought season tickets for the first time this season after moving back to the area. We enjoy the benefits of the club section on the Bengals’ side of the stadium. The one thing I would love for the stadium to eventually invest in would be a cover/dome! Wishful thinking I’m sure but with kids it would make the winter months more tolerable. We also noticed some of the concessions have limited appliances (example: pizza ovens) to keep up with the high demand resulting in long waits when we have kids all order the same food. All in all though it’s a special and fun experience and a beautiful stadium that they are continuing to update. Staff are very friendly/helpful.

My wife’s biggest issue is the lack of family-friendliness. You cannot bring your stroller into or even up to the stadium. It’s challenging to bring a large family with little kids to the stadium while having no “vehicle” to get them there (even if there was just an area to store them, especially for season ticket members). There are no dedicated breastfeeding spaces. No play areas for children. When our children are getting restless by halftime it would be nice to have somewhere to take them to keep them occupied similar to Great American Ballpark.

We love our Bengals and really enjoy Paycor! Keep...

I’d like to share some feedback regarding our recent experience Paycor Stadium The process for verifying footballs given to fans—especially kids—needs significant improvement. My son was given a football by his favorite player, Patrick Surtain II , and allowed to hold onto it for over four hours. However, as we were leaving the stadium, after what had been one of the best experiences of his life, Cincinnati Bengals stadium security approached us and told my son he couldn’t keep the football because it was NFL property. There were no other options or solutions offered, and management was unavailable to assist us. Hours later, after a long, disappointing ride home, we received a message saying we could have the football after all. We were only contacted because of a social media post I made that was seen.

Paycor Stadium gave us an unforgettable experience, but the process surrounding the football was frustrating and disheartening. We respect authority, but this process needs to change.

I’m sharing this in hopes that no other child and family have to go through something like this after such an incredible moment.

We got the football back, thats really all...