From Boise to San Diego, a travel guide for all of Washington State’s new road game destinations

If you’re following the Washington State Cougars on the road this season, there’s going to be some new cities to explore, aside from a Nov. 23 trip to Pac-12 rival Oregon State.

The Cougars’ Mountain West road slate features trips to Boise (Sept. 28), Fresno, California (Oct. 12), San Diego (Oct. 26) and Albuquerque, New Mexico (Nov. 16).

We got the scoop from those cities’ college football beat reporters to help traveling WSU fans know what to expect.

Boise State — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman

• What are the best spots to eat in Boise?

For eating around the stadium, the Ram Restaurant and Brewery is a classic option for drinks, wings and burgers. Burger Belly is also just south of the stadium and offers all your classic burger options. If you’re looking for somewhere closer to downtown, the 1-mile pedestrian-only stretch down Eighth Street is filled with restaurants and bars, ending at its south end with the Warehouse Foodhall, which houses about a dozen restaurants and coffee shops. Some of the top food options along Eighth Street include Bittercreek Alehouse and the Funky Taco.

• What types of scenery are available in Boise?

The Boise River Greenbelt is a pedestrian-only path that runs through downtown, providing access to most areas of the city, including Boise State’s campus. eBikes and eScooters are permitted on the Greenbelt. The Greenbelt also takes people through Ann Morrison and Julia Davis Parks, two of Boise’s most beautiful and popular parks. If you’re looking to get out of the city, there are over 210 miles of trails in the Boise Foothills, a short drive north of downtown.

• Best places for a drink?

A classic spot for pre- and post-game drinks is the End Zone, a small bar with a fun backyard area that should still be more than enjoyable by late September. Other downtown-area spots to grab a drink and enjoy the gameday atmosphere include bars around the BoDo District, such as Double Tap Pub and Liquid, or Taphouse on Main Street. If you’re looking for more of a college-age vibe, the row of bars on Main Street between Fifth Street and Capitol Boulevard — Silly Birch, Cactus Bar, and Humpin’ Hannah’s, to name a few — is the place to go.

• How would you best describe the gameday atmosphere at BSU?

Expect a lot of blue. And I don’t mean just on the field. It’s been a few years since Boise State has dined at the top, but between the excitement of a new head coach and a potentially explosive offense in a year in which the College Football Playoffs have been expanded, Boise State fans will be as loud as ever. The team comes close to selling out Albertsons Stadium most games, and expect many of those fans to be tailgating outside of the stadium before the game.

Are you expecting a bigger turnout for the WSU game? Why or why not?

As previously mentioned, there’s a lot of hope for Boise State this year, with some fans even dreaming of being the Group of Five team to reach the CFP. Adding in the fact that the game is a late-September Saturday game — the perfect time for comfortable temperatures in Boise — and the fact that a state neighbor is coming into town, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a sold-out crowd.

Fresno State — Robert Kuwada, Fresno Bee

• What are the best spots to eat in Fresno — and why?

The local spots I would recommend are Saizon, Lime Lite, the Annex Kitchen, 13 Prime Steak, the Woodward, Five. There are some chain restaurants like Fleming’s, Ruth’s Chris.

Breakfast here is pretty good — BJ’s Kountry Kitchen, Batter Up, Jus’ Jo’s.

I get my pregame meal at a place called Mike’s Grill. It’s a little hole in the wall, just a few blocks away from the stadium on Cedar Ave. There are some tables outside, but I just get it to go. Jumbo tri-tip sandwich, chili beans. They also have a hot link, pulled pork …

The good thing is you can find just about any type of food you’d want, though to be honest, some of it is not going to be all that great.

Late night the options get limited.

• What types of scenery are available in Fresno?

It’s not as scenic as the Palouse, but if kickoff ends up at 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. and the morning games on TV aren’t very interesting there’s the Fresno Chaffee Zoo and something called the Forestiere Underground Gardens. I’ve never been there, but it has been around for 100 years and it draws around 40,000 visitors a year. There are some good hikes within an hour or so, if that is of any interest.

• Best place for a drink?

If you’re looking for areas to walk around and check out a few places, there is Old Town Clovis and the Tower District. It really depends on the type of place you like to drink .

• How would you best describe the gameday atmosphere at Fresno State?

Well, you won’t be wearing blue and orange, so that will help. It should be a good game atmosphere. Big crowd. The band is solid. The stadium is old and not in good shape, but it’s like Martin Stadium in that there’s really not a bad seat in the place. It does have a LED lighting system so they do some stuff with that. The weather in the middle of October is not likely to be stiflingly hot. There’s good tailgating around the stadium. You can walk around campus — the stadium is right across the street — but it won’t be like any of the old Pac-12 venues in the Pacific Northwest, the Bay Area or Tucson or Tempe. Just not the same college campus vibe.

• Are you expecting a bigger turnout for the WSU game? Why or why not?

I’d expect that game to sell out. Fresno State has done a nice job filling up its stadium the past few years — it led all Group of Five conference programs in attendance last season — and the Cougars are the one of the better teams coming to town. Fresno State could also be on a bit of a roll, playing Sacramento State, New Mexico State, New Mexico and UNLV and then having a bye week to build up to Washington State. Interest will be there.

San Diego State — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune

• What are the best spots to eat in San Diego — and why?

The Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego and the Little Italy neighborhood, which is a mile or so west of downtown, are both loaded with bars and restaurants featuring a variety of food options.

For those who want to get a taste of In-n-Out, which I hear is coming to Washington state in 2025, there are more than a dozen locations in San Diego County. That includes one restaurant in Mission Valley, a block from the San Diego Trolley stop that takes fans to Snapdragon Stadium.

And you can’t go wrong with Mexican food. How about a California burrito? It includes marinated steak (carne asada), guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream and french fries wrapped inside a flour tortilla. Any one of dozens of Mexican restaurants around town will measure up. One place that gets high marks is The Taco Stand. There are five locations around town, plus a Snapdragon Stadium location on game days.

• What types of scenery are available in San Diego?

San Diego includes 17 miles of coastline and the most impressive scenery includes some view of the Pacific Ocean, whether from a downtown high rise hotel, while driving across the Coronado Bridge or cruising up the coast through Del Mar and Encinitas. One of the most iconic views is looking from the No. 3 tee box at the South Course at Torrey Pines, where the ocean view toward La Jolla is enhanced by hang gliders floating over the ocean bluffs. Greens fees are pricey for out of town visitors, so an inexpensive option is going one mile past the golf course and taking in the sunset at Torrey Pines State Beach. I once swam a few yards away from a school of dolphins there. They were nice enough to share the waves.

• Best places for a drink?

If you’re looking for alcohol, you’re on your own. The closest I come is root beer. You can’t go wrong with a root beer shake downtown at Hodad’s, which also has amazing burgers and onion rings. Hodad’s also has a Snapdragon Stadium location, by the way.

• How would you best describe the gameday atmosphere at SDSU?

The gameday atmosphere is much improved since Snapdragon Stadium opened two years ago. The seats have better sight lines and proximity to the field, there’s a wide range of food options (I recommend the pulled pork sandwich and peach cobbler at Cali BBQ) and state-of-the-art video boards. Park areas south of the stadium opened during the offseason, so the tailgating opportunities will be better as well this season. Fans have been disappointed with the stadium’s sound system, which seems muffled in certain seat locations.

If you get inside early, take some time to tour the stadium. There are several touches throughout that provide a nod to the history of SDSU football as well as the city of San Diego. Notable elements include a poster depicting Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk’s monster 386-yard, seven-touchdown rushing game in 1991. There’s also a painting on one wall of a Wampus Cat, which was SDSU’s nickname before becoming the Aztecs in 1925. And the stepping stones that serve as the walkway to the food truck area are actually broken up concrete from the former stadium that was demolished to make way for new construction in the SDSU Mission Valley project.

Washington State fans should be thankful that it’s a night game. The visitors seating is on the east side of the stadium and can get toasty during day games.

• Are you expecting a bigger turnout for the WSU game? Why or why not?

SDSU’s games against Pac-12 opponents traditionally draw a larger crowd than other games, so I would expect a bigger crowd than usual against the Cougars. Attendance likely will be impacted, however, because ticket prices are higher for SDSU’s Tier 1 games (against Washington State and Oregon State). The price range for tickets is $62.55 to $180.50 (including service charges).

New Mexico — Sean Reider, Albuquerque Journal

• What are the best spots to eat in Albuquerque?

Oof, this is a tough one. If you’d like a spot close to campus, Frontier Restaurant is right across the street and is beloved among students and alumni — the Frontier burrito is a staple of my gameday diet. El Pinto, Mary and Tito’s Cafe, Duran Central Pharmacy and Padilla’s Mexican Kitchen are all great spots to get your green or red chile fix (and if you’re coming to New Mexico, you definitely need to at least try both).

If you’re looking for a true unique spot with great food, Monte Carlo Steakhouse is a must-hit — don’t be fooled by the liquor store facade out front.

• What types of scenery are available in Albuquerque?

UNM and Washington State’s kickoff time is TBD, but the homestand of University Stadium has a great view of the Sandia Mountains — root for a mid-to-late afternoon kickoff to see them in all their splendor. If you want to get closer, the Sandia Peak Tramway provides some absolutely stunning views and is well worth the $34 ticket; there’s plenty of great hiking trails in the northeast if that’s your thing. I also recommend a walk along the Rio Grande through the Bosque, especially during late fall.

• Best place for a drink?

New Mexico doesn’t really have a traditional college bar scene, but if you’re staying near campus, I recommend Tractor Brewing, Two Fool’s (a must if you love whiskey) and Happy Accidents (really unique, wonderful cocktails) — all are within walking distance of each other and offer a lot. There’s also a lot of very good breweries: any of the Marble Brewery locations, the new Ex Novo downtown, Sidetrack, Bosque Brewery and La Cumbre are all great. For a more divey feel (without being a true dive bar), Sister and Anodyne are both worth checking out as well.

• How would you best describe the gameday atmosphere at UNM?

At the risk of selling it too short, I think relaxed is the best way to put it. Pretty much all of the tailgating is done in the two lots right next to University Stadium, so the gameday atmosphere is pretty much restricted to that area — you won’t walk through campus proper and feel much (if any) gameday buzz in the way you might at other schools.

Fans, however, are plenty welcoming and have always been good to visitors from what I’ve seen and heard. Is it a top-tier tailgating destination in the Mountain West? No. Is it a unique place well worth seeing a game at? Absolutely.

• Do you expect a bigger turnout for the WSU game? Why or why not?

It depends. There’s a lot of hope about the start of the Bronco Mendenhall era, but this is still a fanbase that hasn’t exactly packed the stands when the team’s losing. I think the fact that Washington State represents UNM’s last home game could help things here. I also think the fact that the team might be out of bowl contention by the time the Cougars show up could absolutely hurt it, too.

And it’s still unknown how hard fans will continue to ride if things go sideways in Mendenhall’s first year — nobody’s expecting a Mountain West title, but a tough schedule and some bad injury luck down the road could do a number on the record (and with that, attendance) by mid-November.