How To Bring The Muni Lot Home

If you’re loyal to the Cleveland Browns, but heading to the Muni Lot isn’t in the cards this weekend, here are three ways to bring the tailgating party home.

(Hot) Dawg Pound

Create a gourmet hot dog bar for your guests, letting them customize their dogs with toppings such as cheese, bacon bits, sauerkraut and Stadium Mustard. “It’s a more interesting spin on just grilling hot dogs and hamburgers,” says Lisa Costin, co-founder of event planning firm A Charming Fete. “The toppings bar makes it more interactive.” 

Draft Picks

Instead of packing a fridge full of beer cans, pair your Sundays with beer cocktails poured into orange Solo Cups. Costin suggests creating a pitcher of Bee’s Knees Shandy, which is beer mixed with lemon, honey and gin. Try using a light and dry brew such as Sibling Revelry Brewing’s Pilsner. The crispness will complement the citrusy, sweet flavors of lemon and honey. “It’s fun to have a specialty drink of some sort for a party,” Costin says. “Plus, it has beer in it.” 

Hometown Pride

To bring the tailgate atmosphere indoors, line the tops of your serving tables in artificial turf and place footballs, Browns pompoms and foam fingers around your food and drink. Use folding camp chairs for extra seating and, most importantly, hang a Browns flag inside to amp up team pride. “Those are all kinds of items you would typically see at a real tailgate if you were down in the lot,” Costin says.