No trip to campus is complete without stopping in one of the parking garages. Aside from a few student lots, they are the only place to park, and every day is a battle for the spots. As a student who has lived on campus for two years, I feel like I have learned which garages are better than others. But I also enlisted the help of my roommates (and best friends) to aid in my ranking.
6. Spirit way garage
This garage is just straight-up terrifying. Being here during the day can be scary, not to mention going at night. Spirit Way Garage always seems to have fewer cars than the other garages, despite how big the place is. This garage is also located pretty far from the center on campus so that adds to the creepiness. The one pro to Spirit is that you can sit inside and watch the softball games: which is great considering the available seating can fill up quickly because the team is killing it this season.
5. woodward garage
Woodward might move up the list eventually but that will only be when the Student Union finally opens. Currently, it’s only helpful if you are trying to get to HCB and its neighboring buildings, the Bookstore or Dirac Library. It also might have made it higher on the list if it wasn’t for the unfortunate setup created by the construction of the Student Union. If you get stuck parking on that side of the garage you have to walk all the way around to get to the places you need to go. For that reason, it has earned its place here, second to last.
4. call street garage
There’s nothing really good or bad about this garage, to be honest. It is open for students to leave their cars here on game day. It is located next to the sorority houses on Call Street and the walk to those on Park Avenue isn’t bad. Those attending an event at Ruby Diamond or just looking to take pictures at Westcott can easily park here and walk up to the landmark.
3. west pensacola street garage
Pensacola has all the makings of a great garage but the few downsides it has pushed it down the list. The biggest downside is the fact that you have to move out before game days at Doak and if you don’t move out you will be towed. But I will say that the towing of the vehicles left behind has become a Friday night event for my apartment. The small entertainment value this provides earned the garage itself a higher place in the rankings (I might be a little biased). Overall, this is a great place to park. The garage is well lit and right next to college town so if your apartment doesn’t have parking the walk isn’t far. The sunsets that can be seen from up here are also pretty great and that has to count for something.
Honorable mention: circus lot
While this might not be a garage, you can’t talk about on-campus parking without mentioning the Circus Lot. I lived in Wildwood my first year and this was the place I parked the most. The biggest highlight of this lot is the ability to park here overnight. While the lot isn’t super big, when you can find a spot, it is an ideal place to park. Similar to Pensacola, though, you do have to move your car for game days. But other than that it should not be overlooked as a great place to park for those living in the dorms and apartments closer to Varsity Drive.
2. St. augustine garage
St. Augustine might be one of the most underrated garages on campus. While it might not be in the very center of campus, it still provides access to many of the hotspots on campus. It is a short walk to a majority of the sorority houses located on Jefferson Street and classroom buildings such as Diffenbaugh and Williams. This garage also provides excellent parking for the Tucker Center so getting to the basketball games is as simple as walking across the street.
1. traditions way garage
Despite being on the smaller side, Traditions stands out above the rest. It is located in the center of campus which provides students that park here with easy access to Landis Green, the Dining Hall, Strozier Library and many of the dorms and classroom buildings. While it can get pretty crowded due to its popularity and central location, it still deserves its place at the top of the list.
There really are a lot of places to choose from when parking on campus. The university provides a detailed map that tells you all the places you can park and the times that certain lots are open. At the attached link, you can filter the map to identify where there is overnight parking, student parking and the places you can’t park during football game weekends. Whether you are getting ready for your first year at FSU or maybe just your first year with a car, I hope this (totally unbiased) ranking of our parking garages gives you an idea of the best places to park!
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