Best Panthers bars

You can stay home, order a pizza and watch the Panthers for free, or you can spend a couple hundred dollars and make a day of it in Charlotte, but the best place to watch the game and get the feel of the fans is often a bar.

These Triangle locations offer a better seat than Bank of America Stadium and a much shorter trip.

The official Triangle Carolina Panthers Fan Club meets weekly at Fox and the Hound in Raleigh's North Hills shopping center. They hold fantasy drafts, offer door prizes and make sure the Panthers' play-by-play is the on the audio system.

The new Carolina Ale House on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh is the home of the Oak City Riot, the Triangle chapter of the Panthers' Roaring Riot fan club. There you will find the same great food, huge footprint and dozens of TVs that Carolina Ale House is known for along with a rooftop view of all the action elsewhere on Glenwood.

Another great view comes in north Raleigh at Rudino's Rooftop, where Panther fans gather to watch games in the great outdoors and enjoy the signature toasted grinders.

For fans on the other side of the Triangle, there is the Tobacco Road Sports Cafe that sits along the outfield wall of Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Your other opportunity to catch some baseball comes Aug. 28, when the Charlotte Knights come to Durham and the Panthers play the Patriots.

After the Bulls season ends, though, the Tobacco Road patio welcomes football fans all season long.

As the weather turns and fans head for an indoor haven, you'll find many of them at Lynnwood Grill where game days can reach standing-room-only capacity.