Behind The Scenes: Northland Sports Page At Minnesota Vikings’ TCO Studios

If you were listening on Saturday (August 12), you heard Brian and Dave do their show live from the headquarters of the Minnesota Vikings - TCO Performance Center in Eagan.

During the Vikings-centric show, Brian and Dave (along with me as their on-site technical producer) got the opportunity to do the show from the team's media facility, TCO Studios, where much of the content from the Vikings Entertainment Network originates.

Our trip started with an overnight stay just down the road from TCO at TownePlace Suites in Eagan courtesy of the Eagan Convention & Visitors Bureau. While these rooms are conveniently equipped with a kitchen, I headed out for a late dinner on arrival at Lone Oak Grill for a sandwich and a drink I was blown away by. Again, if you heard the show, you probably heard me raving about the "delicious pig between two slices of Texas Toast" I had.

The "Kansas City BBQ Pork Sandwich", which includes applewood pulled pork, cherry wood smoked ham, bacon, homemade Kansas City BBQ sauce, pepper jack cheese, and Summit EPA beer-batter fried jalapenos, paired up nicely with the "Hipster Old Fashioned" I ordered along with it.

Get our free mobile app

Well rested and ready Saturday morning, we headed down the road for the short drive to TCO for our pre-camp broadcast before heading to training camp later in the day.

The folks with the Minnesota Vikings were incredibly hospitable, showing us to our broadcast home for the morning - TCO Studios, home of the Vikings Entertainment Network.

The state-of-the-art studio space not only impressed Brian, Dave, and I - but Paul Allen raved about it as well during his time on the show with us, talking about how it is among the best facilities in the NFL. Tatum Everett from the Vikings Entertainment Network joined the show after PA, giving some additional insight into the team and how she and the rest of the VEN provide great access to fans through the content they provide throughout the year.

After the show, we got a look at the TV studio space, where a number of shows and other video content are put together each week. As someone that also has some TV experience in my career, I found myself swooning over the stunning space they have.

Finally, it was camp time! We grabbed some lunch and a cocktail from the on-site vendors for camp before heading to see the team hit the field for their afternoon practice.

A number of listeners won tickets to join in on the training camp festivities, getting to take in the beautiful summer weather we got blessed with as the team was on the field. The stands were full of excited fans, and the opportunities to see the team and interact with some players at the end of practice had plenty of people in Vikings heaven!

I think Dave put it best at the end of the broadcast - If you're a Vikings fan, making a point to get to Vikings Training Camp is a must. the opportunity to see and interact with the team, see the beautiful facilities, great activities for kids, and check out the museum and Vikings Locker Room store make for a great fan experience.

If you're looking to get to camp yet this summer, there are still some dates yet to get to the facility. You can see the remaining schedule, including what fan activities are available, on the Vikings Training Camp website.

Aside from our experience, here's a look back at another one of our station staff members attending camp as a fan a couple of years ago - showing off the incredible facility and fan experience.