INDIANAPOLIS -- Thousands of Colts fans snagged the hottest tickets in town Monday morning -- free tickets to a tour of the new Lucas Oil Stadium.

Fans began lining up at about 7 a.m. for a chance to get the tickets. Some were season ticket holders, but most were people who normally don't get to go to many games, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.

---

Buy Colts Tickets

---

By the time the ticket windows opened at 10 a.m. the line snaked outside and around the Conseco Fieldhouse box office.

"I think that's outstanding. I think that shows how interested people are in this extraordinary stadium," said Shelley Triol, of Sease, Gerig and Associates.

Within about 30 minutes, thousands of tickets for the first three tours during the grand opening on Aug. 16 were taken.

"I was at the first opening for the dome and I worked the first game there," said Jerry VanSickle. "So, I wanted to be a part of this grand opening, too."

Organizers decided to open up a fourth tour on the same day to give anxious fans a first-hand look at the stadium.

Ticket holders will be able to walk on the field, touch the turf and even see areas that won't usually be open to the public, such as locker rooms and suites.

Fans won't have free reign of the stadium. They will have to follow a planned route, but they will be able to take their time and go on a self-guided tour.

Within minutes of the tickets being gone, some began selling them through ticket brokers or on auction site, such as eBay. Because scalping is not illegal in Indiana, organizers said there isn't much they can say about those who choose to sell tickets.