| FTBL Tips for visiting fan to Tuscaloosa

[KeithJackson]

Hey All,

My buddies and I are big college football fans, and we love traveling to new places for games. We’re working on a blog that gives tips to other football fans when they travel to away stadiums for games. I’m trying to hit all the SEC schools, and I was hoping you’d indulge me on some questions about Alabama football games. Basically, what I am asking is that if you and I met randomly on an airplane and I told you all about my trip to Tuscaloosa for a football game, you wouldn’t have to say, “You did it all wrong, next time you should …”

Since you guys are the experts on a perfect trip to Tuscaloosa, I wanted to see if you would answer a few questions. Feel free to answer any or all of them that you’d like, and if you can think of any other info I’ve overlooked feel free to throw that in there too!

TRAVEL

1. What’s the most convenient/cheapest airport to fly into? Is there a specific airline that is best/cheapest to fly on?

2. Suppose some travelers are a little more adventurous and don’t mind flying into an airport that’s a 3-4 hour drive away from the game if it would make for a cool drive or takes them by some cool sites/attractions – anything like that people should know about when they’re booking flights?

3. Is a rental car necessary? How is the public transportation system/Uber in Tuscaloosa?

HOTEL

4. What’s the hotel situation like over the weekend of a game? How good is airbnb, vrbo, etc. in Tuscaloosa? Are there any great resort towns nearby to stay at for a day?

FOOD

5. What are your favorite places to eat around Tuscaloosa during the college football season? How is the food in the stadium (anything a one-time visitor can’t leave the stadium without eating)?

TICKETS

6. What is the best option for visiting fans to buy game tickets? School Ticket office? StubHub? Local Classifieds?

TAILGATING

7. Any general tailgating advice for a first-timer at an Alabama game? Specific areas for visiting fans?

TRADITIONS

8. Some schools have unique game day traditions – do you guys do anything that’d be worth a visitor planning their schedule around? Are there any buildings or sites near campus or the stadium that visitors should check out?

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

9. If fans decide to make this more of a family vacation, are there any local sites/attractions that they would need to make room for on their schedule? Any can’t-miss Historical/Educational or Fun/Entertainment sites?

SAFETY

10. Are there any general safety issues fans should be aware of? Any areas visitors should avoid for parking, walking, etc? I know every fan base has its share of bad apples, but would you classify your general fan base as hospitable/neutral/in-hospitable?

OTHER SEC SCHOOLS

11. Lastly, since I'm trying to do this for all the teams in the SEC, I thought I'd ask if you have any experience traveling to other schools in the conference? Favorite/Least Favorite SEC school to visit for games? Any horror or success stories or general advice you'd give from your experiences?

As mentioned, feel free to answer any/all/none of the questions, and throw on any extra info that I may have overlooked. I’ll be sure to report back when our blog is posted so that you can see the finished product!

 

[BamaFan334]

TRAVEL

1. What’s the most convenient/cheapest airport to fly into? Is there a specific airline that is best/cheapest to fly on? Birmingham would be the closest, but if you fly into Atlanta, you can rent a car and be there in three hours, easily. Atlanta may be the cheaper route depending where you come from, but you will need a car either way.



2. Suppose some travelers are a little more adventurous and don’t mind flying into an airport that’s a 3-4 hour drive away from the game if it would make for a cool drive or takes them by some cool sites/attractions – anything like that people should know about when they’re booking flights? Kind of answered that one above.


3. Is a rental car necessary? How is the public transportation system/Uber in Tuscaloosa? To get the Tuscaloosa you will need a car more than likely as Birmingham is an hour away and could get expensive with a cab or Uber. No transportation like a subway or train.

HOTEL

4. What’s the hotel situation like over the weekend of a game? How good is airbnb, vrbo, etc. in Tuscaloosa? Are there any great resort towns nearby to stay at for a day? Airbnb and VRBO are good resources. I know they have Gameday rentals. Look now, as my guess is that the hotels are already booked and the rental homes are probably filling up for the SEC games. Hotel Capstone and the Hampton Inn are close choices, but more than likely already filled up.

FOOD

5. What are your favorite places to eat around Tuscaloosa during the college football season? How is the food in the stadium (anything a one-time visitor can’t leave the stadium without eating)? Rama Jama’s is a must. City Café is another, but you MUST get there with early or be prepared to wait. Cypress Inn is awesome. You can always go to Dreamland (original), 5, or Chuck’s Fish as they are pretty good and Tuscaloosa favorites. Mugshots is a place for a killer burger.

TICKETS

6. What is the best option for visiting fans to buy game tickets? School Ticket office? StubHub? Local Classifieds? Craigslist isn’t bad, but prices are inflated, eBay is a good option I have always had luck with. But the best is just waiting around the stadium. You can usually pick up some tickets at a good price when people realize they have extras or are trying to offload them.



TAILGATING

7. Any general tailgating advice for a first-timer at an Alabama game? Specific areas for visiting fans? The Quad is where it’s at. All of campus is lively and a ton of fun, but The Quad is where the tents, spreads, and good looking people are. Going to the bookstore, walking around campus, and visiting The Strip is a ton of fun.


TRADITIONS

8. Some schools have unique game day traditions – do you guys do anything that’d be worth a visitor planning their schedule around? Are there any buildings or sites near campus or the stadium that visitors should check out? The band plays in the Quad along with the cheerleaders to get everyone pumped. The biggest tradition I know of is The Walk of Champions. Buses pull up to the stadium, fans 20 deep line the walkway to the stadium where we have our statues of Championship coaches and the walkway that has carved stone depicting all of the Championships we have won. It’ll give you goosebumps with the big game on the horizon.


OTHER ATTRACTIONS

9. If fans decide to make this more of a family vacation, are there any local sites/attractions that they would need to make room for on their schedule? Any can’t-miss Historical/Educational or Fun/Entertainment sites? This would better be answered by someone else that is older and more connected to the area. Touring the school, stadium, and Bryant Museum are always fun.


SAFETY

10. Are there any general safety issues fans should be aware of? Any areas visitors should avoid for parking, walking, etc? I know every fan base has its share of bad apples, but would you classify your general fan base as hospitable/neutral/in-hospitable? There are areas around campus that aren’t the nicest looking spots, but generally around the campus you’re going to be fine. South/Southeast of campus and Highway 20 is where I would stay away from.


OTHER SEC SCHOOLS

11. Lastly, since I'm trying to do this for all the teams in the SEC, I thought I'd ask if you have any experience traveling to other schools in the conference? Favorite/Least Favorite SEC school to visit for games? Any horror or success stories or general advice you'd give from your experiences? Best for me was traveling to Knoxville. Everyone was friendly, invited us on their boats, offered food and drinks etc. Columbia, South Carolina sucked. Their fans are the biggest assholes I have come across. Athens is a ton of fun and probably the prettiest campus I have ever been on. A lot of pretty women, tons of bars, nice stadium, but their fanbase are a bunch of obnoxious self-entitled idiots. I grew up a Georgia fan, so I can speak to this moreso than anything. Oxford was fun. I was in college at the time, so it was like a whirlwind for me. A lot of tents and partying, and the nightlife was decent. Didn’t have a lot of money being a college kid, so it could have been much better I’m sure. Auburn wasn’t terrible until the Kick Six happened. There is some back and forth with their fans, but that’s what makes it fun and what you would expect from a hated rival, but we all got along and laughed.


Of course these are only my opinions. Others may have good things to say about this or bad things, so ultimately it’ll depend on what kind of person you are. I like to have a good time, drink, get loud at the games, and just enjoy myself, whereas others are more reserved, sit down during the game, and go home. Best of luck planning your trip and I hope you get to make a good game. So take this for what it’s worth, but I can promise whatever you do, you’ll never regret coming to Tuscaloosa for anything, much less a football game.

 

[bamachine]

Original Dreamland is good but I prefer Archibald's for BBQ pork. Dreamland was much better when the old man was still alive, has went downhill somewhat since. In their other locations, they do have some good smoked sausage, 1/2 chicken and nanner pudding.

I never had a bad experience in Knoxville, except damn that campus is hilly as all hell. Prepare for some leg burning.

Only campus I ever had a problem on was Oxford, this was after the game where Trent broke Goulson's ankles, they threw a pumpkin at my car while in traffic, trying to leave the area.

UGA is nice stadium, some nice scenery and nightlife. UGA fans are some whiny bitches though.

 

[im4uainva]

Not that I've been there, but I'm surprised nothing was mentioned about Red Stick, and their wonderful fandom.

Roll Tide!

 

[Killer Instinct]

Fly into B'ham, stay in B'ham. Hotel situation is MUCH better. Drive down to campus the morning of the game. If you don't visit the Bryant Museum, you've missed a gem. Tickets? Scalp 'em near the stadium. Food, I'll leave to others as I usually haul ass back to B'ham after the game and eat there.

 

[rueben]

What are the handicap options? Parking, stadium access etc...

 

[PhillyGirl]

Favoriting this post for future reference

 

[Rally]

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______________________________________________

Hey All,

My buddies and I are big college football fans, and we love traveling to new places for games. We’re working on a blog that gives tips to other football fans when they travel to away stadiums for games. I’m trying to hit all the SEC schools, and I was hoping you’d indulge me on some questions about Alabama football games. Basically, what I am asking is that if you and I met randomly on an airplane and I told you all about my trip to Tuscaloosa for a football game, you wouldn’t have to say, “You did it all wrong, next time you should …”

Since you guys are the experts on a perfect trip to Tuscaloosa, I wanted to see if you would answer a few questions. Feel free to answer any or all of them that you’d like, and if you can think of any other info I’ve overlooked feel free to throw that in there too!

TRAVEL

1. What’s the most convenient/cheapest airport to fly into? Is there a specific airline that is best/cheapest to fly on?

2. Suppose some travelers are a little more adventurous and don’t mind flying into an airport that’s a 3-4 hour drive away from the game if it would make for a cool drive or takes them by some cool sites/attractions – anything like that people should know about when they’re booking flights?

3. Is a rental car necessary? How is the public transportation system/Uber in Tuscaloosa?

HOTEL

4. What’s the hotel situation like over the weekend of a game? How good is airbnb, vrbo, etc. in Tuscaloosa? Are there any great resort towns nearby to stay at for a day?

FOOD

5. What are your favorite places to eat around Tuscaloosa during the college football season? How is the food in the stadium (anything a one-time visitor can’t leave the stadium without eating)?

TICKETS

6. What is the best option for visiting fans to buy game tickets? School Ticket office? StubHub? Local Classifieds?

TAILGATING

7. Any general tailgating advice for a first-timer at an Alabama game? Specific areas for visiting fans?

TRADITIONS

8. Some schools have unique game day traditions – do you guys do anything that’d be worth a visitor planning their schedule around? Are there any buildings or sites near campus or the stadium that visitors should check out?

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

9. If fans decide to make this more of a family vacation, are there any local sites/attractions that they would need to make room for on their schedule? Any can’t-miss Historical/Educational or Fun/Entertainment sites?

SAFETY

10. Are there any general safety issues fans should be aware of? Any areas visitors should avoid for parking, walking, etc? I know every fan base has its share of bad apples, but would you classify your general fan base as hospitable/neutral/in-hospitable?

OTHER SEC SCHOOLS

11. Lastly, since I'm trying to do this for all the teams in the SEC, I thought I'd ask if you have any experience traveling to other schools in the conference? Favorite/Least Favorite SEC school to visit for games? Any horror or success stories or general advice you'd give from your experiences?

As mentioned, feel free to answer any/all/none of the questions, and throw on any extra info that I may have overlooked. I’ll be sure to report back when our blog is posted so that you can see the finished product!

 

['65 Cobra]

Eat at DePalma's. Chuck's is also good. So is Five (same owner). Dreamland isn't what it used to be. Cypress Inn is OK. For breakfast, go to the Waysider. Everything on the strip is fun, but so is Wihagan's on game day. No matter where you go, go early and be prepared for crowds.