Favorite road trips in the SEC

[rgamecock1]

It's July 4th and I know everyone is celebrating with their families and friends which they should. I was thinking about some of my favorite SEC venues that I have been to and wanted to share a few memories.

1. Neyland Stadium. As much as I hate the Vols you got to give it them on their whole atmosphere around the stadium. Boats parked at the river. I remember walking by a few boats that were there tailgating and just having a good time. I got invited to one of the boats. They gave me so much food, beverage that one could ask for. This was the game that USC finally won at Neyland Stadium with a field goal with not much time left and we held on to win. Short ride home needless to say.

2. Florida. Going to the swamp and playing a night game with a lot on the line. The game started out with a kickoff return by Fla to start the game. USC finally settled down and let Marcus Lattimore settle down and that night USC won the east and qualified to play in the SEC championship game.

3.Georgia. This game was special. "The fake punt" and USC player took it to the house for a td. USC held on. Clowney almost beheaded Aaron Murray and he fumbled, and USC took it in for a td. USC won by 3, but we held on for the "W"

These are just 3 SEC road trips that are my favorite. Sure, everyone has their own favorite SEC road trips.

 

[Cockofdawn]

For the whole trip. Vandy, but then again, I love Nashville. As far as environment, Alban when they were good. Never been to A&M, will be my next big trip.

 

[Dutch Cock]

Nashville is fun, Ole Miss, Oklahoma was fun, been to all of em except Texas, none are fun if you lose.

 

[will110]

Nashville is fun, Ole Miss, Oklahoma was fun, been to all of em except Texas, none are fun if you lose.

A trip can still be fun with a loss, otherwise why would you ever make the trip?

 

[redfromsc]

I haven't been to alot, I was in The Death Valley in 2002, we had a great time tailgating, most folks were friendly, we were winning at halftime and the crowd got ugly to us, had a lot of drinks dumped on us from the upper deck, that was our only time to LSU
We have been to UGA several times, always have had a good time tailgating, and everyone BEFORE the games were always pretty friendly, after the games we have had several incidences, including 1 from an older woman yelling and cursing at me for a couple blocks straight just cause i was in my Gamecock gear (we got blown out that game so I wasnt muttering a word),
My 2 visits to UTK have been the worst, went in 93 after we beat them in 92, fans were bad to us before the game and even worse afterwards, went again in 95 and the fans were so bad, and the seats so narrow and uncomfortable, that after the game we said screw it and drove home and forfeited our hotel (I hate UTK and that campus)
I have had good experiences in Lexington, dont care for the stadium much but the fans and the area are nice
Nashville was fun, but I was there 2 times several years ago and both times the stadium was empty, we had to do parking garage tailgating ( much like that sh#t hole Knoxville) which is not my favorite
As a bonus I have been to Chapel Hill, it was ok but surprisingly the fans were nice , UVA we had fun tailgating there and had a nice side trip to DC, NC St in the hurricane, tailgating was very similar to the fairgrounds back in the day so we had a blast, no issues with fans at any of those places,

Been to Clemson in 92, 94, 96, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2022, have only seen us loose there 2 times, when we got robbed in 2000 on the push off and blew a 4th quarter lead in 2002, my experiences there have been very good, only issue there is the traffic is really rough and you have the occasional overserved students talking trash
I saw us play FSU in 1991, we got blown out but it was pretty awesome seeing the tomahawk chop in person, tailgating was ok there, nothing special, stadium was nice, loud, and packed

 

[Gamecock Jacque]

had a lot of drinks dumped on us from the upper deck,

When I was there at LSU those weren't drinks.

 

[Dutch Cock]

A trip can still be fun with a loss, otherwise why would you ever make the trip?

Hey Will, didn't mean the trip and things around it wasn't fun, they usually are, I was just talking about the game being no fun if you lose.

 

[will110]

Hey Will, didn't mean the trip and things around it wasn't fun, they usually are, I was just talking about the game being no fun if you lose.

Yeah no argument from me there, though sometimes there are exceptions. I was at the 2014 Auburn game and that one is still one of my favorite in person games, home or away.

 

[Swifty]

Tennessee in 2021 was fun other than getting blown out. Their fans are a little snooty and that orange is so bad, bad the environment is great.
LSU was an absolute blast in 2012. It probably helped that I was there with two LSU fans, but the fun ribbing followed by forced shots was crazy. Best tailgate atmosphere by far.

 

[Piscis]

Been to UGA a number of times, always had a great experience. Their fans were always nice, gave some good natured ribbing, to be expected, but no real abuse. The stadium there is impressive and being right in the middle of campus (which is beautiful) is a huge bonus. Downtown Athens before and after the game is unbeatable.

Clemson might have the best tailgating I've experienced anywhere. The ample open land around campus and the stadium makes for great tailgating. Their fans have always been good with the exception of some of their students, who seem to really embrace being as obnoxious as possible. I've been there for a win and several losses. When they win, they were pretty decent, when they lost, not as much. Traffic is a total nightmare, coming and going. HS buddy who went to Clemson lived in Columbia. He left home to go to a noon kickoff game at 8:00. The drive on a non game day is around 2-2 1/2 hours. He missed all of the first quarter because he was stuck in traffic trying to get into Clemson. It took him 5 hours to get to his parking spot. The last time I went, I swore off the place because of the traffic.

UTK is horrible. Stadium sucks, seating is a joke (seats are sized for preschoolers), fans are complete inbred a**holes and these are the good points.

Bonus comment: If you ever get the chance to go to a game at Georgia tech, don't go. Everything about a game day there is horrible. First, the stadium and campus are in downtown Atlanta. It is a good policy to avoid downtown Atlanta in general. Going to a football game, trying to park somewhere you won't be killed and your car will still be there, undamaged, when you get back is the first challenge. Forget tailgating, period. For a school that prides itself as a great engineering school, the stadium looks like something designed by middle school students in some sort of metal shop class. There are support poles inside the stadium that block the view of the field and some seats are so far under the overhang that kickoffs and punts are only visible when the kicker is kicking the ball and the returner fields the ball.

 

[ScWildthing61]

Been to UGA a number of times, always had a great experience. Their fans were always nice, gave some good natured ribbing, to be expected, but no real abuse. The stadium there is impressive and being right in the middle of campus (which is beautiful) is a huge bonus. Downtown Athens before and after the game is unbeatable.

Clemson might have the best tailgating I've experienced anywhere. The ample open land around campus and the stadium makes for great tailgating. Their fans have always been good with the exception of some of their students, who seem to really embrace being as obnoxious as possible. I've been there for a win and several losses. When they win, they were pretty decent, when they lost, not as much. Traffic is a total nightmare, coming and going. HS buddy who went to Clemson lived in Columbia. He left home to go to a noon kickoff game at 8:00. The drive on a non game day is around 2-2 1/2 hours. He missed all of the first quarter because he was stuck in traffic trying to get into Clemson. It took him 5 hours to get to his parking spot. The last time I went, I swore off the place because of the traffic.

UTK is horrible. Stadium sucks, seating is a joke (seats are sized for preschoolers), fans are complete inbred a**holes and these are the good points.

Bonus comment: If you ever get the chance to go to a game at Georgia tech, don't go. Everything about a game day there is horrible. First, the stadium and campus are in downtown Atlanta. It is a good policy to avoid downtown Atlanta in general. Going to a football game, trying to park somewhere you won't be killed and your car will still be there, undamaged, when you get back is the first challenge. Forget tailgating, period. For a school that prides itself as a great engineering school, the stadium looks like something designed by middle school students in some sort of metal shop class. There are support poles inside the stadium that block the view of the field and some seats are so far under the overhang that kickoffs and punts are only visible when the kicker is kicking the ball and the returner fields the ball.

Got this shot of Bobby Dodd stadium The morning of the kickoff game from my hotel pool last August.

 

[ScWildthing61]

Does Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta count (there for the kickoff game last August)? Only stadium I've been to for South Carolina game outside of Williams-Brice(though with my kid finally getting old enough to go to games, that's bound to change in the coming years).

 

[803Gamecock]

It's July 4th and I know everyone is celebrating with their families and friends which they should. I was thinking about some of my favorite SEC venues that I have been to and wanted to share a few memories.

1. Neyland Stadium. As much as I hate the Vols you got to give it them on their whole atmosphere around the stadium. Boats parked at the river. I remember walking by a few boats that were there tailgating and just having a good time. I got invited to one of the boats. They gave me so much food, beverage that one could ask for. This was the game that USC finally won at Neyland Stadium with a field goal with not much time left and we held on to win. Short ride home needless to say.

2. Florida. Going to the swamp and playing a night game with a lot on the line. The game started out with a kickoff return by Fla to start the game. USC finally settled down and let Marcus Lattimore settle down and that night USC won the east and qualified to play in the SEC championship game.

3.Georgia. This game was special. "The fake punt" and USC player took it to the house for a td. USC held on. Clowney almost beheaded Aaron Murray and he fumbled, and USC took it in for a td. USC won by 3, but we held on for the "W"

These are just 3 SEC road trips that are my favorite. Sure, everyone has their own favorite SEC road trips.

Tennessee is super loud And their fans are always very into it. However the atmosphere around the stadium is great but their actual stadium is just terrible. My favorite was Auburn personally. Super nice people and great atmosphere.

 

[atl-cock]

I've only been to Foley Field in Athens and Plainsman Park in Auburn on day trips. Would like to get to Hawkins Field in Nashville eventually.

 

[atl-cock]

Been to UGA a number of times, always had a great experience. Their fans were always nice, gave some good natured ribbing, to be expected, but no real abuse. The stadium there is impressive and being right in the middle of campus (which is beautiful) is a huge bonus. Downtown Athens before and after the game is unbeatable.

Clemson might have the best tailgating I've experienced anywhere. The ample open land around campus and the stadium makes for great tailgating. Their fans have always been good with the exception of some of their students, who seem to really embrace being as obnoxious as possible. I've been there for a win and several losses. When they win, they were pretty decent, when they lost, not as much. Traffic is a total nightmare, coming and going. HS buddy who went to Clemson lived in Columbia. He left home to go to a noon kickoff game at 8:00. The drive on a non game day is around 2-2 1/2 hours. He missed all of the first quarter because he was stuck in traffic trying to get into Clemson. It took him 5 hours to get to his parking spot. The last time I went, I swore off the place because of the traffic.

UTK is horrible. Stadium sucks, seating is a joke (seats are sized for preschoolers), fans are complete inbred a**holes and these are the good points.

Bonus comment: If you ever get the chance to go to a game at Georgia tech, don't go. Everything about a game day there is horrible. First, the stadium and campus are in downtown Atlanta. It is a good policy to avoid downtown Atlanta in general. Going to a football game, trying to park somewhere you won't be killed and your car will still be there, undamaged, when you get back is the first challenge. Forget tailgating, period. For a school that prides itself as a great engineering school, the stadium looks like something designed by middle school students in some sort of metal shop class. There are support poles inside the stadium that block the view of the field and some seats are so far under the overhang that kickoffs and punts are only visible when the kicker is kicking the ball and the returner fields the ball.

I went to Russ Chandler Stadium to watch the regional final of Tech vs Oklahoma (I mentioned in previous posts that I was SRO adjacent to the Oklahoma Bullpen). I took MARTA (public transit), which I highly recommend for any sporting event in downtown or midtown Atlanta.

 

[Piscis]

I went to Russ Chandler Stadium to watch the regional final of Tech vs Oklahoma (I mentioned in previous posts that I was SRO adjacent to the Oklahoma Bullpen). I took MARTA (public transit), which I highly recommend for any sporting event in downtown or midtown Atlanta.

If all you want to do is go to the game, watch the game and then, go home, yes, MARTA is a good plan. I look at going to a college football game as more of an all day experience, not like going to see a movie. The tech campus, stadium and game day atmosphere are horrible.

 

[usc_nc]

For the whole trip. Vandy, but then again, I love Nashville. As far as environment, Alban when they were good. Never been to A&M, will be my next big trip.

Hey, I will be in Nashville in August. I have not been in 20 years.
We will have one evening and a few hours another day.
What is your top 5 thing?

 

[KingWard]

Ole Miss. SEC football in a truly quaint college town. When visitors walk through the Grove and strike up conversations in which you express admiration for how they do things there, those visitors are lavished with hospitality, up to and including food and drinks. It's a great place to visit.

 

[bayrooster]

Ole Miss. SEC football in a truly quaint college town. When visitors walk through the Grove and strike up conversations in which you express admiration for how they do things there, those visitors are lavished with hospitality, up to and including food and drinks. It's a great place to visit.

They do have a rep to uphold.

 

[KingWard]

They do have a rep to uphold.

And they uphold it.

 

[atl-cock]

If all you want to do is go to the game, watch the game and then, go home, yes, MARTA is a good plan. I look at going to a college football game as more of an all day experience, not like going to see a movie. The tech campus, stadium and game day atmosphere are horrible.

The Tech athletic fields and indoor facilities are all in an urban environment.

Going to USC football games with my father when growing up was a go-to-the-game and leave. We someimes would take a shuttle bus to W-B from along Assembly St. to avoid parking and leaving headaches. Tailgating just wasn't my father's style.

The only "tailgating" I did was going to Athens for the super regional game the day after we hit 5 consecutive home runs. I was with an associate at the law firm my wife was working at. The associate was a UGA alumnus (although his sister lived in Irmo). We picniced on the main campus grounds before heading to the game.

 

[ScWildthing61]

Ole Miss. SEC football in a truly quaint college town. When visitors walk through the Grove and strike up conversations in which you express admiration for how they do things there, those visitors are lavished with hospitality, up to and including food and drinks. It's a great place to visit.

I know one thing, if you rated the SEC schools 1-16, on who's got the hottest co-eds, Ole Miss would either be #1, or very close to it! Seems like it's been that way for them for generations too!

 

[Cockofdawn]

I know one thing, if you rated the SEC schools 1-16, on who's got the hottest co-eds, Ole Miss would either be #1, or very close to it! Seems like it's been that way for them for generations too!

Agreed with that, Georgia has some honeys but the grove is hard to beat!!

 

[Piscis]

Agreed with that, Georgia has some honeys but the grove is hard to beat!!

Ole Miss still has 1970s admission standards compared to the more academically elite SEC schools. They get a lot of hot girls that aren't academic all Americans who want the SEC college experience but can't get into the higher academic tier schools.

The crazy thing at UGA is, it is an incredibly difficult school to get into and it is still loaded with smoking hot girls.

 

[atl-cock]

Ole Miss still has 1970s admission standards compared to the more academically elite SEC schools. They get a lot of hot girls that aren't academic all Americans who want the SEC college experience but can't get into the higher academic tier schools.

The crazy thing at UGA is, it is an incredibly difficult school to get into and it is still loaded with smoking hot girls.

Many who can't get into UGA end up at schools like Kennesaw State and Georgia Southern.

 

[Piscis]

Many who can't get into UGA end up at schools like Kennesaw State and Georgia Southern.

Not as many as you would think. The ones who want that UGA/SEC type college experience end up at Bama, Auburn and Ole Miss a lot. Bama and Auburn actually have programs that allow Georgia residents to pay in state tuition if their HS grades and test scores are high enough. A lot of Georgia students that barely miss getting in UGA go to Bama or Auburn and pay in state tuition. Auburn has a staggering number of metro Atlanta kids.

My niece goes to Kennesaw State. It seems to be full of kids from the Atlanta metro area who want to "go away" to college but don't want to go very far. She is from Johns Creek, so college is about an hour drive away from home. I was surprised to hear how many of the students she goes to school with are from the ATL metro. Total enrollment is huge, about 46,000 undergrads, with around 26,000 traditional students.

Ga. Southern is a party school first and foremost. It is full of kids who knew they had no chance of getting into UGA but wanted to go have the "college experience" i.e. party hard. Lots of kids from South Georgia and around the state who aren't college material go to Southern for a year of wild partying before they go back home and get a job or go to technical school like they should have right out of HS. Georgia Southern really isn't a backup plan for the kids who apply to UGA. The students who make it past a year do OK, they are actually there to get a degree.

Georgia College in Milledgeville is a popular plan B for kids who don't get in UGA but want to stay in state and go to a college town environment. It is pretty close to Athens, so GCSU students can drive over to Athens for parties, games, etc., especially if they have friends at UGA they can stay with.