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Hi, I'm visiting for the game Saturday, have questions

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ForestTiger

Baby Gator
Apr 10, 2018
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Hi guys, my name is Andy. I'm an old retired dude, a Memphis alum and avid sports fan, and part of my bucket list is to travel around to all the best college towns and tailgates, and see what's up, so this week it's UF.

Any tips you can give me on where to park, anything unusual or fun to see at the tailgate, etc. would be much appreciated.

Also, like most retired folks on fixed incomes, I try to operate on a budget, so I come equipped with a camera, to film anybody who would like to talk about their recipes, tailgate rigs, whatever, and to post them on my Youtube channel, to hopefully eventually put a dent in my travel expenses.

I'm just starting out. You guys are my first out of town stop, so any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

P.S. I'm not attending the game, just the tailgate. Too many straight hours in the sun and heat to do both. However, on Saturday, I will definitely be a Gators fan!
 
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Honestly (and seriously) Andy,

Our “tailgating” isn’t the best you will find in the conference. We don’t have a main area or any particularly compelling pregame activities. We drink in bars off University. That is primarily our “thing.” However, you will find very respectable and friendly tailgate setups sporadically spread around campus if that is what you are hunting. Start in the Plaza and just walk around.

That being said, it is ridiculous that you are not attending the game. The Swamp IS the event in Gainesville. That is where the spectacle and draw is, not in the pregame. Get yourself a cheap ticket, and get your ass in the stadium. The purpose of your visit will then become clear.

With a night SEC game (and our team looking to prove itself under Mullen), the environment should be pretty good and worth the price of admission.
 
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sadgator said:
Honestly (and seriously) Andy,

Our “tailgating” isn’t the best you will find in the conference. We don’t have a main area or any particularly compelling pregame activities. We drink in bars off University. That is primarily our “thing.” However, you will find very respectable and friendly tailgate setups sporadically spread around campus if that is what you are hunting. Start in the Plaza and just walk around.

That being said, it is ridiculous that you are not attending the game. The Swamp IS the event in Gainesville. That is where the spectacle and draw is, not in the pregame. Get yourself a cheap ticket, and get your ass in the stadium. The purpose of your visit will then become clear.

With a night SEC game (and our team looking to prove itself under Mullen), the environment should be pretty good and worth the price of admission.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I fully understand your point. Maybe a little background will help. I'm 71, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure this past January. With meds, low sodium diet, exercise, etc., I have recovered enough to attempt to travel now. I know I have limited time remaining, probably 5-10 years max. This trip is the beginning of my bucket list.

I have been attending college football games all over the south since 1952. If I was just coming for the game and Memphis wasn't playing, I could watch it on TV, and be better off. But to me, the fun is meeting new people, tasting new food and drink recipes, checking out grills and tailgate gear and ideas I could use when I tailgate back home. I love cooking and grilling and eating and drinking and meeting new folks. To me, that's the fun.

Trust me, when Memphis plays, I'm in the stands screaming like any other fan. But on this quest, the game is secondary. I would love to attend the game, and maybe I will if I feel like it. But at some point, traveling all over the south and doing a full tailgate, than sitting on a bench for 3-4 hours on top may be more than I can handle. We'll see.

Thank you for the response.
 
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Very sorry to hear about your medical condition...

But if you have cardiac issues, you might want to be careful walking around Gainesville on a fall game day...the chicks are so hot, you might actually experience heart palpitations. It frequently happens to sadgator. Definitely stay clear of Norman Hall or Sorority Row area.

Other than that, be careful in the actual heat and bring a cup full of ice and wet towel with you.

Have fun.
 
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My advice is to come early afternoon (7:30 PM game) and park in the Lake Alice multi-level parking garage shade, (see map), located on Lemerand Dr.

Go North (uphill) to Museum Road and turn West (left), then when you see the water at Lake Alice, go North (uphill right) up Village Drive as far as the Law school. All along that entire route, you'll find some pretty good and friendly tailgating. After 7:30 PM, there are always older guys/couples in the big RV lot (Woodlawn Dr) that don't go to the game, but instead watch on their outside big screen TV's. The cheap seats in the SWAMP are like climbing Mt. Everest...
https://campusmap.ufl.edu/#/index
There are some pretty good UF web sites, so read and study a bit, it will help you a bunch...

This is older knowledge on my part, so any younger Gators with corrections or better information, feel free to chime in and help an old guy out, (me or him).

http://parking.ufl.edu/new-football-game-day-parking/
 
sadgator said:
Very sorry to hear about your medical condition...

But if you have cardiac issues, you might want to be careful walking around Gainesville on a fall game day...the chicks are so hot, you might actually experience heart palpitations. It frequently happens to sadgator. Definitely stay clear of Norman Hall or Sorority Row area.

Other than that, be careful in the actual heat and bring a cup full of ice and wet towel with you.

Have fun.
Click to expand...
Now THAT's funny. I have recovered enough that I'll be fine. My heart function is almost back to normal. My cardiologist said go for it, just take breaks and sit often.

As for the hot chicks, that could have been a problem for me back in the day. Not so much now, lol.
 
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instaGATOR said:
My advice is to come early afternoon (7:30 PM game) and park in the Lake Alice multi-level parking garage shade, (see map), located on Lemerand Dr.

Go North (uphill) to Museum Road and turn West (left), then when you see the water at Lake Alice, go North (uphill right) up Village Drive as far as the Law school. All along that entire route, you'll find some pretty good and friendly tailgating. After 7:30 PM, there are always older guys/couples in the big RV lot (Woodlawn Dr) that don't go to the game, but instead watch on their outside big screen TV's. The cheap seats in the SWAMP are like climbing Mt. Everest...
https://campusmap.ufl.edu/#/index
There are some pretty good UF web sites, so read and study a bit, it will help you a bunch...

This is older knowledge on my part, so any younger Gators with corrections or better information, feel free to chime in and help an old guy out, (me or him).

http://parking.ufl.edu/new-football-game-day-parking/
Click to expand...
Thanks. I will study both. Appreciate the help.
 
Pull right up
To the stadium stick your car in a tight spot do all the above . Walk in and see the Gator pregame with about 12 minutes before kickoff. Watch that Gator rise up out of the Water on the big screen and listen to all US friggin Gators go nuts on a Saturday night. The bucket list is not complete outside the stadium my friend?
 
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kimeth said:
The bucket list is not complete outside the stadium my friend?
Click to expand...

I understand, but what you seem to fail to understand is this:
Good young man advice is a lot different, than good old man with a stent advice. o_O
I speak from long hard experience of my own. :cool:

Now, if he could get a 'Sky Box' seat, with getting dropped off at the curb by a limo, and use the elevator to go up and down, with some Scotch on that upper part, then being in the SWAMP for the game would be great advice! ;)
(prolly the only way I'll ever be there for a game again, which is about as unlikely as me getting a date for the game with Uma-T) :rolleyes:
 
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ForestTiger said:
Hi guys, my name is Andy. I'm an old retired dude, a Memphis alum and avid sports fan, and part of my bucket list is to travel around to all the best college towns and tailgates, and see what's up, so this week it's UF.

Any tips you can give me on where to park, anything unusual or fun to see at the tailgate, etc. would be much appreciated.

Also, like most retired folks on fixed incomes, I try to operate on a budget, so I come equipped with a camera, to film anybody who would like to talk about their recipes, tailgate rigs, whatever, and to post them on my Youtube channel, to hopefully eventually put a dent in my travel expenses.

I'm just starting out. You guys are my first out of town stop, so any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

P.S. I'm not attending the game, just the tailgate. Too many straight hours in the sun and heat to do both. However, on Saturday, I will definitely be a Gators fan!
Click to expand...
What's your YouTube channel Andy?
 
ForestTiger said:
Hi guys, my name is Andy. I'm an old retired dude, a Memphis alum and avid sports fan, and part of my bucket list is to travel around to all the best college towns and tailgates, and see what's up, so this week it's UF.

Any tips you can give me on where to park, anything unusual or fun to see at the tailgate, etc. would be much appreciated.

Also, like most retired folks on fixed incomes, I try to operate on a budget, so I come equipped with a camera, to film anybody who would like to talk about their recipes, tailgate rigs, whatever, and to post them on my Youtube channel, to hopefully eventually put a dent in my travel expenses.

I'm just starting out. You guys are my first out of town stop, so any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

P.S. I'm not attending the game, just the tailgate. Too many straight hours in the sun and heat to do both. However, on Saturday, I will definitely be a Gators fan!
Click to expand...

Tldr
 
ArchDawg said:
@ForestTiger Enjoy UF, but I sincerely hope you visit Athens...
Click to expand...
You won’t have the same reaction to the chicks in Athens...nothing to worry about there...

georgia-cheerleader-muscles.jpg
 
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instaGATOR said:
I understand, but what you seem to fail to understand is this:
Good young man advice is a lot different, than good old man with a stent advice. o_O
I speak from long hard experience of my own. :cool:

Now, if he could get a 'Sky Box' seat, with getting dropped off at the curb by a limo, and use the elevator to go up and down, with some Scotch on that upper part, then being in the SWAMP for the game would be great advice! ;)
(prolly the only way I'll ever be there for a game again, which is about as unlikely as me getting a date for the game with Uma-T) :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Exactly. Priorities in life change with age. They'll figure it out later.
 
ArchDawg said:
@ForestTiger Enjoy UF, but I sincerely hope you visit Athens and UGA as well! We'd be honored to have you and yours, sir.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Nice of you.

I had Georgia scheduled later this season, but a conflict arose. Right now, I plan to be in Knoxville next weekend for their noon game. I'm thinking about bugging out from their pre-game tailgate a bit early and catching the UGA tailgate with MTSU (game starts at 7:30).

It's about a 4 hour drive from Knox to Athens, so I should have time to do both.

I live in Auburn, so it's on the way home, anyway.
 
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FYI, here is my tentative schedule through New Year's Day:

9/8 Kentucky at Florida

9/15 UTEP at Tennessee (+ MTSU at Georgia later that day on my way home, if I have time)

9/22 Clemson at Ga Tech
9/23 Saints at Falcons + the CFB HoF

9/28 Memphis at Tulane
9/29 Ole Miss at LSU

10/4 Memphis Madness
10/6 Auburn at Miss State

10/13 Tennessee at Auburn
10/14 Talladega 500

10/20 Wake at Florida State
10/21 Texans at Jags

10/27 FL-GA in Jacksonville
10/28 Blue Angels Air Show

11/3 Louisville at Clemson
11/4 Bucs at Panthers

11/8-12 World Food Championships, Orange Beach, AL

11/17 OFF

11/22 Miss State at Ole Miss
11/23 Houston at Memphis
11/24 Auburn at Alabama

*****

12/2 Jets at Titans
12/3 Golden State Warriors at Atlanta Hawks

*****

12/30 Falcons at Bucs
12/31 Taxslayer Gator Bowl
1/1 Citrus Bowl
 
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ForestTiger said:
Short version:

Old guy with camera doing a bucket list tailgate tour. First stop: UK-Florida.
Click to expand...

UF is ok. Its not great and its not bad. Ive been to about 10 college stadiums and 4 pro stadiums. They do have some bittys walking around....
 
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ForestTiger said:
I live in Auburn, so it's on the way home, anyway.
Click to expand...

Oh awesome.

I got my bachelors in 2011 and my masters in 2014 from Auburn. Favorite town there is. Sometimes I wonder why I ever moved.

So yeah if you're used to Auburn tailgating, Gainesville is completely different, mainly because Auburn has half the population of Gainesville.
 
ForestTiger said:
FYI, here is my tentative schedule through New Year's Day:

9/8 Kentucky at Florida

9/15 UTEP at Tennessee (+ MTSU at Georgia later that day on my way home, if I have time)

9/22 Clemson at Ga Tech
9/23 Saints at Falcons + the CFB HoF

9/28 Memphis at Tulane
9/29 Ole Miss at LSU

10/4 Memphis Madness
10/6 Auburn at Miss State

10/13 Tennessee at Auburn
10/14 Talladega 500

10/20 Wake at Florida State
10/21 Texans at Jags

10/27 FL-GA in Jacksonville
10/28 Blue Angels Air Show

11/3 Louisville at Clemson
11/4 Bucs at Panthers

11/8-12 World Food Championships, Orange Beach, AL

11/17 OFF

11/22 Miss State at Ole Miss
11/23 Houston at Memphis
11/24 Auburn at Alabama

*****

12/2 Jets at Titans
12/3 Golden State Warriors at Atlanta Hawks

*****

12/30 Falcons at Bucs
12/31 Taxslayer Gator Bowl
1/1 Citrus Bowl
Click to expand...
This is so cool. Similar to how I plan to retire.

I'm just a shot across the bridge from Memphis now and have some family working at UofM and a son going to school there. I'll be at that Houston game. I'll also be at that Titans/Jets game. As far as the WLOCP...yes that is a must for any southern bucket list. Please let us know when you get the YouTube channel set up.

@Dannygator1989 may possibly be at Talladega.
 
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Dannygator1989 said:
Oh awesome.

I got my bachelors in 2011 and my masters in 2014 from Auburn. Favorite town there is. Sometimes I wonder why I ever moved.

So yeah if you're used to Auburn tailgating, Gainesville is completely different, mainly because Auburn has half the population of Gainesville.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I tailgate at Auburn with friends and relatives. We moved down here from Atlanta after I retired, b/c my wife's family all live here, and she has a big family.

I love it here. Auburn might be the nicest college town there is. I know it's won best in show with a couple of different magazines.

I also tailgate at Memphis whenever I can make it there, of course. Since they built Tiger Lane, that's a fun spot, too.

I don't expect every tailgate experience to be great, but I imagine I can find good things about all of them. I love sports, food and drink, people and new experiences. I have been planning this for a long time. Got sidelined 3 times by health issues. Finally getting to go now.

Plan to do this until I drop, or run out of money, lol. If I can make this venture self sustaining, I also would like to donate some portion above expenses to the Children's Heart Foundation.
 
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TennesseeGator said:
This is so cool. Similar to how I plan to retire.

I'm just a shot across the bridge from Memphis now and have some family working at UofM and a son going to school there. I'll be at that Houston game. I'll also be at that Titans/Jersey game. As far as the WLOCP...yes that is a must for any southern bucket list. Please let us know when you get the YouTube channel set up.

@Dannygator1989 may possibly be at Talladega.
Click to expand...
Shoot me a PM in front of the Houston game, or the Titans game. I'll def be at the tailgate and then inside for the Memphis game, probably not for the Titans, but at the tailgate.

The Orange Beach deal should be great fun.

I'll come back and let you guys know when I get the Youtube channel up and running. Might take a few weeks, b/c I'm traveling so much and concentrating on shooting the videos. Still have to learn my editing software, and I don't want to put up bad videos right off the bat, and run peeps off.
 
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sadgator said:
Being in the Talladega infield would be orgasmic...
Click to expand...
Ha, you have a one track mind. I get it, though. Been there, done that. 50 years ago.

I'm going to give the Talladega infield a shot. I just have to watch my budget.

Def gonna do it at Daytona in Feb. My sister just bought a new RV travel trailer, and she plans to go with me on a few trips, including that one.
 
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Yeah, I've still got to check around about Talledega. I'll be there, just not sure where I'll do it yet. It's an easy day trip for me.
 
ForestTiger said:
Yeah, I've still got to check around about Talledega. I'll be there, just not sure where I'll do it yet. It's an easy day trip for me.
Click to expand...

Yeah I always used it as the halfway mark when I would go home. So it should only be around an hour and half-2 hours
 
Dannygator1989 said:
Yeah I always used it as the halfway mark when I would go home. So it should only be around an hour and half-2 hours
Click to expand...
It's 120 miles from my house. I stop every hour for a short break, so might take me 2-2 1/2 hours. I'm slow but steady, lol. I drive about 5 miles over the speed limit, but take enough breaks that I average about 50 MPH on the highway.

Drives one of my best travel buddies crazy. He drives 90 MPH and only stops for gas. If you have to pee any other time, you're on your own.
 
ForestTiger said:
It's 120 miles from my house. I stop every hour for a short break, so might take me 2-2 1/2 hours. I'm slow but steady, lol. I drive about 5 miles over the speed limit, but take enough breaks that I average about 50 MPH on the highway.

Drives one of my best travel buddies crazy. He drives 90 MPH and only stops for gas. If you have to pee any other time, you're on your own.
Click to expand...

I never make stops unless I have to but I only push 5 over the limit, and I'm only 30 years old sooo
 
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