1st Time in The Grove!

[MNRebelFan]

Hello -

We are a group of 7 guys (college friends) from Minnesota who each fall travel to a college football game across the country. Recent visits have been University of Georgia, University of Texas and University of Notre Dame. It has become a great tradition and we all become fans of the home team we are visiting for a day!!

This year we have chosen Ole Miss and the Arkansas game on 11/9. We are extremely excited as we have learned about the legendary tailgating that happens in The Grove on Saturdays in the fall!!

To make our experience the best it can be, I am hoping to get some guidance and thoughts from some of the great fans of Ole Miss prior to our trip. We would truly appreciate helping us out with some questions we have as well as any other info you could provide to make our weekend the best one yet!

Here is what we have planned so far with some additional questions:
- Arriving on Friday night, departing Sunday morning
- We are staying at the Hampton Inn right in Oxford. Is this walking distance to campus and The Grove?
- We have hired a tailgating service to set up a tent, table, chairs and a cooler for us and plan on tailgating with the masses in The Grove. Where should we get food from? How is alcohol policed in The Grove? I have heard that everything has to be in a cup, does that include beer? Depending on the game time, when do people start getting to The Grove and how late does the tailgating continue after the game.
- We are all 41-42 yrs old, so not "college kids"...from what we have seen, it looks like people really dress up for the games. Is this true for just the college kids or really everyone? Normally we all buy tee shirts and hat of the home teams and wear those to the games. Will this be acceptable for a group like ours?
- What are some restaurants that we should check out on Friday night? What about night life? Is The Square the place to be on both Friday and Saturday?
- What are some "must see/do" things on game day in and around campus?

These were just some of the questions we had...again, any feedback with these or any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for all your help!!

[Rebchuck18]

Go to Snackbar on Friday night (nice restaurant/bar not too far north of the Square) Ask for Elizabeth and tell her that her dad told you to come there. It will be packed.

Either Saturday or Sunday morning try to go to Big Bad Breakfast which is right next door to Snackbar. It will also be packed. Go hungry because the breakfast is Big but far from bad.

Tell people near you in the Grove what you guys do and they will bring you into the fold as if you are family. There are no strangers. If you yell Go To Hell LSU they may even put you in the will!

[MNRebelFan]

That's great advice! Thank you!

One thing we are talking about doing is hanging our Minnesota Golden Gophers flag from our tent. People will definitely be wondering why the heck these guys have a MN flag!! I'm guessing will bring up some good conversations about what we do and why we are there.

[lewindha]

That's great advice! Thank you!

One thing we are talking about doing is hanging our Minnesota Golden Gophers flag from our tent. People will definitely be wondering why the heck these guys have a MN flag!! I'm guessing will bring up some good conversations about what we do and why we are there.

Not at all. You guys aren't the first from a neutral school to show up and tailgate. You'll be welcomed. Chuck gave some good advice. I recommend a Stromboli from Pizza Den at some point. Maybe Friday night. I think your hotel will be nearby(not sure, lot of expansion in the last few years). Go get some beer at Joe's Craft Beer. Great guy. Tell him Eric Windham sent you.

[Hagar]

Go to Snackbar on Friday night (nice restaurant/bar not too far north of the Square) Ask for Elizabeth and tell her that her dad told you to come there. It will be packed.

Either Saturday or Sunday morning try to go to Big Bad Breakfast which is right next door to Snackbar. It will also be packed. Go hungry because the breakfast is Big but far from bad.

Tell people near you in the Grove what you guys do and they will bring you into the fold as if you are family. There are no strangers. If you yell Go To Hell LSU they may even put you in the will!

I like this!

[olemissreb10]

You old farts and your Pizza Inn

Umm lets see. Walking from Hampton Inn is certainly doable. I would def do it on gameday with our current parking nightmare.

Keep it in a cooler. Keep it in a cup. Lock the cooler when you go to the game. No grills or gas allowed due to fire hazard.

Wear your team colors. Dress decent. You wont see many jeans. Mostly khakis with either button downs or team polos. Cant go wrong with the team polo. I see neutral fans all the time. Never seen any Minn guys though...but have seen Michigan, OSU, Nebraska, and Mich St. So I'm glad we can add Minnesota to that list of visiting B10 fans.

Time on campus:
Game 11:00 - Just before game and stay well into the evening. A lot stay until after 10
Game mid afternoon - Get to campus around 11. Stay late
Game at night - Get to campus around 2

Where to eat? Tough one. A lot of good options like most college towns. Depends on where you can get in at. Proud Larry's if you want a burger/philly. Old Venice for Italian. Downtown Grill and City Grocery for your finer dishes. Ajax for good ol' southern home cooking. Several new ones I havent been to. You really cant go wrong. Snackbar but its off the square. I'm prob not the go to guy for food questions. I love it all. If you want a quick lunch or something on gameday, your hotel is right next to Abners Chicken Fingers. An Oxford original that has exploded in the region.

Where to drink? Bounce around. Find a scene you like. I prefer Boure these days. Crowd seems to change at each bar on a daily basis though. You never know what exactly youre going to get. There's probably 15 places on the square to drink at. Be prepared for covers on game weekends though

After midnight go to the Chevron at University/Lamar intersection for chicken on a stick

[lewindha]

You old farts and your Pizza Inn

Umm lets see. Walking from Hampton Inn is certainly doable. I would def do it on gameday with our current parking nightmare.

Keep it in a cooler. Keep it in a cup. Lock the cooler when you go to the game. No grills or gas allowed due to fire hazard.

Wear your team colors. Dress decent. You wont see many jeans. Mostly khakis with either button downs or team polos. Cant go wrong with the team polo. I see neutral fans all the time. Never seen any Minn guys though...but have seen Michigan, OSU, Nebraska, and Mich St. So I'm glad we can add Minnesota to that list of visiting B10 fans.

Time on campus:
Game 11:00 - Just before game and stay well into the evening. A lot stay until after 10
Game mid afternoon - Get to campus around 11. Stay late
Game at night - Get to campus around 2

Where to eat? Tough one. A lot of good options like most college towns. Depends on where you can get in at. Proud Larry's if you want a burger/philly. Old Venice for Italian. Downtown Grill and City Grocery for your finer dishes. Ajax for good ol' southern home cooking. Several new ones I havent been to. You really cant go wrong. Snackbar but its off the square. I'm prob not the go to guy for food questions. I love it all. If you want a quick lunch or something on gameday, your hotel is right next to Abners Chicken Fingers. An Oxford original that has exploded in the region.

Where to drink? Bounce around. Find a scene you like. I prefer Boure these days. Crowd seems to change at each bar on a daily basis though. You never know what exactly youre going to get. There's probably 15 places on the square to drink at. Be prepared for covers on game weekends though

After midnight go to the Chevron at University/Lamar intersection for chicken on a stick

Uh, it's Pizza Den. And I'm only 35. Been eating at Pizza Den since I was 2 or 3. As long as I can remember anyway.

[MNRebelFan]

So do you think that jeans or kahki shorts and an Ole Miss tee shirt will not be that appropriate? I'm all up from kahki pants and a polo, I just dont think my partners in crime will be as on board, but I can push them if needed. I'm a big fan of tradition and want to make sure we "fit in" as much as possible. If dressing down is going to infringe on that tradition and make our visit to Oxford any less enjoyable, than I'll do whatever I can to convince the group to dress appropriately.

[lewindha]

So do you think that jeans or kahki shorts and an Ole Miss tee shirt will not be that appropriate? I'm all up from kahki pants and a polo, I just dont think my partners in crime will be as on board, but I can push them if needed. I'm a big fan of tradition and want to make sure we "fit in" as much as possible. If dressing down is going to infringe on that tradition and make our visit to Oxford any less enjoyable, than I'll do whatever I can to convince the group to dress appropriately.

Do what you want. If you want to 'fit in', then I'd go with khaki's and a polo. But, no one will look at you funny for wearing jeans and a tshirt. Personally, if I were you guys, I'd wear some Minnesota gear. When Ole Miss folks see you are from somewhere else, they will invite you into their tents and show you what Southern Hospitality is all about.

[olemissreb10]

Uh, it's Pizza Den. And I'm only 35. Been eating at Pizza Den since I was 2 or 3. As long as I can remember anyway.

Ahh..Pizza Den. Never ate there in my 6 years in Oxford. Really never heard anyone talk about until I started posting here. They need a new location.

[lewindha]

Uh, it's Pizza Den. And I'm only 35. Been eating at Pizza Den since I was 2 or 3. As long as I can remember anyway.

Ahh..Pizza Den. Never ate there in my 6 years in Oxford. Really never heard anyone talk about until I started posting here. They need a new location.

They used to be in that little strip on University right by the Bancorpsouth at four corners. I live on Fillmore Avenue for a year right behind that building. I gained some weight that year when I could just call it in and walk over to pick it up. You should try it sometime. I plan on it this weekend.

[MNRebelFan]

I think I like the idea of wearing our Maroon and Gold Minnesota colors to the game!!

[Rebchuck18]

I think I like the idea of wearing our Maroon and Gold Minnesota colors to the game!!

Just make sure it is obvious that it is Minnesota Gopher maroon and not Mississippi State maroon where a shirt that has Minnesota spelled out or "Gophers" prominently placed. The folks will greatly appreciate that you traveled so far to see our tiny slice of Heaven. One warning though..... You may not want to leave!

[MNRebelFan]

So what are the chances of the game NOT being a noon game? We are really hoping it is an afternoon or night game, but with 2 night games in a row this week and next week...are the odds for an early time ripe for the Arkansas game?

[JustBlues]

So what are the chances of the game NOT being a noon game? We are really hoping it is an afternoon or night game, but with 2 night games in a row this week and next week...are the odds for an early time ripe for the Arkansas game?

please please let it be a morning game.