Coming to campus during Iron Bowl

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

<p>We’re working out our holiday plans, and we’re considering driving son back to campus on Friday so he can attend Iron Bowl. We do not have tickets, but would like to hang out on the Quad and enjoy the tailgating, maybe watch the game on a TV somewhere. Son does have a ticket as part of his ticket package. And we’re a four and a half hour drive away.</p>

<p>Will we be permitted on campus without a ticket to the game?</p>

<p>I know this sounds like a stupid question, but I didn’t know if Iron Bowl was treated differently than a regular game.</p>

<p>We attended Parents Weekend, had tickets to the San Jose game, so we were in the stadium during the game itself. Are activities, food, restrooms, still going on on the quad while the game is in progress? </p>

<p>Also, since the game starts at 1:30, we were wondering if we would be able to bring son onto campus during the day before start time. If not, what’s the closest we can get him to his dorm? He lives at Riverside.</p>

<p>We’ll try to find parking ourselves and make our way onto campus if we’re allowed during the game, or worse comes to worse, watch the game from a local establishment and meet up with son after the game.</p>

<p>Is there more or less parking during Iron Bowl than a regular game, like the San Jose game?
I’m sure spots will fill up, but wondering what the earliest the lots will be open. During Parents Weekend, we parked near the soccer lot and took a shuttle to the quad, where son met us from his dorm.</p>

<p>I know, sounds crazy, but son is really excited about Iron Bowl but wants to see his family during the holidays, too.</p>

<p>As an aside, someone told him they close the dorms during Thanksgiving. Thanks not right, is it?</p>

2

<p>The Iron Bowl is treated like a regular game as far as rules go, but Tuscaloosa should be more crowded than it was for the San Jose State game. </p>

<p>A ticket is not required to be on campus on gameday. You can just park like you are going to the game and hang out on the quad like all the tailgaters. AFAIK, the closest you can get to his dorm would either be the soccer lot and other commuter lots if coming from McFarland, Jack Warner Parkway (River Road) if coming from that area, or Publix if coming from downtown. The gameday parking lots should be open early that morning.</p>

<p>The dorms will be open for Thanksgiving. They only close for Winter Break and Spring Break.</p>

3

<p>Will we be permitted on campus without a ticket to the game?</p>

<p>NO, you won’t be allowed in T-town without a ticket. Just kidding. The campus has no idea of who has a ticket and who doesn’t.</p>

4

<p>*someone told him they close the dorms during Thanksgiving. Thanks not right, is it? *</p>

<p>[Student</a> Affairs | Housing & Residential Communities](<a href=“http://housing.ua.edu/on_campus/calendar.cfm]Student”>http://housing.ua.edu/on_campus/calendar.cfm)</p>

<p>Tell your son not believe what kids tell him. It’s better to just check the website to find out what’s what.</p>

5

<p>Can’t answer any of your questions. All I can say is: Lucky duck!</p>

6

<p>I would make sure that I would arrive on campus extremely early – the traffic that day, like any day for a home game, will be crazy.</p>

7

<p>I’ll be down there for that game as well. “Son” is coming home for Thanksgiving the weekend before (he doesn’t have classes on Friday and will just miss 1 class each on Mon & Tue) and will fly back down with me on Thanksgiving night. </p>

<p>If you come in off Jack Warner Parkway you should be able to get close to Riverside. It all depends on how early you arrive on campus.</p>

<p>Campus should be packed and there are always tailgaters on the quad during the game. I’d recommend watching the game inside Phil’s or The Houndstooth though. </p>

<p>Also if you are so inclined, hang out near the north endzone gates right up until kickoff time. Many times you can get a pair off a scalper for dirt cheap ($150 a pair for this game) if you wait right up until 5 - 10 mins before kickoff. </p>

<p>Parking will be tough but I always find a spot behind (new) fraternity row or the next block over where the married students apartments are. </p>

<p>Just be sure to not dress like a farm animal. Otherwise the barners (auburn fans) might confuse you for one of their dates and try to molest you. Of course you can always distract them with coloring books and crayons. :-)</p>

<p>Why was it a shame that the auburn library burned down and all the books were destroyed? Because half of them weren’t colored in yet. :-)</p>

8

<p>NJ, that is too funny!</p>

<p>I heard a lot of the kids were rooting for Auburn this weekend so the value of their tickets would go up, those who intend to sell them. </p>

<p>I don’t know what will happen. Of course, the other members of the family are putting the stops on this plan. Their words: “Why would anyone want to go to a game during Thanksgiving?” </p>

<p>You can tell we don’t live in Alabama and are not from football schools.</p>

<p>Since son is a freshman, got an Iron Bowl ticket for five bucks as part of his ticket plan, I would hate for him to miss this opportunity.</p>

<p>Could you be a little more detailed about where “new” fraternity row is?</p>

<p>Also, since the game is at 1:30, will there be celebration, tailgating going on the Quad still after the game?</p>

9

<p>*
Also, since the game is at 1:30, will there be celebration, tailgating going on the Quad still after the game? *</p>

<p>If Bama wins, there will be loud celebrating into Sunday. If Bama loses, there will somber tailgating the rest of the day.</p>

10

<p>Montegut: In Pennsylvania, they play high school football on Thanksgiving Day. First, a game. Then, dinner. The game, in many places, will draw 10,000+ people. You are welcome to use that as an example.</p>

11

<p>As far as scalper tickets: if both teams continue winning, don’t expect “cheap” scalper tickets to be found!</p>

12

<p>Yeah, we had originally thought about going down on Thanksgiving, the whole bunch of us, but tickets were so high everywhere, like $250 each, so that nipped that plan in the bud. S & H ended up going down for Homecoming instead(great time). But, one year we will all do it. I had the best Thanksgiving last year going away with S, S2 to D’s in Newport Beach.</p>

13

<p>I’m not crazy about having to fly down Thanksgiving night either, but I don’t miss Iron Bowls. After this year the game will go back to being on Saturday so that will give me Friday as the travel day.</p>

<p>(New) fraternity row is on Jefferson Ave on the east side of campus. Look on a campus map for the rec fields and then go a couple blocks west. The Bryce Lawn apartments are in between and there is parking to be had in there as well. Head west down Univ Blvd and make a right after the SAE house. Make another quick right and then make the 2nd left. If that road is full then go over another block east and park on the lawns of the Bryce Lawn apartment buildings. </p>

<p>Since the game is early in the afternoon there will be a lot of tailgating and partying afterward, both on the quad and in the bars along the strip & downtown.</p>

<p>Your son should not miss his first Iron Bowl. It’s only a 4 1/2 hour drive and you can leave friday morning and return friday night. I don’t see how that interferes with your other family members Thanksgiving.</p>

<p>ND Al, I know scalper prices won’t be cheap to start off. But they usually have a few pairs left at gametime and they unload those for whatever they can get 5 - 10 minutes before kickoff. Since they don’t plan on going to the game it can’t hurt to stop by the north gates and see what’s available before heading to Phil’s or the Tooth to watch the game. Often you can find a pair for face or a little above. You miss all the pre-game festivities but at least you’re in the stadium for the game.</p>

14

<p>Still have to wonder at this point given the wins for both teams–scalpers might hold out on those tickets until well after game start. If one can afford scalper prices this year, Iron Bowl 2010 is going to be the game to watch! But, even if you can’t make it inside the stadium, the atmosphere around the stadium will be electric.</p>

15

<p>Having never been to a tailgate, or a true Southern college football game, it’s hard for me to imagine how to plan the day, especially since we have no tickets to the game: </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Momreads, around what time is “extremely early?” And if we get there extremely early, should we expect to park and not move the car until we’re ready to go home? </p></li>
<li><p>What should we expect to pay for parking either at the soccer fields or “new” fraternity row?</p></li>
<li><p>Other than walking around and seeing other people tailgate, what else is there to see/do? </p></li>
<li><p>Are there food vendors on the quad during tailgating or should we plan on eating off-campus? </p></li>
<li><p>Is there a public place in the university where TVs are set up and the public could watch the game? </p></li>
<li><p>Are there restroom facilities on campus? </p></li>
<li><p>How much time should son allow to be at the staduim to get a seat for a 1:30 game? For the homecoming game, he showed up 30-45 min. before the game and found the student section completely full.</p></li>
</ol>

16

<ol>
<li><p>I’d suggest arriving on campus 4+ hours early, depending on what you want to do before the game. You will park your car and leave it parked until after the game.</p></li>
<li><p>Parking will be $20 if you park in one of the areas you mentioned.</p></li>
<li><p>There are many gameday traditions that other will be able to provide more detail on. Many people walk around and buy food and t-shirts/souvenirs from the stands set up on and around campus.</p></li>
<li><p>There are food vendors on the quad and local restaurants will be open.</p></li>
<li><p>I am not too familiar with this, although it is perfectly acceptable to stop and watch someone’s TV during a play.</p></li>
<li><p>There are plenty of restrooms available on gamedays. A map of restroom locations is displayed on signs around the quad.</p></li>
<li><p>For big games, one needs to be in the student section at least 90 minutes, preferably 2 hours before game time to get a seat in the lower bowl.</p></li>
</ol>

17

<p>Wow, sophocles and Seatide, great questions and answers.</p>

<p>This was our experience at Family Weekend as for food:</p>

<p>As for food on the Quad, we enjoyed going to the vendors to eat before the game. There was an Applebee’s, a jambalaya place, a chicken fingers type place, and the food court in Lloyd Hall was open, including the Chik-Fil-A. </p>

<p>Where we parked, near the soccer field, was right across the street from the Arby’s, which was open. The band was also practicing, which we got to watch. There was a vendor set up selling T-shirts and other Bama goodies right by the Arby’s. I don’t know if it was endorsed. But we bought some tshirts and goodies there and put them in our trunk, so we didn’t have to carry them around.</p>

<p>We took a shuttle to the Quad, where son met us. He walked to the Quad from his dorm.</p>

<p>Thanks for the heads up on the early seating. </p>

<p>We only attended Family Weekend, and son only attended Homecoming after that. He said the tailgating was much bigger for the Homecoming game, every square inch of the Quad covered. I can only imagine the atmosphere at Iron Bowl.</p>

<p>The jury is still out on whether we attend or not. We just checked out of the Fairfield in Tuscaloosa after driving son back from fall break, and they are sold out for Thanksgiving Weekend. Looks like we’ll be staying in Bessemer or Pelham. I’m guessing what is normally almost an hour drive to Tuscaloosa will be more like a two hour or more drive on gameday, so I expect we’ll get on the road very early that morning if we do go to the game.</p>

18

<p>At this late stage, I was surprised to be able to book a hotel room for 3 nights in Tuscaloosa through Priceline. Although I first called the hotel directly to ask for availability and was told it was all sold out, I was still able to book for 3 nights through Priceline. When I called the hotel after a day to confirm my reservation, we were already in the system. Apparently, Priceline buys a block of rooms and gives priority to those booking for more than a night. When I inquired for just Friday night, Priceline told me they had no available rooms for that one night. </p>

<p>Thanks, Seatide and Montegut, for your helpful input! It just helps make planning smoother when you know what to expect.</p>

19

<p>I have an extra hotel room at the Fairfield Inn in Tuscaloosa for auburn game weekend. Thurs & Fri nights (Nov 25th - 27th). It’s a double double room and it’s already been pre-paid. $350 total which is “only” $175 per night. That might sound high but it’s pretty damn cheap for a good hotel on a football weekend.</p>

<p>If anyone is interested you can send me a private message.</p>

<p>As far as the other things. The parking behind new fraternity row is free if you can find a spot. The soccer lot is right near there and costs $20.</p>

<p>There are lots of vendors selling food on the east side of the quad. I also recommend getting some BBQ nachos from Big Bad Wolves which sets up a stand right outside the Houndstooth bar. The Ferguson center is open if you want to go indoors and sit down for a bit. they have tv’s in there and some of the food court places are open. I believe Lakeside dining is open as well.</p>

<p>There are lots of porta potties and bathroom trailers set up around the quad, especially to the north behind the library. Ferguson center and a few other buildings are open as well for bathroom needs.</p>

<p>If you’re going to the game try and get inside the stadium at least 30 mins prior to kickoff so you can watch the video board displays of past Bama games and some other things that gets the crowd fired up before the game. You won’t understand a word Coach “Bear” Bryant says, but you’ll know when THE MAN is speaking :-)</p>

<p>BTW, once you park you stay parked. So be sure and bring everything you need with you. I always bring an extra change of clothes and leave in the car just in case I spill something on myself before the game, or it’s hotter/colder than expected.</p>

20

<p>Great suggestions, NJBama. Where is Big Bad Wolves located to eat not during game time? We love Barbecue Nachos, and would love to get some next time we’re at Bama.</p>