<p>Just got D moved in for Summer C. While at our hotel I inquired about booking dates for games. Seems most are already full since some block off large number of rooms as soon as schedule is posted. Anyone have a game plan for booking rooms for "the football games?"</p>
<p>Ugh. There's no easy way to do this.</p>
<p>Some options:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Stay with your student - assuming there's room and everything else is ok.</p></li>
<li><p>Stay at a hotel locally, but you must enter the rat race for a decent hotel local MONTHS ahead of time - when the football schedule first comes out. You've already found that this is not easy. Huge tips to hotel managerial staff to help with this are not unreasonable.</p></li>
<li><p>Stay at a hotel in a surrounding city - Perry, Thomasville, Quincy, et al. This is not a bad remedy, but you must fight game traffic out of town and the trip is frequently late when all are tired from a long game.</p></li>
<li><p>Drive home (assuming you live somewhere reasonably close). Same conditions as #3, but less expensive.</p></li>
<li><p>Buy/rent a motorhome and stay locally. Not a bad solution if you have the $$ to fulfill this option. Ensure you have a quiet generator or access to AC power because you'll want A/C and a shower.</p></li>
<li><p>Stay with relatives in/near Tallahassee. Great solution if (a) you have such relatives and (b) they allow you to stay with them. Ideally, they would also be FSU Seminole fans. ;)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The best seats are had via season tickets. The coolest side (less exposure to direct sunlight during day games) is the alumni side. The most energized areas are the student areas and near the band. Students stand and cheer almost the entire game. The alumni are more boring...</p>
<p>Finding a restaurant after a game is another effort...</p>
<p>Thanks for the great information. D is in a residence hall so that is not an option. Unfortunately this year I am too late for a hotel in town. I will start checking on hotels in surrounding cities, although we stayed in Thomasville's Hampton Inn and they are already booked up. (This hotel served free breakfast AND dinner buffet. Soft drinks, beer and wine were included!) We are 4 1/2 hours away from Tallahasee so driving home is out. We thought about a motorhome, but gas prices make that less than desirable. I may have a connection with friends that live there....we'll see. Perhaps when D moves off campus, we may be able to stay with her. We will definitely want to be near the band, as she wants to be in the Chiefs. We were big band parents in HS and loved every minute of it. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Mrs p2n was in Chiefs, she loved her time there.</p>