<p>Hi All! My son will be staying at UA during the Thanksgiving Break. Other than THE football game of the year, will there be other things for him to do during that time? My H, D and I are thinking of visiting him, but don’t want to be in the way if there will be lots of events on campus that he will want to participate in.</p>
<p>The last time that the Iron Bowl was a home game, Bama hosted a T-giving dinner with all the trimmings. There was a $5 donation for charity. </p>
<p>Since people will be there for the entire long weekend, your son won’t be lonely, but if you want to be there, too, that sounds ok.</p>
<p>My son will be there too! When I suggested a family visit, he countered with the idea that we come down on a “non-game” weekend to have more time together. Alright-I get that message loud and clear! 
I am hoping they have the T-giving dinner again and that someone “takes care” of him!</p>
<p>^^^ Right now our son is saying that he doesn’t want/need us to visit over t-break. With my son being a freshman, he may change his mind later, so we will probably make hotel reservations for Thanksgiving and cancel them at the last minute if he doesn’t. With us living over 12 hours away, visiting any other time would be hard - It would involve taking more time off of work…UGH! I must admit, though, that I am planning to visit the weekend of UA’s fall break. Unfortunately my husband and daughter can not go that weekend, so it will just be me. Not sure my husband will survive if he doesn’t see our son from August 12th - Dec. 14th. Decisions, decisions… 
.</p>
<p>I understand… I am from New Jersey. Where are you in PA? Is your son participating in Alabama Action? We leave on the 10th and it should take us about 16 hours to get there. My son has a 4:00 check in on the 11th.</p>
<p>We are planning to stay in Birmingham for a few days. Our thought is to reserve a room out of Tuscaloosa just for a change of scenery and it may provide a short mental break. Plus, there’s great shopping in B’ham 
We’re going to pick up our student Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, drive to B’ham, spend Thanksgiving together (accepting recommendations for restaurants), do a little shopping Friday then drop her off at campus Friday afternoon and head home (9 hours).
She’ll be back on campus for all the activities for the Iron Bowl and we will be out of her hair. Momma will have had her chicklet fix. So everyone will be happy! Glad Dad doesn’t mind doing 90% of the driving!</p>
<p>jerz - We are in the Hershey area and yes, my son is particiapting in Alabama Action. I just looked at the “state roll call” thread and noticed that both of our sons will be staying in Riverside East. My son has not declared a major, but plans to major in Poly Sci. We will arrive in town on the 10th and have a 10am check in on the 11th. One of his roommates will be moving in for OA around 1:30pm. Other than going to dinner, Ia m sure we will be around, when your son is moving in, so maybe we will meet.</p>
<p>asaumom - I like your idea of staying to Birmingham and getting away for a bit. I will run this by my son. He seems to think that there will be a lot going on leading up to the game and he doesn’t want to miss anything. Other than a T-dinner, I don’t know of anything…Maybe a bonfire the night before and then game day events? Maybe we could follow your lead and move our trip up a day or so and leave by the time everything begins.</p>
<p>Son is flying in from Nevada to spend Thanksgiving weekend with his sister. He is the reason she is there now! He’s a big Alabama fan, and this will be his first visit. I am hoping the Bryant Museum will be open that Friday. Still need to find tix for the game.</p>
<p>juniebug, what part of PA are you from? According to the website the museum is only closed on major holidays, so I would expect it to be open on Friday. Hope your son has a great time while visiting! Good luck finding ticket to the game.</p>
<p>The Bryant Museum will be open the Friday before the game. The campus will be hoping by Friday afternoon as the RV’s will have arrived and the out of state visitors will be checking into their hotel rooms. With the influx of OOS students there will most likely be many more students on campus Wed & Thur than in previous years. </p>
<p>Even if you’re planning on staying in B’ham you’ll want to make your reservations NOW. Just be sure they are cancel-able without penalty. If anyone really wants to stay in Tuscaloosa that weekend and needs a room then I still have a couple pre-paid rooms available at the Fairfield Inn for Fri & Sat night. They’re not exactly cheap but they’re a few hundred cheaper than what you’d pay now through the Marriott website or any other hotel for that matter.</p>
<p>I was just at Bama Bound this week, and when I mentioned to one of the people at the student health center table that I was unable to go home for thanksgiving(im from houston), he promptly invited me to his family’s home for the meal. Not sure if I will do that or not, but its nice to know that people are willing to do those sorts of things for us. He made a very good impression on me and definitely changed my perception on staying on campus for breaks.</p>
<p>@ProudBamaMama, we live in the Philly suburbs. I don’t know why my children have moved so far from me. I really am very nice.</p>
<p>Can anyone give me an idea of good places to stay in Birmingham and what places (areas) we should stay away from? We are not familiar with the area. THanks!</p>
<p>There is a nice area in Birmingham near the Summit. I’ve stayed at the Hilton Perimeter across from the Summit for conferences, but I’ve also stayed at the Spring Hill Colonnade for college visits. Hoover is a nice area as well, and we’ve stayed at the Residence Inn Hoover. I love the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, a beautiful shopping center, and while I’ve never made it over to the Birmingham Summit, I’ve heard it’s very nice. There’s a Cheesecake Factory over at the Summit that many friends have eaten at and highly recommend. </p>
<p>We are going to the Iron Bowl this year just to be on campus for the festivities. Son has</p>
<p>I’d try Hoover, Mountain Brook, or Bessemer. You’d better get on it quickly since hotel rooms are generally sold out early on game weekends, particularly this one.</p>
<p>Anything by The Summit!!</p>