Madison always claims a good time...of course, for sheer drunkenness. I have friends who swear by the hospitality of Happy Valley.
Best tailgates and atmosphere.
- Thread starter ISUboi12
- Start date
Madison always claims a good time...of course, for sheer drunkenness. I have friends who swear by the hospitality of Happy Valley.
Here is how the places I've been to rate:
1. Iowa State
2. Texas Tech - not many people but some huge grills/smokers and great food, and of course plenty of Lone Star beer.
3. Notre Dame - quite a bit like Ames, but more grass lots, less pavement
4. Iowa - Lots of friends, long walks
5. Northern Illinois - Terrible, and long lines for bathrooms and to get into the stadium.
6. Nebraska - They have no clue how to tailgate, period.
Also as a side note the Florida St. game at Arrowhead was maybe the most fun I have had at a tailgate, and the atmosphere inside the stadium that night was special.
1. Iowa State
2. Texas Tech - not many people but some huge grills/smokers and great food, and of course plenty of Lone Star beer.
3. Notre Dame - quite a bit like Ames, but more grass lots, less pavement
4. Iowa - Lots of friends, long walks
5. Northern Illinois - Terrible, and long lines for bathrooms and to get into the stadium.
6. Nebraska - They have no clue how to tailgate, period.
Also as a side note the Florida St. game at Arrowhead was maybe the most fun I have had at a tailgate, and the atmosphere inside the stadium that night was special.
Agree 100%. What blew my mind about Lincoln is how there is almost nobody around before the game, and you walk into Memorial, and BAM there's 80,000 people, seemingly out of nowhere. I've been to 5 other D1 schools for games, and none are on par to Ames. In fact, I've seen tailgating polls that had us top 5 or 10 nationally. Against both Texas and Oklahoma this year, I talked to opposing fans who said they never miss a chance to come up to Ames because of the tailgating. They claim it to be best in the Big 12. Being as it's the only part of game day we have much control over, I was pretty proud. That being said I would rank my tailgating experiences as such:
1) Iowa State, no contest
2) Kansas State, similar to Ames but more hick and less rowdy. Nascar flags, grain elevator down the street, and they had to chase sheep out of the lot we were in. Manhattan is Boone with a college...
3) Iowa, layout sucks, but I'm always with friends who know somebody who has a spot to go
4) Mizzou, not a bad lay out, close to the stadium, but not that rowdy and Tiger fans were at best kind of stuffy and aloof, and at worst complete jackarses.
5) Nebraska, blech. Lincoln is pathetic when it comes to pregame. We walked around with a bag full of beer, which we had to dump into plastic cups. We finally found some Clones and had an alright time.
6) Minnesota, What I said about Lincoln goes double for a college football game downtown Minneapolis in the Metrodome. Not to mention I was with a bunch of Hawk fans. I don't like the Goofers much either. Not sure why I even went...
My first year of grad school at ISU (2003) we went to all of the ISU games home and away. On a side note if you can ever swing it to follow the team around for a fall it will be one of the most incredible experiences of your life, even if the team finishes 2-10....
Including that year I have been to ISU, Iowa, Northern Illinois, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, and Texas.
ISU and Iowa take the cake by a mile as far as the actual tailgating goes, but as a total "weekend experience" Kansas, Kansas State, and Texas can also be added to the list.
Including that year I have been to ISU, Iowa, Northern Illinois, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, and Texas.
ISU and Iowa take the cake by a mile as far as the actual tailgating goes, but as a total "weekend experience" Kansas, Kansas State, and Texas can also be added to the list.
I am a little suprised so many people rip tailgating in Lincoln. I have been to quite a few games there and always thought the tailgating wasn't all that bad... Not great, but not horrible.
I went to the Wisconsin-Iowa and Wisconsin-Michigan games last year. The tailgating and partying up there is unreal.
I would compare it to a mix of ours and Iowa's, with more pre-bar and house partying. They do have a decent amount of lots but there seems to be about 15,000 people in the two or three bars right across the street from the stadium. Camp Randall has a really cool atmosphere as well. The student section is amazing too, I only wish ours did a fraction of the antics they do.
Although I generally dislike Wisconsin sports, except when they play Iowa, the gameday atmosphere is second to none that I have attended.
Ku - sucked, but mainly bc my heart was ripped out on the terrible November day.
NU- ehhh, nothing special
KSU- like ours, but not as cool, and..... isn't Ames kinda like Boone with a college? haha just saying-
Iowa- ehhh, fun but wayyyy overhyped. The Iowa homers will claim that they have "The best tailgating in America", but that just isn't true. Unless you consider a hodge podge of house parties and random parking lots and awesome tailgate than that may be true.
I still think ISU is the best "true" tailgating but that is biased.
1. ISU
2. Wisconsin.
then the rest.
I would compare it to a mix of ours and Iowa's, with more pre-bar and house partying. They do have a decent amount of lots but there seems to be about 15,000 people in the two or three bars right across the street from the stadium. Camp Randall has a really cool atmosphere as well. The student section is amazing too, I only wish ours did a fraction of the antics they do.
Although I generally dislike Wisconsin sports, except when they play Iowa, the gameday atmosphere is second to none that I have attended.
Ku - sucked, but mainly bc my heart was ripped out on the terrible November day.
NU- ehhh, nothing special
KSU- like ours, but not as cool, and..... isn't Ames kinda like Boone with a college? haha just saying-
Iowa- ehhh, fun but wayyyy overhyped. The Iowa homers will claim that they have "The best tailgating in America", but that just isn't true. Unless you consider a hodge podge of house parties and random parking lots and awesome tailgate than that may be true.
I still think ISU is the best "true" tailgating but that is biased.
1. ISU
2. Wisconsin.
then the rest.
Of the Big 12 North that I have been to:
1. ISU
2 K-State - pretty close to us in atmosphere but you gotta hid the booze a little because it's a state park you are in. Just pour the beer in plastic cups and don't look stupid and the cops will walk right by and leave you alone
3. Mizzou - close to the stadium, it's nothing special but it's OK
4. Nebraska - was better than I thought but was mostly ISU fans when we went last year. Was told everyone just goes to the bars beforehand which is their "tailgating"
5. Kansas - it sucks because there is no big lots, you basically park in someone's yard or a frat house and up until last season no one really cared about football at KU so you basically drove around till you found a pocket of ISU fans
Have not been to Colorado
1. ISU
2 K-State - pretty close to us in atmosphere but you gotta hid the booze a little because it's a state park you are in. Just pour the beer in plastic cups and don't look stupid and the cops will walk right by and leave you alone
3. Mizzou - close to the stadium, it's nothing special but it's OK
4. Nebraska - was better than I thought but was mostly ISU fans when we went last year. Was told everyone just goes to the bars beforehand which is their "tailgating"
5. Kansas - it sucks because there is no big lots, you basically park in someone's yard or a frat house and up until last season no one really cared about football at KU so you basically drove around till you found a pocket of ISU fans
Have not been to Colorado
My best tailgate venues and why:
1) Iowa State
Very few college stadiums allow fans to park in the immediate proximity of the stadium en masse like Iowa State does. The large volume of fans wrapped around the stadium, plus the hospitality, generosity the volume of food and beer and humility of Iowa State make it IMHO the tailgating champion. Rows after rows after rows of friendly fans who will unload free beer and food on any stranger who happens by. About the only drawback to ISU's tailgating is that there is very little creativity in the cuisine. If I see more smokers, Polish BBQ trashcans ISU may very well pull away from the pack permanently. Iowa State's most endearing trait is the fact that any traveler who happens upon Jack Trice in Ames on a game day is going to be fed well, catch a beer buzz and make new friends with minimal effort.
2) University of Wisconsin - Madison
A football game at Camp Randall stadium is like Oktoberfest -- every weekend. The party atmosphere and cheer of the folks in Madison makes it easily the leader of the Big 10 Conference. Good brats, good beer and a huge number of really great bars in the immediate proximity of Camp Randall plus the fact that most Badger fans are rosy cheeked happy drunks make this one of my favorite places. Then there is the infamous "5th Quarter." Drawbacks there isn't ample parking close to the stadium so people have to tailgate in "pockets."
3) University of Washington - Seattle
Husky Stadium is situated in between Puget Sound and the shores of Lake Washington. Fans tie boats together and tailgate on the water, but you gotta know someone who is a big donor to get out on their area which is reserved as a premium for those who support the U. There are a lot of large RVs that "circle the wagons" to create courtyard areas for fans to congregate. Factor in the fresh seafood, great local brews and very laid back fans our visit to the Apple Cup last year was one of the highlights my tailgating experience. Tailgating is no where near on the scale of the midwest; it's isolated one fairly large strip parking lot a reasonable distance from the stadium and the boats. Washingtonians tend not to be as outgoing as midwesterners in bringing strange fans in to their tailgating fold.
4) University of Iowa
The University of Iowa tailgates bring all of the strengths of Iowa State's tailgating to the table; kind fans (unless you're Cyclone) who are eager to share the bounty of their gameday feasts with strangers and make new friends. The stroll along a crowded Melrose to the Market for some "roady" tallboys is one of my fondest memories of being a Hawkeye. Fans pile in to private property in nooks and crannies around the stadium and in to University Heights. The only problems plaguing the University of Iowa is that tailgates are spread over a very large area. From the Iowa River to the Dental College to way out on Melrose there is no single continuous area to cruise for brews and prognostications. I have also noticed that there tend to be a higher proportion of rowdy drunks than in other venues.
5) University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Here's another of college football's greatest tailgates on water. UT fans like their counterparts in Seattle tailgate on boats along the river right next to the stadium. They are also perhaps the most gourmet of tailgaters. There are a stupifying number of pickup trucks hauling smokers that cost well in to 5 figures, these people love to show up the night before and put as much effort in to their tailgating fare as they do to cheering on their team. UT fans tend to be somewhat abrasive, brash and confrontational and tend to stick to themselves. This is not exactly a tailgating environment where you want to show up without some friends who have friends.
Worth mentioning:
KSU -- Really friendly fans, very heavy drinkers. In my opinion of places that I've visited in the Big 12 it is probably 2nd behind Iowa State. I wish I can say more but my memory is very fuzzy. I have minimal recollection of a really good time however.
CU-Boulder -- It's got great scenery. The fans are spoiled condescending turds, the tailgating spaces are limited and far between. If you can get to a game under the Flatirons with a bunch of Iowa State fans (I'll be there this fall) it's a breathtaking experience with some friendly people in Cardinal and Gold.
Worst places to tailgate:
Nebraska -- Expensive parking, overzealous alcohol enforcement and a long walk for to the game. Lincoln is one of the worst laid out cities I have ever been in. If you're going to the game, save your revelry for Omaha before and after the game.
Minnesota -- The Dome sucks. Parking sucks. The area is terrible. Mix in M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A, Minnesota, Minnesota, Minnesota! And you've got the worst tailgating in the midwest. I pray they are keeping these problems in mind when as they are building TCF Stadium.
1) Iowa State
Very few college stadiums allow fans to park in the immediate proximity of the stadium en masse like Iowa State does. The large volume of fans wrapped around the stadium, plus the hospitality, generosity the volume of food and beer and humility of Iowa State make it IMHO the tailgating champion. Rows after rows after rows of friendly fans who will unload free beer and food on any stranger who happens by. About the only drawback to ISU's tailgating is that there is very little creativity in the cuisine. If I see more smokers, Polish BBQ trashcans ISU may very well pull away from the pack permanently. Iowa State's most endearing trait is the fact that any traveler who happens upon Jack Trice in Ames on a game day is going to be fed well, catch a beer buzz and make new friends with minimal effort.
2) University of Wisconsin - Madison
A football game at Camp Randall stadium is like Oktoberfest -- every weekend. The party atmosphere and cheer of the folks in Madison makes it easily the leader of the Big 10 Conference. Good brats, good beer and a huge number of really great bars in the immediate proximity of Camp Randall plus the fact that most Badger fans are rosy cheeked happy drunks make this one of my favorite places. Then there is the infamous "5th Quarter." Drawbacks there isn't ample parking close to the stadium so people have to tailgate in "pockets."
3) University of Washington - Seattle
Husky Stadium is situated in between Puget Sound and the shores of Lake Washington. Fans tie boats together and tailgate on the water, but you gotta know someone who is a big donor to get out on their area which is reserved as a premium for those who support the U. There are a lot of large RVs that "circle the wagons" to create courtyard areas for fans to congregate. Factor in the fresh seafood, great local brews and very laid back fans our visit to the Apple Cup last year was one of the highlights my tailgating experience. Tailgating is no where near on the scale of the midwest; it's isolated one fairly large strip parking lot a reasonable distance from the stadium and the boats. Washingtonians tend not to be as outgoing as midwesterners in bringing strange fans in to their tailgating fold.
4) University of Iowa
The University of Iowa tailgates bring all of the strengths of Iowa State's tailgating to the table; kind fans (unless you're Cyclone) who are eager to share the bounty of their gameday feasts with strangers and make new friends. The stroll along a crowded Melrose to the Market for some "roady" tallboys is one of my fondest memories of being a Hawkeye. Fans pile in to private property in nooks and crannies around the stadium and in to University Heights. The only problems plaguing the University of Iowa is that tailgates are spread over a very large area. From the Iowa River to the Dental College to way out on Melrose there is no single continuous area to cruise for brews and prognostications. I have also noticed that there tend to be a higher proportion of rowdy drunks than in other venues.
5) University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Here's another of college football's greatest tailgates on water. UT fans like their counterparts in Seattle tailgate on boats along the river right next to the stadium. They are also perhaps the most gourmet of tailgaters. There are a stupifying number of pickup trucks hauling smokers that cost well in to 5 figures, these people love to show up the night before and put as much effort in to their tailgating fare as they do to cheering on their team. UT fans tend to be somewhat abrasive, brash and confrontational and tend to stick to themselves. This is not exactly a tailgating environment where you want to show up without some friends who have friends.
Worth mentioning:
KSU -- Really friendly fans, very heavy drinkers. In my opinion of places that I've visited in the Big 12 it is probably 2nd behind Iowa State. I wish I can say more but my memory is very fuzzy. I have minimal recollection of a really good time however.
CU-Boulder -- It's got great scenery. The fans are spoiled condescending turds, the tailgating spaces are limited and far between. If you can get to a game under the Flatirons with a bunch of Iowa State fans (I'll be there this fall) it's a breathtaking experience with some friendly people in Cardinal and Gold.
Worst places to tailgate:
Nebraska -- Expensive parking, overzealous alcohol enforcement and a long walk for to the game. Lincoln is one of the worst laid out cities I have ever been in. If you're going to the game, save your revelry for Omaha before and after the game.
Minnesota -- The Dome sucks. Parking sucks. The area is terrible. Mix in M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A, Minnesota, Minnesota, Minnesota! And you've got the worst tailgating in the midwest. I pray they are keeping these problems in mind when as they are building TCF Stadium.
I think Minnesota's tailgating will be better with their new stadium. Tailgating in downtown Minneapolis is garbage. I tried to tailgate for a Twins game once and we got kicked out of the lot... There are also very limited lots for Vikings games.... The thing about the U of M is that they're the 2nd act in town. Everyone cares about the Vikings more, and the college market is a little more of a niche in Minneapolis. I think that's why often times the road fans outnumber Minnesota's home fans.
Hopefully a stadium on campus will improve the college atmosphere for the games... Or maybe they will always be the 2nd act in town....
Hopefully a stadium on campus will improve the college atmosphere for the games... Or maybe they will always be the 2nd act in town....
Broodwich, thanks for the breakdown. I would love some fresh seafood at the Washington tailgate.
Whoever said Texas Tech was a good tailgate has GOT to be kidding me. Bunch of ******* fans that, as my roommate put it "wanted to make love to us" (aka lots of **** you's thrown our way. Sure we were dressed head to toe in gold and stood out from the moment we got within 100 miles of Lubbock but still...), There were a few nice people with some tailgate stuff but we were in a concrete lot a long ways off. Talked to a guy who usually works at the stadium but was taking a night off, said that people are removed on a regular basis and one of the drunks seemed to be on a first name basis with the cops. This guy was a big ************ who had had so much alcohol that after he was escorted past us by the police, one of my friends turned to me and asked if I had snuck a flask in because the smell of alcohol was so strong.
On the note of alcohol, you cannot buy alcohol in Lubbock. You must go to a strip outside of town that appernetly looks like Las Vegas. We were disappointed to find this out when we hit town and stopped at the grocery store to buy provisions for the day, only to find we couldn't get beer. At all.
Oh yeah and it's in the middle of ******* no where. There are flash flood and high wind warning signs all along the last 100 or so mile strech to lubbock because there is no grass and no trees to block or absorb either. We went into Texas with some car flags in decent shape for having driven 14 hours, the last 2 hours trashed them.
Make sure you stop to fill up if you see a gas station too - never ran out of gas but if you don't have a full tank it's possible...
Oh yeah, and Lubbock is the definition of "Urban Sprawl" I forget how big the town is, but far too big to have nothing but single family homes and no building taller than 2 or 3 stories...
All that aside as well as the *** whoop'n we recieved, it was a fun weekend, possibly because we had more people than usual and 2 vehicles with some 2-way radios to keep things fun. Not all the Lubbock people are pricks but there were sure a lot of them
Whoever said following the team around for a year is great even if you lose all the time was right - Ok except for Toledo :no: But even still I had some good times with that.
Highly recommend taking a year to do it, I'm really going to miss it this year :yes:
On the note of alcohol, you cannot buy alcohol in Lubbock. You must go to a strip outside of town that appernetly looks like Las Vegas. We were disappointed to find this out when we hit town and stopped at the grocery store to buy provisions for the day, only to find we couldn't get beer. At all.
Oh yeah and it's in the middle of ******* no where. There are flash flood and high wind warning signs all along the last 100 or so mile strech to lubbock because there is no grass and no trees to block or absorb either. We went into Texas with some car flags in decent shape for having driven 14 hours, the last 2 hours trashed them.
Make sure you stop to fill up if you see a gas station too - never ran out of gas but if you don't have a full tank it's possible...
Oh yeah, and Lubbock is the definition of "Urban Sprawl" I forget how big the town is, but far too big to have nothing but single family homes and no building taller than 2 or 3 stories...
All that aside as well as the *** whoop'n we recieved, it was a fun weekend, possibly because we had more people than usual and 2 vehicles with some 2-way radios to keep things fun. Not all the Lubbock people are pricks but there were sure a lot of them
Whoever said following the team around for a year is great even if you lose all the time was right - Ok except for Toledo :no: But even still I had some good times with that.
Highly recommend taking a year to do it, I'm really going to miss it this year :yes:
Last edited by a moderator:
Wow that last one was long...
And Lincoln wasn't so bad but someone had some friends and we crashed at someones house overnight. Sure they were Husker fans, but they had a keg.
And in the middle of the night somebody pee'd in one of their dressers... (No, not me. Seriously. But it was funny as ****)
Tailgating wasn't great, not to mention the stupid pedestrian bridge that took us 30 minutes to get over leaving the game because of how many people were trying to go over it... but I was a little more lax with my policy of not drinking before games so I had some fun in Lincoln... we tailgated at some Native American reserve or something like that... they had a school there and let people tailgate on the lawn. Otherwise I saw nothing to indicate that Nebraska had tailgating
And Lincoln wasn't so bad but someone had some friends and we crashed at someones house overnight. Sure they were Husker fans, but they had a keg.
And in the middle of the night somebody pee'd in one of their dressers... (No, not me. Seriously. But it was funny as ****)
Tailgating wasn't great, not to mention the stupid pedestrian bridge that took us 30 minutes to get over leaving the game because of how many people were trying to go over it... but I was a little more lax with my policy of not drinking before games so I had some fun in Lincoln... we tailgated at some Native American reserve or something like that... they had a school there and let people tailgate on the lawn. Otherwise I saw nothing to indicate that Nebraska had tailgating
Nebraska tailgating is done in the bars nearby, which really doesn't qualify as tailgating.
Here are my rankings from some places I've been in recent years.
1. Iowa State
2. Iowa
3. Kansas
4. Colorado
5. Nebraska
The gap between #2 and #3 is very wide.
#1: Easy access and ample parking outside the stadium and in nearby lots make this an easy call. The place gets rocking and it gets better every year.
#2: As more is developed around Kinnick, tailgating areas are displaced and the situation has declined although still quite fun.
#3: I enjoyed tailgating at the Kansas game with some friends that were parking by the campanile. Good thing they had beer, because our car was parked at somebody's house so we couldn't bring it with us.
#4: Didn't seem like much. A roped off grassy area near the stadium was about the extent of it. That may have been a donor only lot. All I know is don't bother to converse with anyone. They won't talk to you.
#5: Most of the fun is in the bars and that doesn't qualify as legitimate tailgating.
I forgot about Northern Illinois. I think I'd put that at #3, but only because I was in a large lot that was taken over by Cyclone fans. At least they had a parking lot reasonably close and really convenient. I didn't seen many NIU people tailgating though.
1. Iowa State
2. Iowa
3. Kansas
4. Colorado
5. Nebraska
The gap between #2 and #3 is very wide.
#1: Easy access and ample parking outside the stadium and in nearby lots make this an easy call. The place gets rocking and it gets better every year.
#2: As more is developed around Kinnick, tailgating areas are displaced and the situation has declined although still quite fun.
#3: I enjoyed tailgating at the Kansas game with some friends that were parking by the campanile. Good thing they had beer, because our car was parked at somebody's house so we couldn't bring it with us.
#4: Didn't seem like much. A roped off grassy area near the stadium was about the extent of it. That may have been a donor only lot. All I know is don't bother to converse with anyone. They won't talk to you.
#5: Most of the fun is in the bars and that doesn't qualify as legitimate tailgating.
I forgot about Northern Illinois. I think I'd put that at #3, but only because I was in a large lot that was taken over by Cyclone fans. At least they had a parking lot reasonably close and really convenient. I didn't seen many NIU people tailgating though.
Last edited:
A neighbor of mine is an Okie State grad and big Cowboy fan - he also votes ISU #1 tailgating in the conference, and he has seen them all.
Baylor fans were very nice. Most seemed uninterested in football. Got to park right next to the stadium. Nice weather helped too.
Didn't see much 'crazy' tailgating. All in all 'ok' at best.
Some of my friends went, was a litterally a last minute thing on a Friday night while we were out and they just drove overnight to Waco. Found out it was a dry campus when they got there so that made things interesting but they always talk about how it was a fun spontaneous road trip.
