Hey Everyone, My buddy and I are big college football fans and like to go to one big game a year. This year we have LSU USCe circled. Being from up north, this would be our first SEC game(hopefully a night game). We're both really excited, but we recently realized that unlike most of our previous trips, we don't know anything about Tiger Stadium, pre-game festivities, places to eat, things to do (on and off campus), ect. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks
We're playing right now. Check back later, there will be plenty of info. One of our mods, red, loves this kinda shyt. He's having a harder time cognitively since the Alzheimer diagnosis but he can copy/paste some info he has saved for when these inquiries pop up. Just curious who you pull for weekn in and week out.
I'm a Penn State guy and my buddy is an Ohio State We've seen some pretty crazy game day atmospheres, but from what we hear, a big night game at Tiger Stadium is something else.
- Instead of trying to get some overpriced dump hotel in Baton Rouge, stay in New Orleans and rent a car or take a bus into BR on gameday. Baton Rouge is not fun on Friday or Sunday. NOLA is fun 365/year. - Get to LSU campus early on Saturday. Like, 7-8am early. Go see Mike the Tiger's habitat. Find a tailgate that looks friendly and introduce yourselves, ask if you can hang out. - Scalping is pretty easy - especially for just two people. I got 2010 Bama tix - the biggest game of the year in the entire south - for $10 above face. Just keep your eyes and ears open, and DON'T start shopping until 90m before kickoff unless you want to overpay.
GAME DAY INFO: If you come five or six hours early you can find free parking on the streets near campus, but central campus is parking-pass and pay lots only. The north side LSU free lots are small and fill up quickly. Avoid parking in the high-crime neighborhood to the north of campus, the better parking is on the south side anyway. If you run late, the big free grass lots off the river road aren't that far from the stadium. Try these links for maps and info: Getting to the Game: Traffic, Parking, and Tailgating Tiger Stadium Interactive Stadium Map: See Your view of the Field Tiger Stadium Quotes We eat good in Baton Rouge. There is some damn good food in this town, especially seafood. Mike Andersons, Parrains, Drusilla Seafood, and Ralph & Kacoos are the most popular. All will be crowded on game weekends but you can get in with a reasonable wait, they are used to it. There are lots of ethnic food restaurants in town as well. TJ Ribs is especially good at moving a crowd through on game day and serves fine BBQ. Juban's is kind of upscale but has the finest Creole cuisine in town. Boutin's for Cajun cuisine and music. Good off-campus Bar & Grills abound. The Chimes, Walk-on's, The Pastime, Chelsea's, Georges, Ivars, Sammy's, Fred's, and Brewbachers are all great LSU bars with good food. The new Buffalo Wild Wings in Tigertown has the most big screens for a sports bar. And don't forget 24-hour breakfast at Louie's Cafe, a classic just-off-campus diner with the best omelettes and burgers in town. A Rolling Stone Best Campus Eatery. Live music close to campus can be found at the Varsity Theatre or Chelsea's. Don't forget the three riverboat casino's downtown and south of campus for more fun and entertainment. There are a some Third Street bars downtown with live music. And New Orleans is only an hour away. Game-Day traditions: Go see Mike the Tiger's new habitat, our live Bengal Tiger Mascot. There is usually a Jambalaya stand nearby, try it! The LSU Tiger Band marches down the hill to Tiger Stadium an hour before the kickoff and it is something to see and hear. It will be crowded, but the crowd response is part of the show. Tailgaiting is legendary around campus before the game. Nobody, I mean nobody, cooks more or better food than LSU tailgaters. Traffic sucks. Get used to it. Come early. Don't get in a hurry.
Try to park as close to Astor Street and Highland Road lot as you can in the Kirby Smith Parking lot. Post game you will turn left on highland road, and can then get on I-10 at Louise Street. I park like this, stay for entire game, and still get home within 30 minutes of 0.00, this includes my 10 minute walk from the stadium. In this lot you are a short walk to awesome tailgaiting on interior of LSU's campus. You are also a short walk from a string of bars on Chimes St, and some pretty good eats along Highland Rd. Avoid the chains. Try Louie's Cafe, Raul's Deli, or the Chimes. The Chimes has Baton Rouge's second best beer selection. If you like whiskey or European style beers head to the Cove on Corporate Blvd. They have over 400 beers from around the world and 200 different scotches. It is a little low key, but I frequently see celebrities drinking there. Baton Rouge isn't a great food town, but there are some good restaurants. Mike Anderson's is the second best fried seafood in the city. Tony's Seafood is the best, but it is far away from campus, and in a very high crime area. The Chimes has a great American style menu with a few Creole and lots of Cajun options. They do a pretty good job on almost everything. Sammy's Grill is another place that has a big menu with lots of options with local flair. Avoid Ralf and Kakoo's and Boutin's. They are tourist traps, and not nearly as good as some other places in town. Remember, the finest places in BR, like Juban's pale in comparrisson to New Orleans high end places. If you want a truly great meal that you will remember for life head to NOLA. If steak is your thing try Doe's Eat Place on government. Gameday is a blast. Introduce yourself at most any tailgate and you will get fed and drinked to your heart's content. You will want to see the Golden Band from Tigerland march down victory hill, and be in the stadium for LSU's pre-game show. The locals go wild.
I parked near there for many years, on the Tiger Band Practice field and it is great, but you have to get there very early now before it fills up. Too early for me. Compared to most of Pennsyvania and Ohio, Baton Rouge is a great food town.
My preferred free parking spot in along the LSU lakes across from Herget and Miller and across the street from the Ag Coliseum. From there, you can either walk straight to the stadium or hook a right and go to the parade grounds/Union/quad (which we always do because my daughter loves to tour the campus every time.)
I can attest to the fact that you will get good advice in this forum. Last year's Arkansas game was my first game in Baton Rouge. It was a blast, and I was well prepared mostly because of the help I got here. There are plenty of hotels near campus. I stayed at the Courtyard Baton Rouge Acadian. It was reasonably priced and a short drive to campus. There is a lot of free parking, but I opted for the $40 on campus parking, right next to the parade grounds. If you don't mind the extra fee, it's worth being in there. As for Tiger stadium...it's electric. Granted, I got lucky and saw #1 vs. #3 Arkansas, but the noise level was deafening. I've seen many big games at Beaver stadium, but none that rivaled the craziness that is Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
