Flight booked for GAINESVILLE!

I've never vetured to the SWAMP. In my conquest to see all of the SEC stadiums, it is NEXT on my list.

So for those who have been, TIPS, HOT SPOTS, FOOD etc would be helpful.

thanks!

By the way, Bama and Tennessee have been my 2 favorite trips thus far. The tailgating on the river was a great expierence.

 

There are no hot spots in Gainsville, it's like Oxford only closer to the beach.

 

Gainesville is damn near about as far from a beach as you can get in Florida, but they do have a Holiday Inn Express.
with a pool.

 

I said closer to the beach not near the beach, I've been to Gainsville and lived in Florida.

 

We went there a couple years back and had a BLAST!!

We tailgated in a place called something Americas is was right across from where their band started their march to the staduim. There were a crap load of LSU fans tailgating there.

Also you got the Purple Porpoise which is crawling with LSU fans.

 

Me and group of friends are RVing it there....leaving Wednesday night. Should be there sometime Thursday depending on how many Party breaks we take on the way. :thumb:

 

We did that when we went and had tons of fun. It was my dads first LSU roadtrip.

 

I thought the Purple Porpoise was closed two years ago, unless it moved. I vaguely recall there was another business at that location, but I could be wrong. Florida fans didn't start tailgating until about 3 hours before game time. Six years ago (or was it 8?) Jimmy Ott hosted a helluva party in a parking lot about two blocks east of the stadium, almost across the street from where the Purple Porpoise was located.

We'll try to be in the same parking lot this year. Apparently there's a Saturday morning class nearby because the lot was full at 9 am but the students were clearing out by 11:30.

 

Is the Swamp the only SEC stadium where the visiting fans sit next to the students? I've been to Auburn, Starkville, Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, and Oxford.

Been to Gainesville 6 times for LSU/Florida games, I don't recall much to be excited about, of course we've cooked, ate, and drank at either the campground or hotel in which we were staying, there's the usual national chains of course. The Purple Porpoise was fun. There's a few local bars on the strip near the stadium for the Friday night before the game but keep it low key, the Florida students are the most obnoxious I've seen.

Paynes Prairie State Preserve is a nice place if you're the tent/RV type. It's about 10-12 miles south of Gainesville in Micanopy, which is also the home of Cafe Risque ("We bare all").

For the unrefined Tiger Fan, Cafe Risque is basically Denny's/Waffle House with nude girls, and the lights lowered a wee bit (no alcohol).

 

Hot damn!