Howdy all. Random post/inquiry here, but hoping you can help. A little over a decade ago some buddies and I started an annual college football "rivalry game" road trip and we're coming for the game this weekend against LSU (yes, I know it's probably a tertiary rivalry at best, but we didn't have many dates that worked for our group of dudes with growing families this year) and looking for some advice on anything and everything. Will get in this afternoon and have Thursday evening, all day Friday, and obviously Saturday to explore and take in the atmosphere. If we never get back, what do we need to do to have the best possible experience? We're staying within 15-20 mins of the stadium and have our own ground transportation. Five guys from the Midwest ages 30-35 approx. We typically check out campus on Friday, but otherwise fairly open.

Where should we eat? Best bbq in the area? Best sports bars/places to watch games Thursday and Friday nights? Best bars (both campustown and/or townie bars for the older crowd)? What should we do? Top things to know/traditions we should observe and know about ? Tailgating recommendations (would probably like to park a vehicle somewhat close in the vicinity of the stadium and tailgate a good portion of the day)? Things to know about/inside the stadium or that we should consider when buying tickets?

If there are any sort of great resources you'd think would be helpful that you could link that would be great as well.

I'm more or less available in the car for the next six ish hours so if any questions ask away.

I'm a very boring man, so I have no good suggestions for you. That said, I hope you have a blast!

I'll say this on our BBQ: I haven't had any that I can't live without, and none that I hate. C&Js, Fargos and Rudy's (although that's a Texas chain, not local) are all solid.

Okay

Northgate is bar district with lots of college age students. Lots of cool little bars but you must visit The Dixie Chicken. It is iconic and a bar beloved by generations of Aggies since 1974. They have good food there too. Get the Freddy Cheesburger and Tijuana Fries.

Downtown Bryan has a nice bar district more on line with your age group. Nice restaurants too.

Several other small bars and restaurants to choose from as well. Some of my favs are Holleman Tavern and Angry Elephant. Google Map them.

Finer dining
Christopher's
Republic
Porters


Lunch places
Dixie Chicken
Koppe Bridge
various BBQ joints.

Tacos
Fuego

Sites on campus
Bush Library. See the burial plot behind library
Bonfire Memorial
Century Tree and Sul Ross statue
Cushing Library
Midnight Yell
Corps of Cadets Sanders Center. (Cool firearm collection)
MSC - has Aggie Medal of Honor recipients pictures and stories lining the wall. Remove your hat when entering building.
Rudder Tower (named after WWII hero James Earl Rudder). Rudder Tower is the height of the cliffs at Point du Hoc that Rudders Ranger Battalion had to scale on D Day


Olsen Field at Bluebell Park has a free baseball game on Friday. That is a must see as well if you have time.

Wow, I'm jealous!! I'm not much help, but you picked a great weekend. DEFINITELY go to the Friday 6:00 FREE baseball exhibition game. I can't stress this enough. This is a must do.

The Banned said:

---

I'm a very boring man, so I have no good suggestions for you. That said, I hope you have a blast!

I'll say this on our BBQ: I haven't had any that I can't live without, and none that I hate. C&Js, Fargos and Rudy's (although that's a Texas chain, not local) are all soli

---

Fargo's closed their doors, It was the best around, bad location and hours. The others are dog food!. The best BBQ is Blue Moon at the intersection of Macy Rd and OSR. Its a bit out of the way and odd hours but worth the drive.

valvemonkey91 said:

---

Okay

Northgate is bar district with lots of college age students. Lots of cool little bars but you must visit The Dixie Chicken. It is iconic and a bar beloved by generations of Aggies since 1974. They have good food there too. Get the Freddy Cheesburger and Tijuana Fries.

Downtown Bryan has a nice bar district more on line with your age group. Nice restaurants too.

Several other small bars and restaurants to choose from as well. Some of my favs are Holleman Tavern and Angry Elephant. Google Map them.

Finer dining
Christopher's
Republic
Porters


Lunch places
Dixie Chicken
Koppe Bridge
various BBQ joints.

Tacos
Fuego

Sites on campus
Bush Library. See the burial plot behind library
Bonfire Memorial
Century Tree and Sul Ross statue
Cushing Library
Midnight Yell
Corps of Cadets Sanders Center. (Cool firearm collection)
MSC - has Aggie Medal of Honor recipients pictures and stories lining the wall. Remove your hat when entering building.
Rudder Tower (named after WWII hero James Earl Rudder). Rudder Tower is the height of the cliffs at St Lo that Rudders Ranger Battalion had to scale on D Day


Olsen Field at Bluebell Park has a free baseball game on Friday. That is a must see as well if you have time.

---

Same height of the cliffs at Point Du Hoc.

Do you not have tickets yet? Good luck getting 5 tickets together at this point in time. As for traditions, yall need to make sure you catch midnight yell at Kyle field, tailgating at Aggie park, don't miss the corps of cadets march-in. If you are walking around campus, across the street from Kyle Field is the memorial student center (MSC). Stay off the grass around the MSC and take off your hat while walking inside the MSC. It is a memorial to Aggies who gave their lives in war.

There's a lot to see around campus, if you have time, go check out the bonfire memorial on the North East corner of campus. As for bars, Northgate has all you would want. Go to the Dixie Chicken and get a pitcher or 5 of shiner, all the other bars are pretty generic college bars, but still fun. When I was a student, I enjoyed O'Bannons, I always got shots at Dry Bean I would also frequent the corner bar and Cedar Lane.

As far as food goes, I'll let someone else speak to the BBQ, because I haven't found a place that I would say is "can't miss" in and around CollegeStation. To me, my go-to food spots (which may just be a nostalgia thing) are Laynes chicken fingers, Freebirds burritos, Gumbys pizza, Fuego for tacos, and Wings & More. I also enjoy Lupe Tortilla, Hop Doddy, and Napa Flats. For a good upscale steak place, check out the Republic.

Hope y'all have fun and Gig'em!

Also, wear black to the game this Saturday

aeon-ag said:

---

valvemonkey91 said:

---

Okay

Northgate is bar district with lots of college age students. Lots of cool little bars but you must visit The Dixie Chicken. It is iconic and a bar beloved by generations of Aggies since 1974. They have good food there too. Get the Freddy Cheesburger and Tijuana Fries.

Downtown Bryan has a nice bar district more on line with your age group. Nice restaurants too.

Several other small bars and restaurants to choose from as well. Some of my favs are Holleman Tavern and Angry Elephant. Google Map them.

Finer dining
Christopher's
Republic
Porters


Lunch places
Dixie Chicken
Koppe Bridge
various BBQ joints.

Tacos
Fuego

Sites on campus
Bush Library. See the burial plot behind library
Bonfire Memorial
Century Tree and Sul Ross statue
Cushing Library
Midnight Yell
Corps of Cadets Sanders Center. (Cool firearm collection)
MSC - has Aggie Medal of Honor recipients pictures and stories lining the wall. Remove your hat when entering building.
Rudder Tower (named after WWII hero James Earl Rudder). Rudder Tower is the height of the cliffs at St Lo that Rudders Ranger Battalion had to scale on D Day


Olsen Field at Bluebell Park has a free baseball game on Friday. That is a must see as well if you have time.

---

Same height of the cliffs at Point Du Hoc.

---

Thank you. I changed it. I'm reading a book about St Lo and it just came out.

I don't have much to add, but no apologies needed as to the rivalry with LSU. We have a long history there.
Hamburgers- Koppe bridge bar and grill.
Mentioned before…. The step off for the band and corps of cadets will be at 5 pm at the corps dorms - marked by the cannon firing off.
Sanders center is right next door. Worth the visit.
Aggie park is on East side of stadium as well, full of tailgates. We are known for hospitality.
Hit me up at rm86ag@yahoo.com if you want to drop in before the game.
I advise going into stadium at least by 6 at the latest.
Please report back and share your experience!

1775 is your best bet for bbq

https://www.1775txbbq.com/

Martins BBQ is also something to add to your list of consideration. (Drink a Big Red with it)

It wont blow your socks off like some other joints in Texas, but it is a time machine to go back to how BBQ used to be in Texas.

OP,

You should get many good recs here. Dixie Chicken, Bonfire Memorial, Yell Practice if you are here on Friday night, hit up any of the many tailgates around Kyle in Aggie Park or to the west surrounding Reed Arena.

This Aggie considers the rivalry with LSU to be equivalent if not more important than the rivalry with tu. When I was a student, the Aggies owned tu, yet LSU was the real thorn in our sides those years. We won once in football from '86-'89. And there is the way that our #1 ranked baseball team lost to LSU twice on one awful Sunday in May 1989 that leads me to my feelings on this rivalry. I cannot stress how much I hate LSU.

For this weekend? See as much as you can today and tomorrow morning.
Get on a reservation app like OpenTable RIGHT NOW to look for dinner availability. See if you can get into Republic steakhouse tonight. The nicer restaurants will be already completely full for FRI/ SAT nights. Get on the waitlist at multiple places.
The recommendations to look toward downtown Bryan are good ones, too.
Do the tailgate thing in Aggie Park. You can make easy friends.
We had a similar traveling group at the Notre Dame game to open the season. My buddies from all over the country had a fantastic time.

1775 bbq is the best in the area, and better than most I've had. Definitely better than Cooper's, although some like Cooper's a lot. They are out to the west of town almost to the river.

I'm not a Northgate bar district patron but that's pretty standard practice for folks. I think folks have mentioned, but yell practice the night before the game is definitely a must to get the full experience.

Have fun!

The Banned said:

---

I'm a very boring man, so I have no good suggestions for you. That said, I hope you have a blast!

I'll say this on our BBQ: I haven't had any that I can't live without, and none that I hate. C&Js, Fargos and Rudy's (although that's a Texas chain, not local) are all solid.

---

Coopers. on the expensive side but good.

If you decide you want burgers: Margie's Bar and Grill 320 N Main St, Bryan or Top of the Hill 2444 Lakewood Dr, Bryan

Breakfast: Zeitman's Grocery (East Coast style/Jewish Bagel shop) 220 N Main St, Bryan: try the Richie Rich
Jesse's Taqueria & Bakery 3310 E 29th St, Bryan: very good breakfast tacos (SEC announcer's and Nic Scourton approved)

A little something for everyone: The Feed Barn 2017 Fountain Ave, Bryan

Obligatory must stop by: The Dixie Chicken 307 University Dr College Station (give the Tijuana Fries a try

BBQ: 1775, Cooper's, C&J's (in that order)

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions and insights so far! I sincerely appreciate it and think this is a great start.

A couple more specific questions I have on tickets (we will probably just split up and don't really expect to find five together at reasonable prices for those that are concerned) maybe some of you can help with:

- I assume there aren't any obstructed view seats/sections we should specifically avoid?

- Are there any standing room only areas/tickets? Seems like maybe I'm seeing some chatter about that some places online including a thread here.

- I'm seeing some PDFs (as opposed to mobile delivery) on ticket resale sites. Do y'all still have/accept some form of paper tickets as opposed to purely mobile or how does that work?

Again, thank you all for suggestions, truly appreciate it and will be using this as a guide.

If in Bryan, visit Hush & Whisper distillery:
https://www.hushandwhisper.com/

George H.W. Bush Presidential Library is a good visit.. Check out a portion of the Berlin Wall, the TBM-3E Avenger he flew, along with new exhibits, the Union Pacific 4141 Locomotive and Marine One helicopter. The Bushes are buried in the back behind the lake.

Late night eats...Gumby's Pizza Rolls (open til 3 am Friday & Saturday)

Enjoy the visit, best gameday experience in the world!

For BBQ in the area….

1775

Then a way distant 2nd

Coopers BBQ

Please don't ruin your first impression with C J's

Martins is nostalgic for its ambience but not so much on solid BBQ

Carney's - good burgers, beer, whiskey, tv's and pool tables.


Hermanos Marquez Mexican Restaurant - good breakfast and lunch.

Both of them are on college in Bryan.

You can go to the ticket forum here: https://texags.com/forums/11

Only buy from folks with Ag tags. Best this late is to arrange to meet up for exchange(s).

First off, welcome to Aggieland!

Must try places:

• BBQ: 1776, or if your up for a road trip Truth's BBQ in Brenham(about 35 minutes away from campus)
• Tacos: Fuegos
• Burritos: Freebirds
• Burgers and overall college bar vibes: the Chicken
• Chicken fingers: Laynes
• Bakery/lunch: Blue Baker or Potato Shack
• If you want Cajun food I'd recommend OMG Seafood in Bryan
• Upscale: The Republic
• For college bars: Northgate on the North side of campus is where you want to be
• "older crowd" bars: while there may be some near Northgate I would recommend Downtown Bryan

Now regarding events and traditions
Dos:

• Go to Midnight Yell, talk to some of the Ags around you and they'll give you more traditions they you could ever want.
• Also you may want to watch the Corp of Cadets March in ~1:30 hours before the game
• All are welcome on the saw'em off sway
• For parking, good luck.
  Seriously though gameday parking is a nightmare, if you want to pay you can be within a mile of campus, buy a parking pass if you want to park on campus(look for our ticket exchange on this website), if you want free parking, Go to our local mall and there's a game bus that leaves from that parking lot.
• For tailgating Go by Aggie Park and I'd bet any of the big tailgates would be more than welcoming, so don't be stranger!
• Also a minor note but you may want to wear black shirts, there's an unofficial "blackout" this weekend

Basically the only don't is to take your hat off in the Memorial Student Center and don't walk on the elevated grass around the building.

Enjoy your trip!

You are welcome to crash our tailgate at Reed Arena (corner of Tom Chandler and Olsen). We have a big white trailer that says "Tailgate like a champion" on a maroon sign on the back.

We are frying and cooking lots and will have a dozen or so LSU fans with us. Going to have a wet bar with chest high table tops and a couple TVs.

Four Downs Sports Bar

snowdog90 said:

---

Wow, I'm jealous!! I'm not much help, but you picked a great weekend. DEFINITELY go to the Friday 6:00 FREE baseball exhibition game. I can't stress this enough. This is a must do.

---

This last Fall baseball game was packed with fans, but not as packed as the biggest spring games. So there would be seats on the grass if nothing else. Idk if you can get tickets for a seat in advance or if it's just general admission like it seemed.

Midnight Yell practice - Friday midnight at Kyle Field

Dixie Chicken - bar accross from Campus

Breakfast tacos - Fuego

BBQ - C&J's

Aggie Park (next to stadium) for tailgating

Welcome to Aggieland!

Fuego Dip @ Fuego Tacos.

Needs steak, and pico in it. It's awesome.

lol at Carney's. They aren't trying to drink under age, but I had a lot of A&M experiences there.

I was really sad when I learned that Alfred T. Hornback's closed shortly after I graduated in 2010, that was our walk to bar from our house.

The Tap always had really good food and was not the absolute s#$! show that Northgate turned into after a game, may be better to hit up on Friday night rather than trying to get a ride over to it after the game.

I would not buy any tickets on a PDF as those are easily counterfeit. The game is sold out, so please look at Seat Geek so you at least have a real company reviewing the tickets.
Also, the game is black jerseys/black shirts if you want to participate.
Have a great time and welcome!

This is awesome and something I would love to do. Curious...where are you guys from? What College allegiance do you have?

BBQ said:

---

For BBQ in the area….

1775

Then a way distant 2nd

Coopers BBQ

Please don't ruin your first impression with C J's

Martins is nostalgic for its ambience but not so much on solid BBQ

---

I would make the drive to Brenham and hit Truth BBQ on Friday.

Welcome! Haven't read all the posts so apologies if there's a repeat or five here.

Must sees/traditions:

• George Bush Library
• Aggie Baseball vs Houston (Free fall scrimmage with open seating, 6 pm Friday)
• Midnight Yell Practice (Midnight Friday night/Saturday morning at Kyle)
• Bonfire Memorial
• Academic Plaza/Cushing Library/MSC on campus
• Dixie Chicken (Northgate)

Game Day:

• Corps March In
• Tailgate in Aggie Park or around Reed Arena (Aggie Park is right next to the east side of Kyle and Reed is about a 10 minute walk)

Parking:

• There are cash lots on the NE corner of campus (near Bonfire Memorial) that might be a good option
• If you get there early enough, you can usually find walkable, free street parking in the Southside neighborhood (across George Bush Drive from Kyle Field)
• Businesses/churches/schools also offer cash parking off of George Bush Drive

Food:

• BBQ: 1775 is the best, Cooper's is solid, C&J's and Rudy's will do in a pinch. If you're up for a drive and want a true Texas BBQ experience, check out Snow's in Lexington but get there EARLY to get in line and be prepared for it to take your whole morning.
• Burgers: Margie's (Downtown Bryan, cooked to order and they aren't in a hurry), Top of the Hill (North Bryan), Harvey Washbangers, Dixie Chicken
• Mexican/TexMex: Jesse's (breakfast tacos), Fuego (tacos, open 24 hours), Maria Mia, Don Chente (Bryan), Cilantro (Bryan)
• "Southern": Sodolak's, Longhorn Tavern
• Upscale/Steakhouse: The Republic, Christopher's, New Restaurant at the Hilton (The Dean, I think?)

Bars:

• Northgate for younger crowd/barhopping
• Downtown Bryan for older crowd
• Rooftop Bar at The Hilton

Other Game Watching:

• Plucker's (patio out back is awesome)
• Carney's
• Angry Elephant

SirDeofWood said:

---

This is awesome and something I would love to do. Curious...where are you guys from? What College allegiance do you have?

---

We're typically a group of six guys (missing one this weekend due to double booking himself with his family unfortunately) from central Iowa. Three of us are Cyclones (two of which are season ticket holders), one is a Hawkeye, and the other two went to smaller schools (UNI, who won't ever forget the 2016 meltdown in the NCAA tournament to you guys and Buena Vista), but would identify as Hawkeye fans of the bigger schools across the power conferences.

Please don't tell this man to go to Freebids… it's all over Texas now, nothing like it was back in 'nam