Tailgating Across the Nation: First Destination
Ole Miss — “The Grove”
Our search for the greatest tailgating college in the nation begins in Oxford, Mississippi at the University of Mississippi, more commonly and fondly known as Ole Miss. For further insight, we sought out one of the most insightful tailgaters that we knew – Dave Lamm, creator of Tailgatingideas.com, avid football fan, and writer of the Bucket List for Tailgaters (to read the complete Bucket List for tailgaters, visit: http://www.tailgatingideas.com/bucket-list/).
“Still exuding the southern charm of an antebellum Hollywood movie, The Grove at Ole Miss is tailgating that time forgot,” says Dave Lamm. The Grove deviates greatly from the typical tailgating scene as fans are surrounded by white table-clothed dinner tables with candelabras under tents, beautiful women in sundresses and pearls, and men in oxfords and ties. The place and the people are the epitome of southern hospitality. The smells of southern barbeque still smoking in gigantic smokers from the night before spur on the appetites of hungry fans.
Gates open to the tailgating grounds at 4 AM and like clockwork, fans are already lined up and ready to party for the next 14 hours until kick off. What truly stands out with tailgating at The Grove, however, isn’t the outward appearance of the tailgaters, but rather the heart and passion that fans throw into tailgating. “These fans literally believe that if they do not tailgate hard enough, their team will not play as well,” Lamm said. So for six or seven home games a year, these fans continue to gather in The Grove, united in their love for the Ole Miss rebels, ready to tailgate their team to victory.
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