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Is it your first time in Aggieland? Are you looking to maximize your tailgate experience (like the GBH Tailgate of old in 2014) ahead of a game at Kyle Field? Allow me to supply you with some tips and tricks of the trade in order to help you enjoy your first time in College Station for a Texas A&M Game Day.
- Be Prepared to Walk - Texas A&M is a massive campus. The good news is, Kyle Field is impossible to miss and towers over the sprawling university campus. You shouldn’t get lost but you will have to walk quite a bit.
- Hydrate - Even if you aren’t planning to engage in tailgating festivities, you are still going to be outdoors in Texas. The earlier in the season you attend a game, the more likely it is to be a sweltering mess. Drink water early and often, and remember if you start hydrating the day of, it’s too late.
- Get There Early - Traffic is absolutely going to be an issue, so the earlier you get to campus the less likely you are to get caught up in the rush.
- Don’t Rely on the Internet - Signal on campus can be absolutely terrible when the droves of fans descend upon College Station. Familiarize yourself with wherever you are trying to go ahead of time just in case you can’t look it up. Ask for help if you need navigational tips and people will make sure you get pointed in the right direction.
- Consider Starting Off Campus - For night games especially, I like to head to Northgate and visit the Dixie Chicken to get the festivities started. The Chicken is just across the street from campus and you can always walk from there before tailgating and head back over after the game to enjoy a few pitchers of beer.
- Check Out More Than Just the Tailgates - This is a tip I follow for any visit, but it’s fun to remember that Texas A&M isn’t just a destination for football. Consider visiting some of the different buildings, especially the MSC.
- Find the Hot Spots - Tailgates occur throughout campus on game day but the best spots to be are going to be the freshly christened Aggie Park on the East side of Kyle Field or on West Campus close to Reed Arena. There will be no shortages of tailgates to crash in either of these spots.
- Make Friends - As Texas A&M fans, we can be weird and cultish, but we absolutely pride ourselves on being welcoming hosts. If you introduce yourself as a visiting fan taking in College Station for the first time, we will fall over backwards trying to make sure that you go back to your message boards and talk about how great your experience was. That’s how we get you in the cult, you see.
- Find Food - Some people think that a tailgate is only for drinking. Those people are fools. There will be plenty of food at various tailgates throughout the day. As I mentioned there is going to be a lot of walking involved. Make sure you keep those energy levels up.
- Have Fun - This is what being a college football fan is all about. Eat, drink, and be merry - I promise you the folks in Aggieland will make sure you have a good time.
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