Texas A&M game: who's going?

#153
#153
To those of you traveling to CS -- Welcome!
I try to put this together every year for traveling fans, so your trip to College Station is as easy as possible. Here's my take on how to maximize your fun in College Station. Keep in mind, I am in my early 30s, so it skews more towards the Night life and tailgating than the fine dining and sight seeing.

A few notes worth mentioning. Northgate is the Entertainment District in College Station. It's a 4-5 block area with 30-35 bars and a dozen or so restaurants that sits on University Avenue right across from campus. West Campus is where Reed Arena, Olsen Field and the REC Center sit and a large swath of tailgating takes place in this area. This is where 90% of the RVs are parked.

Restaurants in College Station worth visiting:
Republic Steakhouse -- Fantastic selection of bourbon and whiskeys. One of the best steakhouses in SE Texas. You would need to make reservations here.
Cafe Eccell -- Personally, my favorite for the price. It's a nice dinner, but not extravagant in price. They have great handcrafted cocktails and wood fired pizzas.
Napa Flats
Christopher's -- More fine dining.
Torchy's Tacos -- Leave the bar after a big night, find yourself here.
Freebird's -- On Northgate, large burritos
West End Elixir -- On Northgate, new place with unique cocktails and great food.
Koppe Bridge -- Best Burgers in town.
　
Northgate: Bar District (I'll just go West to East down Northgate)
West End Elixir -- See above
Chimy's -- Deadly Margarita and Tequila selection. Fun porch and always a great place to cap off your night.
Bar 12 -- Rooftop porch, two level bar.
Boulevard 247 -- Dance Club
O'Bannons -- Irish Pub with great beer selection
Paddock Lane -- Same as O'Bannons
Tipsy Turtle -- New Orleans Style Daquiri Bar
The Backyard -- One of my favorites. Chilled liquor on tap and tons of games on the back porch (Beer pong, washers, darts, etc). 2 story
Dry Bean Saloon -- Shot saloon with 200 different shots on the menu
Dixie Chicken -- College Station staple since 1974. I'd have one drink here at least. It will be slammed on Friday nights.
Dudley's -- The Chicken's less country brother since I can remember.
Madhatters -- 80s bar with cheap, STRONG drinks
Basil Whippets -- The "Apothecary Lounge"
Corner Bar -- Another one of my favorites. Three stories, with a large open air rooftop bar overlooking campus
Hookah Lounge -- Hookah bar that serves drinks
Foundation -- Dance Club
Kyoto Sake Bar -- Name explains itsself. All sake all the time.
Gatsbys -- Dance Club
Logie's -- Huge beers with a porch looking at inner Northgate
Rebel Draft House -- Tons of beers and large with a wrap around porch.
Rough Draught -- Top shelf bourbon, whiskey, scotch bar. They flavor balls of ice for their old fashion drinks. It's good.
Cedar Lane -- Try a "wake me up"...
Blackwater Draw -- Local microbrew that serves food.
Hurricane Harry's -- Dance Hall (Country centric)
　
Tailgating:
You'll get differing opinions on this depending on the age and tastes of the Aggie fan, so I'm going to throw all options out here.

West Campus -- This is where I tailgate and prefer. I'd suggest getting there early, and either dropping your stuff off around Reed Arena (in the grass) or around the parking garage (in the grass) and parking somewhere further out on West Campus in the pay lots. West Campus is a mix of all types, but tends to be the best collection of parties on campus. We tailgate at Reed Arena in the grass looking at the Baseball and Softball field. It is in the grass in front of 100g in the link below. We have a blow up 12th Man guy, so stop by and drink some on us. You can drop your stuff off starting at noon on Friday. The RV lots here are at Reed Arena, Olsen Field, George Bush Library and the Steam Building. [URLT]http://transportmap.tamu.edu/parkingmap/tsmap.htm?map=ft[/URLT]

Spence Park -- This is the park on the East Side of the stadium. You can't park anywhere around here, but you can drop off starting at noon on Friday. It's another good mix of students and alum, but you can't have the big trailers or generators in Spence. You have to power up your tailgate through batteries. Again, a nice place that's fun, just a little more of a hassle to set up up and pick up.

Cain Park -- This is the Reserved tailgating. A little less rowdy and more corporate, but crowded nonetheless.

Pay Lots -- The Pay lots are on the periphery of campus and not nearly as crowded as inner campus tailgating. If you want a quieter area, this is your place, but if your anything like me, you don't come all this way to not mix it up with the locals.
　

Golf:
Traditions Club -- A&M Golf Team home course and a Nicklaus course.
Miramont -- Private RTJ course
A&M on campus course -- I actually like this course since it's been redone.
Bryan Muni -- Haha.... no.
　
Sights and Sounds --
George Bush Library -- 41s Presidential Library on West Campus. RV Field parking is right beside it.
Bonfire Memorial -- On the NorthEast Side of campus recognizing the 1999 tragedy.
Messina Hof Winery -- Local winery in Bryan. I love it here at dusk..
　
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.
 
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#155
#155
Howdy Vols,

First of all, welcome to Aggieland! I hope those of you who are traveling will have a safe and pleasant trip to College Station. The TexAgs link Gig’emAgs posted is a great in-depth resource as is SingleMalt’s post, but I wanted to address a few specific questions/comments in this thread.

Flying into College Station is going to be prohibitively expensive; you are paying for the convenience. Your best bet is to fly into Houston Bush Intercontinental or Hobby, although Austin is also an option. There is a reasonably priced service called Ground Shuttle that runs Mercedes passenger vans between Houston airports and College Station, and they will drop you at the location of your choosing for an extra fee. Reservations can be made on their website and spots are limited, but this is an option for those not wanting the hassle of driving. Getting around College Station would still require a taxi or Uber/Lyft. Dallas is a bit longer haul which could mean a long day if you don’t have accommodations near CS (and don’t speed through any of the damn dinky towns on the south side of Dallas or you may end up spending much more money than you planned).

College Station hotels typically jack their rates up significantly for game weekends and many have a two night minimum. I would suggest looking for a room in the Woodlands (north Houston) area or Conroe. This will also allow you to skip travel on Highway 290 which is under construction for 40 miles beginning at I-610 and is sheer hell to drive right now. The best route would be to come up I-45 to Hwy 105 in Conroe to Hwy 6 at Navasota. The trip from either location to College Station should run between 1-1.5 hours.

For folks who have mentioned staying in Galveston, be prepared for the most underwhelming beaches you have ever seen. Silt and sediment from river runoff also means the water stays murky most of the time. The Texas Hill Country is much more scenic. That said, it’s not all bad if you like the coast. For those that stay in Galveston or Houston and have time to kill, things to do would include the Galveston Strand District and the tall ship Elissa, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston (not as good as the original), the San Jacinto Monument and Battleship Texas, Johnson Space Center/Space Center Houston, and the Houston Museum District. Some quick hit personal favorite restaurant recommendations include Gaido’s (Galveston) and Top Water Grill (San Leon, between Galveston and Houston) and in Houston, Niko Niko’s or Yia Yia Mary’s, Max’s Wine Dive, Taste of Texas, Eddie V’s, Vic and Anthony’s Steakhouse, and The Chocolate Bar for dessert. Prices vary so consult the google. Dress just about anywhere in this neck of the woods is relatively casual.

For those looking for tickets, in addition to StubHub I would recommend checking out Flashseats.com. I believe it is the “official ticket service provider” for A&M and the servicing fees can be a bit lower than other ticket sites. They also have a mobile app so you can have tickets transferred to your account and use your phone/app as your ticket(s) to get into the game. I doubt you will find many tickets in the visitor section here, but we pride ourselves on our hospitality so don’t let that worry you. As long as you don’t make a complete boob of yourself you should have zero problems inside the stadium or anywhere on campus (perhaps outside of an inebriated loud mouth student or two).

In addition to SingleMalt’s recommendations, good eats around College Station include Fargo’s or Kreuz Market (BBQ), Koppe Bridge (burgers), Fuego or Mad Taco (tacos), Chuy’s or Lupe Tortilla (Mexican), and Hullabaloo Diner (great breakfasts but way south of town and long waits). There are also plenty of good options in old Downtown Bryan.

As far as pre-game and game day activities go, DO attend Midnight Yell and wear your colors. There will be a little ribbing from the Yell Leaders but it is all in good fun. Check out Northgate before and after and don’t be surprised if someone buys you a beer. The same goes for food and drink at tailgates. These are spread broadly around the stadium, but the bulk will be set up near Reed Arena and in Spence Park (between Kyle Field and The Association of Former Students building). There is a “Spirit Walk” for the team, and you should check out the Aggie Band and Corps of Cadets step off from the Quad and march in (usually 1.5 hours before kick). Look for signs around the stadium for the pre-game event schedule. Feel free to say “Howdy!” to folks as this is the official greeting, and ask if you need directions. Folks on campus will be more than happy to help.

There should be plenty of good info on TexAgs for those looking for more information. Looking forward to what should be a physical, competitive, and probably close game; if our respective teams take care of business this weekend the atmosphere should be through the roof! Good luck against the Bulldogs and safe travels to all who are planning the trip next week. Gig’em!
 
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#156
#156
wcm100690 said:
I appreciate the info. We're flying into Houston Friday morning and staying at a hotel at the airport. From everything that I have read it seems like College Station will be a great experience. Thanks again!
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You are very welcome. Have a great time and Gig'em Aggies!
 
#159
#159
Thanks O2BNAG, great info. We just booked a place in Conroe this week. Would you suggest the midnight yell for antone or just those staying in CS?

Still need tickets, but flights and place are booked! Can't wait.
 
#160
#160
volwindy said:
Thanks O2BNAG, great info. We just booked a place in Conroe this week. Would you suggest the midnight yell for antone or just those staying in CS?

Still need tickets, but flights and place are booked! Can't wait.
Click to expand...

Conroe is a little far for Midnight Yell depending on game time.
 
#161
#161
volwindy said:
Thanks O2BNAG, great info. We just booked a place in Conroe this week. Would you suggest the midnight yell for antone or just those staying in CS?

Still need tickets, but flights and place are booked! Can't wait.
Click to expand...

Hi volwindy,

I think this would depend on a few things; what time the game kicks (really hoping for the 6:00 pm slot over 2:30), how well rested you are, and where you are in Conroe. The stretch on 105 from I-45 to Montgomery can take up to 20 minutes depending on what time it is due to lights and traffic. The stretch between Montgomery and Hwy 6 in Navasota is barren but 2-lanes @ 75 mph in most places. It is good road but is pretty dark, so you would need to be really alert and mind the oncoming traffic. I don't prefer driving it at night but have done it more times than I can count. On that topic be aware that Montgomery is a total speed trap.

Yell practice lasts about 30 minutes plus the time everyone files into the stadium (usually 30-45 minutes before). The drive back and forth to Conroe will probably take 45 minutes to 1 hour each way. It's a unique part of the overall experience but you'll have to make the judgement call on whether or not it is worth it to you. On the plus side, you can sneak into Whataburger for a Taquito at that hour.
 
#162
#162
MEDVOL said:
Just bought our tix. Sitting in 420. Staying in Houston. Is the big orange tailgate worth registering for? Like others, my wife and I are hoping to tailgate some before the game, but we obviously won't have the means to set something up ourselves.
Click to expand...

Hey our tix are in section 420, too. Good to know we'll have friends close by. GBO!!!
 
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#175
#175
O2BNAG said:
Hi volwindy,

I think this would depend on a few things; what time the game kicks (really hoping for the 6:00 pm slot over 2:30), how well rested you are, and where you are in Conroe. The stretch on 105 from I-45 to Montgomery can take up to 20 minutes depending on what time it is due to lights and traffic. The stretch between Montgomery and Hwy 6 in Navasota is barren but 2-lanes @ 75 mph in most places. It is good road but is pretty dark, so you would need to be really alert and mind the oncoming traffic. I don't prefer driving it at night but have done it more times than I can count. On that topic be aware that Montgomery is a total speed trap.

Yell practice lasts about 30 minutes plus the time everyone files into the stadium (usually 30-45 minutes before). The drive back and forth to Conroe will probably take 45 minutes to 1 hour each way. It's a unique part of the overall experience but you'll have to make the judgement call on whether or not it is worth it to you. On the plus side, you can sneak into Whataburger for a Taquito at that hour.
Click to expand...

Thanks. We will have to see how we feel Friday afternoon. We are all about checking out traditions at the different schools. Not like we are going to be going back to A&M anytime soon, so might as well soak in all we can see.
 
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