The Grove at Ole Miss: Tailgating Tips for College Football’s Best Gameday

At the center of the campus of the University of Mississippi lies approximately 10 acres of football holy ground that becomes a pilgrimage site for red-and-blue clad fans on fall Saturdays.

The Grove at Ole Miss has long been heralded as one of the top college football tailgating sites in America, and another season of chandeliers and tents is upon us when the Rebels open their season against Furman on Saturday. Most Ole Miss fans are familiar with what The Grove has to offer each week, but there are always first-time visitors to this "Holy Grail" of fan locations with the advent of each season.

This tailgating pageantry led Ole Miss fans to coin the phrase, "We may not win every game, but we've never lost a party." If you're a new visitor to The Grove this season, here are some things you need to know for your trip to Oxford.

1. Get there early. It's an experience.

If you don't have a tailgating group in The Grove, it's key for you to catch some of the key moments that pregame has to offer.

The "Walk of Champions" is high on the list. Before each game, the Ole Miss players and coaches walk through a throng of fans toward the stadium in a tradition that began with head coach Billy Brewer in the 1980s. The brick path winding through the heart of campus is named in honor of the 1962 Ole Miss team that finished the year 10-0 and was named the national champion by multiple outlets.

On SEC weekends, it's hard to get a front-row spot for this spectacle (and maybe shake the hands of some team members), so if you want to be up close for the action, you've got to time it right. The walk usually begins about two hours before kickoff, so plan accordingly.

There's also a pregame performance by The Pride of the South marching band, and standing around and listening to these notes belt across the shaded ground will send chills up your spine on any fall Saturday, even if the humidity is high in true Mississippi fashion.

2. Prepare to experience a "fine dining" atmosphere inside a tent.

The food at these tailgating tents are usually pretty standard (no open flames are allowed in The Grove), but the atmosphere is pretty special. The dishes and decorations seen in some of these tents rivals some homes, and a chandelier or two can also be seen inside some of these temporary structures.

Also, if you're friendly and ask, many tailgating groups are willing to let you sample some of their food. So that's a huge plus to Mississippi being dubbed "The Hospitality State."

But the biggest takeaway from the dining scene at The Grove is the atmosphere. Televisions are everywhere to keep up with the college football action around the country, and you won't find many "throwaway" serving trays on gameday.

3. Dress Code

There's no written "dress code" for tailgating at The Grove, but once you're there, you'll realize that the majority of fans are dressed up, to an extent. Dresses, skirts, polo shirts and button downs with ties are the norm, even for the hotter games in the early portions of the schedule.

If you're a young Ole Miss fan who has never been to a game or a fan from a visiting team, you may want to break out some of your best threads for the event, but jerseys and t-shirts are also acceptable. It is a party, after all, and regardless of what team wins that day, you will have won this key aspect of the game by the time you leave Oxford.