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Tips for visiting fan to Starkville

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collegefootballfan81

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Apr 15, 2016
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Hey All,
My buddies and I are big college football fans, and we love traveling to new places for games. We’re working on a blog that gives tips to other football fans when they travel to away stadiums for games. I’m trying to hit all the SEC schools, and I was hoping you’d indulge me on some questions about Mississippi State football games. Basically, what I am asking is that if you and I met randomly on an airplane and I told you all about my trip to Starkville for a football game, you wouldn’t have to say, “You did it all wrong, next time you should …”
Since you guys are the experts on a perfect trip to Starkville, I wanted to see if you would answer a few questions. Feel free to answer any or all of them that you’d like, and if you can think of any other info I’ve overlooked feel free to throw that in there too!
TRAVEL
1. What’s the most convenient/cheapest airport to fly into? Is there a specific airline that is best/cheapest to fly on?
2. Suppose some travelers are a little more adventurous and don’t mind flying into an airport that’s a 3-4 hour drive away from the game if it would make for a cool drive or takes them by some cool sites/attractions – anything like that people should know about when they’re booking flights?
3. Is a rental car necessary? How is the public transportation system/Uber in Starkville?
HOTEL
4. What’s the hotel situation like over the weekend of a game? How good is airbnb, vrbo, etc. in Starkville? Are there any great resort towns nearby to stay at for a day?
FOOD
5. What are your favorite places to eat around Starkville during the college football season? How is the food in the stadium (anything a one-time visitor can’t leave the stadium without eating)?
TICKETS
6. What is the best option for visiting fans to buy game tickets? School Ticket office? StubHub? Local Classifieds?
TAILGATING
7. Any general tailgating advice for a first-timer at a Mississippi State game? Specific areas for visiting fans?
TRADITIONS
8. Some schools have unique game day traditions – do you guys do anything that’d be worth a visitor planning their schedule around? Are there any buildings or sites near campus or the stadium that visitors should check out?
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
9. If fans decide to make this more of a family vacation, are there any local sites/attractions that they would need to make room for on their schedule? Any can’t-miss Historical/Educational or Fun/Entertainment sites?
SAFETY
10. Are there any general safety issues fans should be aware of? Any areas visitors should avoid for parking, walking, etc? I know every fan base has its share of bad apples, but would you classify your general fan base as hospitable/neutral/in-hospitable?
OTHER SEC SCHOOLS
11. Lastly, since I'm trying to do this for all the teams in the SEC, I thought I'd ask if you have any experience traveling to other schools in the conference? Favorite/Least Favorite SEC school to visit for games? Any horror or success stories or general advice you'd give from your experiences?
As mentioned, feel free to answer any/all/none of the questions, and throw on any extra info that I may have overlooked. I’ll be sure to report back when our blog is posted so that you can see the finished product!
 
57stratdawg

57stratdawg

Well-known member
Dec 1, 2004
148,058
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Depends on where you're flying in from, but I would say Birmingham is probably the best option.

You'll need a rental car. Getting around Starkville won't be an issue, but you're looking at a 2 or 3 hour drive into town unless you fly into GTR. Never flown in there, but I think Delta flys in there from Atl.

You're probably screwed on a hotel. Even if it you luck out and find one in town, it's going to be $300+ a night. Check Columbus. There are limited VRBO options and they're not much help on football game weekends either.

I would just hang around the Cotton District. Food is pretty simple:

Little Dooey's is the most iconic.
Anything by Ty Thames is good.
Commodore Bob's and Two Brothers BBQ are good options as well.
Everything else is rather forgettable.
 
D

dickiedawg

Well-known member
Feb 22, 2008
3,977
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TRAVEL
1. There are 2 flights per day to and from Atlanta out of the local airport, GTR. There's now a shuttle service out there, but if you come in on the evening flight you may not make it.
2. Birmingham, Memphis and Jackson are all roughly 2 hours away. As for attractions, if you fly into Memphis you can go to Graceland and then drive through Tupelo to see Elvis' birthplace. Other than that, I got nothing.
3. I would recommend renting a car, but if you like to walk everywhere it's possible. The Comfort Suites right off campus is walking distance from anywhere on campus plus all the bars/dining of the cotton district, plus some of the dining options on highway 12. Same can be said of the Courtyard. Also the Hampton Inn.
As for local shuttle service, it's easy enough through the week to get around. I think it's limited on the weekends, but there's a game day shuttle that goes from downtown to campus.
There is a taxi company you can call as well if you need to get somewhere further out.
HOTEL
4. The hotel situation has grown a lot. It's famously difficult to get a room on game weekend. There are also hotels in nearby West Point (15 min) and Columbus (25 min) as well. I can't speak to VRBO but Airbnb is worth a shot at least. I know there are some listed, anyway.
FOOD
5. Stadium food is your typical fare, nothing really noteworthy.
Around town, everything will be packed but there are a lot of good options.
-Little Dooey is first on everyone's list and for good reason. It's a barbecue place but literally everything I've tried on the menu is good. Go for the catfish, fried grilled or blackened and you can't go wrong. Even their chicken tenders are the best around. If you want to go on Gameday, though, it's best to show up when the doors open at 10:30.
-Restaurant Tyler is pretty much the gold standard for high-end dining in the area. --The Veranda is also exceptional and has more tables so that may be a factor as far as getting a table. (Here, if you don't get full it's your fault, whereas at Tyler the portions aren't as large)
-I'll recommend Harvey's and Central Station Grill also for upscale casual options. Both are consistently good.


TICKETS
6. For football tickets, I'd probably go Stubhub. If it's a big game the ticket office likely won't be an option.
There are usually tickets available outside the stadium as well.


TAILGATING
7. The big tailgating area is in The Junction, a large grassy area to the south of the stadium. That will be tough to get a spot, as folks wait all day Friday to rush in and claim their spots. For a more family-friendly, spread out atmosphere there are lots of little places to set up- many of them in paid Bulldog Club areas. Pretty much anywhere in sight of the stadium is going to have some folks set up having a good time.

TRADITIONS
8.We do the "Dawg Walk" prior to the game in the junction, that's fun for younger fans and anyone who likes a ton of people all crowded together.
On Fridays at midnight, there's "streaking on the Drill Field" which can be fun as a spectator.
 
K

KurtRambis4

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Aug 30, 2006
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You should just

head to Oxford. Souther Garden and Women's Monthly have some great articles out on it.
 
KeyserSoze1999

KeyserSoze1999

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Aug 26, 2015
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If possible the Sept. 10th game against South Carolina would be good---mostly because Friday night is an event called Bulldog Bash. Bulldog Bash happens each year before the 1st SEC home game, basically a giant outdoor party in the Cotton District (between the campus & down town), pep rally, plenty of booze & food, and a free music concert that night.

For food I would recommend Harvey's they have good steaks, burgers, and drinks. Also if you are in the Cotton District you will be close to a good pizza place called Stromboli's, it is a small place but the food is well worth it.

A tip that I use myself is some Tylenol on game day---ringing cowbells is a big tradition for MSU and 3 plus hours of it on a Saturday even gets to us sometimes.

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T

tatedog

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Mar 28, 2015
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If you need suggestions on a reputable tattoo artist while in town, I know who can get you that info as well.
 
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UpTheMiddlex3Punt

Well-known member
May 28, 2007
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1. GTR is closest, but flights are very limited. Probably much worse than when I was a student there. BHM is probably your best bet, followed by MEM and JAN.
2. There's nothing spectacular about any of the drives. I suppose you could do the Natchez Trace Parkway if you flew into Jackson (or Nashville, but that's very far), but it's a bit out of the way to take the trace to Starkville staying at Jackson airport.
3. Yes, you'll need a rental car just to get to Starkville.
4. It's a little far, but you might check out Pearl River Resort. It farther than Columbus it West Point, but there's a casino there with plenty of rooms. Never stayed there myself. I think it's about 45 minutes away.
5. Little Dooey is a must (go ahead and hate). As far as stadium food goes, I have two words: Carolina Pride.
6. Stub Hub or scalpers. Don't bother with the ticket office.
7. Everything tailgating is centered around the Junction. You can walk up and get a good spot within a couple hundred yards a few hours before the game.
8. The Dawg Walk is the high point of pregame festivities. Make sure to see Dorman Hall.
9. Nothing sticks out.
10. We're pretty hospitable and most of the area around the stadium is safe.
11. Ole Miss is actually a good trip, but only if you're in the Grove. The tailgating scene goes downhill fast once you're outside it. Find someone who sets up in the Groove. Auburn is the best non-MSU trip overall in my opinion. Haven't been to all the campuses for a football game yet, but none have been bad. Even Kentucky was good.
 
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coachnorm

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Jul 23, 2015
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Getting to Starkville is difficult for me because I fly to Jackson from San Diego, CA. There is One flight that serves me well out of San Diego and it is, United Airlines, the first one to Houston Intercontinental. I fly out at 6:30 Pacific Time. I get up about 4:20 to get to the airport. Security is brutal between 5:00 and 6:00 AM because business and military have time zone issues to deal with out East. This flight usually fills up months in advance. Getting connecting flights from Houston to Jackson can be problematic if I miss the 6:30 flight out of San Diego. I usually get to Jackson at about 2:30 Central Time. My friend from Starkville picks me up and drives me to Starkville. Because of some difficulties the commute to Starkville is stressful, but well worth it when some of Mississippi's finest sit down, with me, at the dinner table at Hucks in Columbus.
 
dawgstudent

dawgstudent

Well-known member
Apr 15, 2003
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TRAVEL
1. I would fly into GTR unless you don't mind the 4+ hour drive from Atlanta.
2. n/a
3. You won't need it in starkville depending on where you stay but you have to get here somehow.
HOTEL
4. Hotels are very difficult to come by if you don't stay at least 2 nights. If you know the weekend you are coming - i would go ahead and book now.
FOOD
5. What are your favorite places to eat around Starkville during the college football season? How is the food in the stadium (anything a one-time visitor can’t leave the stadium without eating)?
TICKETS
6. Just go to Stubhub
TAILGATING
7. The Junction and really anywhere right around the stadium. One thing I do like about our setup is you are literally steps away from the entrance depending on where you tailgate.
TRADITIONS
8. Do the dawg walk if you want to experience gameday.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
9. Nothing really for families besides the game. It's a small town like most SEC towns. I really can't think of any SEC town that has family activities besides Nashville. It might be fun if you came for the weekend of Bulldog Bash (usually a big home game in September - I'm guessing Auburn this year) b/c there is a festival downtown the morning of the game that's more family oriented.
SAFETY
10. Hospitiable. You will run into a jerk fan at some point just because of alcohol but that's anywhere.
OTHER SEC SCHOOLS
11. Favorite - LSU.
 
E

esplanade91

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Dec 9, 2010
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1 & 2. Had the most luck with Memphis, but I've also used Birmingham and Jackson. All pretty much the same distance.

3. It would just depend on where you're staying. You can't not have a car if you're anywhere other than the Cotton District or staying at the Comfort Suites. I've been to Starkville without a car of my own and didn't feel like I needed it, and it's actually pretty inconvenient on game weekends.

4. There's a startup that's exactly like AirBnB but for college football that I would check out. The name escapes me. I'd venture to say that you're probably not going to be able to find a hotel close by at this point. Those things go quick. If you're a platinum status you might be able to get someone kicked. Saw someone do that in Omaha once.

5. Little Dooey, Bin 612, any stranger's tent.

6. I've personally never had a problem buying tickets on any platform, but MSU has an "official partner" called Vivid and they're the only tickets that the school will officially back. I used Vivid to buy tickets for a TCU game and the tickets turned out to be fake and the school wouldn't recognize them because their "official partner" was StubHub, so my advise would be to go through Vivid or whoever the school deems official next season.

7. Spots in the smack-dab middle of the Junction are claimed by the same people each and every week and those people get there 12 hours before you're allowed to set up to stake claim. It's typically college students. Each time I've come back to MSU I haven't gotten to town until 7 or 8 that Friday night and I've ALWAYS found a place to stick a tent right in front of the library or Bost. I wouldn't stress about finding a spot, things haven't reached that level of crazy yet. As it pertains to meeting people or seeing things, I've honestly never been more welcomed by strangers as I have in the Junction. Maybe that's me being bias or a combination of that and me spending most of my tailgating time these days in the northeast and Texas.

8. The Dawg Walk is pretty sweet. Other than that our tradition is to eat cheese, binge on some kind of pork product, and find unique ways of sneaking whiskey into the stadium.

9. Honestly, no. But if you fly in/out of Memphis, that'd be fun.

10. There are some issues sometimes with people stealing **** from tailgates during the game, but I've personally never had a problem with that. No one wants to steal an empty Coleman that's missing a wheel. Just general rule of thumb of being smart. Other than that, I never locked my door to my apartment when I lived in Starkville. It's truly a small town.

11. Go to Athens, temper expectations for Oxford but still go, go to Baton Rouge on gameday even if you don't buy a ticket to the game, and skip Tennessee.
 
P

Palos verdes

Member
Aug 22, 2012
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coachnorm said:
Getting to Starkville is difficult for me because I fly to Jackson from San Diego, CA. There is One flight that serves me well out of San Diego and it is, United Airlines, the first one to Houston Intercontinental. I fly out at 6:30 Pacific Time. I get up about 4:20 to get to the airport. Security is brutal between 5:00 and 6:00 AM because business and military have time zone issues to deal with out East. This flight usually fills up months in advance. Getting connecting flights from Houston to Jackson can be problematic if I miss the 6:30 flight out of San Diego. I usually get to Jackson at about 2:30 Central Time. My friend from Starkville picks me up and drives me to Starkville. Because of some difficulties the commute to Starkville is stressful, but well worth it when some of Mississippi's finest sit down, with me, at the dinner table at Hucks in Columbus.
Click to expand...

Try flying Delta from SAN-ATL-GTR. That knocks out the drive from Jackson to Starkville.
 
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InTheIttaBenaHotSun

Active member
Jan 9, 2016
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If you're going to eat one meal in Starkville then I suggest you go over to Anthony's in West Point, MS for dinner (20 minute Drive).

Athens, GA should be your next trip if you've not already been there. Hands down the best college town in the SEC and probably the country. You need to go out in downtown Athens on a Friday night (60 bars and restaurants just off campus and all within walking distance of each other) and they've got a ton of drop dead co-eds....If you can't get to Athens during the fall, I suggest you find out when one of your favorite bands is playing there in the spring and go. I've been out in every SEC town except A&M and Mizzou - Athens blows everybody else away.

If you fly into Birmingham then you'll have to drive through Tuscaloosa (hold your nose) to get to Starkville. 90 miles between our two towns. You can swing by UofA and check them out on your trip also.
 
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