1. LSU
When it comes to tailgating at Louisiana State University, the first things to come to mind are food, family/tradition, and a whole lot of fun. LSU has consistently been ranked as one of the best places to tailgate in the country, so it should come as little surprise that LSU is also home to one of the largest tailgate scenes in the country.
2. Ole Miss
Tailgating is a huge part of what makes Ole Miss a special place to be on game days. Unlike most schools where tailgating is scattered all around campus, at Ole Miss everyone comes out to tailgate in one centralized location called The Grove. The Grove consists of 10 acres of land, but it still doesn’t fail to fill up on game day.
3. Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys fans love tailgating almost as much as they love football and it shows, in fact, the lots surrounding the stadium fill up right when they open five hours before kickoff. If you want to get in on the tailgating scene at AT&T Stadium, make sure to get to the tailgate bright and early, so you can find a spot and don’t miss out on any of the action.
4. Michigan
University of Michigan fans take tailgating very seriously. Here you’ll find a very traditional tailgate atmosphere that featuring tents, grills, drinks, and tailgate games. On game days you’ll see lots of very intricate setups hours before kickoff as students, alumni, and even kids come together on game day to celebrate a Wolverines game day.
5. Milwaukee Brewers
Brewers fans love to tailgate and on game days you’ll find the parking lots surrounding Miller Park packed to the gills with grills, tents, and coolers. You won’t find a larger tailgate scene in baseball than the one at Miller Park.
6. Oklahoma
Football is huge in Norman Oklahoma as the Sooners are one of the most successful teams in college football having claimed seven national championships since 1950. Likewise, tailgating is huge in Norman making a Sooners tailgate the place to be on game day. You’ll find that tailgating is a huge deal to Sooners fans as they get things kicked off at noon on the day before games
7. Iowa
There isn’t a lot to do in Iowa besides tailgate, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the Hawkeyes have one of the best turnouts in the country. Fans here love to party on game days, and you’ll find a sea of black and yellow on game days in Iowa City.
8. Houston Texans
NRG Stadium provides an outstanding tailgating experience where you’ll get enjoy hanging out with fellow Texans fans, eating delicious barbecue, and enjoy the beautiful warm fall weather Houston has to offer. The laidback atmosphere of the tailgate will put you at ease, and you’ll have no problem making friends quickly.
9. Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs fans put on one if not the best tailgates in the NFL. Titled “The Asphalt Jungle,” the Arrowhead parking lot tailgate offers any food you could imagine and has been deemed by some as a true tailgate paradise.
10. Ohio State
A good tailgate can be found almost anywhere around campus, especially in the lots around campus. The flood of people coming onto campus for a home game creates one of the most impressive and exciting tailgating cultures in college football. Anywhere in the town you can set up and tailgate and have thousands of fans surrounding you. It’s amazing how the town is bleeding scarlet and gray from the rooftops to the curbs
11. Texas Rangers
Like most Texas-based fanbases, Rangers fans love to tailgate. The tailgates in Arlington have plenty of delicious barbecue and brews meaning you can’t go wrong attending a Rangers tailgate.
12. Green Bay Packers
Packer fans come out bright and early to tailgate with Winnebago villages forming as early as two days before the game. In Green Bay, the Packers are the center of daily life meaning you can’t start early enough to tailgate for a Packers game, as everywhere you go you’ll find people looking to down a few beers and talk Packers football.
13. Texas
Texas fans tailgate hard as you’ll notice the minute you arrive in Austin. Everywhere you go, you’ll see people decked out in burnt orange and white. The area around campus on game day is crazy as all you’ll be able to see burnt orange tents and grills for miles and miles.
14. Philadelphia Phillies
Whether it’s an Eagles game or Phillies game, the lots surrounding the South Philly Sports Complex will be chalked full of tailgaters. Phillies fans have an undying love for their team, and all throughout the summer can be found tailgating hard for their team.
15. Penn State
The grass lots around Beaver Stadium allow for miles of tailgating. Penn State tailgaters are welcoming and love to share stories, food, and beverage with tailgaters around them. The town, University Park, draws over 200,000 people to the game, creating a huge community of college football fans.
16. Florida State
Tailgating at Florida State is serious business, as the fans here don’t wait until Saturday morning to get things going. Seminoles fans love to throw back a few beers and have a wild and fun time on game days. The pregame party here starts on Friday night and lasts all through the weekend with fans drinking and carousing long into the night on game days.
17. Nebraska
The area outside Memorial Stadium is a literal sea of red as the entire city of Lincoln wears red on game day; the fans/student section is even nicknamed “The Sea of Red.” Unlike other teams and stadiums, there is always a “red out” and you’ll rarely see people in any other color inside or outside the stadium.
18. Miami
A Miami Hurricanes tailgate fills the large parking lots surrounding Hard Rock Stadium. The tailgate here is a great place to meet friends, grab a beer, and eat some delicious food. A Miami tailgate creates a great feeling of camaraderie as everyone here is dressed in orange, green, and white to cheer on the ‘Canes.
19. Virginia Tech
There is lots of pride and passion on display whenever the Hokies play as the fans here are very loyal to their team. Everywhere you look at a Virginia Tech tailgate, you’ll see fans adorn in the traditional colors of maroon and orange. A Virginia Tech tailgate has a lot to offer as people come from far and wide to root on their Hokies to victory.
20. Alabama
Tailgating at the University of Alabama has become an integral and crucial part of the game day and the culture of Crimson Tide fans. Alabama has a ton to offer regarding tailgating locations. The tailgating scene at Alabama offers you anything from bars along The Strip to the rowdy Quad, and of course family friendly tailgating as well. You’ll find a great time no matter what you’re looking for whether it’s slamming brews at The Houndstooth on The Strip or enjoying the lush lawns and tailgate tents of the Quad.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
Tailgating at a Steelers game is a great experience for any tailgate lover. Tailgating is a Sunday tradition for a lot of people in Pittsburgh, and as a result, the Steelers fans take tailgating very seriously. Regardless of if you love to grill, drink, or play tailgate games a Steelers tailgate has something for you.
22. Georgia
With a stadium that can seat over 90,000 fans, it only makes sense that the atmosphere on game day in Athens, Georgia is equally lively as it is loud and full of pride. Students and fans will gather together to celebrate their mutual love for the Bulldogs with multiple tailgating options. Anything from a bloody mary bar to potluck-style meals, Athens has it all!
23. Notre Dame
Notre Dame is home to arguably the best tailgate in the Midwest. South Bend may be a small town, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t put on quite the pregame party. The town lives and breathes Notre Dame football, and you’d struggle to find a more passionate fan base anywhere.
24. Oklahoma State
The atmosphere around Boone Pickens Stadium and Stillwater, OK on game day is filled with Poke pride as they prepare for kickoff. Tailgating is a sport all on its own at OSU and fans aren’t afraid to show their Cowboy pride.
25. South Carolina
Gamecocks fans love to tailgate and kick things off five hours before kick off. When you arrive, you’ll find the lots covered in garnet and black with the smokers fired up and ready to prepare some of the finest barbecues you’ll ever eat. At South Carolina, it’s not just the fans who love tailgating, but the university as well.
