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The warm air of late summer is blowing in and you can almost the roar of the crowd once more. That’s right — the college football season is upon us again in Virginia. With college football season comes the glorious tradition of loading up the truck or Jeep, hitching up the trailer, and tailgating at home games. There’s nothing better than gathering with 20,000 of your closest friends and enjoying great food, great times and a little pre-game trash talking.

Whether you’re a Hokie or Wahoo, it’s important to be prepared for the upcoming football season. Here in Winchester, it’s a bit of a trip to hit up either campus, so you might as well make an event of it! In this guide, we are covering some essential information for tailgating football games at either UVA or VT. We’ve got everything you need to jump start your collegiate journey to either team’s campus for brats, brews and bonding.

Tailgating Rules: UVA and Virginia Tech

There are a lot of similarities in most college campuses when it comes to tailgating; however, the few differences are worth pointing out. In our research, the only notable difference was in overnight RV parking at UVA and Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech allows overnight parking in their specific lots, but UVA does not. Otherwise, UVA has a 5 pound maximum gas grill requirement, while we couldn’t find a limiter on VA Tech’s regulations.

As always, be sure to check both the UVA tailgating rules and Virginia Tech tailgating rules for other specific requirements.

Football Tailgate Public Parking Map for Virginia Tech

The above map of the campus in Blacksburg showcases the main public parking options available for tailgaters who aren’t Hokie Club members. It’s only a 15 minute trek to the field from those spots. RV parking is $50 per game and the public lot is about $20 per spot. For Saturday games, the lots open up quite early, which is a signal that you should be there early, too. If you arrive at 6 a.m. there may not be too big of a line in front of you. Later than 9 a.m. and you might miss out on any parking.

For RV parking, arrive early the day before and stay all night! The lot opens at noon the day before the game, so make sure you snag an early spot and are prepared to camp out before the game. Chances are everyone who manages to grab an RV spot is planning on camping the night before. Not all RV campers plan on staying the night after the game, but two nights are included in the price, as long as you’re out by noon Sunday.

Football Tailgate Public Parking Map for the University of Virginia

The map above highlights the main route from the free visitor parking down Alderman Road to Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. As usual, you’ll want to arrive early for prime pickings in these lots. For a pre-noon game, you’ll want to arrive bright and early, whereas for an evening game, try to start hunting for your spot at least six hours before the game starts. Remember, tailgating is a marathon — not a sprint.

After you’ve set up camp and everyone in your party is having a great time, you’ll want to venture in groups down Ivy Road to visit The Lawn. Home to some select undergrads, The Lawn is the heart of game day festivities at UVA and is worth a visit. Bring your cooler and stay for a while.

That should get you started on your new tailgating tradition or one-time experiment. Whichever team you support, it’s definitely worth a trip to either Blacksburg or Charlottesville to join the party at least once. If you want a truck worth decking out for serious tailgating, we have a wide selection of Ram trucks that will make you the envy of your entire row in the campus parking lot. If off-roading is more your style, our Jeep selection will appeal to your inner rock crawler and brat roaster at the same time.