When most people think of tailgating and college football, they think of beer and grilling out in a parking lot beside some stadium with friends and other fans. When Ole Miss fans think of tailgating they think of The Grove. It has been placed at the top of multiple media polls of the best places in the nation to tailgate—not just in college football, but in all of sports. Sporting News described it as “the Holy Grail of Tailgating” while others have called it every party you can think of at one location. It is something vastly underestimated.

The Grove is over a hundred years old, and was not known for tailgating until the 1950’s when RVs, cars, and trucks started using the 10 acres on campus to get ready for the game. It wasn’t until a rainstorm during the 1991 season that turned the Grove into a muddy mess that only tents would be allowed on the lot. One gameday, there are red and blue tents as far as the eye can see covering the entire area.

Today, a large arch stands at the beginning of the grove near the Student Union that known as “The Walk of Champions”. This was started by Head Coach Billy Brewer back in 1983 when he was looking for a way to bring more attention to the the football team. Two hours before each home game, the football team would start the walk to the stadium from Kinard Hall (athletic dorm) across campus to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. This is now a strong tradition that is still done today. The famed arch was not built until 1998, founded by the 1962 football team that finished undefeated and were national champions.

Setting up each tailgating space for those seven home games starts long before Saturday. Tents cannot be set up or on the Grove at all until 8:00 p.m. on Friday night, which is indicated by the sounding of a siren. Depending on the game, people will start holding their spot on Thursday or early Friday morning and wait for the queue to begin getting ready to tailgate. Some students stay at their chosen spot while others go to class. Some fans even hire companies to set up their tailgating space before they arrive.

The Friday wait is an experience itself. While the excitement is building, people can be seen throwing footballs, Frisbees, and drinking and talking about the game, but soon as the siren goes off, crowds of people frantically run to set up tents, decorations, and coolers.

Once Saturday arrives, the fans make their way to The Grove very early regardless of the time the game is set to start. Before dawn breaks, you can already feel the buzz, the smell of great tasting southern-style barbecue and other cuisine. Soon, red and blue cups are filled with beer or liquor and the party begins.

Fans dress up almost as if they were headed to church in red, white, and blue. Females dress in sundresses, pearls, fancy sunglasses, Males in ties, collared shirts, and khakis. Some large tailgating tents even feature hanging chandeliers with a food spread that would make you wonder if you were at a college football game or an award ceremony.

The Hotty Toddy chant can be heard throughout The Grove. Someone yelling “Are you ready?” Followed by multiple people in unison “ Hell Yeah! Damn Right! Hotty Toddy, Gosh almighty, who the hell are we, hey! Flim Flam Bim Bam, Ole Miss by damn!”

Scattered throughout The Grove are Hotty Toddy Potties, which are luxury restrooms stationed on 18-wheeler platforms. Live bands are brought in to play at certain tents and often fill the Grove with blasting music which is always sure to ignite the fans. TV’s everywhere broadcast pregame shows or other games going taking place elsewhere in the country. Fans will sometimes return to the Grove to catch up on other games happening on the TV’s inside their tents.

Of course most people know about the “talent level” at Ole Miss—a term used to describe the many beautiful women that can be found on campus. The crowd will slowly gather for the Walk of Champions, and fans will roar as the entire football team walks through The Grove. Players will high-five fans and cheer with the crowd, as the marching band plays during the walk.

The tailgating atmosphere is truly indescribable at The Grove. I have attended tailgates at number of schools in different conferences and multiple SEC schools, and I can honestly say that Ole Miss and The Grove is on a different level.

As the famous saying in Oxford, Mississippi goes, “We may not win the game, but we never lost a party.”