Anyone Going to LSU game?

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

Me and a couple of guys are going down Friday evening. Super excited. Anything we should know? 

[TigerOne 1,140]

Be gracious and humble in victory. The Troy game is irrelevant this will be a different LSU team.

You take them for granted you get beat.

[AubTgr65 0]

9 hours ago, 3rdgeneration said:

Can't be any worse than Athens is these days.  Have fun and represent the REAL Tigers well! 

(We need a tiger emoticon!)

That's the dang truth.  Fleadog fans gathered in clusters on game day in Athens are just plain rude and socially unacceptable.

[thaitopher 807]

9 hours ago, ClaytonAU said:

Me and a couple of guys are going down Friday evening. Super excited. Anything we should know? 

Stay as close to campus as possible. There is really nothing else to do around Baton Rouge. Maybe go eat at the Chimes or Walkons on Friday night, then Saturday leave early and hang around the stadium and even go visit with Mike the Tiger (impressive enclosure he is in). 

[mcgufcm 4,096]

I'm coming with a friend. I've been to BR for games on four occasions... never seen a win. As soon as they hired Coach O, I made plans to be there. Love that town. Love those people. You have to have a crass funny bone, but if you do, it's the best. Here's my favorite story and an example of stuff that really bothers some folks (but also stuff that makes me laugh):

I was driving to park in their lots on the backside of the stadium with a car full. Three guys and two girls loaded up with us. There was a crew tailgating in the median, and the chef had a full apron on. He walks over to the car (stopped in traffic) and knocks on the window. He asks if we want anything to eat so I asked what he was grilling. He starts listing stuff off, takes the bottom of his apron, lifts it up to wipe the sweat of his face, and says we're also making extra long sausages. Tied to the underside of his apron is a large faux penis that promptly lifts into the window and riiiiiight in my face. I mean, what can you do but laugh. PERFECT execution on the joke. I said no thanks on the sausage. They fell out laughing and brought us some food as the traffic started moving.

In my experience, that is Baton Rouge. Crass. Funny. Sometimes offensive. But great. Now, I just want to watch Auburn win.

[McLoofus 35,182]

7 minutes ago, mcgufcm said:

I'm coming with a friend. I've been to BR for games on four occasions... never seen a win. As soon as they hired Coach O, I made plans to be there. Love that town. Love those people. You have to have a crass funny bone, but if you do, it's the best. Here's my favorite story and an example of stuff that really bothers some folks (but also stuff that makes me laugh):

I was driving to park in their lots on the backside of the stadium with a car full. Three guys and two girls loaded up with us. There was a crew tailgating in the median, and the chef had a full apron on. He walks over to the car (stopped in traffic) and knocks on the window. He asks if we want anything to eat so I asked what he was grilling. He starts listing stuff off, takes the bottom of his apron, lifts it up to wipe the sweat of his face, and says we're also making extra long sausages. Tied to the underside of his apron is a large faux penis that promptly lifts into the window and riiiiiight in my face. I mean, what can you do but laugh. PERFECT execution on the joke. I said no thanks on the sausage. They fell out laughing and brought us some food as the traffic started moving.

In my experience, that is Baton Rouge. Crass. Funny. Sometimes offensive. But great. Now, I just want to watch Auburn win.

Awesome story. Definitely the good side of their thing they've got going down there. 

[thaitopher 807]

My brother and I will be at Walkons at 11:30 a.m. this Saturday morning for any Tiger fans who want to join me. It's only a mile from the stadium so you can park near there, eat then walk to the stadium. I will be the guy wearing the bright orange shirt with the old school Tiger mascot logo on the front. War Eagle!!!

[PythagoreanTiger 9]

I have been to more Auburn/LSU games than I can count, as I am an alumnus of both schools. It's my absolute favorite game every season. I wanted to give some suggestions for Auburn fans making the trip from the perspective of a dual Tiger who lived in Baton Rouge for several years. Hopefully this is helpful to those who are making the trip for the first time or looking for new things to do on a return trip. 

Hotels

It's probably too late for this, but I thought I'd share just in case you're still looking for a place to stay on the off chance there's any availability. Any of the hotels off of the College Dr. exit (Corporate Blvd. & Constitution Ave.) are good. Any of the downtown hotels will be too--especially if you're looking to be able to walk to and from the 3rd St. bars. Those are pretty much as close as you can get to campus. The hotels off Essen and Bluebonnet are fine too, but they're farther from campus and any fun nightlife. I don't recommend going any farther north or east due to distance, convenience, and/or safety. If you can't find anything there, NOLA or Hammond area are your best bets. 

Food, Drinks, & Fun

Baton Rouge has some good restaurants and fun bars. Unfortunately they are rarely located within walking distance of each other and are almost never within walking distance from your hotel. A non-exhaustive list of restaurant recommendations includes Chimes, Parrain's, Chelsea's, George's, Sammy’s, and Bistro Byronz. For non-cajun/creole cuisine, I’d recommend City Pork or The Rum House. I also highly recommend Mason’s (or Chimes) for brunch on Sunday. 

As far as bar recommendations go, it depends on what you're looking for. The 3rd St. bars are fun and have a nice variety of options and are good for bar hopping. Tigerland and Bogie’s might be appealing if you're college aged or not too far removed. There are also random bars elsewhere in the city that are cool like The Bulldog, Olive or Twist, and Radio Bar. Bars within short walking distance to campus include Chimes, Walk-Ons, and Tigerland.

Downtown Baton Rouge holds a free concert from 5-8 on Friday in the park behind the Old State Capitol as a part of the Live After Five concert series. They sell food and beverages there, and it is adjacent to 3rd Street where the bars are downtown. If haunted houses are your thing, 13th Gate is one of the best (ranked #2 in the country this year) and it is located downtown as well.

Game Day

Get to campus early as the parking situation is terrible and fills up quickly. They recently changed the parking rules. You can no longer park on the streets and essentially all of the on-campus lots are paid with the exception of the Old Front Nine, Hart, and Parker Coliseum lots which all fill up by 9 or 10ish for big games and the Levee & Hayfield lots which fill up not too much later. Some of the lots behind the law school and around the lab school are also free. There are also a couple lots on the perimeter of campus that aren't paid but they're a bit of a hike. There are also several places that you can pay on campus without a parking pass. This is a good option if you want convenient parking and spending that money isn't an issue for you. Post-game traffic is all contraflow and is absolutely terrible, so if you have a tailgate to go back to after the game and let time pass then do it. Basically, if you're parked south of the stadium you will be forced to leave south, and similarly if you're parked to the north. Here's a parking map to help give you an idea: 

As many have already said in the thread, tailgating at LSU is an absolute blast. LSU fans love having a good time with each other and with visiting fans. Yes, you'll be tiger baited (even though it's not exactly logical when Auburn and LSU play). It's just an LSU tradition. Smile and wave and you will likely be offered food and drinks. LSU fans will also make comments about the shakers (but will call them "pom-poms"). No need to be upset here, either. LSU doesn't use shakers so the fans think it's weird. Smile and wave and you will likely be offered food and drinks. Outside of that, you should not have any problems unless you actively try to find them and/or create them. Just like every fan base, there are duds. Ignore them and interact with the 99% of LSU fans who just want to have a good time with you.

I've always had a great experience as an Auburn fan in Baton Rouge and I've never witnessed anything other than incessant tiger baiting and other harmless taunts in my years as a season ticket holder at LSU (even when LSU lost the game). If you go to Baton Rouge looking to have fun, you're going to have a blast. Don't engage with the duds. There will be a plethora of fans who would love to tailgate and have a good time with you. Converse about the mutual hatred for Alabama and you're almost guaranteed to leave with a full belly and as much booze as you would like.

LSU has one of the prettiest campuses in the SEC so take some time to just walk around and enjoy it. People tailgate everywhere, but places of interest (depending on your age and what you're looking for) include the Parade Ground and the Old Front Nine. Tiger Walk is always located at gates 11 & 12 on the southeast corner of the stadium about two hours before kickoff. After that’s over, I recommend walking to the north side of the stadium to watch the Tiger Band march down the hill. Try to be in the stadium no less than 30 minutes before kickoff to ensure you see all of LSU’s pregame traditions like Callin’ Baton Rouge, Louisiana Saturday Night, and pregame. Death Valley is one of the best gameday atmospheres in the country, especially at night. Unfortunately it’s a 2:30 kickoff and will be hotter than hell, but it should still be a good time. 

Hope this is helpful. War Eagle and Geaux Tigers!