I, like some on here, am trying to complete the sec stadium tour. I know it’s a few weeks away, but I like to get an idea of what I’m doing before hand. Tennessee is one that I’ve never been to. I’m planning to go this year and see us smoke them, but I just had a few questions...
1) I’ve always heard neyland isn’t average to above average butt friendly. Is that true, and if so are there better spots in the stadium to sit than others.
2) does Tennessee have scalpers? I want to get as cheap as I can for decent seats and wanted to know if scalpers are an option in Knoxville.
3) is the vol navy really what it’s hyped up to be or should I skip it
4) what pregame and tailgate traditions are a must see there
5) how is parking
6) where to eat up there.
bonus: what is your best memory up there
Thanks in advance
Been making that trip every other year since 1984. It's a good trip and I like the atmosphere of Neyland and the Smokies and downtown Knoxville ain't bad if you're not a Gatlinburg guy (I'm not). Hotel rooms in and around knoxville can get expensive, especially if you dare to stay downtown, but that's no different than most SEC towns for big games.
1. Neyland is good atmosphere/environment, but a somewhat crappy stadium in terms of moving around and comfort and viewing the game, though recent upgrades helped a little (we've always dubbed Neyland the world's larges double-wide).
2. Plenty of scalpers at Neyland, and if you wait until 30 minutes or less before kickoff you should score tickets for well below face value, I would not sweat tickets at all given UT's season.
3. To me vol navy is something that's kinda cool to see once, but not that big of a deal. It's not really an experience unless you know someone with a boat, so just go down to river front night before or on the way to stadium Saturday morning and see it, take a few pics, and move on.
4. Tailgating is not as big as walking the strip, though national chains have taken away a lot of the charm & atmosphere of the strip. We used to tailgate on campus with UT friends we have in Knoxville, but university has taken over much of the on-campus spaces so parking can be a challenge. Some people park in garages and then walk the strip.
5. See above, parking is kind of wherever you can find it, a little like Athens but worse. Maybe a little like old Legion Field, just get there early and find a spot.
6. Calhoun's on the river is pretty much the famous go to place. It's ribs and bbq. We typically go there Friday night because my brother likes the tradition (and he usually picks up the tab). To me it's good, but a bit overrated. Still it's a neat location on the river and on Friday night there will be a lot of Bama & UT fans down there. There is pretty a nice riverfront walkway for a nice troll with wife and/or kids. For late night after-game pizza we like DaVinci's. You'll need advice from someone else for any high-end restaurants as Calhoun's is about as uppity as we get in Knoxville.
Lot's of memories for me. But the 1990 game stands out as one of the most exciting finishes I've ever seen, and one of the loudest games I've ever been at. UT kicked 4th qtr FG to tie it 6-6, then with about a minute left tried a long FG to take the lead but it was blocked and luckily for Bama rolled a long way. Bama got ball and kicked game winner with just a few seconds left. UT fans were shell-shocked and Bama section went nuts. That was back when most of the away fans still sat in a block in the corner, so we were able to make a ton of noise.
It's a fun trip, especially of late. Bring cigars ahead of time, because last time we were there the cigar shop in downtown Knoxville (which was pretty good) had closed.
