For those making the trip to Baton Rouge next week

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 weekend every year. I wanted to give some suggestions for Auburn fans making the trip from the perspective of 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. 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
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.

Game Day
Get to campus early as parking is a bitch and fills up quickly. They've changed the rules since the last time Auburn played in BR. 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 9ish for big games and the Levee & Hayfield lots which fill up not that 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:



Tailgating at LSU is an absolute blast. The horror stories that circulate about LSU fans are from babies. 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 (typically a subset of the student population and some of the sidewalk fans). Ignore them and interact with the 99% of LSU fans who just want to have a good time with you.

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 40 minutes before kickoff to ensure you see all of LSU’s pregame traditions like Mike (even though he didn’t want to get in his cage for any games last year…), 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 helps, and I look forward to seeing everyone there!