Texas A&M Football: Top Aggie road trips in the SEC

Fellas, if you’re significant other is the jealous type, I’d go ahead and leave the wife/girlfriend at home for this one. I don’t care if you walk a tighter path than Tim Tebow, you’re not going to be able to resist from gazing upon the unbelievably gorgeous women that Oxford has to offer. With a bar scene (known by locals as the square) that is very similar to Northgate back home in College Station, the nightlife atmosphere is a conference contender as well. However I’m afraid that might just be where the fun stopped for me.

This might be an incredibly unpopular opinion, but the Grove (the famously known tailgating scene) was one of the most overrated venues I’ve been to in the South. Don’t get me wrong, the chandeliers inside of tailgate tents along with the church-like attire that the students and alumni sport on game day make for an awesome atmosphere.

What is not advertised though, is the terrible open container law that is enforced. In order to consume any alcohol while tailgating, you must have your drink of choice in a concealed cup. That means no cans, bottles, or glasses. To make matters even worse, you must be incredibly discrete while pouring alcohol into your cups. If you are caught doing so by one of the many roaming security guards on campus, you will be forced to empty your entire ice chest.

True story; back in 2013 I was on my way into Vaught-Hemmingway stadium (which much like the town was shockingly small as well) just minutes before kickoff. As I quickly paced through the crowd to go to the game, I witnessed an older man hit a curb with the back wheel of his rolling ice chest. Unfortunately for the seasoned gentlemen his entire cooler (full of numerous cases of beer and from what I counted four bottles of Jack Daniels) fell out of the chest right next to a fleet of campus security guards. They swarmed the old timer like sharks and ensued to make him pour out upwards of $200 worth of alcohol, bottle by bottle and can by can. Tough site to see.

Pro tip

Load up on Yeti cups, food, and booze before you venture into the alarmingly small (and dry) county of Oxford.