“The Grove is unlike any other place on earth, especially [during] big
games such as Texas vs. Ole Miss. The feeling and experience are
indescribable,” Ole Miss senior Margaret Anderson says. The Grove is a
place Longhorns fans have been excited to go since the announcement UT
would face Ole Miss in a series of games starting in 2012. The first of
those games happens this Saturday in Oxford.
The closer you get to Ole Miss, which welcomed its first class in 1848, has been ranked by many
publications as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the
country.
Its roads and walkways are lined with vibrant oak, elm, magnolia and
pine trees. Its old stone and brick buildings are accented with classic
details quintessential of a traditional southern university. And on
Saturdays every fall, the largest green space on campus, known as The
Grove, is dotted with hundreds of red, white and blue tents and young
adults dressed to the nines, ready for a good time.
“It's the biggest and most well dressed party in the USA that happens
six times a year,” Ole Miss junior and Attorney General of the Student
Body Matthew Kiefer says.
Inside the 10-acre Grove, you’ll be greeted by unparalleled southern
hospitality and enjoy some of the best food and fixin's you'll find at
any college tailgating. And don't worry if you don't know anyone. If
you're friendly, you will have dozens of people calling you by your
first name in no time and you will be satisfied with a tummy full of
homemade pimento cheese, fried chicken, deviled eggs and decadent finger
sandwiches.
“There's a sense of hospitality that you can only experience when
walking through the brick arch of the Walk of Champions. We welcome and
offer shelter and refreshments to both opponent and friend and win or
lose, there's always a party,” explains Ole Miss Student Body Vice
President Emmalee Rainey.
Besides the great food and the lush setting, something else that makes
The Grove unique is the dress code. While you can wear whatever you
want, you will find students dressed in their Sunday best or something
you might see at a cocktail party. You'll see girls in dressy sun
dresses or knee length evening gowns and heels, boys in khakis and
long-sleeved button downs, ties and perhaps seersucker blazers. The
formal game day dress adds to the excitement, giving it a sense of being
even more of a special occasion than it already is.
Matthew Kiefer describes the uniqueness of The Grove, “It’s the feeling
of 30,000 people walking around in their Easter best, where a ‘hello’
and a ‘y'all’ can make acquaintances into friends, and friends into
family.”
The tents are also more formal than what you might see in the parking
lots around Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on game day. Many
have chandeliers, living room lamps, flower arrangements and sterling
silver platters and cutlery, making it feel more like a backyard party
than tailgating. In fact, to call it tailgating is both inadequate and
inaccurate, as vehicles aren’t allowed in The Grove.
Between the delicious food and friendly faces, you can spend hours just
wandering between the tents catching up with old friends, making new
ones and sharing your thoughts on what you think might be in store for
the Ole Miss Rebels when that first whistle blows.
University of Texas Longhorns fans were able to scoop up about four
thousand tickets to this Saturday’s game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in
Oxford, but thousands more UT fans are expected to stampede into the
Grove to get a taste of a different type of tailgating. Regardless of
who wins, Longhorns fans will undoubtedly be charmed by the small
Mississippi city home to one of the most beautiful college campuses and
best tailgating in the country. Hotty Toddy!
