We%26#39;re a few irish lads (23/24) heading over for about 2 weeks in period Sept-Nov. Nothing booked yet. We are hoping to fly into New Orleans - grab a game in LSU before making the road trip to austin for another game. We%26#39;d greatly appreciate any tips on what to do in either city, best college nights out and along the route. Any info on cheap car rental and accomodation would be great. Hobbies include drinking, sport %26amp; music - preferably all 3 whenever and wherever possible. Would also love to do all things college %26amp; texas - rodeo, steakhouses etc. Really looking forward to it...
AUSTIN Texas Longhorn %26amp; LSU College football 2009
First of all, LSU is in Baton Rouge, not New Orleans. You could certainly fly into New Orleans and start your road trip there. Getting tickets for UT games can be a challenge, depnding on the game you are going to see. New Orleans, Layfeyette (cajun country) and Austin are all great places.
AUSTIN Texas Longhorn %26amp; LSU College football 2009
Before you book, you should take a look at the football schedules for both LSU and UT so you can coordinate.
The schedule for UT can be found here -- http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/
The schedule for LSU here -- www.lsusports.net/SportSelect.dbml…
On weekends when there is a UT home football game, accomodations in Austin are not cheap and tend to book early. Opportunities for drinking and live music abound always in Austin, and home football games tend to make things even more lively.
You%26#39;re probably going to miss out on the rodeo though. Both Austin and Houston, which you will drive through on your way from New Orleans, have rodeos in February and March, not in the Fall. There may be smaller rodeo events in the small towns scattered between the two, but Fall is generally for football.
Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated! we%26#39;ve been looking at dates and i think we%26#39;re gonna be there for Sept 10-22 and should be around for LSU vs Vanderbilt in Baton Rouge(12 Sept) and then UT vs Texas Tech in Austin(19 Sept). My guess is Austin should be rocking for the all texas affair! It prob means our chances of getting match tickets will be slimmer but a better tailgating day out maybe?! We%26#39;re trying to gauge the best days to be in town for - What is the usual program for the weekend - does the party usually kick off on the friday night, then tailgating sat, and out again Sunday? What are the usual college nights out? Thanks again
If you%26#39;re planning on being in Austin for the Tech game, make your hotel reservations now. The game day doesn%26#39;t really extend too much into the weekend beyond the Saturday. Friday night will probably be busier than normal around 6th St. For Saturday, just hang around the stadium all day (depending on when the game is). Even if you don%26#39;t get tickets, there%26#39;s always a lot going on. Just be sure to wear orange and at the very least, no combination of black and red. Sunday, everyone will be in recovery mode -- and most of the Texas people will be traveling to return home.
djr gave some good advice. For the games when UT plays another Texas team, hotels book quickly, so as soon as you figure out your dates, book something. Also, for these big games -- and this one will be huge since UT lost to Tech last year -- tailgating starts very early. I work about two blocks from the stadium and I start seeing trailers and campers pulling up on Wednesday or Thursday. Mostly it%26#39;s just people staking out a spot, but they do start cooking and drinking early. Saturday will be the biggest tailgate day, but Friday night will be lively around the stadium and on 6th Street. Sunday will be very very quiet around town.
LSU games are very fun. You%26#39;re going to have a great time!
Just be aware that you%26#39;ll be hitting LA during hurricane season. Although there%26#39;s really no way to prepare in advance, just know that there%26#39;s a possibility for a hurricane to hit during that time.
Also, you can stop for some gambling between NOLA and Austin, so bring some extra cash!
This is definitely the single Trip Advisor specific topic I%26#39;m best qualified to answer - I%26#39;m a UT season ticket holder for the past 10 years, I%26#39;m from Baton Rouge, went to LSU, and return for generally three games per year. With this said, my strong recommendation would be to go to the Florida game at LSU on Oct 10 and than drive to Austin for a few days before heading to Dallas for the Oklahoma-Texas game. All four of these teams are likely to be in the top five at the time of the matchups. The other alternative would be to go to the Vanderbilt game at LSU on Sept 12 and then the Texas Tech game here in Austin the following Saturday. The advantage of the first scenario is that the games are extremely high profile, should be competetive, are big league rivalries with great animosity, and the weather is usually good this time of year. The second scenario allows for much cheaper tickets (especially the UT-OU game), prevents a drive to Dallas, and the home team is guaranteed to win. It will be very hot in mid-September, even for evening games.
My recommendations areas follows: Stay in New Orleans initially; generally I use the Hotwire neighborhood selector and pick the cheapest three star or boutique hotel - same with cars, which are typically dirt cheap. Make sure to get unlimited miles. Stay on theFrench Quarter. If you care what your hotel looks like in New Orleans, you%26#39;re doing it wrong. Ping me for bar/restaurant recommendations. You will probably be ready to move on after a couple of days anyway, but I would strongly recommend staying in BR on the night of the game - you won%26#39;t want to drive anywhere afterward. Leave New Orleans several hours prior to the game as traffic is heavy and you%26#39;ll want to take advantage of tailgating opportunities there. If you start speaking to people and let them know you%26#39;re from Ireland and chose LSU for your first college game you%26#39;ll drink free all afternoon. Look for hotels on Nicholson as close to the stadium as possible. On the opposite side of campus atop the hill about 400m there%26#39;s a bar district to your left. The Chimes would be the recommended option there. People will be walking there. Additionally, there are bars on Nicholson S of the stadium. There%26#39;s a cluster about 6 blocks up on the right. Fred%26#39;s would be the best option there. Post-game traffic is nightmarish due to several geographic barriers so the campus area bars are your best bet. About 1.5km from the stadium, Chelsea%26#39;s, on Perkins by the underpass is a great music place. There are three other good bars right there as well. Ivar%26#39;s is a good dive bar, as is George%26#39;s next door with great sandwiches. Baton Rouge is like Limerick - people are really friendly but it%26#39;s not hard to find trouble. Do not wander N very far on Nicholson or Highland out of the narrow and obvious commercial area as it quickly becomes undesirable. You may find certain local accents difficult to understand and get the same in return. Both BR and NO have historic sites, etc. if you%26#39;re interested. The historic plantation area of the US is here, with a concentration 20km N of BR - really more for taking girls there.
After you%26#39;re done with BR, drive to Austin via I-10 into Houston. Sunday would be a good day for this. Avoid Houston at peak traffic times, from about 3:30-7:30. I was once told by a european that the freeway system was like science fiction to them. When you%26#39;re a bit past the city center, take the Hwy 290 W exit to Austin. The entire drive takes about 6.5 hours if you only stop once. You%26#39;ll want to make sure to follow speed limits reasonably close, esp.in Louisiana. Speeds change in the small towns on 290. You will want to stay in downtown Austin, which is where most of the bars are - there%26#39;s dozens within walking distance. Thursday is a good college bar night both at LSU and Texas. Obviously the weekend is busy too.
The Texas football stadium is about 14 blocks N of the most famous bar district, 6th street. If you go to the game here, stop by the Shotgun 30 tailgate at 18th and San Jacinto and we%26#39;ll take care of you. In Austin, you really don%26#39;t need many recommendations as everything is concentrated in the city center. The city bills itself as the live music capitol of the world, which you%26#39;ll understand when you get here. Read the Chronicle, a free newspaper you%26#39;ll see everywhere, for listing of bands playing that weekend. There are likely to be a few that you%26#39;ve heard of.
The Austin City limits music festival is on the first weekend of October. It%26#39;s a huge deal and the lineup this year is amazing. You might consider that, but you would need to make arrangements now.
Austin has many excellent steakhouses and restaurants in general. New Orleans is superior in this area, so if splurging for one meal I%26#39;d do it there. I recommend Austin Land and Cattle near 12th and Lamar. As an added advantage, the Tavern, a good sports bar, is right next door. In addition, virtually every fine restaurant downtown has half off appetizers if eaten in their bar prior to seven. That way you can fill up on great food early and hit the town. The best places for this are Eddie V%26#39;s (seafood), 219 West (4thSt), Jeffrey%26#39;s (very high end), and the aforementioned ALCC.
The rodeo was last month, and the LSU one is in the spring too.
Have a great time and Geaux Tigers!
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