Five Best Pro
Buffalo: Ralph Wilson Stadium was
made for tailgating. Set up the RV two days before kickoff, and
revel in the madness that includes hot tubs in December and a guy
called Pinto Ron who cooks from the hood of his car. Get cleaned up
for the game in a comfort station designed specifically for
overnight tailgaters.
Green Bay: Don't let the subzero
temperatures of the frozen tundra fool you. Lambeau Field is the
hot spot among
NFL stadiums for bratwurst, beer, and Cheeseheads.
Oh yeah, green and yellow body paint is apparently a logical
alternative for a parka and a scarf on a cold December Sunday in
Wisconsin.
Kansas City: The intoxicating aroma
of classic
Kansas City barbecue permeating through an endless fleet
of RVs hours before kickoff makes Arrowhead Stadium the holy land
of tailgating.
Oakland: Tailgating at McAfee
Coliseum is the equivalent of a Lollapalooza sideshow. Raiders
fans, with their spiked shoulder pads and skull-and-crossbones
tattoos, are the most eccentric tailgaters in the NFL and make for
great people-watching. Think of game day here as Mardi Gras for the
West Coast.
Pittsburgh: Of course Heinz Field
made the list - it's named after a bottle of ketchup. Great hot
dogs with all the toppings and fans with some of the highest
football IQs in the NFL make tailgating in
Pittsburgh a must for
every football junkie.
Five Best Collegiate
Louisiana State University: Cajun food, jazz music, and great
football from a traditional powerhouse are the perfect ingredients
for some of the best tailgate parties in the Southeastern
Conference.
Penn State: Before you watch living legend Joe Paterno pace
the sidelines on Saturday, kick off your tailgate party on Thursday
night in the aptly named
Happy Valley. And don't worry about
running out of space - Penn State provides one of the largest
tailgate areas in the nation.
University of Michigan: Tailgate on a
golf course next to the
largest and most storied stadium in the nation. Plus, the
family-friendly atmosphere makes "the Big House" a great place to
bring the kids.
University of Mississippi: The Grove at Ole Miss is the best
place to tailgate in the nation, says the "Commissioner of
Tailgating," Joe Cahn. The world's only professional tailgater
(visit his website, www.tailgating.com), he explains it as
"Scarlett O'Hara meets the parking lot" because of the Southern
hospitality.
University of Washington: Here, you'll find the most
unconventional tailgating in college football. Instead of just
packing the parking lots with RVs, U-Dub fans also anchor hundreds
of boats in
Lake Washington. And instead of downing brews and
brats, fans sip on fine wine while grilling salmon.