Better tailgating experience: The Quad or The Grove?

Quote

As I prepared for my trip to Oxford last week, I was told the Grove at Ole Miss would blow me away, that it was in fact better than any tailgating experience I had ever been a part of – even the Quad. This seemed impossible, so, in order to find out myself I decided to put it to a test. I separated the challenge into three categories: atmosphere, tailgating essentials and, of course, girls. Here are the results.

Atmosphere

Upon walking into the Grove I was shocked by how crowded it was. The volume of people vastly surpassed that of the Quad.

“It is pretty similar, except at the Grove it is way closer,” Alabama student Allie Sequeira said. “I feel at Alabama we have more space, but I feel like Ole Miss has way more decorations and stuff.”

The close and comfy setting led to more of a community atmosphere. Everywhere I went tailgaters were offering me food, a place to sit, a drink, all for the secret password – Hotty Toddy.

Advantage: Grove

Tailgating essentials

One thing I found out pretty soon on my trip was that nobody – nobody – partied like Ole Miss. One of the most creative tents I found was owned by long-time Ole Miss tailgater Jan Waddell. The tent featured beautiful white columns that doubled as dispensers of various mixed drinks. If there is one thing you can say about Ole Miss fans, they are creative.

“We may not win all the football games, but we have never lost a party,” Waddell said. “We love our football team and we get really excited for them.”

The pure number of drinks and food that each tent had was truly amazing. That, mixed with the hospitality of Ole Miss fans, created an awesome gameday experience.

Advantage: Grove

Girls

This was probably the toughest part of the competition of the challenge to judge. Both schools are known for having the prettiest girls in the SEC, and Ole Miss did not disappoint.

“They are really nice over here,” Helton said. “I don’t know, it is a close tie. I’ve seen some pretty girls from Alabama and I’ve seen some really pretty girls from Ole Miss.”

My verdict: Advantage Quad. This was hard, as both the Grove and the Quad are home to some of the south’s finest and classiest women. However, there is something about a beautiful Bama belle on game day that just cannot be beat.

Final decision: Advantage Grove