It is new to us, too. It sounds like Tipsy McStagger is the resident expert on tailgating.

and then take the St. Paul direct shuttle over to the stadium. You can tailgate at the State Fair lots and be at the stadium within 8 minutes.

Hi everyone,

Drew from the Big 10 Tour here – we were actually hoping that someone with a pass would be kind enough to invite us to join them. As in we pay to park in one of the Junior Varsity lots and walk over to your tailgate. We’ll bring the beer, a Gopher Bean Bag toss game, ladder toss game, and beer pong table. We will also bring food and of course…excitement

If you look at our post on penn state you’ll get a sense of the fun we have(http://www.thebig10tour.com/penn-state.html). We’re looking for the best tailgate, the best fan, best gopher shirt and more. Please contact me via my website www.THEbig10tour.com if you have any help or suggestions

Thx
Drew

Greetings Drew!

I applaud you for undertaking such a worthwhile adventure. I have been to every Big Ten stadium, have lived in Happy Valley, and count tailgating as one of the greatest things ever. I would be happy to host you at my tailgate under the condition that Jeff and Dan are thrown off the Washington Ave. bridge with concrete blocks shackled to their ankles. I will need to be witness to this to ensure that there is no possibility that they survived.

We will be preparing a 1st class meals before and after the game. Hope to see you this weekend, and my condolences to you. I’m sure Jeff and Dan were fine people.

Sir Tipsy,

I thank you for your offer…and who better to tailgate with than someone who has already done it! You probably have some great stories and tips for the balance of our stops.

I’ve already thrown Dan in traffic and unfortunately Jeff is still kicking – but we’ll take care of him

Is there a # I can contact you at to discuss further details on your tailgate?
I’m at acieszyn@hotmail.com if you want to send your # via email

Drew

Judging by how you spent your time in Happy Valley, you need plenty of help. Seriously, The G-Man? Cell Block? How could you visit Happy Valley and not spend an 8 hour shift at The ‘skeller? And drinking anything other than Yuengling (simply known as “lager” to the locals) – well that just shows that you didn’t do a bit of research before your trip. You’ll need to go back and try Happy Valley again. The only time you should drink anything other than lager would be if you were in Zeno’s, who’s tap selection of craft beer is second to none. I won’t waste time on a group of amateurs.

I hope you enjoy your visit and that you find someone who’ll tailgate with Iowa fans, but it won’t be this guy.

yes, we attended the skeller for a few minutes and it wasn’t too interesting. I grew up in Pennsylvania & Yuengling is quite possibly the worst beer anyone who’s tried any other beer has ever had. Funny everything you mentioned was not mentioned by a single Penn State fan in hundreds of emails

I’m really impressed w/ your standards to stay away from Iowa fans, but I really think that’s going a bit far. Who knows, it could be an Iowa fan that holds the key to saving your mother from cancer some day

Thanks again

First, I should state that I am a Gopher fan and have no feeling toward Penn State athletics. I don’t cheer for them when they aren’t playing the U and I love seeing them loose to the Golden Gophers. While on faculty at Penn State, I tailgated for every game and only set foot in Beaver Stadium twice – when Minnesota was playing.

That said, I am very familiar with PSU fanbase and very familiar with the student body. The “hundreds” of email you received most likely came from the hoards of frat boys with whom you hung out all weekend. Perhaps that is the crowd you like to hang out with, but rest assured, you missed out on so much more by not hanging with the locals. I would have suggested a trip to Bellfonte and perhaps a stop at Otto’s. I would have started Sunday with a drive up into the hills for a feast at Doan’s Bones – one of the best BBQ shacks you’ll find anywhere.

Rubbing elbows with the salt-of-the-earth types… that is how you truly get to know a town. Instead, you probably experienced something that hundreds of thousands of college kids experienced on thousands of campuses all over the country last weekend – Anywhere U in Anytown, USA.

A final suggestion, if you want to turn this tour around and start really learning about the towns you visit and its people.

Please see my guide to MPLS for a Cal student which was posted in another thread:

MPLS Itinerary

It will be more difficult with a group of 4. I traveled to every Big Ten town with one friend and the plan you’ll find in the linked thread worked flawlessly.