As someone who loves to travel for away games and visit other college towns, I wanted to provide a little guide that can guarantee you have the best gameday experience when visiting Auburn! Keep in mind, our town has so much to offer, but this is going to center more on Downtown Auburn.
Thursday Afternoon Arrival: Congrats, you made it! You are ready to roll right in and grab a drink. Head over to our newest restaurant, Tavern on the Traxs. They have a wonderful back patio with comfy seating and a patio bar. Grab an appetizer, too!
Thursday Night: Our culinary scene is incredible! We recommend dinner at Acre, The Hound , The Depot, Esposito’s or Hamilton’s.
Thursday “late” Night: Head over to The Collegiate Hotel. They have an amazing patio(with an Instagram-worthy mural) and a rooftop bar. They even have live music this Thursday evening.
Friday Morning: If you just need a little coffee to get your day going, swing into Bitty and Beau’s or Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers. If you want a nice breakfast, check out Ariccia (inside the AU Hotel and Conference Center). If you want a quick breakfast, Big Blue Bagel or Mo’Bay Beignet is great, too.
After Breakfast: The weather is unseasonably cool right now, so head over to Chewacla State Park. There are over 600 acres featuring hiking trails, a lake, playground, waterfalls, bike trials and more! Read more about Chewacla.
Friday Lunch: You have probably worked up an appetite. If you are wanting to sit down and grab a cold beer, Mellow Mushroom or Drafthouse are great and both have wonderful beer selections! If you don’t mind waiting in a line, then check out Irritable Bao or Taco Mama. These are counter-service restaurants that our locals go crazy for!
Friday Afternoon: Now it’s time to get some shopping done. If you are an Auburn fan and need some gear, head over to J&M Bookstore or Stamp. Need a hostess gift or something to bring the tailgate host, go to Wrapsody or Auburn Art. Need a cute, new gameday outfit, Behind the Glass, Charming Oaks, Ellie, Elisabet Boutique, fab’rik and Therapy are all walking distance of each other. For the guys, The Locker Room will have you dressed your best! Grab a snack when you finish up all that shopping at The Auburn Popcorn Company.
An alternative to shopping - go make your own candle at The Auburn Candle Company.
Friday Night: You will notice the town getting a lot busier! Try one of the restaurants we mentioned for Thursday night if you want a nice, fancier option. For quick-service but still yummy, Little Italy Pizza and Moe’s BBQ are fantastic(both have indoor and outdoor seating).
Friday(late) Night: If you want the full experience, then you have to go to Southeastern or 17/16. They both will have live music. If you are older and don’t care to be among all the college students, then head upstairs at Southeastern or go to Avondale.
Saturday: After breakfast(see Friday recommendations) snap a photo at the War Eagle wall, grab lemonade at Toomer’s, finish the shopping you missed on Friday and find a place to tailgate or watch the game(if you aren’t going). Halftime is a great, local sports bar with big TVs if you need somewhere to watch the game. Need food for the tailgate, Guthrie’s or Whataburger can offer bulk serving sizes.
After the Game: If we win, take part in one of the best college football traditions, rolling Toomer’s Corner! Win or lose - Grab a sweet treat at The Milkshake Bar! It will cheer you up!
Other Important Info to Know:
We have two parking decks. One off of Wright St. and the other off of Burton St. You will want to use these! It’s $1 an hour with no max time limit. Wright St. deck is $30 to park on gameday. More info on parking.
Every Friday before a home football game, we celebrate Come Home to the Corner. We will pass out gameday buttons at 4 pm, hold a pop-up merch shop(Auburn t-shirts that support our merchants association) and we have live music near Toomer’s Drugs from 6-9 pm. It is also an Entertainment District from 4-10 pm which means you can purchase a drink and take it to-go.
Any questions - CONTACT US