Hey All,
My buddies and I are big college football fans, and we love traveling to new places for games. We’re working on a blog that gives tips to other football fans when they travel to away stadiums for games. I’m trying to hit all the ACC schools, and I was hoping you’d indulge me on some questions about Virginia Tech football games. Basically, what I am asking is that if you and I met randomly on an airplane and I told you all about my trip to Blacksburg for a football game, you wouldn’t have to say, “You did it all wrong, next time you should …”
Since you guys are the experts on a perfect trip to Blacksburg, I wanted to see if you would answer a few questions. Feel free to answer any or all of them that you’d like, and if you can think of any other info I’ve overlooked feel free to throw that in there too!
TRAVEL
1. What’s the most convenient/cheapest airport to fly into? Is there a specific airline that is best/cheapest to fly on?
2. Suppose some travelers are a little more adventurous and don’t mind flying into an airport that’s a 3-4 hour drive away from the game if it would make for a cool drive or takes them by some cool sites/attractions – anything like that people should know about when they’re booking flights?
3. Is a rental car necessary? How is the public transportation system/Uber in Blacksburg?
HOTEL
4. What’s the hotel situation like over the weekend of a game? How good is airbnb, vrbo, etc. in Blacksburg? Are there any great resort towns nearby to stay at for a day?
FOOD
5. What are your favorite places to eat around Blacksburg during the college football season? How is the food in the stadium (anything a one-time visitor can’t leave the stadium without eating)?
TICKETS
6. What is the best option for visiting fans to buy game tickets? School Ticket office? StubHub? Local Classifieds?
TAILGATING
7. Any general tailgating advice for a first-timer at a Virginia Tech football game? Specific areas for visiting fans?
TRADITIONS
8. Some schools have unique game day traditions – do you guys do anything that’d be worth a visitor planning their schedule around? Are there any buildings or sites near campus or the stadium that visitors should check out?
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
9. If fans decide to make this more of a family vacation, are there any local sites/attractions that they would need to make room for on their schedule? Any can’t-miss Historical/Educational or Fun/Entertainment sites?
SAFETY
10. Are there any general safety issues fans should be aware of? Any areas visitors should avoid for parking, walking, etc? I know every fan base has its share of bad apples, but would you classify your general fan base as hospitable/neutral/in-hospitable?
OTHER ACC SCHOOLS
11. Lastly, since I'm trying to do this for all the teams in the ACC, I thought I'd ask if you have any experience traveling to other schools in the conference? Favorite/Least Favorite ACC school to visit for games? Any horror or success stories or general advice you'd give from your experiences?
As mentioned, feel free to answer any/all/none of the questions, and throw on any extra info that I may have overlooked. I’ll be sure to report back when our blog is posted so that you can see the finished product!