By Nancy Spitler
Photography by Craig Mahaffey ’98 and Ashley Jones
It’s fall again in Clemson, with everything that comes along with that: Move in, Welcome Back, First Friday Parade — and football weekends.
During football season, there is no place like Clemson. No other place that’s so wall-to-wall with alumni and fans. No other place where you can find anything — and I mean anything — in orange.
Orange campers festooned with Tiger Paws roll into town on Thursdays and Fridays; orange tents are set up pole-to-pole on Saturday mornings; orange grills are lit; and Clemson-themed drinks are mixed in parking lots and fields across the campus and the town. Orange-clad fans you’ve never met before will pull up a chair, add some drinks to the cooler, and watch the game with you outside the stadium. It’s a party like nowhere else. Whether you’ve been tailgating in Clemson for decades or still trying to find your prime location, we’ve put together a guide. We hope it will help as you head to campus this fall.
GETTING HERE & GETTING OUT
We’ve been assured that despite the summer’s morass of construction, all roads leading to Clemson will be open for football season. That said, the best advice is always to arrive early. Veteran tailgaters will be setting up their tents by 8 a.m. for a noon game; by 10 a.m. for a 3:30 p.m. game; and by noon for one in prime time. The earlier you arrive, the less chance you’ll be sitting in traffic on Highway 76 or Tiger Boulevard at kick-off. Be aware that traffic patterns change leading up to the game; at some point, all roads lead to the stadium.
One of the great perks to arriving early is the chance to wander around and get ideas from other fans. “There are lots and lots of intricate and elaborate setups,” says veteran tailgater Jackie Ellis ’83. “We built a stand for the dish antenna so we would get better reception for the TV. We actually saw the prototype in another lot, took a picture, and Norman [her husband] designed and built it in a weekend.”
IPTAY parking lots open at 6 a.m. for noon and 1 p.m. games and at 8 a.m. for all other kickoff times. An IPTAY parking permit is required. Free public parking is available off Perimeter Road (east of Cherry Road, excluding reserved lots) and on Kite Hill (intersection of Perimeter Road and Highway 76).
Links to parking maps and online reservation forms here. IPTAY’s game-day guide is another good resource.
If you don’t have IPTAY parking, don’t despair. Advice from local tailgater and former faculty member Elaine Richardson M ’76, Ph.D. ’86 is to check tigernet.com and Facebook for reasonably priced parking spots. Most downtown churches and many businesses also sell parking spaces, often with the proceeds going to charitable causes. Some are reserved for the season, but many options remain for the day of the game. A likely pricier option, but sometimes closer to the stadium, is to find downtown residents who rent out their yards for parking. A word of warning: Don’t park on the street, and if you park in someone’s yard, make sure your wheels are off the sidewalk and off the street.
Getting out after the game is always an adventure. Some Tiger Fans will slip out of the gate when the game is not close, get on the road and beat the traffic. The faithful, however, stay until the last second has clicked down and enjoy the on-field celebration. Check out our menu suggestions for snacking after the game while you’re waiting for the worst of the traffic to clear.
GETTING TO THE GAME
If you haven’t been to a game in the past few years, a few things have changed. Security at the stadium is tighter than it used to be. Unless your purse is 6.5 inches or smaller, you’ll need to find a clear tote, available in downtown stores. In a pinch, a gallon-capacity zip-close bag is an acceptable alternative. You can always slap a Tiger Paw sticker on it to match the game-day theme.
The gates open two hours before the game. Whatever else happens, make sure you’re in your seat (or standing) in time for what’s been called the most exciting 25 seconds in college football, when the team and coaches run down the Hill.
CARRS TO CLEMSON
Doyle Carr and his wife, Judith, were touring colleges around the region with their two daughters in the early 1990s. They had never heard of Clemson, but their campus visit and the friendly reception was enough to convince both daughters to attend. Sherri Marie Carr graduated in 1994; Deb followed in 1998.
Doyle retired from UPS after 30 years, and the Carrs moved to Lake Keowee. Faithful Tiger tailgaters, they can be found with their orange 1934 Dodge truck near Gate 7 on football Saturdays.
This fall, Doyle enrolled at Clemson to finish the degree he started at the University of Cincinnati years ago. Although he’s been advised to start slowly, he’s planning to finish around 2020, looking forward to joining his daughters as Clemson alumni.