re: Better away game road trip: Athens or Tuscaloosa?

I love Tuscaloosa, but Athens is a top 5 college town in the country.

I've been to both. I went to Athens in 2009 and Tuscaloosa in 2009 and 2011. They both have their advantages. The quaint Athens downtown quarter immediately adjacent to its campus has unparalleled nightlife. I recall standing atop a low rise around midnight on Friday, smothered in a warm smooth buzz, looking down at what appeared to be an unbroken river of platinum beauties. The women in Athens are generally stunning. Moreover, the LSU game seemed to attract a number of lovelies from nearby Atlanta. The nightlife sector offers a variety of bars, from the cheesy meatmarket to the more cerebral, mellow dive-bar. The very young UGA fans were a bit bellicose, but the supporters over the age of 25 were affable and conversant. Gameday tailgating was average, although I liked the fact that LSU fans could pass the time in bars not too far removed from the stadium. Sanford itself is interesting, as it appears to jut skyward from the very heart of campus (at least that was my impression).

The Tuscaloosa Strip isn't quite as genteel or sophisticated as Athens. The nightlife there is more akin to what you might find in a typical southern college town - a bit young and a bit crass. Bars like the Bear Trap are populated by a very young crowd (and distrubing life-sized murals of Saban). The Houndstooth is typically patronized by a slightly older set. There are also a number of more idiosycratic bars in downtown Tuscaloosa, not far from the Strip. All that said, I have had a blast both times I've gone. The Alabama fans are knowledgeable and almost insufferably smug, but they are very friendly. Rammer Jammer and Sweet Home Alabama lose their novelty quickly, but typically become a pretext for flirtation and mingling. The women at Innisfree on Friday night in 2011 were memorable. I must say that bar had the single best staff of bouncers I've ever encountered. They kept the peace between LSU and Alabama fans, which made the experience thoroughly enjoyable. Gameday tailgating at Bama is sedate, but like Athens, LSU fans can pass the hours in enclaves at various bars. Whiling away the day at the Houndstooth and then drifting to Bryant-Denny has become a tradition for many visitors. (One additional warning. If you lodge far from the Strip and campus, finding a cab back to your hotel can be nightmarish. My group literally had to bribe a pizza delivery driver to take us home one evening in 2009. Bring a DD.)

Since we play UGA less frequently, if I had to choose one game to attend this year, I suppose it would be Athens. But you should go to Tuscaloosa at some point.

I am sure this has been stated, but Athens is easily the best road trip in the SEC. There is no competition here.

Bama sucks as a trip. Tuscaloosa is a ghetto town with a college campus. It's nothing special. They try to copy the grove now and the rest is just blacks or rednecks trying to be a part of it without ever going in the stadium.

Georgia is a pretty campus and a true college town. It's a better overall trip.

Athens vs Tuscaloosa? Is this a question?

That's like comparing Kate Upton to Elisabeth Moss.

You may do the latter under the right circumstances, but you should never pass up the former.

ATHENS