GuruThe Grove is the tailgating area located at the center of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) campus. It is approximately 10 acres of lush grass and majestic oaks. The Grove takes its name from “the oak, elm and magnolia trees surrounding the area.”
Described as “the Holy Grail of tailgating sites” by Sporting News, The Grove comes to life for Ole Miss Rebels football home games with typically over 100,000 fans. Fans arrive often around noon the day before the game (campus rule is no one allowed to “stake their claim” before 7:30 that night which is strictly enforced by campus police – UPD) to grab their spot in The Grove.
It’s an experience
Sea of Red, Navy (and powder blues)
This usually serene area of campus becomes a sea of red, white and blue tents. However, most of the tents are set up by professional tailgate vendors and not the students or families themselves.
Ole Miss students generally dress in their Sunday best: Men wear slacks, button-up shirts, bow ties, Sperry Top Siders, and coats while women wear cocktail dresses or brightly colored sundresses and high heel shoes. Some older fans also dress in this style.
Never lost a party
Many tents are set up with fine kitchenware, with lots of lace and designer doilies, fine china, chandeliers, sterling silver or silver-plated candelabras and sterling silver or silver-plated utensils along with chandeliers in some tents. Much of the food is laid out on tablecloths in sterling silver or silver-plated servers.
The food fare often consists of hors d’oeuvres, but as with most tailgating parties, barbecue still has authority. There’s also traditional Southern food, including fried chicken, pork, homemade dressings, mashed potatoes and stuffed eggs. However, open flame and propane grills are not allowed in the Grove, so food is not actually allowed to be cooked at the tailgates.
First Family of Ole Miss
Former Ole Miss football quarterback Eli Manning shared his times in The Grove as a child and as a former student:
I went a lot when I was in middle school and as a kid. You’d play pickup football in your best clothes and your parents would come looking for you. They’d find you all muddy and sweaty. People always think of it as a place for alumni and students, but some of my best memories from there are as a kid. As a student, after games I would go back into The Grove. My parents (Archie and Olivia Manning) always had a tent and we had the full setup. (We didn’t have anything) too ritualistic (in our tent); nothing as fancy as some of the others get. But we always had some sort of shrimp dish, being from New Orleans. And then some sandwiches. Chili. Fried chicken. Boiled peanuts. Veggie spreads. Dip. More drinks.
Ole Miss Tailgate Breakfast
Tailgate Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild ground pork sausage
- 1 pound hot ground pork sausage
- 1 package frozen shredded hash browns
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1.5 t salt
- 1/2 t pepper
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 6 large eggs
- 2 T Avocado oil
Instructions
- To get started, we are going to heat the FireDisc to medium-high heat.
- We’ll drop the sausage into the center of the disc to brown it, to an almost crispy consistency, and then move it to side of disc. This allows the sausage to stay in the cooking area without being overcooked — one of the key features of the FireDisc.
- Next, we’ll add our shredded potatoes to the rendered sausage fat and cook those until they’re golden brown. Then we’ll add our chopped onions and stir-fry until tender. We will again move the veggies to the outside of the disc.
- Add eggs to the center of disc and scramble until halfway cooked.
- Combine all ingredients in the disc — you can add cilantro and chopped bell pepper if you like.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until the eggs are fully cooked.
- Top with shredded pepper jack cheese.
Video
Inside The Grove on Gameday
The CBS Sports crew gives us a unique look into SEC tailgating in The Grove at Ole Miss.
The Grove has been deemed by many publications as one of the best college football tailgating venues and was ranked the best by Saturday Down South.
Grillax Nation certainly will not dispute the fun that can be had SEC tailgating in The Grove in Oxford, Mississippi.
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