Today is the first day of September. Fall is essentially upon us.
Universities are kicking off classes. Students are moving back into dorms. And most important, college football season is only a day away. This weekend, all five of the state's biggest football programs play in-state games: Southern Miss vs. Florida in Gainesville; Villanova vs. Central Florida in Orlando; McNeese State vs. USF in Tampa; and Miami vs. Florida State Monday night in Tallahassee.
Five major college football teams. Five major colleges. Five college towns. The question is, how do they all stack up? If you plan to visit Tallahassee, Gainesville, Orlando or Coral Gables for a game this fall - or even if you plan to stay in Tampa for a USF game - what should you know about each city's bars, restaurants, hangouts and college town vibe?
We talked to students, researched restaurants and in some cases visited local hot spots to come up with this Florida college town guide. Whether you're a Bull, a Gator, a Seminole, a Hurricane or a Golden Knight, you'll want to bring it along on your next college football road trip.
TALLAHASSEE
Florida State University
Enrollment: 39,600
Stadium: Doak S. Campbell Stadium, an 82,300-seat stadium located on campus.
Homefield advantage: Campbell Stadium isn't for the PC at heart - the fans' loud tomahawking "war chant" and FSU's mascots, Chief Osceola and Renegade, have long drawn the ire of those who insist colleges should drop their Native American mascots. (For the record, the Seminole Tribe of Florida says it doesn't mind the tribute.)
Watering holes: Tennessee Street, a.k.a. the Strip, is Tallahassee's party zone, and it all starts at Bullwinkle's Saloon (www.bullwinklessaloon.net). "The Moose," once profiled by Playboy magazine, is the sort of place where you're likely to bump into one of FSU's famed Garnet and Gold Girls. The rock club Big Daddy's (www.drinkfreebeer.com) is another hard-partying site - this fall, it's the site of a satellite tournament for the World Series of Beer Pong in Las Vegas. Also try the Irish Bar (302 Raven St.), Potbelly's (www.potbellies.net) and Baja's Beach Club (2020 W Pensacola St.)
Local flavor: Late at night, you're bound to find students at the 24-hour McDonald's on the Strip. The Pocket Sandwich Emporium next door offers Greek and vegetarian food and the occasional dose of underground music. And there's a relatively new restaurant, SuperPerros (www.superperros.com), which serves inventive Colombian hamburgers and hot dogs, which come with mozzarella cheese and a pineapple sauce.
Hot spots: Tallahassee's concert venues draw plenty of up-and-coming national acts, including Floyd's Music Store (www.floydsmusicstore.com), the Beta Bar (www.thebetabar.com), the Moon (www.moonevents.com) and Club Downunder (http://union.fsu.edu/cdu) on campus. Florida State also has a strong film program, so check out the Student Life Cinema (http://movies.fsu.edu/home) in the student life building. It's free for FSU students and just $4 for the public.
What else?: Two words: Jenn Sterger. During last year's FSU-Miami game, ABC's cameras caught the buxom coed and her scantily clad girlfriends cheering on their 'Noles in skimpy denim cutoffs. Almost overnight, Sterger's revealing Facebook.com page became a must-click for male FSU applicants. Sterger and her friends - the self-proclaimed "FSU Cowgirls" - have since become a cottage industry, posing for Maxim and Playboy and earning Sterger her own column for SIonCampus.com. (By the way - think you've got what it takes to be the next FSU Cowgirl? Head to Big Daddy's on Sept. 14 for a tryout.)
College town grade: A-. To quote a post on StudentsReview.com: " It's not Harvard, but it's a wonderful place to spend your college years." Tallahassee is also home to Florida A&M, which helps diversify the city's college-age population. The bottom line is, if it's cool enough for Burt Reynolds and Jim Morrison, it's cool enough for us.
TAMPA
University of South Florida
Enrollment: 43,400
Stadium: The USF Bulls don't have their own stadium. For now, the Bulls share a field with the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Homefield advantage: Well, there are two ways to look at it: Either USF has no quote-unquote "town" or a very, very big one that encompasses Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Either way, there's no real pedestrian life, unless you count the malls, Channelside and Ybor City - oh, and the long walks from the car. On the main campus, a sprawling, winding complex of old beige blocks and newer buildings, students might park farther from class than their actual residence, and it will take a good hour to find that spot.
Watering holes: Clubhouse Sports Cafe, 5621 E Fowler Ave., Tampa; (813) 914-7779, features a separate room with banners and memorabilia dedicated to the school. For the past year or so, one of the most popular hangout has been the literally monikered University Area Hangout (www.thehangoutbar.com) and the newish Bull Ring (www.phillyofthesouth.com) which doubles as Philadelphia Eagles headquarters.
Wednesday reggae nights at the rustic, indoor-outdoor Skipper's Smokehouse (www.skipperssmokehouse.com) have been popular with students, and the Greenery Pub, 13740 N 42nd St., Tampa; (813) 977-5992, is a longtime mainstay. No more 25-cent drafts, but it's still a classic.
Outside the immediate Tampa campus area, the Pinellas chapter of the alumni association hangs out at Capogna's Dugout, 1653 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd.; (727) 441-4791 - a popular Clearwater pizza joint that's a favorite for USF away games.
Local flavor: Aside from the jillion corporate haunts like Starbucks and Einstein Bros. Bagels, students like to eat at a couple of affordable all-you-can-eat joints such as Lupton's Barbecue Buffet on Busch Boulevard (www.luptonscatering.com) and a great selection of Middle Eastern and Asian eateries such as the vegetarian-friendly Trang Viet Cuisine, 1524 E Fowler Ave.; (813) 979-1464, and Greenland Restaurant, an affordable Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant, 10817 N 56th St.; (813) 984-7300.
Hot spots: You don't have to be a tee-totaler to love tea, and the sleek and trendy Kalesia Tea Lounge (www.thetealounge.com) is a great student hangout without all the ball-playing hoo-ha. Sensuous Sounds Systems (www.sensuoussound.com) is where many check out mack-daddy stereos and affordable CDs.
What else?: Two classy joints right next to each other: everyone's favorite head shop/sex toy store, the Wooden Nickel, 1441 E Fletcher Ave., Suite 141, (813) 977-0904, and Tampa's best hard-rock-cheap-beer-'n'-puke spot, the Brass Mug, 1441 E. Fletcher Ave., Tampa; (813) 972-8152.
College town grade: C. For "Commuter U."
CORAL GABLES
University of Miami
Enrollment: 15,000
Stadium: Orange Bowl Stadium in Miami, which seats more than 74,000.
Homefield advantage: Home to one of the most successful college football programs of the past 25 years, the University of Miami is set on 260 acres in Coral Gables (called "the Gables" by locals), a small suburb south of downtown Miami. Spanish-style homes are framed perfectly by moss-draped trees, while tropical gardens and genteel golf courses grace the area.
Watering holes: Located next to UM's baseball stadium, the Titanic Brewing Company (www.titanicbrewery.com) is the coolest and most convenient party spot in Coral Gables. There's a bit of everything there: live rock music, televised Hurricanes games, yummy bar food (think meat loaf sandwiches) and brewed beer, like the Hurricane Gale Force Ale on tap. Some other favorite watering holes for UM students are in nearby Coconut Grove, home to the requisite Senor Frogs and Wet Willies, as well as more interesting choices like The Sandbar (www.sandbargrill.com) and Mr. Moe's (www.mrmoes.com).
Local flavor: Not too far from Coral Gables is Dade County's oldest bar and restaurant, Tobacco Road (www.tobacco-road.com), which hosts blues, jazz and rock bands nightly. John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy played here, and the building has survived some hurricanes (of the natural kind) and Miami's cocaine cowboy era. The kitchen is open until 2 a.m., which means that you can snack on cheese fries after a night of drinking. Tobacco Road is at 626 S Miami Ave. in Miami.
Hot spots: For the real clubs, most UM students head to South Beach, where Crobar, Opium and Mansion top the list of hot party spots. All three host top DJs on the weekends, hefty cover charges and packed dance floors. Shopping is best on Coral Gables' main drag, the Miracle Mile (www.shopcoralgables.com) and at the Village of Merrick Park, an upscale, open-air mall (www.villageofmerrickpark.com). The best local indie bands in Miami play Churchill's (www.churchillspub.com), a British pub in the Little Haiti neighborhood in Northwest Miami. A bonus: You can walk across the street to a voodoo shop. Welcome to Miami!
What else? One of the most interesting things to do in Coral Gables has nothing to do with shopping, eating or drinking. The Venetian Pool (www.venetianpool.com) was built in 1923 from a coral rock quarry and is spring-fed and surrounded by grottoes, two waterfalls and coral caves. For $9.50, you can swim in the pool and fulfill every mermaid fantasy you've ever had. Of course, if you are in Miami, you may want to experience the dominant culture of the city: Cuban. Little Havana's Hoy Como Ayer (www.hoycomoayer.net) is a Latin music lounge that's a great place to hear classic salsa music and drink a mojito.
College town grade: A+ for nightlife, C- for everything else. Miami is a great place to party, better than even the college meccas of Boston, Athens, Ga., or Ann Arbor, Mich.. However, most of the tourists in Miami are grown-ups, not college students, and the prices for drinks, food and hotels reflect that. Plus, in order to get to South Beach from Coral Gables, you must drive through the jammed streets of Dade County. Expect a half hour drive to the trendy beach.
GAINESVILLE
University of Florida
Enrollment: 49,000
Stadium: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, a.k.a. "The Swamp," is on campus at University Avenue and Lemerand Drive.
Homefield advantage: The loudness of the crowd is an issue opposing coaches often talk about overcoming because they make it hard to hear audibles. The student body tends to be ambitious hard partiers. It takes good grades to get in and a liver of steel to get out. The stadium is on campus but within walking distance of the main drag of bars and cheap eats. So pay a homeowner $10 to park your car on their lawn and walk around, soaking up the scene. Take a cab later to downtown Gainesville for a better music scene.
Watering holes: University Avenue and 13th Street is the intersection of college life on the local scene. From that corner you can reach Gator City/Club Xcess, a pool room, club room and sports bar under one roof, It's a younger crowd because you don't have be 21 to get in, so be on alert for mall rats. In downtown Gainesville, :08 (or "8 Seconds") is a country western bar, but not really. It's so mainstream they'll play rap music. At The Library women dressed in school girl outfits dance on the bar and patrons use a high-tech touch-screen juke box to program an eclectic mix of music.
Considering that Tom Petty, Sister Hazel and Less Than Jake got their start here, Gainesville prides itself on an independent local music scene. Venues like Common Grounds and the Atlantic downtown offer diverse bands and a supportive crowd.
Local flavor: Burrito Brothers, 1402 W University Ave., is almost as famous as the football team for its cheap eats that also taste great. See the crowd line up when the "guac" light is on. At Emiliano's Caf, 7 SE First Ave., look for the striped awning and parents indulging their college kids with tapas, steamed mussels and paella. Lower on the dining scale, consider Reggae Shack (619 W University Ave.) The authentic Jamaican food is succulent and a bargain at $1.45 for a meat pie and hearty main dishes like curried goat. It also has a large vegetarian menu.
Hot spots: Check out Tim & Terry's Music and More, 1417 NW First Ave., an old house-turned-record store that is also a venue for musicians. Gainesville's Hippodrome State Theater offers musicals and films, and Maude's Classic Cafe hosts live jazz music on the weekends and board games on the side.
What else? Gainesville's most marked characteristic these days is massive road construction and growth, having doubled its student population to almost 50,000 in less than two decades. But what sets it apart is history and tradition. Abraham Lincoln was president when this land grant college was first started, and some 20 buildings on campus are in the National Register of Historic Places. Old and new are embodied in the legend that a brick will fall from Century Tower when the first virgin graduates. Check out the solid old structure in the center of campus to see how the old and honored have held up even when surrounded by the party-hearty new.
College town grade: A, compared to other Florida colleges. If wasn't for UF, Gainesville would be another Newberry, a hick town with decent barbecue. On a national scale, it falls in the top 10 of college towns for a lively music, arts and sports scene.
ORLANDO
University of Central Florida
Enrollment: 47,000
Stadium: Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, 1610 W Church St. downtown.
Homefield advantage: The Golden Knights have enjoyed some gridiron success over the years, especially with All-American quarterback Daunte Culpepper and coach George O'Leary, a national coach of the year at Georgia Tech. But like USF, Central Florida is a commuter school (that means constant griping about campus parking) and the Citrus Bowl is 20 minutes from campus. That disconnect should be diminished next year, as a new $51-million, 45,000-seat stadium should open on campus in time for the 2007 season.
Watering holes: International Drive (or "I-Drive") has a slew of drinking and dining establishments, but many students prefer downtown Orlando's clubs on Orange, Church and Pine streets. Club Paris (www.clubparis.net) on Church is co-owned by Paris Hilton. Tabu (www.tabunightclub) boasts of celebrity guests like Justin Timberlake, Tara Reid, Trent Reznor, 50 Cent and the Rock. Those who prefer to party a little closer to campus have the Knight Library (www.knightlibrary.com), a sports bar, grill and dance club.
Local flavor: These days, UCF's top local pizza joint is Lazy Moon Pizza (www.lazymoonpizza.com) across the street from campus. Origami Sushi (www.origamisushiorlando.com) is another popular university area restaurant. When the parents come to town, head west to Victoria & Albert's, a no-nonsense AAA Five Diamond award winner and the top restaurant at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. Expect to spend over $90 per person on a prix fixe meal - and that's not counting wine or a tip.
Hot spots: You know all those awesome bands you've always wanted to see in concert but who never come to Tampa Bay? They're all playing in Orlando. The 3,000-seat Hard Rock Live at Universal Studios (www.hardrocklive.com) hosts artists like the Raconteurs, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Fray, to name just a few future acts. The more intimate, indie Social (www.thesocial.org) on Orange Street has upcoming shows by We Are Scientists, Tapes 'N Tapes and Del Tha Funky Homosapien. Don't overlook the Back Booth (www.backbooth.com), a smaller live music venue on Pine Street. There you can take your picture in a photo booth and have it tacked on the wall alongside photos of artists who've played there, like the Roots.
What else?: Disney World, Universal Studios and the rest of Orlando's theme parks are right down the road. Daytona Beach is just an hour away. And in 2002, Rollins College in nearby Winter Park was named Playboy's third-best party school in the nation. Bears mentioning.
College town grade: B. Like Las Vegas, Orlando is a city built on a foundation of entertainment - even if most of its attractions aren't exactly conducive to the college budget. Still, with a happening downtown and a brand new on-campus stadium, it seems college students have carved out a solid niche in Orlando.
