WVU fan here......couple of questions about Friday.

[istep]

    First of all, I want to say that I am very impressed with what you guys have accomplished in such a short span of time.  I have been a fan of you guys except for when our teams play.  I thought I was cheering on my Mountaineers the night you guys knocked off Auburn.  Awesome win for the Big East and USF!! 

    I am going to be in a group of about 10 WVU fans who are flying down from Charleston on Thursday.  We are all in our late 20's to mid 30's who like to have fun when we go on road trips.  Any suggestions for pre game festivities??  Normally we start tailgating 7-8 hours before kickoff.  What times do the parking lots open? Are there any sports bars in close proximity to RayJay?  Any areas that we should avoid?  Any help would be appreciated!!  By the way, anyone hearing how many WVU fans are expected to attend.  For whatever reason, I have talked to alot of people over the last month that are going to this game.  Looking forward to my first visit to Ray Jay and hopefully won't get heckled too bad!!

[BullyPulpit]

Welcome to Tampa. Hope you and your friends enjoy your trip until Friday at 8pm. The best place to tailgate for an extended period of time is the Old Tampa Bay Mall parking lot. Otherwise, you can only get into the Ray Jay parking lots 4 hours before kick off. As far as nightlife away from the stadium goes, there are clubs and bars in Ybor and Channelside. Also, not sure what type of entertainment you are looking for, but there are some legendary strip clubs near the stadium up and down Dale Mabry Highway.

Friday night before the game there will be a free concert with MIMS and Shop Boyz, so that will definitely be worth checking out.

[cal]

Welcome to Tampa. Hope you and your friends enjoy your trip until Friday at 8pm. The best place to tailgate for an extended period of time is the Old Tampa Bay Mall parking lot. Otherwise, you can only get into the Ray Jay parking lots 4 hours before kick off. As far as nightlife away from the stadium goes, there are clubs and bars in Ybor and Channelside. Also, not sure what type of entertainment you are looking for, but there are some legendary strip clubs near the stadium up and down Dale Mabry Highway.

Friday night before the game there will be a free concert with MIMS and Shop Boyz, so that will definitely be worth checking out.

Welcome to the board. Enjoy your trip to tampa, except between 8-11:)

mons venus is on Dale Mabry (world famous all nude strip club). Channelside has a few bars (including hooters with some gorgeous girls).

And yes, were havin the concert before the game. Your best bet for a day of t-gating would be the old mall parking lot to the east of the stadium (cant miss it).

[Qbanbull]

Hope you have a safe trip down. We welcome all WVU's with open arms, until game time that is.  ;D

I would avoid Ybor City...a lot of hype...not worth the trouble...if you go, go in a group and watch each others backs.

Thanks for coming down...I'm sure my fellow alum will gladly give any info to the local hunts.

Fair warning, weather here lately changes on a dime. bring warm clothes but be ready for rain.  :rainy

What a game this is going to be. Can't wait.  :hippy

[Guest]

There is also a decent guide at:

http://texanmarktailgate.blogspot.com/2007/05/usf-tailgate-and-visitors-guide.html

He built his guide with a lot of advice from here... (http://thebullspen.com/index.php?topic=34129.0)

And, of course, we could always answer questions...

[istep]

Thanks for the replies fellas.........how far from the stadium is Channelside??  Although I would love to hit the strip clubs, I don't think the little lady would go for it.  Wanted to make this a guys trip but her dad lives in Newport Ritchie.  So if I hear you guys correctly there isn't any sports bars around the stadium.  They need to work on that 4 hours before kickoff rule for tailgating. Needless to say, this is a huge game and one that we have been looking forward to since last year.  Revenge thing I guess....LOL!!  Whoever wins this game has the inside track to the Big East Championship.  Loser needs to win out and hopefully get an at-large BCS bid.  I know I am bouncing around, but are the police pretty tight on open container laws?  Which side of the stadium is the concert?  Would love to hit that as well........

[79 Bull]

Closest sports bars to the stadium....

Upscale - Champps at International Plaza - 1 mile west of stadium

Baisc Beers, Booze and TV's - Press Box - 1 1/2 miles south of stadium

[eebullman]

Whats an open container law??????   concert is on the north side of the stadium from has been posted here, so that will be near the mall parking which is your best bet for tailgating.

[Guest]

1) It's not four hours before... this week the lots open at 3:00pm.

2) The closest sports bars is at International Plaza -- Champps -- a bit pricey if you ask me.  There is, however, a Chili's right by the stadium (all day happy hours, I think)...

3) The concert is on the North side...

4) Open containers are usually fine in the tailgating areas and walking to the stadium... IF you're over 21... law enforcement does crack down on that.

5) Channelside is just SE of downtown, about 6-7 miles from the stadium

[79 Bull]

You can have an open container anywhere in the parking lots and on stadium property.  They even have recycling bins at the stadium gates to properly dispose of your walk up drink container.