Do you need some tailgating tips before your next game day? Of course you do. Next time your favorite team has a big game or some cool sporting event hits your town, you are going to be ready. Just do what I say, and not as I do/did.
My family and I were excited about the Celebration Bowl coming to town. It is the annual clash between HBCU conferences and the football is almost as good as the bands. It’s so fun! And then Chevy loaned us a 2020 Chevy Silverado and an entire tailgating kit and we were ecstatic. But I should have done a bit more planning.
I mean, how hard can it be? Throw the tailgate down, turn on some music, eat a sandwich and throw a football around. How hard can it be? Who needs tailgating tips? Turns out…this girl.
5 Tailgating Tips
We love football and have attended many tailgates. But they are tailgates other people have put on. Other people have grilled and picked the parking spot and planned the activities. It all looked so seamless. I should have googled tailgating tips before I attempted it.
Spoiler alert: tailgating ain’t as easy as it looks.
1. Drive a truck.
The one thing I did right is to drive a Chevy to tailgate. The 2020 Chevy Silverado is everything you need. It seats six. Yes! All six members of my family fit in it. Plus, it has Wi-Fi, crazy leg room and the durabed truck bed that can handle anything I threw at it. Plus, it looked Bad A**. I got so many looks. I literally stopped traffic.
2. Pay for the GOOD tailgating space.
Did you know that not all tailgating spots are the same? I didn’t. But the truth is that just because tailgating is allowed at a particular lot doesn’t mean that people will be tailgating there. The good tailgating lots where you will find lots of fellow tailgaters and a fun, festive atmosphere sell out quickly. And they are expensive. Don’t cheap out like me.
3. Set everything up ahead of time.
You should definitely set up things before the time comes. In our tailgating kit, Chevy loaned us a portable TV with Roku to watch the pre-game festivities. How awesome is that? Only, you should get that working ahead of time. “Luckily”, because I didn’t do tip 4, I had plenty of time to figure it out. Instead of being out in the rain, we watched football from the comfort of the Silverado.
Interested in more of a SUV? The Chevy Equinox might be just right.
4. Have a rain plan.
Did you know that it might rain when you plan something outdoors? Who knew?? It poured all day. So while it stormed, the kids and I huddles inside the extremely roomy cab and set up the TV. We charged it from the dashboard. I love that there were lots of ports. The Wi-Fi worked really well by the way.
5. Don’t wear rival school’s paraphernalia.
So this is one of those tailgating tips that I should have figured out already. To be fair, I wasn’t totally certain what who was a rival and who wasn’t. Turns out FAMU (my husband’s school) beat the North Carolina A & T Aggies in overtime and their fans didn’t love that we were all FAMU’d out. Sorry/Not Sorry. Don’t do that if you want to make friends. If not, show your colors!
These tailgating tips are prime for people who want to cheer on their old school or their husband’s school or whomever happens to be playing in the Bowl Game near your house.
See More From Our “Tailgate”:
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![These tailgating tips might seem simple but you'd be surprised at the things busy moms can overlook. [Thanks to Chevrolet for loaning me the 2020 Chevy Silverado for this article.]](https://i0.wp.com/mamaliciousmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/pin-tailgating-tips.jpg?resize=735%2C1102&ssl=1)
