When you\u2019re considering visiting Tuscaloosa \u2013 the undisputed home of college football (no matter what anyone else says \u2026) \u2013 there are a few things to keep in mind prior to your trip.<\/p>\n
First, come hungry. This wonderful village in West Alabama is known for some of the very best barbecue (no matter what anyone else says \u2026) in the land.<\/p>\n
Second, it is totally OK to not bathe yourself in Crimson and White. Houndstooth will be just fine, of course, but so too are neutral colors. Now, you might want to avoid Auburn\u2019s orange-and-blue combo at all costs.<\/p>\n
That said, here are the Top 10 places every fan should visit when you arrive in Tuscaloosa \u2013 City of Champions!<\/p>\n
We list these as A and B because it is a standing argument among the locals as to which joint is better. On purely alphabetical basis, the well-worn spare ribs joint just over the river in Northport goes first. Archibald\u2019s only does ribs. They only do one batch a day, so you either get your fix or you go left wanting. And they are mouth-wateringly good every time. It\u2019s concrete-block barbecue pit once caught fire a few years back, and it caused thousands of dollars in improvements on the facility.<\/p>\n
Ain\u2019t nothing like ’em, nowhere. Up on in the Jerusalem Heights neighborhood not far from the city dump (we know \u2026), Dreamland\u2019s original location was founded by John \u201cBig Daddy\u201d Bishop. At the OG joint (there is another in Northport, and more scattered around the Southeast), you get spare ribs, sauce and white bread. That\u2019s it. The only choice you really need is how many \u2013 and we recommend you come hungry. Presidents have detoured to partake in Big Daddy\u2019s signature product, and you should make a point to as well.<\/p>\n
This is a must stroll, especially during the fall when the colors are changing all around you. Hard on the southern bank of the Black Warrior River near downtown Tuscaloosa, the path is paved and divided by a painted line for a good two-way road for walkers and bikers. Very dog friendly, there are plenty of benches, gazebos and hammock-friendly trees to slow down your day. It is also well-lit, so you can enjoy golden hour to sunset as well. At full length, it is 4.5 miles \u2013 and keep your eye out on the river for a glimpse of the Alabama rowing teams paddle by.<\/p>\n
This place is a gem in downtown Northport, just on the other side of the Black Warrior River. The southland is known for \u201cmeat and threes,\u201d and City Cafe could well be the epicenter of the concept. No reservations are allowed here, but the waitstaff is world class \u2013 so even the busiest times of day make the wait move quickly. The choice of your three sides sometimes counts into the 20s, and you can\u2019t go wrong with any of them.<\/p>\n
Montgomery wasn\u2019t always the capital of Alabama, and the proof of it remains at Capitol Park just a couple of blocks from downtown Tuscaloosa on a bluff of the Black Warrior. It was the site of the Alabama State Capitol from 1826-1846, and the main building was then used for the Alabama Central Female College before it burned in 1923. A historical marker in the park commemorates the school\u2019s history, and classical architecture ruins from the building still stand.<\/p>\n
Sometimes referred to as the university president\u2019s alarm clock, Denny Chimes is a 115-foot campanile tower on the south side of The Quad off University Boulevard in the heart of Alabama\u2019s campus. Denny Chimes was named in honor of George H. Denny, who served as university president from 1912 to 1936 and then again from 1941 through 1942. Denny Chimes is equipped with a 25-bell carillon, has concrete commemorative slabs of each season\u2019s football record. The tower is one of the most visible landmarks on campus.<\/p>\n
Kids of all ages love \u201cCHOM,\u201d as the locals call it in T-Town. Children can explore, create and discover all kinds of educational fun stuff, as the museum aims to inspire learning and growth through the power of play. Born out of the Tuscaloosa County Schools\u2019 TARGET program, CHOM originated on Alabama\u2019s campus before moving downtown in 1989. CHOM\u2019s permanent exhibits are designed to stimulate children\u2019s curiosity about their community and their place in it, and to involve children, parents, teachers and others in participatory education.<\/p>\n
Tucked among newer buildings not far from the Rose Administration Building and President\u2019s Mansion on Alabama\u2019s campus, Foster Auditorium is a living reminder of how far the South has come since the turbulent Civil Rights era of the 1960s. Then-Governor George Wallace infamously stood \u201cin the schoolhouse door\u201d in a symbolic attempt to prevent desegregation on June 11, 1963. Wallace failed via President John F. Kennedy\u2019s nationalization of the Alabama National Guard, and students Vivian Malone and James Hood were allowed entry to officially register for classes at UA. Foster has been reborn as an athletics venue, with Alabama\u2019s volleyball team playing matches inside.<\/p>\n
The most notable of a zillion landmarks in Tuscaloosa County named after Alabama\u2019s now second-best football coach, Bryant Museum is on Bryant Drive, just a short walk down from Bryant-Denny Stadium and across the street from Coleman Coliseum and the athletic complex. Stuffed full of Alabama football trophies and relics not just from Bryant\u2019s legendary tenure at the Capstone but all of the Crimson Tide\u2019s history, it is an excellent place to learn just why Tuscaloosa calls itself the City of Champions.<\/p>\n
We told you to come hungry. Want the best burger you can wrap your mouth around? Rama Jama\u2019s is the place. Literally in the shadow of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Bryant Drive, Rama Jama\u2019s feeds Crimson Tide students, Tuscaloosa locals and worldwide visitors alike. It might as well be an adjunct facility to Bryant Museum what with the wall-to-wall memorabilia inside. You\u2019ll want a burger, sure, but you\u2019ll tell your friends about the hand-spun milkshakes. Gary Lewis, a literal doppelganger for Nick Saban, used to own the the place. And good luck getting anywhere near it on game day \u2013 Rama Jama\u2019s is just that popular.<\/p>\n
Welcome to the shrine, the place where the magic happens, home to the greatest college football program of all-time. Bryant-Denny Stadium was built in 1929, but it took until the 2000s when the Crimson Tide officially gave up playing occasional games in Birmingham to make Tuscaloosa its permanent home. Recent additions of both end zone upper decks, along with millions more in renovations during the Nick Saban era, make Bryant-Denny Stadium a 100,077-seat mecca of college football. The Walk of Champions outside the North End Zone features inlaid granite markers commemorating each of Alabama\u2019s SEC and national championship teams, as well as larger-than-life bronze statues of Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul W. Bryant, Gene Stallings and Nick Saban \u2013 the five coaches who (so far) have graced Alabama with national titles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Football is everything in Tuscaloosa … well, almost everything. From food to museums to picturesque strolls along the river, there’s so much to do in this quaint college town.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":440759,"featured_media":429685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","tags":[],"class_list":["post-425838","article","type-article","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_types-scheduled","series_tags-college-town","teams-alabama-football"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/425838"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/440759"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}