[Sly Fox]

Sep 7th


New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico


Aggie Memorial Stadium
Opened in 1978 - Seats 30,343

In case you missed visiting Las Cruces back in our Indy days, it looks this might be your best chance to head to the Land of Enchantment. The key element to remember here is that Las Cruces is much closer to El Paso International Airport (ELP) than Albuquerque. El Paso which is just an hour away. Even though it might be tempting to slip across the border into Juarez when you are driving from the airport to Las Cruces, it is not recommended AT ALL. But there are other cool places to visit in Southern New Mexico.

This taqueria in town called La Nueva has a big time reputation in New Mexico and Mrs. Sly & I checked it out for lunch on a recent trip featuring Christmas chile plates:



Speaking of chiles, Hatch is just a few miles up the road. If you are into spicy food, this place is a mecca along the Rio Grande.







White Sands is the newest National Park. You head east over these mountains just outside of town:



Just as you reach San Augustin Pass, you are greeted by this view as you enter the White Sands Missile Range:



Once you roll down the mountain you drive across the range unless it is closed for a few hours during testing. Just before you arrive in Alamogordo, you can access White Sands National Monument:





It makes for a fun trip to Las Cruces but it does require some time.



Carlsbad Caverns is also a few hours away and there are countless Navajo places to visit across the state. I know we have several posters with El Paso ties including bozlady. It definitely offers some interesting experiences as well.


+++++

Sep 28th


Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina


Kidd Brewer Stadium
Opened in 1962 - Seats 30,000

Perhaps the most attractive road trip for the majority of our fans is this Saturday in Boone. Not only could it be the G5 game of the year, but it also is a cool venue that is easily driveable for many fans. Boone is also the headquarters for Samaritan's Purse with all of its ties to LU. Located just a couple of miles east of the Tennessee border high in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it also features a tourist-friendly downtown.



One of the cool attractions nearby is Tweetsie Railroad. It features two narrow-gauge steam locomotives that take a 3-mile ride.



Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park features 185 acres filled with excellent trails.




And who could forget nearby Grandfather Mountain Nature Park & Swinging Bridge?





+++++

Oct 23rd


Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, Georgia


Fifth Third Bank Stadium
Opened in 2010 - Seats 10,200

We've obviously been to KSU before bak in our Big South days. And the stadium is just as dinky. But with KSU's location suburban/exurban NW Atlanta it becomes an easy to access location for many. The town primarily features references to its Civil War past including a national ballefield and its Southern Museum of Civil War History and Locomotives.



With all due respect, there are much more significant attractions down in Atlanta. But there is the Zuckerman Museum of Art on campus that apparently features some strong collections of contemporary art.



+++++

Nov 9th


Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, Tennessee


Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
Opened in 1933 - Seats 30,788

Much like Kennesaw, most of the better attractions are over in the big city nearby. In this vase, no one has to sell the Nashville opportunities. They are rather obvious in the Music City. So I will focus my attention on Murfreesboro itself.



Another Southern city means another Civil War battlefield. In this case it is the Stones River National Battleground. There's not a ton to see here but it was a signficant conflict in the Civil War.



I used to spend summers in Murfreesboro when I was a kid and the Oaklands Mansion was a favorite of my grandmother so I saw it several times. There are lot of old plantation mansions in the area but this is the best one.

For what it is worth, MTSU has a reputation as a very fun place to go to school. So it has all the things that would enable that reputation.


+++++

Nov 16th


University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts


Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Opened in 1965 - Seats 17,000

In case you didn't find a way to get up to UMass in our previous trips north, the most important thing to note is that this stadium is nowhere close to Boston. Instead it is located in Hadley which is a shade under two hours driving time from Logan Airport. The airports at Springfield & Hartford are actually closer if you are planning on flying in. But Western Mass has its own appeal and this game is an attractive trip as well.



It would be easy to visit the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. If we didn't have some other attractive options, I'd probably make this trip myself from Texas. As the pirates who don't do anything so eloquently pointed out, who wouldn't want to see Boston in the fall?


+++++

Nov 30th


Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, Texas


Bowers Stadium
Opened in 1986 - Seats 14,000

And we close out the season in my backyard. Huntsville is about an hour north of most of the cool things to do down in Houston. But it does have some smalltown charm of its own. Right on campus is the Sam Houston Memorial Home where the Texan legend spent his final years.



Right as you are coming into Huntsville up I-45 you come across this massive statue of Sam. My kids used to call it the "Scary White Giant" when they were younger.



Huntsville is best known nationally as the site of nearly all executions that have occurred in the US over the past generation or so. It is a town full of prisons and SHSU has one of the top criminal justice programs in the nation as a result. This is where the old prison rodeos that you would see in movies all took place. But believe it or not, my favorite toursit destination is town is actually the Texas Prison Museum".



The star of the museum is easily "Ol Sparky" ... the electric chair that saw the end of countless prisoners over the years.



If you wind up making the trip to Texas for the game, DM me. I have a ton of local recommendations.

[Sly Fox]

Best airports for each game:

Sep 7th - NM State

The best option is ELP which is just under an hour away from La Cruces. I have actually made that run in about 40-45 minutes non-rush hour. However with limited service into El Paso primarily from Southwest, the secondary option would be ABQ. Albuquerque is a shade over 3 hours north of Las Cruces. Of course you could take the scenic route down around the White Sands Missile Range and take in the national park. I can assure you that it wouldn't be a waste of your time.


Sep 28th - App State

I suspect this will be a drive for most everyone on here. But you do have some options that might not be as obvious to some outside the area. The closest airport is actually TRI across the border in Tennessee. It is only 70 miles but takes an hour and a half crossing the mountain passes. GSO is just over a hundred miles away and will take less than two hours while CLT is right at two hours away. My guess is the latter two will save you significantly over flying into the Tri-Cities.


Oct 23rd - Kennesaw State

This one is rather obvious as ATL is essentially the only real option. But it also has the greatest variation in travel time. You can make the run from Hartsfield in about 45 minutes under most circumstances. But remember that the Delta hub is on the southside of Atlanta and there is a ton of potential traffic challenges to get way up north to Kennesaw that could easily double that travel time.


Nov 9th - MTSU

Once again, the airport choice is obvious but the location being on the outer edges of a major metro challenging. BNA is roughly 30ish miles from Murfreesboro and you don't have to pass through downtown Nashville to reach the fast-growing community. It should also be noted that both CHA & HSV are both under two hours drive away.


Nov 16th - UMass

This may be the most challenging place to reach by plane all season. BDL is the de facto airport for western Mass. But is located about an hour south of Amherst on the other side of Springfield. The cheapest option will likely be BOS. But Logan is nearly two hours away over in Boston. That's about the same distance as ALB over in New York State.


Nov 30th - Sam Houston State

Since there are two major airports in Houston, you may be wondering what would be the best choice. That is unquestionably IAH. It is right at an hour south of Sam and has service from every carrier. You can tack on anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the time of day to fly into HOU down on the southside of town. Keep in mind that it is a minimum of 100 miles in every direction to drive across Houston and Hunstville is just outside the metro. It is actually about the same distance from AUS and DAL which will have you in the 2.5- to 3-hour driving range away from Huntsville. Tack on another half hour beyond that for DFW. It should be noted that once you leave the urban areas that the speed limits will blow the minds of most Virginian and Carolinian drivers.

[ATrain]

Flying into ELP (ROA > ATL > ELP).

Driving to Boone, but staying in Mount Airy which is roughly an hour away and is home to several Andy Griffith show inspired attractions.

For UMass, another option is Wocester Airport, which will cut travel time from Logan by more than half as you'll be west of all the Boston traffic. However, ORH does have relatively limited service from America, Delta, and JetBlue.