5 Things Tennesseans Do at a Tailgate That Confuse Many People From Out of State

Football season is in full swing, and if you’re headed to a game in Tennessee, bring an open mind along with your cooler.

Fans there tailgate in places and ways that catch out-of-state visitors off guard.

Here’s what to expect before you pull in.

1. Sailgating on the Vol Navy

A tailgate in Knoxville can float because fans boat to Neyland Stadium and tie up along the Tennessee River.

The Vol Navy dates to 1962, when radio broadcaster George Mooney boated to a game and fans turned boating to games into a tradition.

Boats start arriving early in the week to claim dock space, and big rivalry games can draw as many as 350.

That’s a lot of boats.

That floating tailgate can surprise many fans from out of state.

If you don’t have a boat, you can still walk the riverfront, where Visit Knoxville says the boats arrive decked out in orange.

2. Lining the Street for the Vol Walk

Before every home game, fans line the streets of campus to cheer on the football team during the Vol Walk, the University of Tennessee (UT) says.

Smokey, the bluetick coonhound mascot, helps lead the team down the street.

Rocky Top Talk reports that the Pride of the Southland Band marches in as well, so “Rocky Top” can be heard at full blast.

Find a spot along the route, and you might collect a high five from a player as the team passes.

3. Tailgating in Circle Park

Circle Park is a campus park during the week, but Visit Knoxville says football Saturdays turn it into a tailgate full of tents, TVs and good food.

A tailgate in the middle of a campus park can surprise many fans who are used to parking lots.

The park sits at Peyton Manning Pass and Volunteer Boulevard, and the Vol Walk begins there at the Torchbearer statue.

Along Cumberland Avenue, tailgaters toss footballs and cornhole bags while music plays.

Families can also look for Vol Village, UT’s free pregame fan experience, where activities change by game.

If you walk a lap around the park, you’ll see how Tennesseans tailgate, and you might spot Smokey.

4. Kurdish Titans Tailgates

A 2019 New York Times story, reprinted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, traces the Kurdish-American Titans tailgate in Nashville to 2001.

That year, a fan and a few high school classmates started setting up a tent near the stadium on game days.

The story put Nashville's Kurdish-American population at about 15,000, the largest in the United States.

Their tent flew Titans, American and Kurdistan flags.

If you'd walked through the lot on a game Sunday in October 2019, you'd have passed silver trays of biryani beside the burgers and hot dogs.

The coolers held orange soda and Kool-Aid, with no alcohol.

The same buffet had kutilk, chicken-filled fritters, and eprax, stuffed grape leaves.

If you'd stuck around until kickoff, you'd have seen chicken kebabs come straight off the charcoal grill, and people passed the skewers around.

At that game, the group set up near Bills fans on purpose, booed Bills jerseys and yelled "Titan up!" at anyone in Titans gear.

5. Southern Heritage Classic Tailgate

The Southern Heritage Classic turns a Memphis football Saturday into a week of festivities that includes tailgating, concerts, a college fair and a parade, the Tri-State Defender reports.

Apart from the game, the Classic Tailgate and the Classic Parade are the most heavily attended events each year, organizers say.

If you'd walked the lot in 2022, you'd have found hundreds of fans with tents, grills, DJs and flat-screen TVs, and tailgating was under way by 8 a.m.

Tennessee State and Jackson State, the two schools playing that year, have since left, and the 2026 game was set for Sept. 12 between Alcorn State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

If you go, you're likely to meet alumni who come back for the Classic, since the founder compares the Classic to a second homecoming.

Titans Lots and the Water Taxi

Titans tailgates, Visit Music City says, have grills cooking ribs, sausages, burgers and hot dogs in the Nissan Stadium lots.

Spontaneous live music follows, from country to rock to Titans fight songs.

If you plan to tailgate there, tailgating space is limited during stadium construction, though an official tailgate party offers reserved spaces.

If you'd rather skip the lot, the Nashville Water Taxi runs a ride along the Cumberland River that avoids traffic and parking.

Vandyville Game Days

Vanderbilt fans tailgate in Vandyville, where the athletics department says tailgating opens four hours before kickoff.

Entertainment starts an hour later, and a video board shows other games around the country and ESPN College GameDay.

If you bring kids, the Max Nance Kids' Zone is free, and you don't need a game ticket.

If you bring a grill, it has to sit on level ground and not under a tent, and open-flame fire pits are no longer permitted.

The remaining 2026 Vandyville dates are Nov. 14 against Alabama and Nov. 28 against Tennessee.

Lot 21 in Johnson City

At East Tennessee State, game notes from September say the Food City Fan Zone returns to the Lot 21 tailgate area and opens four hours before kickoff.

You can play cornhole there or settle into the media zone, which has free Pepsi products and a space to watch college games from across the country.