Road Trip to Play Georgia Tech: What Rebel Fans can do while in Atlanta
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss makes its first road trip of the season this weekend when it heads to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech.
The Rebels expect to have many fans following the team to the Peach State for the game that kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. But until kickoff, what can Ole Miss fans do in Atlanta?
Here are a few things and places the Rebels’ following can enjoy before and after the game.
WHAT TO DO
Just down the road from Grant Field is the College Football Hall of Fame. When fans visit, they can see the displays honoring the Ole Miss players and coaches enshrined there. They are Bruiser Kinard, Charlie Conerly, Barney Poole, John Vaught, Doug Kenna, Thad “Pie” Vann, Archie Manning, Parker Hall, Jake Gibbs, Charlie Flowers, Wesley Walls and Patrick Willis.
For the best view of the city, fans can ride the Atlanta SkyView, a 20-story ferris wheel located in Olympic Centnnial Park. Other attractions include the Georgia Aquarium, the Coca-Cola Museum and the Center for Civil and Human Rights.
What might interest Ole Miss sports fans most is the Atlanta Braves are in town for the weekend facing the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves will make the postseason, but it remains to be seen if Atlanta will be the National League East champs or a wildcard.
The Braves boast two players vying for rookie of the year honors: pitcher Spencer Strider and outfielder Michael Harris II. Each player began the season at Double-A Mississippi.
All-Star Max Fried gets the start at Truist Park Friday night with the Saturday game set for 7:20 p.m. local time and the Sunday game – featuring Strider – starting at 1:35 p.m.
WHERE TO EAT
Any trip to Atlanta needs to include a visit to the Varsity. Known as “The World’s Largest Drive-In,” the Varsity has been around for nearly a century and sits on two city blocks downtown. Best known for its fast food, especially its hot dogs and onion rings, fans should be careful when ordering. If the order calls for a hot dog, it will come with chili and mustard automatically. If a patron wants just a hot dog, just order a naked dog.
Should fans be looking for more of a variety, Colony Square is located at the corner of Peachtree and 14th and offers a variety of dining options from Chik-Fil-A to upscale restaurants. The complex also has retail shops and the IPIC Theaters, midtown’s premium dine-in cinema.
FOR HISTORY BUFFS
Thanks to General Sherman, Atlanta has no buildings predating the Civil War, but the city still has many historic attractions. It boasts the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was pastor, and Oakland Cemetery, where you’ll find gardens, history, art, and architecture in the revered cemetery and vibrant park that honors Atlanta’s past and celebrates its future.
FOR THE OVER-21 CROWD
Look no further than the Buckhead neighborhood. The area boasts a four-mile-long stretch of nightlife ranging from hip-hop clubs to the Buckhead Strip that caters to college grads and current students. For an entertaining way to end the evening, try the Whiskey Blue, a rooftop lounge at the W Hotel that affords a panoramic view of the city.
Hotty Toddy, Rebs!
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
