World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

August 4, 2008 12:53 PM

Looking for advice on attending the Georgia-Florida college football game in Jacksonville, Florida on November 1. Most convenient hotel? How do I get tickets? Do I need a car? Where is the most fun to be had besides the stadium? Not a high roller, but I don't mind paying for hotel/rental car/parking/ticket broker etc. I don't really have connections in the Jacksonville area or at either school.
posted by glooper to Travel & Transportation around Jacksonville, FL (5 answers total)

I went down to the game with my dad four years ago and we're planning to do it again this year. We have been staying at the Omni, which is on the north side of the river very close to the Jacksonville Landing. We took the water taxi from the Landing to the stadium and a shuttle bus back from the stadium when the game was over. You'd be able to do the same thing from any of the hotels at San Marco on the south side of the river. We were able to leave our car in the hotel garage the whole time, so it is possible to do the game without a car. However, if you wanted to go to the beaches or see St. Augustine you would need one.

The worst available seat (upper deck, in the corner, on the sunny side) on Stubhub right now is going for $248. If both teams are undefeated going into the Party, I would think that you'd pay at least twice that. However (and it pains me to say this as a Bulldog fan) I don't think the odds of that being the case are all that great. Even so, there will be a lot of interest in this game, even if a championship is no longer on the line. If you want to take your chances, there will be people selling tickets around the stadium, but it may a very tough market.

The postgame madness is at the Landing, if thousands of drunk students and alumni wearing school colors is your thing.
posted by Dr. Grue at 1:14 PM on August 4, 2008

Well, it doesn't seem possible to order tickets directly from UF unless you are already a season ticket holder. Ticket ordering form.

The UGA website is a mess; I couldn't figure out how to order tickets. It is safe to say, however, that they are very unlikely to have tickets available for the cocktail party.

As far as I know the only way to get tickets, officially, is through one of the schools. The stadium does not sell tickets on its own.

Of course, you can try ebay, stubhub, craigslist, etc.

And I can't help but add one more thing: GO GATORS!
posted by oddman at 1:21 PM on August 4, 2008

Unless you're a student or alumni who gives money to the school, you won't be getting tickets through them. Look on the Athens and Gainesville craiglist listing for tickets.

You said you don't have a connection, but finding one with the students easily the best way to get cheaper tickets. With my friends, it was normal to sell them for $50-$100 though they can go for much year in the open market- particularly with the potential hype for this year's madness.

FWIW, I know a lot of people who went to The Landing with no intention of attending the game. They'd go purely for the party aspect, and let's be clear: one the major draws of going to Jacksonville is the ensuing mayhem.

There's also some UGA LiveJournal communities you might try posting on for some more luck, and I'd imagine UF has some, too.

And as a UGA alumni, GO DAWGS.
posted by jmd82 at 2:32 PM on August 4, 2008

We should definately plan a meetup if there's a bunch of us going. I get my tickets through the alumni association (GO GATORS!) and yeah, $248 is probably the best you'll get. The Omni is a great centrally located hotel close to everything, it's right across the street from The Landing, which is where the parties are going to be.
posted by hollygoheavy at 7:15 PM on August 4, 2008

I spent New Years in Jacksonville for a WVU - UMD Gator Bowl in 2003. It was an awesome time. Made awesome by probably 10% of my town in WV(seriously) being down there. There will be events for the game formerly known as the Worlds Largest Cocktail Party, but UGA and UF fans are probably good times.

You want to stay near the Landing. Landing a hotel might be easier than you think, since both fan bases are within a half days drive (or less). The Landing is an area downtown on the river, and there will be probably some parties. You could walk to the stadium from there.

There is also an area on the ocean around 15 miles east of town. We went to a beach bar there and it was a pretty neat being on the beach in middle of winter (but JAX wasn't too balmy). There probably will be shuttles between game and hotel. We stayed in a real crappy area (i.e. bullet proof glass at convenient stores) but in a nice enough motel on the South Side of the river. We took cabs to and fro and that was fine.

Even though it ended like every WVU bowl game from 1984 to 2004 (one exception-- but otherwise a beatdown), I had a great time.
posted by sandmanwv at 8:38 PM on August 4, 2008