The Grove (Ole Miss)

The Grove is the tailgating area located at the center of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) campus.

[1] Originally, gathering in The Grove was an informal tailgating get-together when most serious pre-game socializing took place at the fraternity and sorority houses.

As a result of fans claiming certain areas within The Grove for their tents, and often being angered when they arrived and found another person in "their spot."

The Ole Miss Alumni Association's Grove Society began in 1998 to preserve the 10-acre (4.0 ha) green space.

[2] Described as "the Holy Grail of tailgating sites" by Sporting News,[4] The Grove comes to life for Ole Miss Rebels football home games with typically over 100,000 fans.

[7] Ole Miss students generally dress in their Sunday best: Men wear slacks, button-up shirts, bow ties, Sperry Top Siders, and coats while women wear cocktail dresses or brightly colored sundresses and high heel shoes.

[1] There's also traditional Southern food, including fried chicken, pork, homemade dressings, mashed potatoes and stuffed eggs.

[8] However, open flame and propane grills are not allowed in the Grove, so food is not actually allowed to be cooked at the tailgates [6] Former Ole Miss football quarterback Eli Manning shared his times in The Grove as a child and as a former student:[9] I went a lot when I was in middle school and as a kid.

Ole Miss fans swarm both sides of the sidewalk in order to greet the players with loud cheers before the game.

[4] As the tradition continued, the ironically named "Walk of Champions" arch was built in the fall of 1998 on the east side of The Grove.

Ole Miss football players are assigned to a squad by the coaches and then play a full-contact game.