(02-16-2012 05:22 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  

(02-16-2012 12:06 PM)CalallenStang Wrote:  

(02-16-2012 11:39 AM)UofMTigerFan Wrote:  Food- The best BBQ in the world, hands down. The BBQ Shop, Central BBQ, and Rendezvous are must stops.
Fine dining @ Iris. Casual eats @ Gus Fried Chicken.

And Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ...where the food is as good as the part of town is bad.

Amen, best BBQ anywhere, just don't forget the sidearm.

Cozy Corner BBQ......go during the day. As someone said, live music! The highway between Memphis and Nashville (2.5 hour drive) is called Music Highway.....the best musicians in the world play in these cities and not just country or blues either.

Tunica is outside of Memphis if you want to gamble/play golf.

Orlando
- beaches (~45 mins to cocoa beach)
- night life
- nba
- wakiva springs (~30 mins)
- rainbow river (1.5 hours)
- air boating on st. johns (~30 mins)
- shopping/outlets (seriously... there's an outlet for everything)
- theme parks
--- magic kingdom
--- epcot
--- hollywood studios
--- animal kingdom
--- blizzard beach
--- typhoon lagoon
--- universal studios
--- universal's islands of adventure
--- sea world
--- wet n wild
--- holy land
--- busche gardens (more a tampa thing, but within driving distance)
--- (am I missing any?)

Food wise, decent restaurant scene but nothing to write home about. Four Rivers is the best BBQ around, imo.

A point of contention about Memphis -- Rendezvous is probably the most overrated bbq I've ever had. I hated it. Central is solid, pig and whistle was average. Those are the only three I've tried so far. Gus's fried chicken, on the other hand. That place is f'n incredible. We tried to go there after the last ucf liberty bowl trip and discovered they were closed on sundays. Damn near made me cry.

(02-16-2012 09:28 PM)rulethirty Wrote:  Orlando
- wakiva springs (~30 mins)
- air boating on st. johns (~30 mins)

(02-16-2012 04:58 PM)CD11 Wrote:  

(02-16-2012 04:21 PM)Lush Wrote:  i'll have to agree whoever said that dc's transit isn't bad. we had a great time riding it when we were there round nye. no problems, pretty easy to navigate. i flew in to baltimore, hopped on the bus onto the terminal and made it to the hotel we were staying at (navy yard) under a few hours. and the tunnels are simply beautiful. loved dc, though finding a sports bar was tough. or just any bar really.

I'm guessing part of your problem was staying in Navy Yard. There's absolutely nothing there. There's a nice outdoor bar outside Nats Park but only during baseball season.

oh yeah. navy yard was desolate. we wondered around dupont circle looking for a place to ring in the new year (we did get a bit lost) and couldn't find a bar. finally we found a sweet dive. wish i could remember the place. we did find a little strip of bars a few blocks outside navy yard to watch the bengal/raven game. we took the subway mostly everywhere. very convenient

(02-16-2012 09:28 PM)rulethirty Wrote:  Orlando
- beaches (~45 mins to cocoa beach)
- night life
- nba
- wakiva springs (~30 mins)
- rainbow river (1.5 hours)
- air boating on st. johns (~30 mins)
- shopping/outlets (seriously... there's an outlet for everything)
- theme parks
--- magic kingdom
--- epcot
--- hollywood studios
--- animal kingdom
--- blizzard beach
--- typhoon lagoon
--- universal studios
--- universal's islands of adventure
--- sea world
--- wet n wild
--- holy land
--- busche gardens (more a tampa thing, but within driving distance)
--- (am I missing any?)

Food wise, decent restaurant scene but nothing to write home about. Four Rivers is the best BBQ around, imo.

A point of contention about Memphis -- Rendezvous is probably the most overrated bbq I've ever had. I hated it. Central is solid, pig and whistle was average. Those are the only three I've tried so far. Gus's fried chicken, on the other hand. That place is f'n incredible. We tried to go there after the last ucf liberty bowl trip and discovered they were closed on sundays. Damn near made me cry.

Old Towne

(02-16-2012 05:35 PM)MechaKnight Wrote:  Orlando

Most people automatically think of Disney when they come to Orlando. If you take the toll roads UCF is about 30-40 minutes from the parks. Universal Studios and Seaworld are a little closer and are near International Drive which is a strip of tourist traps including stuff like Ripley's Believe it or Not, SkyVenture indoor skydiving, and Medieval Times dinner and show. That's the touristy stuff to do. It's pretty expensive but it's probably worth it to do the touristy stuff at least once.

If you don't have kids checkout Church Street Station in downtown Orlando, where most of the bars and nightclubs are located. There's also the Amway Arena where the Magic play, so it may be worth seeing if there is anything going on there you would be interested in. If you want to escape the crowds then it's a short drive to Daytona Beach or Cocoa Beach. In addition to being great beaches, Daytona has the International Speedway for NASCAR fans, and Cocoa is near Cape Canaveral where you can get a tour of Kennedy Space Center.

We took our Daughter to the UCF campus when She was 16. Very Nice place. Student center was really cool place .even had an Anime Convention while we were there which My Daughter loved and is now hooked on, even at 22 years old She goes to at least 4 a year with a group of friends from U of L

(02-16-2012 06:39 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  

(02-16-2012 10:24 AM)CalallenStang Wrote:  Dallas:

1. The Boulevard (SMU's tailgate scene)...one of the best in the country
2. The two-time World Series runners-up play in the beautiful Ballpark in Arlington, so go catch a game out there if you can. It's right by JerryWorld and Six Flags, so even if they aren't playing, you can have a lot of fun in that area.
3. From late September through mid-October, the State Fair of Texas takes place at Fair Park in Dallas. Many of you may have been to your own state fairs, and think that this is no big deal. But it is a big deal. It's the largest state fair in the country and has all sorts of musical acts (right on up to big-name headliners), a great car show, etc. etc. etc. If you're in town during the Fair, you absolutely MUST go experience it.
4. For fans of great art, SMU's own Meadows Museum has the largest collection of Spanish art outside of Spain. Also, in downtown Dallas, the Arts District (largest in the country) hosts several top-rated museums as well. I personally recommend the Nasher Sculpture Center due to the large outdoor sculpture garden which is like a relaxing park right in the middle of the city.
5. The food. Do you want some good Texas BBQ? Dallas has it (not the best in Texas, but you can find some great BBQ if you know where to look...post before heading down and the SMU fans will be sure to give you recommendations). Do you want some great Tex-Mex? Dallas has it. Do you want some great authentic Mexican? Dallas has it (harder to find than Tex-Mex, though). Do you want some other ethnic cuisine? Dallas has it. Would you like to eat at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant that revolves and has 360-degree views of downtown from its perch 560 feet in the air? You can do that in Dallas.
6. Your wife (or you, if you're female) will love the shopping. Between NorthPark and Highland Park Village, there are literally infinite ways within a very short drive of SMU's campus to run up the credit card bill.
7. The weather. In the fall, it will probably be warmer in Dallas than anywhere else in this conference except for Houston, Orlando, and Tampa. But they have ridiculous humidity, and Dallas doesn't. I'm not going to lie and say it's anywhere as nice as San Diego weather, however.
8. Can't make it for anything other than the game? No problem...Love Field is only 4 miles from SMU's campus, and there are lots of hotel options nearby (some literally across the street from SMU).
9. The SMU "scenery." Ask anyone who has been to SMU before about this.
10. Safe game day atmosphere for families or people who are by themselves - competitive fans who are nonetheless friendly and glad to welcome fans of other schools. And SMU's located in the Park Cities, so you don't have to worry about the safety of your car while you've got it parked and you're tailgating or inside the stadium.

There's also the Sixth Floor Museum in downtown Dallas, dedicated to studying the Kennedy assasination. A bit creepy, but interesting.

Fort Worth is just 30 miles west. The Fort Worth Stockyards is a fun tourist area. Be sure to wear your Big East colors in TCU's backyard.

Do They supply the papers or do We bring Our own ! LOL

If you like the music, bar and restaurant scene then Bardstown Rd. in the Highlands is the place to go in Louisville. Young & old like to hang out in this part of town. If you like to enjoy nature then I suggest biking or jogging the Louisville Loop which is a 100 mile long trail that surrounds Louisville connecting all the nice city parks and neighborhoods together. If you're into Military Warfare history then hit up the Ft. Knox museum located 25 miles southwest of Louisville, can't forget the gold vaults at Ft. Knox either.....Almost forgot the Kentucky Motor Speedway located in Sparta Ky.....If you like Nascar...Its the newest track located only about an hour from Louisville.

(02-16-2012 09:59 PM)Lush Wrote:  

(02-16-2012 04:58 PM)CD11 Wrote:  

(02-16-2012 04:21 PM)Lush Wrote:  i'll have to agree whoever said that dc's transit isn't bad. we had a great time riding it when we were there round nye. no problems, pretty easy to navigate. i flew in to baltimore, hopped on the bus onto the terminal and made it to the hotel we were staying at (navy yard) under a few hours. and the tunnels are simply beautiful. loved dc, though finding a sports bar was tough. or just any bar really.

I'm guessing part of your problem was staying in Navy Yard. There's absolutely nothing there. There's a nice outdoor bar outside Nats Park but only during baseball season.

oh yeah. navy yard was desolate. we wondered around dupont circle looking for a place to ring in the new year (we did get a bit lost) and couldn't find a bar. finally we found a sweet dive. wish i could remember the place. we did find a little strip of bars a few blocks outside navy yard to watch the bengal/raven game. we took the subway mostly everywhere. very convenient

Navy Yard's an interesting case. It was nothing until Nats Park was built, and then the place exploded with the construction and new apartment buildings/hotels around the outer edge of the neighborhood that I'm sure you saw. But the areas nearest to the ballpark, along Half Street, in the heart of the neighborhood, all lost their development prospects after the financial meltdown. So as it stands right now, there are a dozen empty lots filled with dirt, just waiting for, I dunno, some money or some interest or something. From what I read, things are gathering a little steam again, but the area has been a big disappointment. The problem is, the area to the south is a river, the area to the north is basically a highway, the area to the west is mild ghetto, and the area to the east is more ghetto. I don't know if there's really that much demand to live there. I can see it being sort of a vicious cycle - I wouldn't want to move there because there's nothing around, and there's nothing around because people won't live there.

Re: Dupont, I'm glad you and your friends found a good spot. Lots of fun places around that area.

(02-16-2012 09:28 PM)rulethirty Wrote:  A point of contention about Memphis -- Rendezvous is probably the most overrated bbq I've ever had. I hated it. Central is solid, pig and whistle was average. Those are the only three I've tried so far. Gus's fried chicken, on the other hand. That place is f'n incredible. We tried to go there after the last ucf liberty bowl trip and discovered they were closed on sundays. Damn near made me cry.

Rendezvous is for tourists. Most Memphians would never recommend its BBQ, although its dry rub ribs are liked by some. Many better places listed in the BBQ thread on here. And Gus's is the real deal.

Louisville's East end has a lock on all of the major shopping malls and power shopping centers. Mall St Mathews,Oxmoor,the Summit,Springhurst,Westport Village,Norton Commons and the Hurstborne ln area. Tons of Restaurants,Sports bars,nightlife,Hotels.
Local breakfast Hot spots Verbena, Wild Eggs, Mimi's Cafe,Lynn's Paradise Cafe, Toast on Main..............and more
River rd Social Bars and Restaurants on or near the Ohio River away from Downtown Captains Quarters, Limestone Bay, Cast Iron Skillet, Cunningham's River rd, King fish , Tumbleweed, Joe's Crab Shack

(02-16-2012 02:58 PM)adluther Wrote:  

(02-16-2012 01:35 PM)brista21 Wrote:  

(02-16-2012 11:50 AM)SmallVoice Wrote:  Louisville: Bourbon. If you love bourbon, Louisville is heaven. If you do not, Kentucky can teach you why you should. There's no real reason to leave Louisville if you make a road trip there, and most people who mention leaving town for anything mention Keeneland as the destination. Me? If I were to recommend one trip outside of town, it would be for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. My favorite bourbon on the trail is Woodford Reserve (Versailles). My all-time favorite (not on the trail) is Blanton's (Frankfort).

Ahh the Bourbon Trail. I've been to Maker's Mark, Heaven Hill and Jim Beam myself. Jim Beam is extremely underwhelming. Maker's Mark is the best of those 3. My goal is to swing down and do the rest someday. And yes if you love bourbon Louisville is a great place to be.

Well if that's the case, drive from Louisville to Memphis. You'll have to drive through Nashville. Take a 30 minute detour and head to Lynchburg which is just outside of Murfreesboro and visit the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Top notch. George Dickel's Distillery isn't far form it.

Jack Daniels isn't bourbon. As far as we're concerned it's just mass-produced whiskey, and because it's mass-produced, Kentuckians living outside Kentucky spend a major percentage of their lives telling people that pouring Jack Daniels does not fulfill an order for bourbon.

Bourbon can only be made in Kentucky We own the world wide Trademark of the Name. everything else is Whiskey unless the Rules changed recently.
http://www1.american.edu/ted/kentuckybourbon.htm
Guess I can post a non advertising link here