Tennessee Fall Traditions: Football
No matter which color you wear this season, here are three game day spots you’ll love.
Volunteer Gaemday at Lee Haw Brrewing in Knoxville. (Credit: Yee-Haw Brewing)
Sports fans think orange when they think of Tennessee football. That school on the hill in Knoxville has given them every reason to do so.
But Tennesseans across the state bleed all kinds of team colors. As far as fall traditions in Tennessee go, college football runs deep. No matter which color you wear this season, here are three game day spots you’ll love.
Yee-Haw Brewing Co.
Knoxville
The sea of orange at Neyland Stadium is a site to behold but a close second may be game day at Yee-Haw Brewing.
Just north of Downtown around Emory Place, Yee-Haw has become a premiere game day destination where the excitement of college ball meets the vibrant energy of a local craft beer. (Yee-Haw makes Vol Lager, the official craft beer of the University of Tennessee Vols.) Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just in it for the camaraderie, Yee-Haw’s Big Orange Watch Party offers a perfect mix of sports and socializing.
With big screens set up around the venue, fans can catch every play while enjoying the brewery’s signature beers. Or, step outside to Yee-Haw’s sprawling beer garden with its massive 28-foot Jumbotron to watch the Vols with hundreds of likeminded fans.
The kitchen will make you a salad or a burger and fries. The venue also hosts Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack for some legendary Nashville hot chicken.
Bringles Smoking Oasis
Nashville
Smoking meat puts the “smoking” in Bringle’s Smoking Oasis and on game days the place is surely also a football oasis.
Anyone who’s eaten at the famed Peg Leg Porker, already knows a thing or two about Bringle’s — both of them were founded by lauded pitmaster Carey Bringle. After the success of Peg Leg Porker, launched in 2013, Bringle opened the door on his Southwest barbecue concept, Bringle’s Smoking Oasis, in 2021.
Head to The Nations neighborhood on college game days and Bringle’s keeps it pretty simple. A recent Facebook post had only the team matchups, game times, and the words “big screen, beer, and BBQ!” What more do you need?
But Bringle’s is not kidding about the big screen. Its massive outdoor patio features two huge screens under an equally massive awning, under which more than 100 can gather to watch their favorite team.
Railgarten
Memphis
Now, a huge TV screen does not a great sports bar make. But it sure does help. However, there’s more to the magic at Railgarten.
Opened in Midtown (close to Cooper-Young) in 2017, Railgarten combined several neighboring properties into one huge, sprawling entertainment complex.
One main indoor is supported by smaller outdoor bars scattered throughout the space to ensure you’re usually within arm’s reach of a frosty one. A stand-alone restaurant will deliver food to your table no matter where you are on the grounds. A fenced in play area for kids has a huge play structure (and a bar nearby).
All of this is connected by a big outdoor stage. It’s amazing for concerts but on game days, the screens on each side of the stage arae for football. They call it “Game Day In the Garten.”
