Sun Belt Craft Beer Guide 2026: From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Gulf Coast
The Sun Belt Conference is the most underestimated football conference in America — and 2025 proved it. James Madison became the first Sun Belt program to earn a College Football Playoff berth, the conference led all non-autonomy conferences in bowl game winning percentage for the fourth consecutive year, and eight teams finished with at least eight wins. The Sun Belt now spans from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to the Gulf Coast of Alabama, from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to the Piney Woods of Louisiana. Its cities range from the genuinely extraordinary (Lafayette, the culinary capital of Cajun country) to the passionate small college towns (Boone’s mountain craft beer scene, Statesboro’s deep Georgia Southern football culture) that define the South’s relationship with college football. The craft beverage scenes in Sun Belt territory reflect the region’s dual identity — deep-rooted Southern food and drink culture alongside a new wave of craft breweries that have emerged as laws changed and tastes evolved. Here is where to drink, eat, and spend your time near every Sun Belt stadium.
The 14 Sun Belt Cities — East & West Divisions
East Division:
Boone, NC — App State ·
Conway, SC — Coastal Carolina ·
Statesboro, GA — Georgia Southern ·
Atlanta, GA — Georgia State ·
Harrisonburg, VA — James Madison ·
Huntington, WV — Marshall ·
Norfolk, VA — Old Dominion
West Division:
Jonesboro, AR — Arkansas State ·
Lafayette, LA — Louisiana ·
Ruston, LA — Louisiana Tech ·
Mobile, AL — South Alabama ·
San Marcos, TX — Texas State ·
Troy, AL — Troy
BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA — Appalachian State Mountaineers
Kidd Brewer Stadium (30,000) · 3,333 feet elevation · The upset that changed college football
The Stadium Story: Kidd Brewer Stadium sits at 3,333 feet elevation in the Blue Ridge Mountains — the highest elevation stadium in the Sun Belt by a significant margin, with mountain views from every seat and the kind of atmosphere that makes opposing teams genuinely uncomfortable. The stadium is named for Dolph Brewer, a former Appalachian State player, and has been expanded steadily as the Mountaineers’ national profile has grown. But the story that defines App State forever happened away from home: on September 1, 2007, Appalachian State — then an FCS school — traveled to the Big House and defeated the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines 34-32 in what is widely called the greatest upset in college football history. The game changed how FCS programs were scheduled, earned App State national recognition, and is still the first thing most college football fans think of when they hear “Appalachian State.”
Boone’s craft beer scene is one of the Sun Belt’s best — a mountain college town with a thriving brewery culture anchored by Appalachian Mountain Brewery and a natural backdrop that makes every pint taste better.
🍺 Drink: Appalachian Mountain Brewery is Boone’s flagship — craft beers that reflect the mountain culture and a taproom that has become the gathering place for the App State community. Booneshine Brewing Company is the standout for food and outdoor beer garden culture — a family-friendly atmosphere with well-made beers and a patio that captures Boone’s outdoor lifestyle. Lost Province Brewing earns consistent praise for quality and range in a welcoming downtown setting.
🍽️ Eat: Dan’l Boone Inn on Hardin Street is the Boone institution — family-style Southern cooking in a historic 1923 building that has been serving Appalachian food to visitors for decades. The fried chicken family style is non-negotiable. The Gamekeeper Restaurant & Bar for the fine dining option in a mountain setting that surprises visitors expecting only casual fare.
🎯 Fun: The Blue Ridge Parkway is accessible from multiple points around Boone — the most scenic highway in the eastern United States winds through mountain terrain that peaks in fall color in October, often coinciding with football season. The App State campus at 3,333 feet gives every home game a cool mountain air quality that visiting fans notice immediately.
CONWAY, SOUTH CAROLINA — Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Brooks Stadium (21,000) · Myrtle Beach country · 2016 Sun Belt Champions
The Stadium Story: Brooks Stadium sits in Conway, South Carolina — a small historic city 12 miles west of Myrtle Beach. Coastal Carolina won the Sun Belt championship in 2016 and has been competitive in the conference since moving to FBS in 2017. The proximity to Myrtle Beach — one of the Atlantic Coast’s most visited resort destinations — gives Coastal Carolina game day visits a unique coastal tourism component that no other Sun Belt program can offer. The Chanticleers’ nickname honors Geoffrey Chaucer’s rooster from The Canterbury Tales, which reflects the university’s literary roots as a liberal arts institution.
Conway and Myrtle Beach together give visitors both a charming small-city historic downtown and the full range of a major resort city within 12 miles.
🍺 Drink: New South Brewing in Myrtle Beach (12 miles east) is the Strand’s most established craft brewery — producing beers that have made it a regional institution for 25+ years. Salty Brooks Brewing is Conway’s own craft option, bringing the coastal character to beer with sessionable, beach-friendly styles. Crooked Hammock Brewery in North Myrtle Beach brings a full outdoor beach brewery experience — horseshoe pits, live music, and craft beer that captures the Myrtle Beach lifestyle perfectly.
🍽️ Eat: The Rivertown Bistro in Conway is the local dining gem — an independent restaurant on the Waccamaw River that consistently earns the best food reviews in the Conway area. Sea Captain’s House in Myrtle Beach for the classic coastal seafood experience that has been a Strand institution since 1954.
🎯 Fun: Myrtle Beach’s oceanfront is 12 miles from campus — game day plus a beach morning or evening is the natural Coastal Carolina itinerary. Brookgreen Gardens (30 minutes south) is one of the most beautiful sculpture gardens in America, set in a former rice plantation with 9,000 acres of Low Country landscape.
STATESBORO, GEORGIA — Georgia Southern Eagles
Paulson Stadium (25,000) · 6 FCS national championships · Option football royalty
The Stadium Story: Georgia Southern has won six national championships — all at the FCS level, but six is six, and the Paulson Stadium faithful know every one of them. The Eagles run one of the last true option offenses in the Sun Belt, producing rushing attacks that confound opposing defenses and make Georgia Southern one of the most distinctive teams to watch in college football. The program defeated Florida in 1985 and Auburn in 2018 as an FBS school — two of the most significant upsets in Georgia Southern history and proof that the Eagles’ identity translates across divisions. Statesboro is a classic South Georgia college town with a passionate fanbase that fills Paulson Stadium despite the city’s modest size.
Statesboro has developed a craft beer scene anchored by Eagle Creek Brewing and a downtown that has grown with the university’s expansion.
🍺 Drink: Eagle Creek Brewing Company is Statesboro’s flagship craft brewery — the natural gathering spot for Georgia Southern fans with a tap list that includes beers named for Eagles football traditions. West Broad Taproom is the craft beer bar with the most serious selection in Statesboro. Savannah (60 miles southeast) offers the full range of a historic Georgia coastal city’s food and drink scene for visitors who want to extend the weekend.
🍽️ Eat: Vandy’s Barbeque on Northside Drive is the Statesboro institution — South Georgia pit barbecue that locals have been arguing is the best in the region for decades. Sharky’s Boiling Seafood for the low country boil experience that captures South Georgia coastal food culture.
🎯 Fun: Savannah is 60 miles southeast — one of America’s most beautiful and historically rich cities, with a craft beer scene (Service Brewing, Moon River Brewing) and a food culture that rewards an overnight visit. The Georgia Southern University Museum on campus has significant natural history and cultural collections.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Georgia State Panthers
Center Parc Credit Union Stadium (24,000) · Downtown Atlanta · Former Turner Field
The Stadium Story: Georgia State plays at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium — the former Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves from 1997 to 2016. The baseball diamond is gone but the bones of a major league ballpark give Georgia State one of the more unusual football stadium settings in college football. The program only started playing football in 2010 and has developed quickly in the Sun Belt. Being in Atlanta gives Georgia State the best city in the conference — and access to all the food, drink, and entertainment that comes with it. The ACC’s Georgia Tech is also in Atlanta, making it a two-team major city for college football.
Atlanta is the Sun Belt’s best city for craft beer exploration. See the Georgia Tech/Atlanta entry in the ACC guide for the full Atlanta craft beer and dining recommendations — SweetWater, Reformation, Der Biergarten, The Varsity, and the BeltLine all apply equally here.
🍺 Drink: SweetWater Brewing Company near campus — Georgia’s most recognized craft brand. Monday Night Brewing in the West End for the most decorated neighborhood brewery in the city. Elsewhere Brewing in the Beacon complex near campus for the craft beer option closest to the stadium.
🍽️ Eat: The Beacon Atlanta — the food hall complex adjacent to the stadium that has become the most convenient pregame destination. Ticonderoga Club in Krog Street Market for the cocktail bar and small plates that have made it one of Atlanta’s most celebrated.
🎯 Fun: The Atlanta BeltLine trail connects the stadium area to the city’s best neighborhoods. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park is walking distance from the stadium — the birth home, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the memorial are among the most significant civil rights sites in America.
HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA — James Madison Dukes
Bridgeforth Stadium (25,000) · 2025 Sun Belt Champions & CFP participants · Shenandoah Valley
The Stadium Story: Bridgeforth Stadium hosted the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Championship Game — James Madison defeated Troy to win the conference title and earn the Sun Belt’s first-ever College Football Playoff berth. The Dukes have been the Sun Belt’s dominant East Division program, and Harrisonburg has responded with a game day atmosphere that belies the stadium’s modest capacity. The Shenandoah Valley setting — with Massanutten Mountain to the east and the Blue Ridge to the west — makes Harrisonburg one of the most naturally beautiful college football settings in the Sun Belt. JMU’s campus has a limestone rock called “The Kissing Rock” where tradition holds that couples who kiss there will marry — which is either charming or concerning depending on your circumstances.
Harrisonburg has a genuine and growing craft beer scene — Feel the Rain Brothers Brew Co and Pale Fire Brewing anchor a corridor that has made the city one of Virginia’s more interesting craft beer destinations.
🍺 Drink: Pale Fire Brewing is Harrisonburg’s most celebrated craft brewery — named for the Vladimir Nabokov novel, with beers that reflect the university town’s literary self-awareness. Feel the Rain Brothers Brew Co is the family-owned brewery that has built a loyal community following since 2012 with 14 rotating taps. Three Notch’d Valley Collab House is Virginia’s most collaborative craft concept — rotating beers brewed in partnership with other Virginia producers. Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint for the craft beer bar with the best selection and the best burger in Harrisonburg.
🍽️ Eat: Rocktown Kitchen is Harrisonburg’s farm-to-table standout — elevated American cuisine sourced from Shenandoah Valley farms. Bella Luna in the historic Livery Building for wood-fired pizza and handmade pasta in one of downtown’s most distinctive spaces.
🎯 Fun: Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park begin just east of Harrisonburg — the most scenic mountain drive in Virginia, accessible for a morning before any home game. The Virginia Beer Museum in downtown Harrisonburg tells the story of Virginia craft beer history in a tasting room format. And the Shenandoah Valley wine trail — with wineries producing Viognier and Cabernet Franc — is within 30 minutes of campus.
HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA — Marshall Thundering Herd
Joan C. Edwards Stadium (38,019) · 2024 Sun Belt Champions · We Are Marshall
The Stadium Story: Joan C. Edwards Stadium is named for a Marshall alumna whose family donation funded major stadium renovations. On November 14, 1970, a Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed into a hillside while approaching Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 people on board — including 37 Marshall football players, 8 coaches, and 25 other Marshall supporters. It was the deadliest disaster in American sports history. The program was rebuilt from scratch. The 2006 film We Are Marshall told the story. Every November 14, Marshall pauses to remember. The stadium’s fountain memorial is visited by every visiting team as a gesture of respect. Marshall won the 2024 Sun Belt championship with quarterback Braylon Braxton as Finals MVP — a program high point that Huntington embraced fully.
Huntington has developed a genuine craft beer scene — Summit Beer Station is West Virginia’s most decorated craft beer bar, and the city’s downtown has grown alongside Marshall’s football success.
🍺 Drink: Summit Beer Station on Fourth Avenue is West Virginia’s most celebrated craft beer bar — voted Best Beer Bar in West Virginia with 2 nitros, multiple saisons, IPAs, and over 30 beers on tap alongside an exceptional bourbon selection. Huntington Ale House is the local craft pub that rounds out Huntington’s bar scene. Taps at Heritage Station brings craft beer to the renovated Heritage Station event complex near downtown.
🍽️ Eat: Black Sheep Burritos & Brews on Fourth Avenue combines craft beer with creative burritos in a Huntington institution. Bahnhof WVrsthaus for German-style sausages and beer that has earned a devoted local following.
🎯 Fun: Visit the Memorial Fountain outside Joan C. Edwards Stadium before the game. Read the names. The 1970 crash is the most significant event in Marshall’s history and understanding it is essential to understanding the program. The Museum of Art at Marshall University has a strong permanent collection. The New River Gorge National Park is 45 minutes east — one of America’s newest and most spectacular national parks.
NORFOLK, VIRGINIA — Old Dominion Monarchs
S.B. Ballard Stadium (22,000) · Hampton Roads · Tidewater craft beer scene
The Stadium Story: S.B. Ballard Stadium sits in the heart of Norfolk — the largest city in the Hampton Roads metro area, home to the largest naval base in the world (Naval Station Norfolk), and a city whose military identity shapes everything from its culture to its craft beer scene. Old Dominion finished 2025 with 10 wins as co-Sun Belt champions alongside James Madison — the program’s best season and a genuine breakthrough for a program that has been building since its FBS transition in 2012. Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood and the MacArthur Memorial area anchor a downtown scene that has grown significantly.
Norfolk and the Hampton Roads area have a vibrant craft beer scene — O’Connor Brewing and Bold Mariner are the anchors of a Tidewater craft community that has grown alongside the region’s military and tech economy.
🍺 Drink: O’Connor Brewing Company is Norfolk’s most nationally recognized craft brewery — El Guapo IPA is the flagship that has made it a Virginia craft standard-bearer. Bold Mariner Brewing Company honors Norfolk’s naval heritage with beers named for military history and a veteran-friendly taproom. Wasserhund Brewing Company in Virginia Beach (20 minutes east) and Back Bay Brewing round out one of Virginia’s most complete coastal craft beer markets. The Grain on the Hilton Norfolk Main Hotel rooftop for the best craft beer view in the city.
🍽️ Eat: The Dirty Buffalo is Norfolk’s beloved wing institution — creative wing flavors and craft beer in a venue that has become an ODU game day tradition. Cure in the Ghent neighborhood for the charcuterie-focused restaurant that has become Norfolk’s most celebrated food destination.
🎯 Fun: The Battleship Wisconsin at Nauticus on the Norfolk waterfront — a decommissioned Iowa-class battleship you can walk on — is one of the most impressive naval history experiences available to the public. Virginia Beach is 20 minutes east for oceanfront access. The MacArthur Memorial museum in downtown Norfolk honors General Douglas MacArthur, who was born in Norfolk and chose it for his burial site.
JONESBORO, ARKANSAS — Arkansas State Red Wolves
Centennial Bank Stadium (30,406) · Cradle of coaches connection · Mississippi Delta proximity
The Stadium Story: Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro is one of the Sun Belt’s louder venues — a passionate fanbase in a city of 77,000 that takes its Red Wolves football seriously. Arkansas State has been one of the Sun Belt’s most consistent West Division programs, making multiple conference championship game appearances. The school’s most famous coaching export is Gus Malzahn, who developed his spread offense at Arkansas State before taking it to Auburn and building a national championship contender. Jonesboro sits in the Arkansas Delta — an area of deep cultural significance in American music history, blues, and Southern food culture that extends into the Mississippi Delta 60 miles east.
Jonesboro’s craft beer scene is growing — Saddlebock Brewery and Brick House have developed a local community for craft beer enthusiasts.
🍺 Drink: Saddlebock Brewery is the Arkansas standout within reach of Jonesboro — consistently one of the best craft breweries in the state. Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Memphis (70 miles northeast) is the Ghost Beer program institution with 245 beers on tap — the regional craft destination for serious beer drinkers. Dead End Brewing Company is Jonesboro’s own craft option with a rotating local tap list.
🍽️ Eat: Gina’s Italian Kitchen is Jonesboro’s most consistently praised restaurant. Colton’s Steak House & Grill for the Arkansas steakhouse tradition that game day visitors rely on.
🎯 Fun: The Bradbury Art Museum on the Arkansas State campus has a strong permanent collection that reflects the university’s commitment to the arts. Memphis is 70 miles northeast — Sun Studio, Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum, and Franklin Barbecue’s regional equivalent make it worth a pre-or post-game evening. The Arkansas Delta’s blues heritage — Helena, where Robert Johnson reportedly made his deal at the crossroads — is 90 miles south.
LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA — Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Cajun Field (41,426) · The Cajun Capital of the World · Best food city in the Sun Belt
The Stadium Story: Cajun Field hosted the 2024 Sun Belt Championship Game, which Marshall won over Louisiana in a home game for the Cajuns. Louisiana has been one of the Sun Belt’s most competitive West Division programs, with multiple conference championship appearances. But the stadium story in Lafayette is secondary to the city story — Lafayette is the capital of Cajun culture, the culinary heart of South Louisiana, and one of the great food destinations in the American South. The food at a tailgate near Cajun Field — boudin balls, crawfish étouffée, dirty rice, cochon de lait — is better than the food at most restaurants in most American cities. Eating well in Lafayette requires minimal effort and rewards handsomely.
Lafayette’s craft beer scene reflects the city’s Cajun culture — Parish Brewing and Bayou Teche are the anchors of a scene that is genuinely distinctive from anything else in the Sun Belt.
🍺 Drink: Parish Brewing Company in Broussard (just south of Lafayette) is Louisiana’s most nationally recognized craft brewery outside New Orleans — Ghost in the Machine Double IPA has won national awards and the taproom is one of the best in the state. Bayou Teche Brewery is the Louisiana craft brand most deeply connected to Cajun culture — beers named for local legends and brewed with Louisiana ingredients including cane syrup and satsuma oranges. Adopted Dog Brewing is Lafayette’s neighborhood craft brewery earning consistently strong reviews. Crying Eagle Brewing Company in Lake Charles (60 miles west) is the regional standout for those extending the trip.
🍽️ Eat: Prejean’s Restaurant on North Interstate 49 is Lafayette’s Cajun cuisine institution — crawfish étouffée, blackened fish, and boudin in the most complete expression of what Lafayette cooking actually is. Bon Temps Grill for the Cajun food that locals eat on regular occasions rather than special ones. The boudin from any gas station in Acadiana — not a joke; the gas station boudin in South Louisiana is genuinely excellent and is the single best food experience available for less than five dollars anywhere in college football.
🎯 Fun: The gas station boudin. We cannot stress this enough — stop at any Cajun gas station, order the boudin links, and understand that you are eating one of the great regional sausages in the world in its native habitat. The Vermilionville Living History Museum preserves 19th-century Cajun and Creole culture on the banks of Vermilion Bayou. Breaux Bridge (15 miles east) — the Crawfish Capital of the World — is worth the short drive for the most authentic small Cajun town experience in Acadiana.
RUSTON, LOUISIANA — Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Joe Aillet Stadium (28,500) · Joined Sun Belt in 2026 · North Louisiana piney woods
The Stadium Story: Louisiana Tech joined the Sun Belt in 2026 after years in Conference USA, replacing Southern Miss which departed for the Pac-12. Joe Aillet Stadium is named for Louisiana Tech’s legendary coach who built the program from 1946 to 1966. The Bulldogs play in Ruston — a small North Louisiana city in the piney woods that has a very different character from South Louisiana’s Cajun culture. Louisiana Tech is famous for producing Terry Bradshaw (four Super Bowl rings with Pittsburgh), Karl Malone (the Mailman, NBA Hall of Famer), and one of the most underrated engineering programs in the South. The program has historically been competitive in Conference USA and brings genuine football credibility to the Sun Belt West.
Ruston is a small college town with limited but genuine craft options. Shreveport, 70 miles west, provides the regional craft beer and dining range for visitors who want to extend the trip.
🍺 Drink: Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport (70 miles west) is one of Louisiana’s most nationally recognized craft breweries — consistently winning U.S. Open Beer Championship gold medals and producing beers that reflect North Louisiana’s identity. Flying Heart Brewing & Pub in Bossier City near Shreveport rounds out the regional craft option. In Ruston itself: Old Rail Brewing is the local craft option that has grown alongside Louisiana Tech’s football profile.
🍽️ Eat: The Chop House at Cabin Hill is Ruston’s most celebrated dining destination — steakhouse quality in a North Louisiana setting. Sundown Bar-B-Que for the North Louisiana barbecue that reflects a very different style from South Louisiana’s Cajun cooking.
🎯 Fun: The Louisiana Tech campus is one of the most beautifully landscaped in the Sun Belt — the lake at the center and the pine tree canopy make it one of the more serene college environments in the South. The Terry Bradshaw football connection is worth knowing — the Hall of Fame quarterback who won four Super Bowls grew up in Shreveport and played his college ball here in Ruston.
MOBILE, ALABAMA — South Alabama Jaguars
Hancock Whitney Stadium (45,602) · Gulf Coast · Mardi Gras city
The Stadium Story: Hancock Whitney Stadium is one of the Sun Belt’s larger venues at 45,602 seats — a reflection of Mobile’s size and football culture. South Alabama is a young program (football started in 2009) but Mobile is an old city with deep cultural roots. Mobile claims to have celebrated the first Mardi Gras in America — predating New Orleans by two years in 1703 — and the city’s Carnival season is genuine, distinctive, and celebrated with serious local pride. The Gulf Coast seafood culture, the Battle of Mobile Bay history, and the USS Alabama battleship memorial make Mobile one of the Sun Belt’s most historically layered game day destinations.
Mobile’s craft beer scene has grown alongside the city’s culinary renaissance, anchored by Braided River and a downtown scene that has improved significantly.
🍺 Drink: Braided River Brewing Company is Mobile’s most celebrated craft brewery — creative, well-executed beers in a taproom that has become the city’s craft beer community anchor. Serda’s Coffee is the Mobile institution that doubles as a craft beer and cocktail spot for evening visits. Callaghan’s Irish Social Club on Dauphin Street is Mobile’s beloved live music bar and craft beer institution — one of the oldest independent music venues in Alabama and a gathering spot for locals that has been part of Mobile’s cultural fabric for decades.
🍽️ Eat: The Dumbwaiter on Dauphin Street is Mobile’s most celebrated restaurant — creative Southern cuisine that has earned national attention. Wintzell’s Oyster House on Dauphin Street for the Gulf oysters that have defined Mobile seafood dining since 1938.
🎯 Fun: The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park — a decommissioned WWII battleship open for tours on Mobile Bay — is one of the most complete military history experiences in the South. Dauphin Street is Mobile’s entertainment corridor, with Callaghan’s live music scene at the center. The Mobile Carnival Museum tells the story of America’s original Mardi Gras in a city that takes its claim very seriously.
SAN MARCOS, TEXAS — Texas State Bobcats
Bobcat Stadium (30,000) · Between Austin and San Antonio · San Marcos River tubing capital
The Stadium Story: Bobcat Stadium sits on the Texas State University campus in San Marcos — a city perfectly positioned between Austin (30 miles north) and San Antonio (50 miles south) on I-35. The San Marcos River, fed by Aquarena Springs, runs through the city at a constant 68°F year-round and has made San Marcos one of Texas’s most beloved tubing and outdoor recreation destinations. Texas State has been growing rapidly — one of the fastest-growing universities in America by enrollment — and the football program has been competitive in the Sun Belt West, with seasons that have attracted national attention for the program’s offensive firepower.
San Marcos has a genuine craft beer scene anchored by Middleton Brewing and Signature Brew Pub — and Austin’s extraordinary brewery scene is 30 miles north for any visitor wanting more.
🍺 Drink: Middleton Brewing on South LBJ Drive is San Marcos’s standout craft brewery — beers named for local Texas culture in a taproom that has become the Bobcat community’s gathering spot. Signature Brew Pub on North LBJ is the second local craft option adding variety to San Marcos’s growing scene. Austin is 30 miles north — ABGBC, Zilker Brewing, Jester King, and the full Austin craft beer scene are accessible for any extended visit.
🍽️ Eat: Palmer’s Restaurant Bar & Courtyard is San Marcos’s most celebrated restaurant — creative cuisine in a historic courtyard setting that has been a San Marcos institution for years. The Tap Room on the Riverwalk for the Texas Hill Country bar and food experience directly on the San Marcos River.
🎯 Fun: Tube the San Marcos River — the 68°F spring-fed water makes it ideal year-round, and it is genuinely one of the great Texas outdoor experiences. The LBJ Museum at Texas State — focusing on Lyndon Johnson’s life and legacy — is one of the most significant presidential history resources in the state. And Austin is 30 minutes north: combine a Texas State game with an evening in Austin for the most complete Central Texas weekend available.
TROY, ALABAMA — Troy Trojans
Veterans Memorial Stadium (30,000) · 2025 Sun Belt Championship runners-up · Alabama Black Belt
The Stadium Story: Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama sits in the heart of the Alabama Black Belt — the fertile agricultural region named for its dark soil, whose history is inseparable from the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement. Troy University was founded in 1887 as a teachers’ college to educate African American students in the post-Reconstruction South — a founding mission that gives it a historical significance beyond its football program. The Trojans were the 2025 Sun Belt Championship Game runners-up, losing to James Madison in Harrisonburg in the conference’s first CFP-qualifying season. Troy consistently competes above what a city of 20,000 would suggest is possible, reflecting the deep community investment in Trojan football.
Troy is a small Alabama college town. Montgomery (50 miles north) provides the regional craft beer and dining options for visitors who want to extend beyond the game.
🍺 Drink: True Story Brewing is Troy’s own craft brewery — a local operation that has become the game day gathering point for Trojans fans who want craft over mainstream. Cahaba Brewing Company in Birmingham (100 miles north) is Alabama’s most acclaimed craft brewery for serious beer drinkers making a longer trip. Back Forty Beer Company in Gadsden, and Good People Brewing in Birmingham represent the Alabama craft tier accessible for extended visits.
🍽️ Eat: Mossy Creek Farmhouse Restaurant near Troy for the South Alabama comfort food that reflects the Black Belt’s agricultural heritage. Vickers Bar-B-Que is the Troy institution — Alabama-style barbecue that locals consider among the best in the region.
🎯 Fun: Montgomery is 50 miles north — the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice (the lynching memorial) and the Legacy Museum are among the most important and most emotionally powerful cultural sites in the United States. The Civil Rights Memorial, the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, and the Rosa Parks Museum make Montgomery one of the essential civil rights history destinations in America. Plan time here before or after the Troy game — it is not to be rushed.
