In the South, it’s hard to talk about fall without the conversation turning quickly to football. Our city is no exception, and we’re fortunate to have plenty to talk about with the Saints, the Green Wave, the Tigers and numerous high school teams all playing close to home. With so many different options, families with children of all ages can enjoy the fun of football.
With the opening of the impressive new Yulman Stadium, Tulane University offers a great sports-themed family destination in the heart of Uptown. Whether you’re heading to a party before a game or grabbing a meal at a local restaurant, kids will love catching the streetcar or walking the streets to the stadium for kick-off.
If staying closer to campus is your preference, both the LBC (The Lavin-Bernick Center) Quad and the Newcomb Quad, located between Freret and Willow streets, are the official spots for Tulane tailgating. While tent rentals and catering packages are available, there’s plenty of food and fun available in Tent Village outside of the party packages. Beginning four hours before all home games, the quad is ground-zero for all sorts of food and entertainment, including food trucks, snowballs, live music and kids’ activities.
Tulane even has a ticket package geared toward families. The package provides four tickets, two adults and two children ages 14 and under, in the Family Fun Zone of the stadium. They are sold out for this season, but keep an eye out for this package next year.
If you have a tyke with a fall birthday, football season also offers many unique birthday party options for both boys and girls. If taking a crew to the Superdome for a Saints game doesn’t fit your budget, consider hosting a watch-party for an away game.
One smart mom created a fun football-focused Sunday afternoon for her son and his friends. The invitations made it a “penalty” for the boys to not wear their favorite jerseys. She added to their uniforms with party favors such as eye-black, Saints rub-on tattoos and sweatbands. By giving out the favor bags beforehand, the boys were not only entertained before the game started but were fully decked out and ready to cheer for a Saints win by kick-off.
If your little guy is just dying to be in the stands to celebrate his birthday, high school games offer a fun prelude to a Friday night sleepover. Since they’re typically played in smaller stadiums, the kids can usually get very close to the action on the field. If your child’s school doesn’t have a high school, consider mom or dad’s alma mater.
If your child would rather be a cheerleader than a linebacker, consider shifting the party’s focus to the sidelines. A friend found a cheerleader-themed party to be the perfect option for her daughter’s fifth birthday party. She held it inside, so the weather wasn’t a concern, and supplied the girls with the requisite cheerleading accessory: pom-poms. The highlight was the appearance of the Tulane cheerleaders, who not only performed for the gang but also taught them a few simple cheers. Many high school, and even middle school, cheerleading squads will also come to parties when it’s not their busy season.
So whether you’re screaming “Who Dat,” “Roll Wave” or “Geaux Tigers,” grab the kids and go enjoy another fabulous football season. There is plenty to cheer about!
