Seeking tips for trip to The Swamp

I'm heading to The Swamp this weekend for LSU-Florida with a sextet of college friends (we're early 40-something). It's our 5th Annual College Football Weekend.

What shouldn't we miss, in terms of food, nightlife, sights, etc.? We're getting in on Friday and staying at the Holiday Inn on University right off campus, so we can walk to most campus-adjacent spots.

We sometimes look for a slightly more upscale restaurant for Saturday dinner, so tips in that area are much appreciated. But other than that we prefer spots with an abundance of local, collegiate flavor.

Thanks in advance.

 

If you're in the mood for pizza, Leonardo's is just down University east of the stadium. Most of the good nightlife will be along University just across the street from campus.

 

Bring jorts.

 

There are some surprisingly good, locally-owned restaurants downtown for a nice Saturday night dinner (but you'll need reservations for any of these)

_ If you want Italian, try Amelia's or Manuel's Vintage Room. Manuel's has the better rep, but I prefer Amelia's.
_ For good Cuban food, Emilio's is a nice spot.
_ Dragonfly has New York-quality sushi, I'm told (I can't stand raw fish, but their vegetarian sushi was great)
_ Mark's Prime Steakhouse is extraordinarily good.
_ 101 Downtown has a pretty funky vibe and a decent menu.

For drinks, the best place is Lillian's -- it's more of a towny bar than a college bar, although the law students like to hang out there as well. I also liked Rockeys Piano Bar, which has dueling pianos and puts on a good show.

All of these are about 10 blocks east of your hotel, but that's where most of the nightlife happens.

 

Some, um, colleagues recommend Cafe Risque. I don't know what that is, however.

 

Burrito Bros.

End. Of. Thread.

And yes, the Purple Porpoise is across the street -- stumbling distance -- from campus on University. As is The Swamp (restaurant/bar). I, too, vouch for Leonardo's.

rb

 

-Satchel's is far superior to Leonardo's. It's not near campus, however.

-and if you can travel about two hours, you can visit a truly great city: Tallahassee. Well worth it.

 

Well, Napolitano's is better than Satchel's, but that requires heading out toward Newberry. So, um, yeah.

And the best part about being two hours from Tallahassee? You can't even smell the dump from Gainesville.

rb

 

Another vote for Leonardo's. It's a UF institution.

Do the pub crawl along University Avenue, right across from the campus.
On a football weekend, what better than to soak up that student atmosphere.

 

Brass Monkey is another quality watering hole among the many along University.

And I do not know of the Cafe Risque of which you speak ...

rb

 

How bad (or good) is it inside Cafe Risque? An SportsJournalists.com review would be invaluable.

 

Do you like hair pie?