Quick answers
What time does Jax State tailgating open?
The Roost and the numbered Red and Orange lots open 4 hours before kickoff. Grass spots can't be reserved with tents, tables, chairs or vehicles before 7 a.m. on a Saturday, and the ADA lot opens at 9 a.m. on game days.
Can you grill at Jax State tailgates?
At The Roost, yes: grills, fire pits and small, quiet generators are all allowed, with hot ash bins on the lawn. Jax State doesn't post a grill rule for its other lots.
Can you drink at Jax State tailgates?
At The Roost, alcohol is allowed in a can or cup and glass bottles aren't. On the student Quad it has to be in a cup or koozie. No alcohol goes into or out of AmFirst Stadium, and you have to be 21.
Do you need a ticket to tailgate at Jax State?
Jax State doesn't post a ticket rule for tailgating. The Roost is a paid spot you reserve ahead, the color lots need a pass, and the Quad is for registered student organizations.
How do you buy parking at Jax State?
The Red, Orange, Gold, Blue and RV lots need a pre-issued pass. Paid lots on the official map include Mason Hall, TMB and Stephenson. Free lots at Stone Center, Houston Cole Library, Brewer Hall and Pete Mathews Coliseum come with Jax Transit shuttles.
The game-day timeline
- Thursday 3 p.m.RVs with permits can enter the RV lot for a Saturday game
- Saturday 7 a.m.Earliest you can stake out a grass tailgate spot
- 4 hrs beforeThe Roost and the numbered Red and Orange lots open
- 2.5 hrs beforeGamecock Walk from Angle Hall to the White Football Complex
- 2 hrs beforeGates open and Jax Transit shuttles start
- KickoffThe student Quad tailgate closes
- 2 hrs afterJax Transit shuttles stop, about this time
Where to park
The color lots ringing AmFirst Stadium are pass-only. Everyone else parks a little farther out and rides.
- Pass lots
- Red (Meehan Hall) and Orange (White Football Complex) are numbered suite and club lots. Gold, Blue and RV need a pre-issued pass too.
- Paid lots
- Mason Hall and Stephenson Green lots and the TMB lot are marked as paid game-day parking on the official campus map.
- Free lots
- Stone Center, Merrill Hall, Brewer Hall, Rowe Hall, Houston Cole Library and Pete Mathews Coliseum, with Jax Transit to the stadium.
- The Roost
- Each reserved spot comes with a parking space. Give your name and spot number at the lot entrance.
- RV
- RV lot spots are all reserved. Enter at 3 p.m. Thursday for a Saturday game and leave campus by 3 p.m. the day after.
- Accessible
- The Purple lot next to Curtiss Hall opens at 9 a.m., cash only, near Gate D. More spaces at the University Rec Green lot and Houston Cole Library, with shuttles.
No parking on sidewalks or open grass, and nobody can save paved spaces in university lots.
University Police direct postgame traffic off campus. Follow them.
No pass? Park free at Stone Center, Merrill, Brewer, Rowe, Houston Cole Library or Pete Mathews Coliseum. Jax Transit runs to the drop-off by the Orange lot from 2 hours before kickoff until about 2 hours after the game.
The rules
Rules last verified Oct 15, 2026 against jaxstatesports.com and jsu.edu.
Jax State posts its tailgate rules by area, and The Roost has the fullest list. Here's what's official.
- Grills
- Grills and fire pits are allowed at The Roost, with hot ash bins on the lawn. Not posted for other lots.
- Alcohol
- The Roost: cans or cups, no glass. The Quad: cup or koozie, no glass. 21 and over.
- Tents
- The Roost supplies the tent and table. No personal tents there.
- Your space
- No staking out grass spots before 7 a.m. Saturday. No vehicles inside bollards, posts, chains or fences.
- Generators
- Small, quiet generators only at The Roost. Vent RVs and generators to avoid carbon monoxide.
- When it ends
- The Roost asks you to pack up at halftime and clear everything by the end of the game. The Quad closes at kickoff.
- Bags at the gate
- One clear bag up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches or a 1-gallon clear bag, plus a small clutch.
- Not allowed inside
- Umbrellas, backpacks, noisemakers, outside food and drink containers, and any alcohol. Weapons-free campus.
- Gates open
- 2 hours before kickoff.
Before you go
Jax State Gameday Central (football)The Roost tailgating at Jax StateSGA Quad tailgate rules and regulationsJax State campus map, Gameday layersOfficial pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.
Pack for Jacksonville
What we'd bring.
-
Opener & Shotgun Tool
$7.99
Free over $50 (our gear)
-
Dubler Party Cooler
$169.89
Ships free
Drinks on one side, cold food on the other, so one cooler covers the whole spread.
-
Dubler Chill Boards, Set of 2
$38.89
Ships free
More for this lot
-
Monument G22 Tabletop Gas Grill, 2 Burners$199 · Ships free
-
Scorezit Cornhole Scorekeeper Set$140 · +$15 shipping
Early-season games in northeast Alabama run hot, and November cools off fast. Bring water, shade and a layer.
Where the party is
Jax State's tailgate centers on The Roost, three lawns of tent-and-table spots the university sets up before you arrive. Around it, the color lots fill with pass holders, and students take over the Quad behind Angle Hall.
The main setup
The Roost
Jax State's reserved tailgate, on the TMB lawn off Highway 21, by University Rec beyond the east end zone and off Cole Drive by the Red lot. Each spot has a tent, a table and a parking space.
The student side
The Quad
The student and student organization tailgate north of the stadium behind Angle Hall, run by SGA. It closes at kickoff.
The moment
The Gamecock Walk
About 2.5 hours before kickoff, the team, cheerleaders and Cocky walk from Angle Hall across the main quad and past the Gold lot to the White Football Complex.
What to eat
Grills and fire pits are allowed at The Roost, and the university also sells catered tailgate menus for groups of 12 or more through its Roost page.
Getting out
Jacksonville is a small town with one big crowd leaving at once. Your options, best first:
- Ride Jax Transit back. Shuttles run about 2 hours after the game from the drop-off by the Orange lot to the free lots.
- Follow University Police. Officers direct traffic flow off campus after the game.
- Hang back at your spot. Shuttles and police traffic control are still running for a while after the final whistle.
Skip this
Floor it out of a color lot at the final whistle. You and every other pass holder, all aiming for the same few exits.
First time here?
- The color lots around the stadium are pass-only.
- No pass? Park free and ride Jax Transit.
- At The Roost: grills OK, cans or cups only, no glass.
- Don't stake out grass before 7 a.m. Saturday.
- Catch the Gamecock Walk about 2.5 hours before kickoff.
- Clear bag only, and no alcohol into the stadium.
Visiting? How to join a tailgate
Visiting fans pick up will call at Gate D on the northwest corner. Walk the lawns around The Roost in your colors, bring something to share and say hello before you step into a setup.
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Your Burgess-Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium game-day sheet, by email
One page for the lot: where to park, when it opens, what you can bring.
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