Nashville, TN may be one of the most underrated road trips in the Southeastern Conference, mainly due to the continuing struggles of the hometown Commodores. But the Music City offers plenty of advantages: easy access, plentiful lodging and restaraunt options, civilized hosts and a better than average shot at a road victory.

The TideFans site already has several valuable links to help you plan your trip, including parking info, plus the excellent nashville.citysearch.com. That said, here are a few insider tips from someone who lived in Middle Tennessee for well over a decade.

Getting there:

From Alabama: Take I-65 north to I-440 west (towards Memphis). Take the West End Ave. exit (U.S. 70S, Exit 1) and turn right. To park along the southern edge of campus, turn right onto 31st Ave S. (Blakemore Ave.) To park at Centennial Park stay on West End. The park will be on your left, across from the VU campus, and about 2 blocks from Dudley Field.

From downtown: Follow Broadway (US 70S) west past I-40. When the road forks, take the right-hand fork, which becomes West End Ave. The VU campus will be on your left, Centennial Park on your right.

From the airport/Opryland area: Follow I-40 west to Broadway/West End Ave. (Exit 209). Stay straight at the light and go 1/2 mile to Broadway. Turn left onto Broadway (signs will direct you towards Vanderbilt.) From there, follow directions from downtown.

Getting in:

As of early Tuesday morning, tickets were still available from the Vanderbilt ticket office web site at www.vucommodores.com/tickets.html or by calling 1-877-44-VANDY. The cost is $40 apiece, and either way a handling charge applies. Should the game sell out or you just want to try your luck on the open market, scalping is permissible under Tennessee law. That having been said, Alabama games at Dudley Field can be a tough ticket. There are surprisingly few sellers, and those that do have tickets can sometimes be stingy. Capacity is only 44,000, creating scarcity when a big name team comes to town, but the ’Dores draw so little interest, that most pros won’t bother.

Staying safe:

By and large, Vanderbilt people are classy supporters who seem to have a special respect for Alabama. They have a few jerks in the ranks like anyone else, but less than most schools. Nashville is a relatively safe city, and Vandy is located in one of the better sections of town. Still, basic common sense is required, and you would be well advised to stow any magnets, car flags, etc.

Food and lodging:

There are plenty of hotel choices, and Nashville is large enough to absorb a gameday crowd without much strain. The most crowded options will be closest to campus in the West End/21st Ave S. area, and the downtown district (along Broadway/2nd Ave N.) always attracts plenty of tourists. If hotels next to campus are booked, there are plenty of options downtown, east of town near the airport, in the northeast part of town near Opryland, and in the southern suburbs of Franklin and Brentwood, which are just off I-65.

Again, restaurants near campus will have the heaviest traffic on gameday, especially local favorites such as Rio Bravo and Logan’s Roadhouse. Pretty much all the national chains have set up shop somewhere in the city, including tourist havens Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood (both on Broadway) and there are a few hometown standouts as well.

Demos: Corner of Commerce and 2nd Ave - downtown. Located right next to a parking garage, Demos serves some of the finest pasta dishes in the South at very reasonable prices. Steaks and seafood also well regarded here. Popular for dinner, less crowded at Saturday lunch and mid-afternoons.

Elliston Place Soda Shop: Elliston Place - just northwest of campus. A tricky place to find in a tangle of one-way streets (from West End take 20th St. N. to Church St. and turn left) this 50’s throwback in a pleasant student commercial district is a weekdays-only lunch joint that serves great meat-and-threes (translation: Southern cooking) and wonderful milkshakes. If you come to town early Friday, definitely worth visiting.

San Antonio Taco Company: 21st Ave. S. - near campus. A favorite cheap-eats and beer haunt for Vandy students, this is one of the best places to soak up campus atmosphere. Nashvillians either love or hate the tacos, fajitas, etc., but I’ve always found them to be tasty, if not gourmet. If you want the Tex-Mex without the college atmosphere, there is a downtown location on Commerce Ave.