I had no collegiate alliance with any school before I moved to the Lansing area. Back home there were a lot of Michigan and Notre Dame fans, there were some MSU fans sprinkled in too.

When I moved to the Lansing area, my first experience with MSU football got me hooked. I had never been around anything like a tailgate Saturday in my life. It was clear to me how fans can easily fall in love with Big 10 football tailgate Saturdays.

I have had a blast tailgating for a couple of decades now on the campus of MSU. My go to place to tailgate is Farm Lane at the commuter lot. It's easy to get to, there are plenty of parking spots and the grass that surrounds the lot and on the "islands" will give you plenty of space to set up your tailgate. Get there early, with the success of the Spartans as of late, more people are going to games and that means more people are tailgating. Keep in mind, a lot of people tailgate and either listen to the game on the radio or bring their own tv's to watch the games on in the lots. I've done this many times.

If you are heading to MSU's campus this year to tailgate, you need to be aware of the rules. You don't need any trouble, fines or nonsense.

Here are the rules for tailgating this year according to MSU.

"7/9/1" Tailgating Times - When kickoff is set for noon or 1 p.m. tailgate lots will open at 7 a.m. If kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. tailgate lots will open at 9 a.m. For Saturday evening games, lots will open at 1 p.m. An exception to this rule is Friday evening games, when lots will open at 3:30 p.m. All fans are encouraged not to come before these times as traffic lineups will not be permitted.

Tailgating Sites - Tailgating is permitted in all public parking areas on campus. There are many parking and transportation options that can make your game day more enjoyable, including shuttle buses. Because soil compaction endangers the long-term health of campus trees, vehicles cannot be parked on grass surfaces north of the Red Cedar River and are restricted to designated grass areas south of the Red Cedar River. Beginning in 2018, public parking on Munn Field has moved to Cherry Lane Field (on the corner of Harrison Road and Shaw Lane). No vehicles will be allowed on Munn Field. Entrance to public parking at Cherry Lane can be made at Lot 70 ($30). All other public game-day parking for cars will be available for $20. There is a shuttle service from Lot 89 (Commuter Lot), located off of Mount Hope Road and Farm Lane. A round-trip shuttle costs $5 per game.

Tailgating Rules - Lots open at 7 a.m. for noon or 1 p.m. games, 9 a.m. for 3:30 p.m. games,1 p.m. for Saturday evening games and 3:30 p.m. for Friday evening games. (Early arriving fans will be turned away and not allowed to lineup in the roadway). No couches or upholstered furniture. No kegs or other common source containers. No drinking game structures and/or paraphernalia. No trailers of any type including pig roasters. Oversized trucks must park in RV parking. Trash shall be disposed of in available receptacles. No tents larger than 10' x 10'. No tobacco products can be used on campus at any time. The MSU Police Department and assisting agencies perform regular patrols of designated parking areas to respond to emergencies and enforce state statutes and university ordinances.

Open container ordinance - All fans are reminded of the "open container" ordinance adopted by the MSU Board of Trustees. The ordinance bans open containers of alcohol on campus and in all public areas of campus buildings. However, on home football game days, enforcement of the ordinance will be suspended on campus for those of legal drinking age, during the hours parking lots are open for tailgating. Areas that remain alcohol-free are the pedestrian areas immediately adjacent to Spartan Stadium as well as all public areas of campus buildings. Please be aware that open containers are not permitted in the city of East Lansing, even during football game days.

Now that you know the rules, go out and have some fun tailgating this year! Go Green!

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