Game Day Musts: Attire, Accessories & Essentials
Across the nation football fans have been gearing up for tailgating season. The weather is right, expectations are high, and team spirit is pulsing through every fan. Game Day cultures are common across universities, conferences and states, but wearing your team colors is a tradition that is universal. Keeping in fashion when you show-off your team pride is a must, so don’t be on the outside looking in!
STATE TRADITIONS
State Traditions Game Day Button Downs
State Traditions is a brand that has become just that – a tradition. Using collegiate and fall colors as their basis, State Traditions has found a growing audience for a variety of men’s Game Day styles. Get dressed up in a button down or keep it casual in a polo. Either way you’ll hit the tailgate with class in one of these State Traditions choices.
AO GAME DAY SPIRIT JERSEYS
These over-sized long sleeve tees fit any situation: tailgating with friends, heading to class, watching movies on the couch, or just casually. They couldn’t be more comfortable, and they are available in Youth and Adult sizes. Find your team’s colors or whatever colors suit you best!
ACCESSORIES
Haul Couture Varsity Cargo Mini Bag
Coastal Cotton Leather Suede Hoof Belt
A handsome belt or hat can put the finishing touches on a man’s Game Day look. Coastal Cotton provides a uniquely buckled, leather and suede belt that will last for seasons to come. For women, a purse or handbag is often the final piece that ties an outfit together. Haul Couture, a Huntsville based company, offers Cargo Bags that encompass fashion and function. Bring hot tailgate snacks, or cold beverages to the barbecue with these stylish bags.
GEAR
YETI Tundra 45
There’s a handful of essential gear to have for Game Day, but there is one item that is a must for tailgate season – the YETI Tundra cooler. Keep your beverages cold all weekend long.
Make sure you are Game Day ready by stocking your closet and prepping your tailgate with the hottest items of the season!
All items available at Alabama Outdoors. Selection varies by location. See store for details.
From ocean shores to mountain trails, there is much to explore in the Yellowhammer state. To encourage local Alabama residents to explore nature this summer, one of our partners, The Nature Conservancy, has launched the 
This site is the most biologically diverse piece of land in Alabama. “A Botanical Wonder,” The Nature Conservancy’s preserve in Bibb County is home to 61 rare plant species. The Little Cahaba River, which flows through the preserve, harbors dozens of rare aquatic creatures. The preserve is also the site of Brighthope Furnace, the earliest ironworks built in Alabama.
This 700-acre site is a privately protected scenic area. It serves as a sanctuary for native plants and animals and offers 11 miles of hiking as well as camping, picnicking, and creek wading. This remarkable area of natural beauty is still unspoiled largely due to an equally remarkable couple, Jim and Faye Lacefield. The retired educators bought a 40-acre tract of land in 1979 and have gradually added to that original purchase, keeping the land in its natural state.
This preserve is home to more than 12 species of carnivorous plants, including five species of pitcher plants, two species of butterworts and several species of sundews. Rare animals including Bachman’s sparrow, Florida pine snake and gopher tortoise have also been spotted.
As you step onto the trail at Keel Mountain Preserve, you are immediately immersed in a forest of oak, hickory, smoketree and cedar. Ruggedly beautiful limestone bluffs are spotted with sinkholes and glade-like openings. The creek beds at this preserve can run high or become dry very quickly depending on local rainfalls. A small waterfall flowing into a sinkhole has been dubbed the “lost sink” by local residents.
This preserve is an ideal destination to experience north Alabama’s scenery and wildlife. Wildlife is sometimes easier to spot on the open fields of the preserve, and even the untrained eye can see many birds that hunt and nest in the prairie. Colorful wildflowers also dot the grasses, and a shaded trail runs alongside Cole Springs Branch.
The third largest urban nature preserve in the United States, Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve includes 1,038 forested acres nestled in Birmingham, Alabama. The preserve protects over 550 species of plants and 450 species of animals and is an important stopover for migratory birds.
Pratt’s Ferry Preserve is located along a rocky limestone slope on the south bank of the Cahaba River in Bibb County. The area is lush in the spring and summer with a variety of wildflowers. The site also offers an ideal location to put in or take out a canoe on the Cahaba River.
The spectacular southern scenery of the Talladega National Forest covers 392,567 acres at the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains. Before the land was bought by the federal government in the 1930s, the area that comprises the Talladega was extensively logged and was some of the most abused, eroded wasteland in all of Alabama. The pine forest regrowth now hosts a diverse ecosystem, beautiful views and a peaceful natural resource for Alabama.