Confession: I had never been to a Georgia Bulldogs away game outside of Atlanta, so when my friend Flounder invited me to go to Knoxville, Tenn., to see the Bulldogs play against Tennessee, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. By the time Friday had rolled around, I needed a weekend away.
I catch a lot of heat for writing too much about Georgia football. I’m never going to change in that respect; however, I’m not going to focus on the game beyond this paragraph, but I’d be remiss not to mention that it was a heck of a game — one of the best I’ve witnessed in person. Instead, in this column, I’m going to share some of the unique experiences from this weekend.
My brother and I headed north through Athens and met Flounder in Franklin, N.C. Our typical route over the mountain from North Carolina to Tennessee was closed, so we had to take Interstate 40. Traffic was brutal on I-40 because crews are still working to repair the damage from Hurricane Helene. You could see where Helene washed out the road as we traveled what’s temporarily a two-lane interstate.
We stopped in Chestnut Hill, Tenn., for a surprising treat. Flounder got our tickets from the Bush’s Baked Beans founding family, so we paid our respects to them at the Bush’s Baked Beans museum. It was an impressive little spot, and I learned more about baked beans than I ever dreamed of. My favorite historical factoid was that Bush’s was the primary provider of canned tomatoes for our troops in World War II.
We also enjoyed a late lunch at the Bush’s Baked Beans Café, where the server started us off with an appetizer of baked beans. The food was terrific; I had country fried steak with fried okra and mashed potatoes.
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On Saturday morning, we set out for Neyland Stadium with everything we needed for our tailgate. Our tickets came with two parking passes, one of which was in the parking deck next to the stadium entrance, so that’s where we tailgated. Both Georgia and Tennessee fans dropped by to hang out with us, and a handful of Dawg fans stayed with us for several hours.
Shortly before lunch, we decided to walk down and check out the boats in the Volunteer Navy on the Tennessee River. Someone had invited us to ride on the Bulldog Nation boat in the Volunteer Navy, but we would’ve had to buy tickets and board further upriver, so we decided not to.
The yachts and smaller boats on the river were amazing, and we joked about just walking on board one to see if we could hang out. Then one of a trio of women who wasn’t part of our party but was tailgating with us noticed the “Donate Life” flag on one boat. Since she’s a nurse, that one resonated with her (it’s an issue that’s important to my family as well). She stepped aboard, and we followed suit.
Needless to say, the nine of us were the only Georgia fans on this massive yacht, the Shake and Bake. The owner, who was quite a character, to put it super-mildly, welcomed us gladly, and he even traded one of the yacht’s crew shirts for my brother’s UGA golf shirt. I had imbibed enough bourbon for the spiral staircase to be a challenge, but it was worth it for the view.
Nearly every flag we saw in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee was at half-staff. Along the river, we encountered a mom and her teenage son, and the boy had a sign paying tribute to Charlie Kirk that he was carrying into the game.
We had a blast, and we proved that Bulldogs and Volunteers can set aside their differences and have a good time. After such a heavy week in the news business, I needed a fun weekend away. This trip to Knoxville delivered.
I had an unforgettable weekend in Knoxville — from Bush’s Baked Beans to an impromptu party on a Volunteer Navy yacht, and yes, the Bulldogs pulled off a heck of a game, too. But here’s the bigger picture: we all need a break from the grind, especially when the news cycle feels relentless.
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