5 things every Florida State football fan needs to experience at least once

If you’re heading to Tallahassee for a Florida State game, don’t wait until kickoff to start experiencing what makes a Seminoles Saturday special.

The best parts of game day happen across campus, from pregame parties to traditions that have defined FSU football for generations. There are landmarks to see, stories to discover and rituals worth planning your day around.

Wander around campus, take in the tailgates and soak up the garnet-and-gold atmosphere before making your way toward Doak Campbell Stadium.

For first-time visitors, there’s plenty to take in. Where else can you spend a game day checking out the landmarks that help define FSU football before watching Osceola and Renegade bring the crowd to its feet with one of college football’s most iconic traditions?

Whether you’re a lifelong Nole or making your first trip to Tallahassee, here are five experiences that belong on every Florida State football fan’s bucket list:

Walk through CollegeTown and soak up the tailgate

FSU CollegeTown is adjacent to Doak Campbell Stadium and is the center of the social side of home game weekends, with restaurants, bars, music and fans everywhere. The tailgating scene is lively and spread throughout campus, so arrive several hours before kickoff to soak it all in.

See the Unconquered statue lit up

Make a point of visiting the Unconquered statue, located outside the south entrance to the stadium, the evening before a home game. At sunset, the 31-foot-tall statue’s spear is ignited and remains lit until the next morning. The statue was dedicated in October 2003.

Check out the Sod Cemetery

Call it a wonderfully weird tradition – this one dates to 1962 – that you won’t find everywhere. FSU preserves pieces of turf from significant road victories and buries them with markers. The cemetery is close to the stadium, so it’s an easy stop on your way in to the game.

Visit the Bobby Bowden statue

Unveiled in 2004, the 9-foot bronze statue outside the stadium honors the legendary coach who won 304 games, 12 ACC titles and two national championships during his 34 years (1976-2009) in Tallahassee. It became an impromptu memorial site after his death at age 91 in August 2021.

Watch Osceola & Renegade plant the spear 

Few traditions match this one, so get to your seat early. As kickoff approaches, Osceola charges onto the field atop Renegade, carrying a flaming spear. At midfield, Renegade rears as Osceola plants the spear into the turf in a tradition that has captivated fans for nearly 50 years.

The Seminole bucket list, mapped

1. 1

   Walk through CollegeTown and soak up the tailgate

   FSU CollegeTown, Madison Street at Woodward Avenue

   Game days, several hours before kickoff

   Restaurants, bars, music and fans everywhere, right across from the stadium. Tailgates spread across campus, so get there early. The night before, the Friday Night Block Party takes over the district.

   Get directions
2. 2

   See the Unconquered statue lit up

   Unconquered statue, Langford Green at the stadium’s south entrance

   Sunset, the evening before a home game

   The spear on the 31-foot statue is lit in a short ceremony at sunset the night before each home game and burns until sunrise the morning after the game. Dedicated in October 2003.

   Get directions
3. 3

   Check out the Sod Cemetery

   Sod Cemetery, 200 feet north of the stadium at the practice-field gates

   Any day, and an easy stop on the way in

   Since 1962, turf from big road wins has come home to be buried under bronze markers. Wonderfully weird, and a tradition you won’t find anywhere else.

   Get directions
4. 4

   Visit the Bobby Bowden statue

   Bobby Bowden statue, northwest side of the stadium

   Any day

   A 9-foot bronze of the coach who won 304 games, 12 ACC titles and two national championships from 1976 to 2009. Fans covered it in flowers after his death in 2021.

   Get directions
5. 5

   Watch Osceola & Renegade plant the spear

   Doak Campbell Stadium, midfield

   Just before kickoff, so be in your seat early

   Osceola charges out atop Renegade with a flaming spear, Renegade rears at midfield and the spear goes into the turf. Nearly 50 years on, still one of the sport’s great sights.

   Get directions

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Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.