The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Hey guys me and my wife are planning on coming to norfolk when the pirates visit ODU in a couple weeks. My father in law lives in suffolk so we have a decent idea on whats around norfolk by the water as well as the area by the college but we have never been to a game at ODU. It seems from what I can find that tailgating is hard if you do not have a pass so we were thinking about bar hopping prior to the game. Does anyone have any suggestions on good restaurants and bars to check out before the game that would be showing other college football games throughout the day. Thanks and can't wait to check out the stadium renovation

You should be able to get a tailgating pass pretty easily on the secondary market but if you want to bar hop these are a place to start.

North Colley (less than a mile from ODU) has:
Elation Brewery
Hanks Filling Station
Mack's Barge
Dirty Buffalo

On campus Bars
Mojo Bones
Hair of the Dog
The Edge

Perfectly Franks $1 Natty's!!!!!!!!!!!

Most every ODU fan will be happy to have you join their tailgate.

Or if you can cart your tailgate supplies, Kaufman Mall is available for tailgating.

Is Monarch Grill / Recovery Room still open?

If you want to watch football pregame, your best bets are Dirty Buffalo (wings, appeared on diners drive ins and dives), Mack's (seafood and burgers), Cogans (pizza, get spicy sauce) and Hair of the Dog (sandwiches, burgers, all-day breakfast).

Hair of the Dog is the closest to the stadium. You can park in the free garages at the Ted and it's a short walk over to HOD. After you eat and watch football there, take a stroll through the lots. Introduce yourself to other fans and you'll likely be invited to join.

I will add that Dirty Buffalo and HOD can get busy on game days, so you may want to arrive a little early to get a spot.

If you want to be outside and aren't worried about watching other games, Hanks is a mostly outdoor bar. They have a bunch of games to enjoy; cornhole, ping pong, tiki toss, jumbo jenga, bocce, jumbo connect four, etc. They often have live music, a pretty good bourbon and beer selection and good food.