Thursday, February 26, 2009

Arkansas Game Travel Info (Part I)


Georgia has only played Arkansas in Fayetteville three times in 11 games* so there's obviously a large chunk of UGA fans who've never made the trip for this one. (image: Arkansas-Cafe)

We face the Razorbacks in Week 3 of the 2009 season, and I personally think it's one of the more underrated venues in the SEC. Since its massive $110 million renovation in 2001, Donald W. Reynolds Stadium is one of the best looking facilities in the SEC.

I'm especially partial to the hospitality of their fans who went out of their way not to beat my ass when I drunkenly and relentlessly informed them of our overwhelming awesomeness following the 38-7 game in 2000. God Bless Doe's. But I digress.

Fayetteville is truly the far end of the realm. Chicago is only two miles further from Athens than Fayetteville, and Minneapolis is closer to Fayetteville than Athens. In other words, don't drive.

Preface: If you need tickets to the UGA at Arkansas game, you can pick them up here on Stubhub.

Airports to Consider:

Arkansas Northwest Regional (XNA) -- Located about 45 minutes northwest of Fayetteville. Delta flies direct here from Atlanta. The fares are usually not cheap, and the planes are small. This place is basically Air Walmart. There are business traveler type hotels available in Springdale and Bentonville. Hotels for the game in Fayetteville are harder to find. I'm going this route.

Fort Smith, AR (FSM) -- Located about 1 hour south of Fayetteville. I think that Delta (via partners) has one direct flight in and out of Atlanta per day. They have one stop flights throughout the day. Again, the planes are pretty small, and the flights aren't cheap. Both FSM and XNA are generally good options for redeeming Sky Miles.

Tulsa, OK (TUL) -- Tulsa's airport is about 2 hours from Fayetteville. If memory serves, the flights are cheaper than the above options. I flew into Tulsa for the 2004 game. The drive is boring, but it's painless.

Branson, MO (SGF) -- The Springfield-Branson Airport is a little under 2.5 hours from Fayetteville. If you're staying in Springdale or Bentonville, it's not that bad. The only appeal for flying into SGF is that it's the closest airport serviced by AirTran. If you're looking to use AirTran Rewards, this is your best option.

Little Rock (LIT) -- Little Rock is about 3 hours from Fayetteville. If I recall correctly, the drive up I-540 through the Ozarks was really scenic, but it's still 3 hours.

Memphis (MEM) -- Memphis is roughly 4.5 long hours from Fayetteville. However, it's consistently one of the cheapest towns to fly from Atlanta. I want to emphasize that there is nothing visually stimulating about the drive from Memphis to Little Rock. It's hideous. Dallas is further than Memphis if you were wondering.

Hope that helps. Any of you guys going?

See Also:
-- Tickets: UGA at Arkansas
-- Arkansas fans are nuts in a good way - DeadSpin

PWD


*We've played them in Atlanta, Dallas, New Orleans, Memphis and Shreveport, but not Little Rock.

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