Tailgate Season is Back!
South Carolina Saturdays are about to get considerably louder. College football returns Sept. 5, bringing back the familiar calculations: kickoff time, television access, cooler space and exactly how much pimento cheese constitutes enough.
The South Carolina Gamecocks open the 2026 season at Williams-Brice Stadium against Kent State, putting Columbia back into game-day mode. Meanwhile, the Clemson Tigers start with a road test at LSU in Baton Rouge at 7:30 p.m. before returning to Memorial Stadium Sept. 12 to host Georgia Southern.
For fans across the state, that means the first Saturday of September has effectively become an all-day appointment.
Pick Your Game-Day Headquarters
In Columbia, Home Team BBQ has an open-air covered patio, spacious bar and big-screen TVs, along with the smoked meats that make sense when football is involved. The restaurant also has South Carolina locations from Greenville to Charleston, so the game-day setup travels fairly well.
Charleston offers a different angle at The Pavilion Bar, where the rooftop overlooks the city and opens daily at noon. Across the Cooper River, Saltwater Cowboys sits directly on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, pairing waterfront views with seafood and slow-smoked barbecue.
Upstate fans can settle into Carolina Ale House on South Main Street in downtown Greenville, while Halls Chophouse Columbia gives Midlands fans another place to gather when watching the game calls for dinner rather than a folding chair beside a pickup truck.
What’s Going on the Tailgate Table?
The food is half the planning, and South Carolina gives hosts plenty to work with. Pimento cheese dip can handle the pregame hours, while smoked pulled pork sliders and grilled wings make more substantial halftime options. Boiled peanuts belong within easy reach, preferably with enough napkins nearby to acknowledge reality. Peach cobbler can wait until the fourth quarter.
That menu works whether Saturday is spent outside Williams-Brice, watching Clemson from home or bouncing between games with friends. Football season has always been partly about gathering, and kickoff weekend provides the annual excuse to rearrange a Saturday around food, familiar faces and whatever happens after the opening whistle.
Find more places to catch the game in the Guide to South Carolina sports bars directory: https://guidetosouthcarolina.com/sports-bars