Gamecock Morning Kickoff

The Experience

If you’ve made the drive from Columbia for a noon kickoff before, you know the math. Leave Friday after work, fight I-95, circle for parking around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and try to get to your seat before the band hits the field. This weekend is the opposite of that. You drop your bag Friday afternoon, settle into the ranch house, and put your boots up.

We host a full buyout of the ranch house — sleeps twelve, 246 acres, 1.2 miles of private St. Marys River frontage — about forty minutes from Jacksonville and seventy-five from Gainesville. Garnet-and-black welcome, with a quiet stretch of North Florida between you and the stadium. Bring the tailgate crew, bring the family, bring the alumni group that finally decided to road-trip this one.

The kitchen is stocked when you arrive. Chef-prepared options from our local culinary partners — Cinotti’s Bakery & Deli, The Farmery (Lowcountry Gullah Geechee farm-to-table), and Chef’s Garden Catering — are waiting in the fridge for you to choose from. You pick the dinner you want for Friday night and the breakfasts you want for Saturday and Sunday, warm them in the oven on your own schedule, and eat when you’re ready. No service window, no clean-up team underfoot, no cooking. Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian selections are part of the spread.

Saturday is the easy part: a hearty game-day breakfast at the time that works for you, then off to the stadium. Because it’s a noon kickoff, you’ll be back at the ranch by mid-afternoon with the whole evening ahead. Golden hour on the river, a late-night snack on the porch, and the fire pit waiting. Sunday morning is one more breakfast from the kitchen, slow coffee on the rocking chairs, and an unhurried checkout.

Transportation to and from the stadium is not included in the base package — most groups bring their own. We offer a round-trip luxury shuttle with driver as an optional add-on (see below) if you’d rather not deal with parking, traffic, or designating a driver. Jacksonville International (JAX) is about a forty-minute drive from the ranch; airport transfers aren’t included but can be arranged on request. Game tickets are not included and can be sourced for you for a service fee.

• Entire ranch house, two nights (Fri & Sat) — sleeps up to 12
• Friday afternoon arrival and welcome
• Stocked kitchen with chef-prepared farm-to-table dinner options (Fri), heat-and-serve
• Stocked kitchen with chef-prepared breakfast options for Saturday and Sunday, heat-and-serve
• Saturday late-night snack at the ranch
• Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian selections in the spread
• Run of 246 acres: river frontage, fire pit, porches, trails

• Your own transport to and from the stadium (or add our luxury shuttle below)
• Game tickets (we can source for an added fee)
• Garnet and black, obviously
• Layers — early-October mornings on the porch can run cool
• Anything you’d normally bring to a tailgate

• Visiting Gamecock fans making the road trip from Columbia
• Out-of-town Gator alumni coming home for the home game
• Group of friends or two-to-four couples
• Client entertaining and corporate Saturdays
• Family football weekends