Howdy!

All of us are excited to welcome the 2009 NCAA Women’s College Cup to Texas A&M.

I want you to enjoy your time in Aggieland and have some suggestions and web links for you to visit while you’re here.  The Bryan-College Station-Texas A&M community is home to nearly 200,000 residents and has some wonderful restaurants, sports facilities, and night spots for everyone to enjoy.

• Here is a link to learn some TEXAS A&M FACTS
• If you are interested in receiving a campus tour, here’s the link to our Campus Visitor Center
  • NCAA rules limit the contact that my coaches and I have with student-athletes and their families while the Youth Soccer Event is going on. But you can always get a tour and lots of information about the university at the visitor center.
• Here is a great link to our Bryan-College Station Visitor’s Bureau – where you can find any restaurant in town.

Here are some of My Suggestions:

GETTING AROUND TOWN

Once you arrive in town for the College Cup everything is a very close drive.  It’s rare for you to have to drive more than 15 minutes from one place to another.

YOUTH TOURNAMENT GAMES

Participating teams will be at 1 of 2 great soccer facilities – Veterans Park or Penberthy Intramural Complex (adjacent to The Aggie Soccer Stadium).  Both facilities feature fields with Bermuda Grass surfaces.  It’s about a 12 minute drive from one facility to the other

• Veteran’s is located just east of Highway 6 between University Drive and Harvey Road
• Penberthy is located on campus with parking available at Reed Arena (basketball)
• Click Here for the link to the youth tournament
• FYI the 1st College Cup Semi-Final will kick off at 4:30pm (UCLA vs. Stanford) and the 2nd Semi-Final (UNC vs Notre Dame) is scheduled for 7pm
• The National Championship Game is set for noon on Sunday at the Aggie Soccer Stadium

DINING

There are many great restaurants in Bryan-College Station.  You can find chain establishments like you’ll find in most small cities around the nation, or you can discover some great places that are unique to Aggieland.  I suggest trying a taste of our Aggie culture, especially if you like great steaks or Tex-Mex!

There are 5 basic areas where you can go for food and fun – a) The Northgate District, b) Historic Downtown Bryan, c) University Drive (near the Hilton), d) along Harvey Road and e) along Texas Avenue.

1. The Northgate District – this distinct district is located on the north edge of the Texas A&M campus along University Drive.  Check out Café Eccell (casual dining and wine), La Bodega (fish tacos), and Crazy Cajuns. The Dixie Chicken (a must for the tourist), Dudley’s Draw, the original Freebird’s World Burrito, Frederiko’s Mexican, Kyoto Sushi, Fitzwilly’s, or the Corner Bar and Grill (great 3^rd floor deck), etc…
2. Historic Downtown Bryan – this old downtown area is about 10 minutes north of campus and features several renovated buildings with new and exciting/eclectic restaurants and bars.  Check out Madden’s Casual Gourmet (great menu!), Murphy’s Law (Irish Bar and Grille), Bauhaus (German), River Bridge (burgers), Square One (casual dining), Café Capri (Italian), Mr. G’s Pizza (no relation to the A&M coach), and The Longhorn Tavern (try the Chicken Fried Steaks).
3. The Hilton Area – this area features a collection of restaurants that I highly recommend.  You’ll find a few chains like TGI Fridays, Abuellos Mexican, The Fox and Hound, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Crème, Pei Wei, Starbucks, Cheddars, Texas Roadhouse, Wings & More, and Boston’s Pizza, etc… all are great.  But I suggest you try Blue Baker (awesome sandwiches and pizza), The Republic Steakhouse (a favorite for my wife and I), Eccell Steakhouse, Atami Steak and Sushi, or Veritas Wine and Bistro.  If you look for the big fountain across from the Hilton, that’s a great place to hang out and chow down
4. Harvey Road – this is one of the east-west roads that will take you to/from Veterans Park, Penberthy Fields, and The Aggie Soccer Stadium on campus.  If you take a left out of the park (away from campus) you can try out some of the best burgers in town at Koppe Bridge or go a little further to the original C&J Bar-B-Que (two local favorites).  If you take a right out of the park and go under Highway 6 toward campus, you’ll see Rudy’s BBQ (my favorite) and the Ozona Grille (nice outdoor patio) on the south side of Harvey.
5. Texas Avenue – this is business highway 6 and is the long time north-south running  “main drag” of town, which connects Bryan and College Station.  There are lots of choices along this road; most are chains and national franchises like Jason’s Deli, John Johns Sandwiches, Raising Canes Chicken Fingers, On the Boarder, Quiznos, Chili’s, Chick-Fil-a, Taco Cabana, and Outback Steakhouse.

FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

Obviously, you’re going to find lots of great soccer in Aggieland during your visit.  But, if you want to see more I suggest visiting one of our movie-plexes (Pioneer or Cinemark).  If you want to get into the Christmas Holiday Season, check out Santa’s Wonderland (about 10 minutes south of town on Highway 6, featuring millions and millions of Xmas lights!) or visit Central Park in College Station (on Highway 6 between Southwest Pkwy and FM 2818).

Another great attraction is the George Bush presidential Library and Museum, located on the A&M campus, not far from the Aggie Soccer Stadium.  You can get a look at the life of the 41st president as well as the current exhibition on wine making.  Visit http://bushlib.tamu.edu/ for more info.

AGAIN- WWW.VISITAGGIELAND.COM IS A GREAT LINK WHERE YOU CAN FIND WHAT YOU LIKE!

I hope you enjoy your visit to Aggieland!

-Coach G