Miami Football: 5 Best Things to Experience During Hurricanes Game Day

There aren't many things better to me than an hot August day in Miami getting ready to watch my beloved Hurricanes play some football.

When you look around all you see is a sea of people, dressed in orange and green, getting themselves ready to head into Sun Life Stadium to watch one of the most storied football programs in the history of college football.

If you are a newcomer to the scene, make sure to get their early to check out the following five things every Hurricane fan should see at least once in his or her lifetime.

Pregame "Clubbing"

When you first enter the parking lot of Sun Life Stadium, one of the first things you will notice, besides the women, is the "club-type" atmosphere.

Being a small town guy like myself, the only thing I can associate the crowd and parking lot at the stadium to are like clubs that I've been to when I was younger.

Loud, upbeat music blaring from stereos in every direction you walk past. The women grinding like they were still at club Cameo down in South Beach.

It's very entertaining to sit back and watch all the people dancing all around you while screaming "the U" and throwing up the U with their hands at the same time.

Did I mention the women?

Miami Hurricane Walk

In the past, the Miami Hurricanes would arrive at the stadium and just head into the locker room to prepare for their game. 

Last season before Miami's first home game, Al Golden decided to mix up things a little bit by inviting fans to come walk the Hurricanes into the stadium.

It was a hit.

I was able to go to a game last year and showed up a couple hours before the game to witness the team, the "Band of the Hour" and cheerleaders form a tunnel from the bus to the stadium. 

It is definitely something I will see at every Miami game I attend.

Hurricane Club Pre-Game Tailgate Party

If you get a chance to be a guest, or donor, at the Hurricane Club Tailgate Party, be sure to take it. There are great food, great people and an opportunity to hang out with other super fans.

I was able to go as a guest to the Georgia Tech party last October and had a great time. They had some great food from a local company, Shorty's BBQ, and if you were lucky, you were able to take a few pictures with Sebastian.

The entertainment was provided by the Band of the Hour, the university's impressively intense band who got the crowd going.

The Smoke

Hands down the best thing about game day at Miami is watching the Hurricanes come storming out of the smoked filled helmet  before the game.

For those who haven't witnessed this, I feel sorry for you. Granted it's just a couple smoke machines and the players taking the field, but it's more about the tradition of the whole thing that makes it an unbeatable tradition.

It wasn't something that was started in the '80s when they were at their peak either; it actually started in the '50s when they used fire extinguishers to create the smoke.

The smoke is such a great tradition that in 2010 the AP deemed it the second best tradition in college football history.

Think About the Orange Bowl

To me, thinking about the Orange Bowl is an ongoing tradition every time I head to Sun Life Stadium to watch the Hurricanes play.

Don't get me wrong, the professional stadium that Miami plays at is up-to-date and provides tremendous facilities for the home team, but this isn't the Orange Bowl.

There just seems to be something missing every time you head to the new home of the Hurricanes.  The party seems to be more corporate and many fans decide not to travel the 20 miles (previously six to the Orange Bowl) to Miami Gardens.

There was so much history at the Orange Bowl that it's hard to be at a Hurricanes game and not think about the old building or the record 58-game home-winning streak.

You may not see it as a tradition, but to me, thinking about it every time makes it more of a tradition than anything.