Election Day Top 5: Polling places and other wacky tailgating venues

Last Updated on 08/18/2021 by Inside Tailgating

So it’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the fall. Sun is out. Kids are running around. The atmosphere is charged with the anticipation of who is going to win and what is going to happen. You feel a rumble in the belly, and think, wow, a burger on a grill sure would taste good about now. Chances are you are….in line for early voting?

Happy election day everybody. Partisan politics aside, what a great day to be an American and exercise your right to vote. Or if you’re like me, you voted early and waited an hour in line to do so. But at least it was a lovely day out and we could do it at our own pace and not be rushed at the end of the work day. It took a lap or two around the park outside the rec center with our 8-month old and some baby food pouches to make the time go, but it got me to thinking what might be some fun tailgating venues that I hadn’t thought about before.

Top 5 wacky tailgating places

#5 Polling place

Difficult to pull off and surely breaking some local polling place statutes, but the 2016 Election would have been the perfect time to give it a go with packed crowds at the polls! Probably need to hold off on the booze until after your vote is cast, but cooking up something tasty would guarantee you make friends among the workers there all day passing our voters’ guides and the like. But please, hold the stumping. Just pass the potato salad.

#4 Halloween

I haven’t done this yet myself but our next door neighbor did it. He pulled his portable fire pit from his back deck to his driveway in front of the house and not only had ambience to greet trick-or-treaters but fun for his family, as they roasted marshmallows between groups.

#3 House renovation

So you’ve waited a year for the renovation that was supposed to take six months (my sister, Louise, I’m winking at you) why not back the car up in the driveway, pull out the grill, crack open a few beers and dream about how awesome your new house is going to be? Heck you’ve already got a port-a-potty right there if you need it.

#2 The Park

When you’ve got young kids and you need daytime social events to please both parents and kids but your football team is on the road, why not invite some other families to join you at the local park? Who needs a picnic blanket that will get damp and buggy when you can just unfold a few chairs behind the SUV and serve a hot lunch on plates while parents take turns eating and pushing kids in swings. Win-win.

#1 Finish line of a 5K.

To heck with stale protein bars from the race sponsor or a stray banana. How awesome would it be to finish a race and have your husband there in the parking lot cooking up some steak and eggs? Oh we can dream. Chances are most of your family is still in bed and you’ll be doing well to get them to meet you for brunch. Ah well, sounds good anyway!