Five things to do in Tuscaloosa before the Alabama-Texas A&M football game

University of Alabama officials expect a sellout crowd of 100,077 people for the Alabama-Texas A&M football game Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The game will arrive with plenty of drama -- it's an SEC West showdown in front of a national television audience, it's the first game between UA coach Nick Saban and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher since their offseason spat over paying players and mystery surrounds whether UA's Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young will play.

But football fans flocking to Tuscaloosa for the 7 p.m. kickoff face another type of drama: What's there to do in Tuscaloosa before the game?

Here's five suggestions:

River District Park

Fans can enjoy a pre-game picnic at the city of Tuscaloosa's newest downtown park, River District Park at 180 Greensboro Ave. The weather should be perfect, with plenty of sunshine and high temperatures in mid-70s during the day Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

River District Park includes green space, river-viewing areas along the bank of the Black Warrior River, a plaza, and an outdoor stage. The space also features color-changing lights throughout the park and under the Hugh R. Thomas Bridge.

In the future, River District Park will offer the opportunity for coordinated community events and serve as an outdoor extension of the Saban Center, a state-of-the-art interactive learning facility that will offer science, technology, engineering and math programs.

Bear Bryant's last game

A new exhibit at the Paul W. Bryant Museum documents the legendary Alabama football coach's last game 40 years ago at the Liberty Bowl.

The exhibit includes the green parka that Bryant wore during that chilly night in Memphis, a video of highlights from the Tide's 21-15 win over the University of Illinois and the shoe that kicker Peter Kim used to register the final point scored by a Bryant-coached team, along with other memorabilia.

The museum, which is at 300 Paul W. Bryant Drive on the UA campus, will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children. Museum members, children younger than 5 years old and UA faculty staff and students will be admitted free.

Nick Saban's new hotel

Fans can also check out Tuscaloosa’s newest downtown luxury hotel, which has a group of owners that includes University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban.

The Alamite is an estimated $30 million, 112-room hotel that recently opened on the southwestern corner of Sixth Street and 23rd Avenue. The hotel also features Forté: Cuts and Cocktails, a French-inspired steakhouse, and Roll Call, a  rooftop bar.

Roll Call is set to open in mid-October with a sharable plates menu that will include sushi, wood-fired pizzas and sliders, along with cocktails, craft beers and artisanal wines. Forté is open now, with a menu that includes steak au poivre, bouillabaisse, coq a vin, frisse au lardon and beef bourguignon, as well as steakhouse signature cuts such as dry-aged ribeye and filet mignon.

Hotel officials have said that the Alamite's interior would reflect the distinctiveness of the city, including a trophy display that recognizes Tuscaloosa's status as the "City of Champions" and a curated art collections that features works by regional and local artists.

Outside Bryant-Denny Stadium

Two of UA's most popular pre-game rituals take place within walking distance of Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Walk of Champions and the Elephant Stomp.

Fans can cheer the UA football players, Saban and the UA coaching staff members as they arrive by bus for the game at 5 p.m. along the Walk of Champions on the north side of the stadium. That's the side of the stadium that also includes statues of Alabama national championship coaches -- Bryant, Saban, Gene Stallings Frank Thomas and Wallace Wade -- along with Tuska, the 24-foot tall, 7-ton elephant sculpture.

The Elephant Stomp, a pregame pep rally featuring elephant mascot Big Al, the Million Dollar Band and UA cheerleaders, will begin at 6 p.m. at the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library. The band will play the school fight song, "Yea Alabama," and then march down Colonial Drive, leading Crimson Tide fans into Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Inside Bryant-Denny Stadium

Gates will open at 4:30 p.m., with the in-stadium videoboards featuring live coverage of other college football games of interest. Fans will want to be in their seats for a patriotic flyover by the 391st Fighter Squadron, which is part of the 366th Fighter Wing based at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The flyover will around 6:25 p.m.

Also at the game, UA will honor the 2012 football national championship team, which defeated Notre Dame in the last Bowl Championship Series title game. Three members of that team, center Barrett Jones, offensive lineman Chance Warmack and defensive lineman Damion Square will serve as honorary game captains.

What's next

Alabama's next home game will be Oct. 22 against Mississippi State. The game will cap UA's homecoming celebration with the theme of "Legends Live Forever." Kickoff time for the game should be set early next week.

Alabama's home football schedule wraps up with a Nov. 19 game against Austin Peay, set for an 11 a.m. kickoff, followed by the Iron Bowl against Auburn on Nov. 26. Kickoff time for the Iron Bowl will be announced at a later date.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Five things to do in Tuscaloosa before the UA--Texas A&M football game