{"id":2300,"date":"2018-12-18T14:03:03","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T21:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/?p=2300"},"modified":"2018-12-18T14:03:03","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T21:03:03","slug":"holiday-bowl-games-a-tale-of-two-sites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/golf\/courses-and-travel\/2300\/holiday-bowl-games-a-tale-of-two-sites","title":{"rendered":"Holiday bowl games: a tale of two sites"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Aerial

Aerial view of Reynolds Lake Oconee golf course<\/p><\/div>\n

College football bowl games reward student athletes with another chance to compete at the end of the season but they are chiefly a Christmas gift to fans and alumni looking for an excuse to travel to a resort destination during the holidays.<\/p>\n

Eastern Michigan University\u2019s Eagles and Western Michigan University’s\u00a0Broncos played bowl games earlier this month in Montgomery, Alabama and Boise, Idaho, respectively. The University of Michigan\u2019s Wolverines\u00a0travel to Atlanta for next Saturday\u2019s Peach Bowl matchup against the Florida Gators; and Michigan State University’s Spartans will face the Oregon Ducks in Santa Clara, California at 3 p.m. on New Year\u2019s Eve in the Redbox Bowl.<\/p>\n

There are some ironic synergies in this tale of the two upcoming sites:<\/p>\n

– Both the Wolverine and Spartan bowl games are preludes of sort in that they are staged in stadiums which will host the season\u2019s ultimate championships weeks later. Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara will also be the site of the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 7; and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will host the NFL\u2019s Super Bowl on February 3.<\/p>\n

– The primary\u00a0exports of both destinations are drinks: Northern California is known as America\u2019s wine country; Atlanta is the world headquarters of Coca-Cola. More than three-million tourists visit wineries and tasting rooms in Napa and Sonoma each year. \u201cThe World of Coca-Cola,\u201d in Atlanta, is a 20-acre museum in which guests are immersed, interactively, in the brand\u2019s story and can sample hundreds of regional and international drinks.<\/p>\n

\"Michael

Michael P. Shiels enjoying the view of the iconic 18th hole at Pebble Beach (Photo by Harrison Shiels)<\/p><\/div>\n

– Both the Wolverines and Spartans play in bowl games which are precisely a one-hour and twenty-minute drive from two of America\u2019s finest high profile luxury golf resorts: Reynolds Lake Oconee and Pebble Beach Resort. And, like the bowl game venues, both of those resorts are linked to upcoming Major Championships in 2019. In addition to hosting an annual celebrity PGA Tour event each February, Pebble Beach will also host the U.S. Open again in June. Reynolds Lake Oconee is an hour\u2019s drive from Augusta, where the Masters Tournament is held each year, and Great Waters, one of the resort\u2019s six golf courses, was designed by six-time Masters winner Jack Nicklaus. Former\u00a0Masters winner Fuzzy Zoeller had a hand in designing The Preserve course.<\/p>\n

– Atlanta is home to the world headquarters of Delta Airlines, which offers flights from Michigan to both bowl sites: Atlanta and San Jose, California (with San Francisco also an option.)<\/p>\n

For those planning to travel to California for one of these events, staying\u00a0at a\u00a0hotel<\/a>\u00a0in San Jose\u00a0is the way to go.\u00a0Downtown San Jose is in a prime location being only a 10 minute Uber ride to Levi’s Stadium. After the game you can quickly be back Downtown to try a giant burrito at Iguanas Burritozilla<\/a>\u00a0and bar hop down the Millennial Mile, a mile stretch of bars, dive bars, restaurants, live music and more.<\/p>\n

“We’re pretty central to everything you want to see the the Bay Area,” said Frances Wong, Director of Communications at Visit San Jose. \u00a0San Jose is within two hours from Pebble Beach, San Fransisco, and Napa Valley.<\/p>\n

For more trip ideas in San Jose, visit: www.sanjose.org\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Contact Travel Writer Michael Patrick Shiels at MShiels@aol.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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