Labor Day Getaways

By Kelvin Sims

Summer is not quite over. From the start of the college football season, for both SEC and HBCU, to science-fiction spectacles, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the heat both indoors and outdoors this Labor Day Weekend.

College football season kicks off with Florida A&M and Norfolk State playing Saturday at Georgia State University’s Center Parc Stadium, in Atlanta, in the Southwestern Athletic Conference-Mid-East Athletic Conference challenge. FAMU is the defending National Black College Champions after going 12-1 and undefeated in the SWAC last season.

That's exciting news for FAMU grad Eulinda Jackson Smith, owner of Halo Salon & Experience in Tallahassee, Fla., who was in town to see her Rattlers open the season.

"Football season is here and the Rattler in me is live and in full effect," said Smith, a 2003 graduate of FAMU. "The stain of Orange and Green will remain in the ATL well after this celebratory weekend."

The game kickoffs at 7:30 p.m. EST at Center Parc Stadium, located at 755 Hank Aaron Drive, Atlanta 30315. A post-game Battle of Bands will feature the two bands of the historically black colleges.

Across the river, there are two HBCU games to watch Saturday, Aug. 28 and Sunday, Aug. 29.

Alabama A&M University of Huntsville, Ala., will play Auburn University on Aug. 28 at Jordan-Hare Stadium located at 251 South Donahue Drive, Auburn, Ala. 36830 at 6:30 CST/7:30 EST with tickets going for as little as $12 on StubHub: https://www.stubhub.com/auburn-tigers-football-auburn-tickets-8-31-2024/event/152748783/?quantity=2.

Then on Sunday, The Red Tail Classic in Montgomery, Ala., will feature Tuskegee University and Johnson C. Smith University of South Carolina. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. CST/8 p.m. EST will be played at Cramton Bowl, 1022 Madison Ave., Montgomery, Ala. 36107, and will be televised on ESPNU. Tickets for this HBCU battle start at $21 on StubHub: https://www.stubhub.com/red-tails-classic-montgomery-tickets-9-1-2024/event/153781730/?qid=e8946a9190ba39e8bc492385b8aae7e0&index=stubhub&ut=519335a5a857491be807091fcde95c37efd92ffd&quantity=2.

For the sci-fi fans, Dragon Con, which is billed as the largest sci-fi convention for fantasy, gaming, literature, music and film in the universe, Dragon Con hits the streets and other venues of downtown Atlanta over Labor Day weekend. For more information visit: https://www.dragoncon.org/.

It's Nerd paradise as costumed gamers and sci-fi fans gather for a geek-filled parade and more of both the latest and hottest and cultural legends and giants of the field. Buy tickets here: Buy Dragon Con Memberships

Dawg Days: The University of Georgia Bulldogs, ranked No. 1 in many preseason college football polls, travel down from Athens to open the 2024 season against Clemson on Aug. 31 in the Aflac Kickoff Classic. The game kickoffs at noon at Mercedes Benz Stadium, located at 1 Atlanta Mercedes Benz Drive, Atlanta, 30313.

PGA playoffs: The PGA season winds down, and the pressure builds during tour’s annual stop in Atlanta. See the world's top golfers compete in one of the season's final events at East Lake Country Club. Events start on Wed. Aug. 28 and the 72-hour playoff will be take place Aug. 29-Sept. 1. Get your tickets here: The Tour Championship Tickets | Vivid Seats