When thousands of visitors make their way to the Bryan-College Station area on Friday to see students receive their Aggie Rings, they will also be searching for fun activities in town after standing in line at the alumni center.
Kathryn Greenwade, Class of 1988 and vice president for communications and human resources at The Association of Former Students, said the Association does not provide activities for families to participate in at Ring Day. However, she does recommend finding places to go off-campus.
“Our focus is on the delivering of the rings themselves,” Greenwade said. “If families are coming in from out of town, they might check with the local convention and visitor’s bureau and see what they offer. We’ve got a lot of great restaurants here, and there’s always something going on.”
Greenwade said to remember to make restaurant reservations well in advance for large groups. She encouraged students to celebrate their Ring Day with family if they can.
“The ring is special to you anyway, but when it’s something you can share with your family, that makes it even moreso,” Greenwade said.
Visiting families can also attend the Texas Reds Steak and Grape Festival from Friday to Sunday in Downtown Bryan. The festival will feature Texas wine, steak and craft beers. There will also be live music, grape stomping and children’s activities.
A few current and former students shared their family Ring Day experiences on Twitter:
“I received my Aggie Ring last November. My mom is class of ‘91 so she knows all the past and current hot spots. We immediately went to the Dixie Chicken, ordered a pitcher of beer, and dunked our mother/daughter Aggie Rings.” - @Riilleeyy__
“So my family went to Messina Hof and I got a wine bottle with my name and ring day date. It was awesome! It wasn’t very crowded and I got to do a wine tasting which is how I picked my wine. It was really fun getting to have that experience with my parents who are not Aggies and they enjoyed every second. Messina Hof is gorgeous and everyone there was so helpful. I would definitely recommend this to anyone getting their ring.” - @stacyrae07
“Took my family to Fargo’s and then Downtown Bryan! The bar in La Salle, The Queen Theatre, All the King’s Men (separate time, we didn’t eat BBQ twice in one day lol) and mostly just walked around the streets and stuff. Also got our tires done at House of Tires!” - @essentialspook