4 things new to Tuscaloosa football fans can check out

Posted Sep 2, 2019 at 8:00 AM

Thousands of football fans will gather Saturday in Tuscaloosa, and for many it will be their first visit to the Druid City since November.
Here’s a look at four new things fans can find this football season in Tuscaloosa:
• Fans will want to snap a photo of the new mural on the exterior wall of Egan’s Bar, 1229 University Blvd. The multicolored mural spells out “Tuscaloosa” in letters 18 feet high by 62 wide. Jason Tetlak, a Jacksonville, Florida, artist was chosen by the City of Tuscaloosa’s Public Art Committee to beautify what had for years been a plain whitewashed wall. The mural took Tetlak four days to finish, with a public unveiling of the work in May.
• The Paul W. Bryant Museum has a massive new video touchscreen near its entrance, part of a $600,000 renovation. The new technology encapsulates thousands of pictures, audio files, videos and highlights from coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant’s football career, even before he came to Tuscaloosa in 1958. Six 55-inch screens make up part of the new “Wall of Fame” at the museum, replacing the former “Hall of Fame” that included a few pictures and paragraphs about Bryant’s time in Alabama. Fans can swipe the screens and learn more about the legendary University of Alabama football coach. The museum also replaced nearly 8,000 square feet of carpeting, closing in early February before reopening in March. The museum is at 300 Paul W. Bryant Drive. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students. Go to www.bryantmuseum.com for more information.
• Fans are sure to notice the “Tusca200sa” banners on downtown lampposts. The banners are part of the effort to recognize Tuscaloosa’s founding on Dec. 13, 1819. The Tuscaloosa Bicentennial Commission has a couple of events scheduled during football season. From 2-4 p.m. Sept. 22, Guy Ward Hubbs will have a signing celebration for his book “Tuscaloosa — 200 Years in the Making” at the Federal Building and United States Courthouse, 2005 University Blvd. And on Dec. 13, Tuscaloosa will have a party to celebrate the bicentennial with the unveiling of a sculpture at Manderson Landing near the banks of the Black Warrior River, a tree lighting at the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse and the city’s annual Christmas Parade. For more details about the bicentennial, go to www.tuscaloosa200.com.
• Tuscaloosa now has a high-tech bowling alley in the building formerly occupied by Bruno’s grocery store. Bowlero opened this spring in the 53,000 square-foot building on McFarland Boulevard. Bowlero features an arcade, bar and upscale dining options. There will also be the brand’s blacklight bowling lanes, lane-side lounge seating and high-definition video walls. For more information, go to www.bowlero.com/location/bowlero-tuscaloosa.