Fall Family Weekend does not have to mean only going to the football game on Saturday and saying goodbye Sunday morning, more goes on in Statesboro than just pigskin and tailgating.

Some on-campus organizations are putting together events specifically for the weekend.

The University Programming Board and Office of Student Activities kicks off the weekend by hosting a block party at The University Store plaza on Friday from 6 – 8 p.m. GSU cheerleaders, Gus and student athletes will make appearances while being accompanied by the Southern Pride Marching Band.

A free showing of “White House Down” will take place at sweetheart circle after the block party Friday at 9 p.m.

The planetarium will also be hosting free half-hour viewings of a digital presentation of the autumn sky with a tour led by physics graduate students. If weather permits, telescopes will be out for guest to enjoy the sky themselves, just for Fall Family Weekend on Friday from 6 – 9:30 p.m.

Being a home football weekend to go along with the heavy influx of parents, this weekend is a busy one when it comes to lodging for Statesboro.

“We don’t offer any discounts for it [Fall Family Weekend] but we do keep the same rates. Most hotels go up in prices for busy weekends but we don’t,” Jessica Puruis, coordinator at the Statesboro Inn, said.

The Historic Statesboro Inn had rooms booked for fall family weekend up to six months in advance, Puruis said.

With a multitude of different restaurants and other attractions recently opening up there is plenty to fill the time before Saturday night.

“There are some great restaurants within walking distance that we send people too, like South & Vine [Public House] and 40 East [Grill],” Puruis said.

If fine dining is not on the menu for students and their parents, the Averitt Center for the Arts is open to browse and often hosts plays and other performances in the Emma Kelly Theater.

On Saturday from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. the Statesboro farmers market, located downtown, will have its usual local produce, samples to enjoy and crafts created by Statesboro merchants available for purchase.

The Center for Wildlife Education will be open to the public from 1 – 5 p.m. both Friday and Saturday and will have a wildlife program featuring amphibians, reptiles and mammals at 2 p.m. or catch the flight show which showcases at least five birds of prey such as owls and hawks at 3 p.m., Casey McCall Corbett, education coordinator, said.

The Eagles will face the University of Tennessee Chattanooga at 6 p.m. at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. For those not able to go to the game, restaurants and bars around Statesboro are streaming the game to big-screen TVs.