Welcome to South Florida, Hoosiers fans! Who knew we had so much in common?!

Welcome to South Florida, Indiana football fans! We’re happy you’re here — and Notre Dame isn’t.

During your visit to the area for the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday, we are committed to showing you our best version of your famed “Hoosier Hospitality.”

Unfortunately, we’ve discovered that we don’t really know much about your fine state, other than it being one of the nicest suburbs of Chicago and the Orthopedic Capital of the World. (We have something in common already!)

You’ll have to forgive our ignorance: We’re not much on education down here (but no state income tax!). And, if we’re being honest, we were afraid to even Google “Indiana” to avoid getting crossways with our DEI monitors.

We decided to settle our bewilderment — surely the state’s name refers to American Indians, right? — by binge-watching Indiana-set sitcom “Parks and Recreation.” And then Aziz Ansari’s Tom Haverford character showed up. Oh, right, there are Indian-Americans!

Here we’ve tried to come up with some ideas to help you understand South Florida and make your stay here this weekend more enjoyable — compiled with sensitivity to all of your cultures, from American Indian to Tom Haverford and John Mellencamp. We’re happy you’re here. And Notre Dame isn’t.

Cold snappy: If locals seem to be walking around looking kind of grumpy, it’s not you, it’s the Arctic blast. Brrr!  When the weather gets below 60 degrees, much less 50, we start putting bourbon in our Starbucks. We’re afraid we might have to start wearing those pants that go all the way down to our Crocs. This may even call for socks.

Indian lands: You have the Miami Nation of Indiana and we have the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, where the championship will be played, as well as the sprawling Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood and its eye-catching Guitar Hotel (part of a $1.5 billion remodel of the resort completed in 2019), are all owned by the Seminole Tribe, who soon may just buy the whole state. Visit Casino.HardRock.com/hollywood.

Ghee whiz: Just in case, the best local cuisine from the India over yonder is Ghee Indian Kitchen in Miami, which received a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand citation in 2025 and is presided over by chef Niven Patel, a four-time James Beard Award semifinalist. Visit GheeIndianKitchen.com.

Star watching: Keep your eyes out for celebrities while you’re here, and not just Pitbull (a headliner at the Capital One Music Stage at Allstate Championship Tailgate on Monday). Broward County is home to one of the most popular celebrities on the planet, Lionel Messi, whom you may consider the Caitlin Clark of MLS. And the president of the United States/Venezuela lives in Palm Beach County.

Our sandwiches: We hear that the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is a Hoosier favorite, with a large, breaded pork cutlet served on a bun with pickles and onions. Your BPT sounds a little like our classic Cuban sandwich, with Cuban bread layered with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and yellow mustard. If you’re interested, Sanguich De Miami (multiple locations, including the mothership on Calle Ocho in Little Havana) was voted the best Cuban sandwich in South Florida by Sun Sentinel readers and just won a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand. Warning, there may be a line. Visit Sanguich.com.

Dining stars: Gotta admit it’s a little awkward referencing Michelin Guide mentions to residents of a state that created two pillars of American gastronomy: Wonder Bread and sliced bacon. But we do have a prestigious lineup of restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties that received Michelin blessings in the 2025 guide. If you are staying in Miami, seek out L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (two stars) and hidden gem Boia De (one star). Other Michelin eateries include Chef’s Counter at MAASS (one star) and Heritage (Bib Gourmand) in Fort Lauderdale, as well as Aioli and Palm Beach Meats (both Bib Gourmands) in West Palm Beach.

Sexy dish: If you’re looking for a Tom Haverford moment — exclusive, sexy, over the top — restaurant Sexy Fish in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood is all of those things. Brickell rooftop Rosa Sky allows you to look down on the rest of us. In Fort Lauderdale, the just-opened Omni Hotel at the port has the 29th-floor Ibis Sky Lounge, while nearby the Pier Top lounge rotates on the 17th floor of the $1 billion remodel of the Pier Sixty-Six resort, with an unparalleled view of the ocean and downtown skyline.

Fair play: We have Art Basel, you have the Indiana State Fair. The fact that the South Florida Fair opens this weekend in West Palm Beach may seem like coincidence, but it’s not. You’d do the same for us. We think we have all the boxes checked to make you feel at home: midway rides, agricultural displays, pig races, Cap’n Crunch Korean Corn Dogs. Visit SouthFloridaFair.com.

Stepping out: We hear you love marching bands — well, we love marching bands! The Pepsi National Battle of the Bands, one of the premier showcases for HBCU marching bands, takes place this weekend with the finals at 4 p.m. Saturday at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Yes, just for you. Visit NationalBattleOfTheBands.com.

Ring alert: You have Circle City (the nickname for Indianapolis, which is laid out around Monument Circle), and we have Hollywood, where Young Circle is one of three major roundabouts in the city. You can check it out on Saturday night during the free Downtown Hollywood ArtWalk, offering gallery openings, food and drink, and tours of the city’s iconic murals. Maybe we should start calling it Circle City, too. Visit HollywoodCRA.org.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.