Best Seats At AT&T Stadium
AT&T Stadium isn’t just a football venue — it’s a spectacle built to make your jaw drop before you find your seat. Jerry Jones put up what everyone in Texas calls Jerry World on one principle: nothing here should be ordinary. The field sits 50 feet below street level. The roof retracts. The end zones are closed by five-panel glass doors that stand 120 feet tall. And the center-hung video board is so large that a punter knocked a ball off it in the stadium’s first preseason, forcing the NFL to write a rule for this building specifically.
The Dallas Cowboys stadium seats 80,000 for a standard game and expands past 100,000 for events like the Super Bowl, making it the largest stadium in the NFL. That scale works against you if you don’t choose carefully. Sit in the wrong spot here and you’ve watched a game with 80,000 strangers instead of being at one.
Seating Overview
AT&T Stadium has five levels: a lower bowl (100-level), a club level (200-level), a mezzanine level (300-level), and upper decks (400- and 500-levels). The field runs roughly east-to-west, but since the roof is typically closed for Cowboys games — especially in Texas heat — shade and sun angle are rarely deciding factors for most fans. What drives the difference here is elevation and proximity to the sidelines. The closer you are to the hash marks at mid-field, the more you see what actually matters in pro football.
Best Non Premium Seatins
Lower Sideline — Sections 118–122: The best non-premium seats in the building, full stop. You’re at the 50-yard line in the lower bowl, and rows 15–35 hit the balance between closeness and enough elevation to read the whole field. You’re watching the way a coach watches. The tradeoff is price — these are among the most expensive non-club seats in the NFL and the resale market knows it.
Lower Sideline, Extended — Sections 108–117 and 123–135: If 118–122 is out of reach, the surrounding sideline sections give you the same viewing format for meaningfully less. Clean sightlines to the line of scrimmage, easy concourse access, and the real value in the lower bowl.
Upper Sideline — Sections 415–440 and 448–460: These get dismissed unfairly and I’ll defend them personally, because I’ve sat here. The rake of the upper deck is steep enough that you’re closer than the seating chart suggests, and the overhead angle is the best in the building for reading a play as it develops. Then there’s the board — from up here that 160-foot screen sits at eye level and fills your vision. You’re not watching the game and glancing at a screen; you’re getting both at once, and that combination is specific to this stadium. Locals who know this building land here on purpose.
Best Value — Mezzanine Corners, Sections 316–320 and 341–345: The 300-level corners are the most underrated seats at AT&T Stadium. You get a full-field angle from real elevation without the climb to the 400s, you’re a level below the suite deck instead of above it, and you’re paying non-club prices. If you want one recommendation that balances price, view, and comfort, this is it.
Budget — Upper End Zone, Sections 401–410 and 426–437: The cheapest tickets in the building and still a genuinely good time. You’re behind an end zone, so plays going to the far end are harder to track and depth-of-field reads on passing plays away from you are rough. But with a screen this size you’re never actually lost, and the noise behind the end zone on a Cowboys touchdown is worth something.
My Pick
First trip, want the full Jerry World experience without premium pricing: upper sideline between sections 420 and 435, mid-level rows toward the middle of the sideline. Whole field in view, crowd noise funneling down from above, video board at eye level. Smartest seat in the building for the money.
Seats to Avoid at AT&T Stadium
Front rows of the lower bowl. The first several rows put you looking up at the game instead of down at it, and the club-level overhang cuts off your view of the video board — a real loss in this stadium specifically. Rows 10 and above are a noticeably better experience for less money.
200-level corners. You’re paying main-concourse prices for an acute angle, and action at the opposite end zone is genuinely hard to follow. These look fine on a seating chart and disappoint in person. If you want this elevation, take a sideline section or drop to the 300-level corners for less.
Upper end zone, top rows. The 400 level is already high, and the suite deck below it pushes it higher than the chart implies. The last rows behind an end zone are the one part of this building where the scale stops being impressive and just becomes distance.
AT&T Stadium Suites and Club Seating
AT&T Stadium sells roughly 15,000 club seats — more than most NFL stadiums have in total premium inventory. All of it was renovated in a recent overhaul that touched all 363 suites and the club spaces attached to them, so you’re buying refreshed rooms rather than 2009 finishes. Every club ticket includes wider padded seating, a private entrance, and lounge access. They are not equal beyond that.
Hall of Fame Club — 100 Level Sideline
The best club product in the building. These are the C-prefixed sideline sections on the 100 level, which puts you as close to the field as you can get without buying a suite. Two 50,000-square-foot main concourse clubs sit behind them. This is where the serious premium money goes and the sightlines justify it.
Main Concourse Club — 200 Level Sideline
The value play in club seating. You get the padded seats, private entrance, and lounge access that define the AT&T Stadium club experience, from an elevation that’s arguably a better viewing angle than the 100 level, at a price that doesn’t require a second mortgage. If you’re doing club once, do it here.
Silver Club — 300 Level Sideline
The mezzanine club tier, backed by two 20,000-square-foot Silver Clubs. More panoramic than the levels below it and priced accordingly — the mid-range option for people who want amenities more than proximity.
Founders Club
The all-inclusive tier. Food and beverage is covered from your seat, which makes the night easy to budget once you’ve bought in. If you hate doing math at a concession stand, this is the one.
AT&T Stadium Suites
AT&T Stadium has 363 suites spread across eight locations and five distinct levels. From lowest to highest: Event Level, Hall of Fame, Silver, Ring of Honor, and Star. All 363 were renovated in a recent project along with the adjacent clubs and corridors — new finishes, flooring, and lighting throughout.
Field Level Suites (Event Level)
The Event Level suites are the field-level product people search for, and they’re the most unusual seat in the building. You’re roughly 20 rows from the playing field, at ground level, close enough to hear the game rather than watch it from above. Two 10,000-square-foot Event Clubs serve this level.
The honest tradeoff: this is not the best sightline at AT&T Stadium. At field level you lose the overhead read that makes the upper sideline so good, and your view of the video board is nothing like what someone in the 400s gets. You’re buying proximity and access, not the best view. For a lot of people that’s exactly the right trade — just go in knowing which one you’re buying.
Silver Suites
The Silver level sits at the 300 level and is the most commonly available suite tier on the secondary market. Elevated sideline position, full club access, and better pure sightlines than the Event Level below. If you’re buying a shared suite ticket rather than a whole suite, this is most often what you’re looking at.
Ring of Honor and Star Level Suites
The upper suite tiers. Higher elevation, panoramic angles, and generally the entry point on price for a full suite buy. The Star Level is the highest.
What Suites Actually Cost
Full-suite pricing runs roughly $9,000 to $40,000 for a Cowboys game depending on level, location, and opponent. Corner and upper-level suites sit at the low end; premium sideline suites at the top. Every suite includes a private entrance, climate control, an attendant, catering options, a private restroom, and seating for anywhere from 12 to 30-plus guests.
The move most people miss: buy a single seat inside a suite. Shared suite tickets typically run $500 to $2,000 per person, which lands in the same range as a good club seat — except you get the private entrance, the restroom, and the attendant. If you were already considering club level, price shared suite inventory before you commit.
AT&T Stadium Seating Chart and Capacity
AT&T Stadium holds 80,000 for a standard Cowboys game, expandable past 100,000 with standing room for marquee events. It’s the largest capacity in the NFL.
Suites sit in eight locations across five distinct levels, which is where the “five levels” confusion comes from — that’s the suite count, not the bowl.
One structural detail that matters when you’re picking seats: the suite level sits between the mezzanine and the upper deck, which pushes the 400 level considerably higher than you’d expect from the seating chart. The jump from a 300-level corner to a 400-level corner is bigger in person than it looks on a map.
The field runs east to west, but the roof is closed for nearly every Cowboys game, so sun and shade almost never factor into your decision. What matters here is elevation and how close you are to the sidelines.
Here is a link to the updated AT&T Stadium Seating Chart.
Dallas Cowboys Tickets
The Cowboys are one of the most valuable franchises in sports, and ticket prices reflect that. The secondary market is your best option for non-premium seats — face value from the Cowboys box office rarely beats what you find on resale platforms for regular-season games. Prices drop meaningfully the week of the game and especially in the 24–48 hours before kickoff against non-marquee opponents.
Avoid if you’re price-sensitive: anything against the Eagles, Giants, or Commanders — division games hold full pricing all week. Thursday and Monday night games also stay premium longer because of the national broadcast window. For maximum value, target early-season September home games against out-of-conference opponents. That’s consistently where the deals show up.
Get your Dallas Cowboys Tickets Here! Through our partnership you can get Cowboys, 2026 World Cup Tickets or pretty much any event on the planet or whatever runs through Jerry World
The Big 12 Championship Game and the Cotton Bowl
The Big 12 Championship game and Cotton Bowl which is now part of the College Football Playoff are held annually at AT&T Stadium and are consistently very big draws with wildly passionate college fans rocking this great stadium. If your team is in either of these events, check here for tickets.
AT&T Stadium Bag Policy
The bag policy at AT&T Stadium prohibits purses, bags, or containers larger than a small clutch bag. Approved bags include clear tote bags made of plastic, vinyl, or PVC that do not exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12″, clear one-gallon re-sealable plastic storage bags, and small clutch purses approximately the size of a hand, not larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″. Please be aware that an exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at a designated gate.
There is no bag check at AT&T Stadium. No lockers, no coat check, no place to leave a suitcase. If it doesn’t meet the clear-bag rule, it does not come in and the stadium will not hold it for you.
This catches people constantly — visitors coming straight from DFW, road-trippers on a hotel checkout day, anyone who assumed a venue this size would have somewhere to stash a backpack.
Your options, in order:
Leave it in the car. Simplest answer if you’re driving. Just remember there’s no re-entry — once you’re through the gate, whatever’s in the trunk stays there until you leave for good.
Use a third-party storage network. Bounce, Radical Storage, Stasher, and LuggageHero all operate in Arlington through partner shops and hotels, typically a few dollars an hour or a flat daily rate. Book before you arrive; day-of availability near the Entertainment District gets thin on game days.
Store it in Dallas or Fort Worth instead. If you’re staying downtown and coming in for the game, drop bags where you’re staying rather than trying to solve it in Arlington. Fewer locations near the stadium, more competition for them.
Ask your hotel to hold it. Arlington hotels near the stadium will almost always hold bags for guests before check-in and after checkout, including Live! by Loews and the Entertainment District properties. Free, and the most reliable option if you have a room.
One note: mobile locker vendors have set up outside AT&T Stadium for certain large events, but it’s event-by-event and not something to count on for a regular Cowboys game. Confirm on the event page before you plan around it.
Key Venue Policies
Cashless or Cash?
AT&T Stadium has moved largely toward digital and card-based transactions throughout the concourse. The Zippin frictionless “Grab N Go” stands use fully automated checkout without cash. For traditional concession stands, carry a card — relying on cash will slow you down. Confirm the latest payment details at attstadium.com before your visit.
Accessibility
AT&T Stadium has strong ADA infrastructure — accessible seating is available throughout all levels, with elevator access to every level and dedicated accessible entrances. Companion seats are available alongside ADA seating locations. For mobility assistance, contact the stadium in advance through the official accessibility services page. The stadium’s accessibility team has a solid reputation among fans with mobility needs — it’s one of the better ADA experiences in the NFL
Re-entry: AT&T Stadium does not allow re-entry once you’ve exited. Plan accordingly — leave nothing in the car you’ll need during the game.
Binoculars: Allowed if worn around the neck; binocular cases are prohibited.
Full policy details: AT&T Stadium A-Z Guide
AT&T Stadium Parking
AT&T Stadium sits in Arlington, Texas — halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth on I-30 — which means you’re essentially required to drive or rideshare. There’s no convenient public transit like you’d find at stadiums in bigger cities, but 24,000+ parking spaces across nearby lots means options are plentiful. The challenge isn’t finding a spot; it’s the traffic getting in and out.
Parking Tips
AT&T Stadium has approximately 12,000 parking spaces across 15 numbered lots, plus nearly 12,000 additional spaces in lettered lots surrounding Globe Life Field next door. Lots open five hours before Cowboys games — if you’re tailgating, arrive right at opening to claim a designated grass space.
Buy Your Parking Pass Before You Leave Home
The moment you buy your tickets, buy your parking pass through SeatGeek or ParkWhiz. Day-of drive-up parking is increasingly rare, and when it does exist, you’ll pay roughly double the advance rate. This is one of the few gameday decisions where acting early has a direct dollar value.
Pick Your Lot Based on Where You’re Going After
Most fans don’t think about exit direction until they’re already stuck. If you’re heading back toward Dallas on I-30, aim for Blue Lots 1 and 2 or Silver Lot 11 — they put you closest to the on-ramps and let you beat the crush. If you’re heading south toward Fort Worth or I-20, Silver Lot 7 or Blue Lot 10 give you a cleaner exit via Division Street.
The Best “Park and Eat” Deals in Arlington
Skip the stadium-adjacent lots entirely if you want real value. Lincoln Square’s BoomerJack’s is the best deal in the district — spend $50 (easy for a group) and you get a free shuttle wristband to the stadium. Grease Monkey runs vans from their Downtown Arlington location for around $10, making it a genuinely cheap way to avoid the stadium-adjacent cluster entirely. J. Gilligan’s on East South Street does the same — park free, eat and drink, take their shuttle.
Texas Live! Parking — Great Vibes, Risky Exit
Texas Live! is tempting because it drops you right at the stadium entrance, but only park there if you plan to stay two-plus hours after the final whistle to let traffic bleed out. If you’re trying to leave anywhere near the final gun, you’ll be parked in a lot that everyone else is also trying to leave from.
Tailgating Ground Rules
Lots open five hours before kickoff. For a marquee 3:25 PM game, being in line by 10 AM isn’t early — it’s necessary if you want a perimeter grass spot. Tailgating is only allowed on the grass perimeters of numbered lots; if you park on asphalt, you cannot set up a grill. Lots 3, 8, and 9 prohibit tailgating entirely. RVs go to Silver Lot 14 — the only lot with the turning radius for oversized vehicles, though there are no hookups, so arrive with full tanks.
One Rule That Trips Up Groups
Attendants operate a strict no-hold policy: they will not let you save a spot for a friend pulling in behind you. If you want to park side-by-side with another vehicle, you must arrive bumper-to-bumper and enter the lot together. And don’t park at the Walmart near the stadium — they actively scout for fans in jerseys and tow without hesitation.
Rideshare (Uber & Lyft)
Uber and Lyft pickups are designated to Lot 15 only — your driver can’t stop anywhere else, so tell them before they start routing. The real move post-game: don’t call your ride from the stadium perimeter. Walk 10–15 minutes north toward the shopping centers near I-30, request your ride from there, and you’ll skip most of the surge pricing and avoid 30–45 minutes of idling while the lot clears.
Taxis: Stage at the entrance to Miller Lite House, adjacent to North Collins Street and Cowboys Way.
Limos: Can drop passengers in Lot 1 and Lot 6, with parking available on Randol Mill Road and Cowboys Way (requires a limousine parking pass).
Public Transit
Here’s the reality: Arlington is the largest city in the U.S. without a public transportation system. The stadium isn’t serviced by Dallas’ DART rail or Fort Worth’s Trinity Metro. For standard Cowboys games, if you’re staying in Dallas or Fort Worth without a car, rideshare is your only real option.
Dallas Cowboy Gameday Tips
AT&T Stadium doesn’t ease you in — it hits you all at once. The video board spans longer than the field beneath it, the art collection would hold its own in a museum district, and the noise inside a packed house is the kind of thing fans still describe years later. This place rewards the prepared and swallows the spontaneous, so here’s what people who’ve done it right actually know.
AT&T Stadium Renovation: What is it?
Don’t expect the $1.2 billion renovation to change anything about your trip this year. Arlington City Council approved the plan in April 2026, with the city contributing $273 million starting in 2028 and the Cowboys covering $750 million. Officials don’t expect the full scope finished until 2043.
The confirmed early work is security and traffic, not seats. The announced scope covers enhanced security inside the stadium and the surrounding entertainment district, plus traffic flow and pedestrian safety improvements. If anything gets better for visitors first, it’s the drive in and the walk from the lot.
The premium spaces already got their overhaul. All 363 suites across the five levels — Event, Hall of Fame, Silver, Ring of Honor, and Star — were renovated in a separate completed project, along with the main concourse clubs and the Silver Level clubs. If you’re weighing a club or suite upgrade, you’re buying recently refreshed space, not 2009 finishes.
The lease extension is the part that actually matters long term. The deal pushes the Cowboys’ commitment to Arlington from 2040 out to 2055. There’s no urgency to see this building before it disappears — but the version you’d visit in 2035 won’t be the one standing today.
The AT&T Stadium Video Board: How Big Is It and Where to Sit
Look up the moment you clear the tunnel, before you find your seat. The center-hung board hangs 90 feet above the field and stretches from 20-yard line to 20-yard line, and the first look is the moment everyone remembers. Do it from the concourse opening rather than after you’ve sat down — you get the full scale in one frame.
Know that it’s no longer the biggest board in the NFL, and go anyway. Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s wraparound halo and SoFi’s Infinity Screen both cover more total area now. What this one still owns is the center-hung format — it hangs directly over the play instead of ringing the building, which is a completely different experience from watching a screen on a wall.
Sit in the upper sideline if the board is why you’re coming. From sections 415–440 the screen sits close to eye level and fills your field of vision, so you’re taking in the play and the replay in the same look. This is the single best board-viewing position in the building and it costs a fraction of the lower bowl.
The Punt that hit the video board. In the 2009 preseason, a Tennessee punter hit the board during a live play. The NFL’s response was to create a rule covering it: a punt that strikes the video board is re-kicked, with the down replayed. It remains one of the few rules in the league written for a single stadium.
Avoid the first rows of the lower bowl if you care about the board at all. The club level overhang clips your sightline to the screen from down there, which is a real loss in this specific stadium. Row 10 and above solves it.
Actively force yourself to watch the field. The board is hypnotic enough that first-timers routinely realize at halftime they’ve watched an entire half on a television in a very expensive room. Use the screen for replays and the field for everything else.
The Statue of Liberty could stand on the star at midfield and never touch the roof. It’s the fact everyone in your group will repeat for the rest of the trip. Deploy it at the right moment.
Is AT&T Stadium Air Conditioned?
Yes. AT&T Stadium is fully climate-controlled with a retractable roof, and the roof stays closed for nearly every Cowboys game to manage Texas heat. Interior temperature stays comfortable regardless of what’s happening outside.
The roof and the glass end-zone doors do open for some events, usually in milder weather or when the Cowboys want the effect. When they’re open, the stadium’s east-west orientation means south-facing upper deck sections catch more direct afternoon sun. For a standard Cowboys home game, though, you can book on views alone and ignore shade entirely.
Arrival & Getting In
Arrive 90 minutes early minimum, and treat that as the floor for a marquee game. Security lines build fast and the roads around the stadium seize up in the final hour before kickoff. Gates typically open two hours before Cowboys kickoff.
Confirm your gate before you leave the hotel, not in the parking lot. The building is genuinely confusing — multiple levels, multiple entries — and arriving at the wrong side costs you real time. Pull the map up in the Cowboys app and match your section to its entrance.
If you’re driving in from the Dallas side, don’t blindly follow GPS onto I-30. Navigation apps route everyone down the same highway, which turns into a parking lot in the final hour. Locals cut down to Division Street and approach from the south or southwest instead.
Bring sunglasses for any daylight arrival. The plaza approach from the surface lots has no shade canopy, and the walk from a far lot in September Texas heat is longer than it looks on the map.
Tickets, Wallet & the Cowboys App
Add your tickets to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet before you leave home. This is the most important thing on this page. Barcodes refresh every few seconds so screenshots are worthless, and cell congestion at the gates can stall the app at exactly the wrong moment — Wallet passes scan over NFC without needing a live connection.
Download the Dallas Cowboys app anyway and log in at home. It handles mobile ticketing, the stadium map, and in-seat ordering, and none of that is something you want to set up standing in a security line.
Lean on the stadium Wi-Fi once you’re inside. It’s genuinely excellent for an 80,000-seat building, which is rare in the NFL. Use it for app ordering, scores, and anything you’re posting.
Check the Cowboys site for last-minute standing room tickets before you overpay. Limited SRO inventory occasionally gets released for high-demand games and it’s the cheapest legitimate way through the gate.
Food & Drink Strategy
Skip the generic concession stands entirely and go find the specialty locations. The Jumbo Cowboys Cheesesteak at Tailgate Grill — sirloin, jalapeño jack, onions on a soft hoagie — is the standout in the building. The North and South Silver Clubs run a fried mozzarella burger that is exactly as indulgent as it sounds.
Order from your seat early in the first quarter. The Cowboys app supports in-seat delivery, and placing an order before the halftime surge is the difference between eating during the game and eating in a line.
The Miller Lite House is the best beer value in the building. It’s also a solid pregame hangout if you’re through the gates early. Confirm current pricing on arrival — it moves year to year.
Have exactly one Cowboyrita. The house margarita is exclusive to this stadium and worth doing once, but locals will tell you it’s deceptively strong and two of them rewrite your evening.
Eat at Texas Live! before you go in if you’re watching money. Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint, Lockhart BBQ, and P’s Pizza will all feed you properly two to three hours out for less than you’d spend inside.
Carry a card, not cash. The Zippin “Grab N Go” stands are fully automated checkout, and most of the building has moved to card and digital payment. Cash slows you down everywhere.
The Art Collection
Give yourself 20 minutes to walk the art collection before kickoff. AT&T Stadium holds a rotating contemporary collection woven through the concourses and public areas, and most fans walk past every piece of it. It’s the most underrated 20 minutes in the building.
Start near the main entrances. The pieces cluster heaviest around the primary entry points and the club concourses, which is also where you’ll be anyway on the way in.
Dallas Cowboys Traditions Worth Knowing
If you can only make one trip, make it Thanksgiving. The Cowboys have hosted on Thanksgiving nearly every year since 1966, and it’s routinely the most-watched regular season game in the NFL — recent editions have cleared 40 million viewers. It’s also the hardest and most expensive ticket on the schedule, so decide early.
The Thanksgiving halftime show is a full concert, not a filler act. Charlotte Jones launched the Salvation Army Red Kettle Kickoff in 1997 with Reba McEntire, and the run since includes Destiny’s Child, Dolly Parton, Selena Gomez, and Post Malone. It’s about 15 minutes on the field and it starts the national Red Kettle Campaign — you’ll see oversized red kettles and Salvation Army shields at field level all game.
Nothing turns this crowd faster than an opponent doing something on the midfield star. Terrell Owens ran to the star and celebrated on it twice during a 2000 game at Texas Stadium, it triggered a brawl, and 25 years later it’s still the reference point for disrespecting the Cowboys’ logo. If a visiting player so much as lingers out there, listen to what the building does.
“How ‘Bout Them Cowboys” is the chant, and you should know where it came from. Jimmy Johnson yelled it in the locker room after the 1992 NFC Championship win and it became the franchise’s permanent rallying cry. You’ll hear it after every turnover and every score.
Be in your seat for the pregame Cheerleaders routine. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are the most recognized squad in American sports and the pregame performance is part of the show people came for, not something to catch on the way back from the concession stand.
“America’s Team” came from a highlight reel, not the marketing department. An NFL Films producer stuck the label on the 1978 season film, and depending on who you’re standing next to it’s either a badge of honor or the reason they hate this team. Both reactions are correct and you’ll hear both.
Find the Ring of Honor inside the bowl. Staubach, Landry, Aikman, Emmitt Smith — Jerry Jones controls induction personally, which is why the list is so short and why every name on it means something.
Rowdy works the concourses pregame. The mascot is easy to find early and he’s a reliable kid photo if you’re bringing family.
Photo Ops & First-Timer Must-Do
Shoot the video board from the upper concourse looking down. From below you get a screen; from above you get the scale, with the field visible underneath it for reference. This is the photo you came for.
Get down to the lower bowl tunnel opening during warmups. The field-level sightline with the board overhead is the second-best frame in the building and you don’t need a lower bowl ticket to walk down and look.
If you do one thing here, walk the full loop of the main concourse before kickoff. You’ll hit the art, the pro shop, the board from three angles, and the club entrances. It’s the only way to actually understand the size of the place.
Stadium Tours
Book the VIP Tour, and book it ahead. You walk the field, go through the locker rooms and the post-game interview room, and get into suite and press box levels that are otherwise invisible to fans. It’s one of the best stadium tours in American sports and it sells out.
Go on a non-event day for the real version. Without a crowd you get longer field access, better photos, and more time in restricted areas. Standing at midfield looking up at the board with nobody else in the building is the whole point.
Know your three options before you book. Self-Guided covers field, locker room, and press area; VIP adds the press box and private suites with a guide; Rally Day is the Cowboys-specific behind-the-scenes on a gameday lead-up.
Merch & the Pro Shop
Find the main two-story Pro Shop, not the kiosks. There are merchandise stands scattered across every concourse, but the exclusive and limited-run gear lives in the main store. The satellite kiosks carry the same basics you’d find anywhere.
Shop before kickoff or after the third quarter. Halftime is the worst possible window and the lines wrap.
Shop at our partner Fanatics for Cowboys gear. You can skip the line and be ready to go for gameday, and may even save a little cash.
Tailgating at AT&T Stadium
Get in line early enough to matter — for a 3:25 PM kickoff, that means 10 AM. Lots open five hours before Cowboys games and the perimeter grass spots go fast. Arriving at open is the whole strategy.
Tailgating is grass-perimeter only, and the lot matters. You can set up on the grass perimeters of Lots 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Lots 3, 8, and 9 prohibit it entirely, and if you’re on asphalt you can’t run a grill.
Your space is 9 feet wide by 12 feet deep, directly behind your vehicle. Tents, grills, and chairs go on the grass, not in parking spaces. Amplified sound gets shut down.
If you’re parking side by side with friends, arrive bumper to bumper. Attendants enforce a strict no-hold policy and will not let you save a spot for someone pulling in behind you. Enter the lot together or don’t plan on it.
RVs go to Silver Lot 14 and nowhere else. It’s the only lot with the turning radius for oversized vehicles, and there are no hookups — arrive with full tanks.
Families & Kids
Check large strollers at the concierge desks near Entry E or Entry K. Guest Services behind Sections 420 and 451 also takes them. Navigating these concourses with a stroller is miserable and this is free.
Put the family in the 300-level corners, specifically sections 316–318 or 341–343. These sit near family restrooms and a cluster of concessions, and the rows are shorter at 316 and 341 so getting a kid in and out doesn’t mean climbing over twelve people. You’re a level below the suite deck instead of above it, which keeps the climb manageable and the sightlines strong.
Use the free accessibility carts in the lots. Every official stadium lot has designated accessible sections with dedicated golf carts that run you from your spot to the gate and back afterward. Service extends to one companion per guest.
Accessibility shuttle tents are at Entries A, D, J, and G. Worth knowing before you park rather than after.
Autographs & Player Access
Position yourself at Lot 7, Entry F, three to four hours before kickoff. Players park in Lot 7 and walk in through the Section F entrance, where a fenced fan area lets you get close. Most who sign will do one or two each, first come first served.
Come back to the same spot after the game. Fans consistently report better luck post-game at Lot 7 / Entry F, when the crowd has thinned and players aren’t locked into pregame routine.
Catch the Blue Carpet arrival if autographs aren’t the goal. Get there when lots open, roughly four hours out, and you get the best visual access to the roster of the entire day.
The serious play is the Omni Frisco the night before. The team hotel connects to the practice facility at The Star, and fans gather at the entrance ahead of home games. It’s about 45 minutes from Arlington, so it’s a real commitment — but it’s the best autograph odds available.
Venue Quirks Nobody Warns You About
Enter on the correct side of the building or plan to go up and over. The lower concourses don’t run a clean 360-degree loop, so getting from one side to the other means finding escalators rather than just walking around. This catches people every single game.
Re-entry is not allowed, full stop. Once you exit, you’re done. Leave nothing in the car you’ll want during the game.
Binoculars are fine around your neck, cases are not. A small rule that gets people turned away at the gate for no good reason.
The bag rule is stricter than most NFL venues. Clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC totes up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″, one-gallon resealable bags, or a hand-sized clutch no larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″. Medically necessary items are handled separately at designated gates after inspection.
Texas open carry does not apply inside. The state allows licensed open carry, the stadium prohibits all weapons, and there’s screening at every entrance.
Exit Strategy
Look for the smaller auxiliary staircases instead of the main exit tunnels. The primary tunnels bottleneck immediately at the final whistle. The side stairs down to plaza level move considerably faster.
Don’t request a rideshare from the stadium perimeter. Walk 10–15 minutes north toward the shopping centers near I-30 and call from there — you’ll skip most of the surge and avoid half an hour of idling while the lot drains. Official pickup is Lot 15 only, so tell your driver before they start routing.
Pick your parking lot based on where you’re going afterward, not how close it is. Heading back to Dallas on I-30, aim for Blue Lots 1 and 2 or Silver Lot 11. Heading south toward Fort Worth or I-20, Silver Lot 7 or Blue Lot 10 give you a cleaner exit via Division Street.
Use Texas Live! as a buffer zone rather than sitting in gridlock. It’s a five-minute walk from the gates, and an hour there with food and a drink beats an hour in a stationary car. It can take 45–90 minutes just to clear the lots otherwise.
Only park at Texas Live! if you’re committed to staying two-plus hours after the whistle. It drops you at the door, but everyone else trying to leave is leaving from the same place.
College Football at AT&T Stadium
The Cowboys are the headline act, but two of the best college football games in the country run through this building every year — and both are easier trips than a Cowboys Sunday.
The Big 12 Championship Game
The 2026 Big 12 Championship is Friday, December 4 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC. The conference moved to a new Friday–Saturday rotation, so double-check the day before booking flights — it isn’t automatically a Saturday anymore.
This is the better atmosphere buy of the two. The 2025 game drew 85,519, more than a standard Cowboys crowd, and two fanbases playing for a championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff always brings a very fun vibe. Highly recommend.
Neutral-site pricing works in your favor here. Neither fanbase planned this trip, which softens the resale market compared to a Cowboys divisional game. The 400-level sideline value play holds, and the tickets are cheaper.
The Cotton Bowl Classic
The 91st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is a College Football Playoff quarterfinal set for Friday, January 1, 2027. It’s been a CFP bowl since 2014 and it’s the marquee event on this building’s calendar outside the NFL.
Book the hotel before you have a ticket. In a playoff year both fanbases are arranging travel on roughly two weeks’ notice, which spikes Arlington room rates well before the resale market moves. The room is the harder thing to get.
Yes, the Cotton Bowl Classic is not played at the Cotton Bowl. The game moved here from its namesake stadium in Fair Park after the 2009 season. People still book the wrong side of the metroplex every year.
Texas Live! and the Entertainment District
Texas Live! is a $250 million, 200,000-square-foot entertainment district sitting directly between AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, and it’s the default pregame for tens of thousands of fans. Tailgate energy without standing in a parking lot. It’s mobbed on Cowboys game days — get there early or plan on waiting for a table and elbowing your way to the bar.
Live! Arena is the centerpiece and where you should start. Multilevel open-air sports bar, 100-foot LED screen, walls of TVs running every game on the slate. Free to walk in. Best spot in Arlington to watch the early window before your game, and the best place to park yourself afterward while traffic drains.
PBR Texas is the largest Professional Bull Riders venue in the country — two mechanical bulls, country music, and exactly as rowdy as that sounds.
Arlington Backyard is a 5,000-capacity outdoor venue with the stadium in view. Live bands or a DJ most game days.
Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint for fast, casual, group-friendly food before you walk over.
Cut & Bourbon inside Live! by Loews is the sit-down option — steak and seafood, priced for a special occasion or a client dinner.
Everything here is loud, high-energy sports bar by design. If you want quiet dinner, this is the wrong district.
For Longer Stays and Big Events
Texas Live! is the right call for a Sunday game. It’s the wrong call for a bowl weekend, a Big 12 Championship trip, or anything where you’ve got two nights and want an actual night out. Arlington’s Entertainment District is purpose-built for the three hours around a kickoff and it doesn’t have much beyond that.
Fort Worth is the better weekend base. It’s closer to the stadium, the drive in is less punishing, and you get two distinct nights out of it. Sundance Square is a genuinely walkable downtown — restaurants, bars, live music, and theaters all within a few blocks, so you can park once and forget the car. The Stockyards, ten minutes north, is the other move: Billy Bob’s Texas bills itself as the world’s largest honky-tonk, and the surrounding saloons and dance halls are the Western night out most visitors are actually hoping for. For a college football crowd in town for a bowl, the Stockyards is the memory people take home.
Dallas is the play if you want a city, not a scene. Deep Ellum is the live music and bar district and it’s the closest thing in the metroplex to a real nightlife neighborhood. Uptown and the Bishop Arts District give you better restaurants and a slower pace. The tradeoff is distance — you’re 30 to 45 minutes out on a normal day and worse on a game day, and rideshare back from Arlington after a night game gets expensive.
The split-the-difference version: stay in Fort Worth, do the Stockyards the night before, drive in for the game, and use Texas Live! as your post-game holding pen while I-30 clears. That’s the trip most people should be taking and almost nobody plans it that way.
Hotels Near AT&T Stadium
Arlington sits between the two big cities — about 20 miles west of downtown Dallas and 12 miles east of downtown Fort Worth, which is a 20 to 45 minute drive from either depending on traffic. Staying in Arlington is the only way to walk to the stadium. Staying downtown means solving transportation on a day when every road near the venue is backed up. For a game trip, Arlington wins on convenience and it isn’t close.
Walking Distance or Close
Live! by Loews is the best location in the metroplex, full stop — a six-minute walk to the gates and connected directly to Texas Live!. 300 rooms across 14 stories with floor-to-ceiling windows, an infinity pool with a double-facing TV looking out at the stadium, and Cut & Bourbon downstairs if you want a proper steak dinner. Book it far out; it’s the first thing to sell for marquee games.
Fairfield Inn Arlington Near Six Flags is the budget version of the same idea — under a 15-minute walk to both AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, with a seasonal pool and free bikes. If walking distance matters more than amenities, this is the value play in the district.
Best Mid-Range Value
Drury Plaza Hotel Dallas Arlington is the pick — 1.1 miles out, free parking, free breakfast, and the evening food and drinks Drury is known for. On a game weekend, free parking at the hotel plus a short rideshare beats paying for a stadium lot.
Comfort Suites Arlington – Entertainment District covers the same ground for families, with free parking, an outdoor pool, and BBQ facilities.
Hilton Arlington is worth knowing for one reason: it runs trolley service to the stadium for events, plus a free DFW airport shuttle. Two miles out, 308 rooms.
The Resort Option
Loews Arlington Hotel sits between AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field with 888 rooms, five restaurants, two pools, and a full spa. More convention hotel than game-day hotel, but it’s the most luxurious thing in Arlington.
Gaylord Texan in Grapevine is 25 miles out and worth the drive if you’re traveling with kids — indoor gardens, a 10-acre water park, and enough to do that the game becomes one part of the trip instead of the whole thing.
Staying in Dallas or Fort Worth
Both downtowns have better restaurants and nightlife than Arlington, and neither has a good answer for game-day traffic. If you’re going that route, Fort Worth is the smarter choice — it’s closer, the drive in on I-30 is less brutal from the west, and Sundance Square gives you a walkable base. Book more than 90 days out either way; Arlington rates climb hard once a marquee opponent or a bowl matchup is set.
Why You Should Go
AT&T Stadium isn’t just the biggest stadium in the NFL — it’s the most intentionally impressive one ever built and truly one of the best stadiums in the world.. Even if you’re not a Cowboys fan, the experience of being inside Jerry World for a sellout game — the production value, the crowd noise, the video board hitting different at full capacity — is something that belongs on the stadium bucket list. The pregame scene at Texas Live! and the overall Entertainment District setup make this one of the easier venues in the NFL to pull off a full gameday trip from arrival to final whistle
For those in the Dallas Metro, check out Globe Life Field and the American Airlines Center. Also check out some of our guides for college football. Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech are all great trips for a first timers or alums. Here is our entire NFL set of NFL Guides as well some Cowboys rivals:
Written by Brad Richards, Founder of Gameday Guides. This guide includes insights from personal visits as well as updated info from team sources, fan forums, and stadium policies. We aim to help you plan with confidence — enjoy your gameday.