The arrival of fall means many things; turning of leaves, pumpkin lattes, sweater weather. But for football lovers it only means one thing: the excitement of watching your favorite team battle for gridiron supremacy. And no where is that zeal felt more deeply than in Texas. So for those who live for Sunday afternoon tailgate parties, here’s 8 great gridiron stadiums to visit in Texas to get you primed for the season.
1. AT&T Stadium: premiere football palace!
Entering AT&T Stadium is a breathtaking experience. Dallas Cowboys fans are greeted with a panoramic view of the gridiron, as it is 50 feet (15.2 meters) below street level! With a main seating capacity of 80,000, expandable to 100,000 for special events like the Super Bowl, fans can sit anywhere in AT&T Stadium and have an awesome view of the action, as well as the massive HD video board suspended 90 feet (27.4 meters) above the center of the field. There are several tours available at AT&T Stadium. For avid footballers, take the VIP guided tour that includes access to the field, player and cheerleader locker rooms, and a peek at million-dollar luxury suites.
Insider tip: If food and drink are on your agenda, try a frozen strawberry swirl margarita; just the right blend of strawberry, lime and tequila, and sample the tasty beef nachos.
AT&T Stadium
Address: 1 AT&T Way, Arlington, TX 76011
Website: AT&T Stadium
2. NRG Stadium: 5-star gridiron greatness!
Houston’s NRG Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium used throughout the year for such events as the annual Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and numerous international soccer tournaments. But during fall the Houston Texans football team takes ownership of NRG Stadium. Located next to the iconic Astrodome, NRG Stadium was erected in 2002 and is the first venue in the NFL to possess a large retractable roof. Sporting top-notch features, NRG Stadium has already hosted two Super Bowls and two NCAA Men’s Final Four Championships. Take a tour and view the visiting team locker room, stadium press box, party suites, and the field sideline.
NRG Stadium
Address: NRG Pkwy, Houston, TX 77054
Website: NRG Stadium
3. Raucous & rowdy vibe at Kyle Field
Built in 1927, Kyle Field underwent a renovation that was completed in 2015. The home of the Texas A&M University Aggies now boasts a stellar football stadium comprised of 109 flights of stairs, 29 million pounds (13154178.7 kilograms) of structural steel, 1.6 million bricks and a seating capacity of 102,733. Kyle Field’s newly attained beauty is only matched by the intensity of its football fans. Win or lose, Texas A&M University’s brethren pack the stands and cheer and scream until they’re hoarse for their beloved Aggie team. Kyle Field tours are available and participants can explore the Hall of Champions, a 30,000-foot (9144 meter) indoor exhibition hall that showcases the entire Aggie sports legacy.
Kyle Field
Address: 756 Houston St, College Station, TX 77843
Website: Kyle Field
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4. Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium: welcome to Aggie-land!
Since 1924, Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium has been home to the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns football team. With a seating capacity of 100,119, it is the largest football-only venue in Texas. In fact, by seating capacity, Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is one of the biggest in the world. Seventy-five minute public guided tours are conducted, where guests can visit the press box and also enjoy wonderful views of the University of Texas campus and downtown Austin from the mezzanine level of the stadium. If you attend a game, don’t forget to show your team spirit by doing the UT Longhorn’s “Hook'em Horns” cheering salute pictured above.
Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Address: 405 E 23rd St, Austin, TX 78712
5. R.R. Jones Stadium is a football field gem!
R.R. Jones Stadium is one of the most beautiful high school football stadiums in Texas and can be found at El Paso High School in El Paso, Texas. The school itself is nicknamed “The Lady on the Hill”, because it rests on a mountainside at the foot of the Franklin Mountains and overlooks central El Paso. El Paso High School actually surrounds R.R. Jones Stadium, the first concrete stadium built in the country, and semicircular steps run from the gridiron straight to the main entrance of the school. Together, R.R. Jones Stadium and the school encompass four city blocks! Constructed in 1916, R.R. Jones Stadium is a 16,000-seat arena with spectacular views of El Paso and Juarez, Mexico just across the US/Mexico border.
R.R. Jones Stadium
Address: 1600 N. Virginia, El Paso, Texas 79902
Website: R.R. Jones Stadium
6. First-string football excitement at San Angelo Stadium
One of the first horseshoe-shaped high school stadiums in Texas, San Angelo Stadium was built in 1956 at a cost of 12 million USD. With its beautiful construction and ultra-modern feel, San Angelo Stadium is home to no less than three high school football teams and holds 17,500 cheering fans on game day. Photographs of San Angelo Stadium were once on exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City as a fine example of modern engineering.
San Angelo Stadium
Address: 1789 Knickerbocker Rd, San Angelo, Texas 76904
Website: San Angelo Stadium
7. Ratliff Stadium: the hub of high school football!
Providing inspiration for a book, film, and the successful television series ‘Friday Night Lights’, Ratliff Stadium is home to two Texas high school football teams, the Odessa High School Bronchos and the Odessa Permian Panthers. Ratliff Stadium’s capacity is 17,931, but with standing-room only tickets available for high-profile games, the capacity reaches 19,500. A premiere high school football facility, the newspaper USA Today named Ratliff Stadium one of the top 10 High School Football Stadiums in the United States. Game attendance at Ratliff Stadium is so fierce, many times the ticket booth need not open because tickets are already sold out!
Ratliff Stadium
Address: 1862 E Yukon Rd, Odessa, TX 79765
Website: Ratliff Stadium
8. Alamo Stadium: the heart of San Antonio's football fervor
Alamo Stadium is referred to as “The Rock Pile” because of its mainly limestone construction, and the fact it was built on the site of a former quarry. A horseshoe-shaped football field, Alamo Stadium is home to several high school football teams and was erected in 1940, as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal public works program. Alamo Stadium is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Even if you’re not a football fanatic, it is worth a trip to Alamo Stadium to view four historical ceramic tile murals saved during the stadium’s renovation project. The murals depict a century of San Antonio sports activities between 1840-1940.
Alamo Stadium
Address: 110 Tuleta Dr, San Antonio, TX 78212
Website: Alamo Stadium
Now entering football country...Texas
Texas is passionate about football and it’s on full display every autumn. From slick state-of-the-art stadiums to modest-looking football fields of historical significance, all these sports arenas have one thing in common: they are looked upon as cathedrals to gridiron game enthusiasts.
History
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