Our guide to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City includes information on events, tickets, parking, public transportation, nearby hotels and restaurants, seating and more. Read on to find out how to get the most out of your gameday experience.

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GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the 76,000-seat home of the Kansas City Chiefs, might provide the perfect picture for what the NFL fan experience is like, from the sea of tailgaters that gather outside in all types of weather to the straightforward spectating experience inside.

Despite being one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL, Arrowhead has withstood the test of time, what with its unique shape and its propensity for noise. It became a model on which the modern football stadium is based, and to this day remains a football oasis where Chiefs fans can tailgate to their heart’s content pregame, before heading inside to yell themselves hoarse while watching the home team in action.

And Chiefs fans have had plenty to cheer about in recent years thanks to its rise to become the NFL’s elite franchise, with three Super Bowl championships in a five-year span and a following from some of the biggest stars out there.

Arrowhead Stadium does look a bit different than it did when it first opened in 1973 thanks to a series of renovations, but the seating bowl is largely the same and the fans’ spirit remains.

The stadium’s longterm future is up in the air, though. The Chiefs are considering building a new stadium elsewhere in the region — possibly across the state border in Kansas. Until that happens, though there are plenty of reasons why Arrowhead ranks high on many sports fans’ must-see lists.

The Chiefs landed a corporate naming sponsor for the stadium in 2021, thus changing the official name to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. GEHA, an insurance company, is pronounced by saying its letters one by one, not “geh-hah.” But you’d be right to assume that pretty much all Chiefs fans just stick to calling it Arrowhead.

Looking for Arrowhead Stadium event tickets? Search events on Ticketmaster.

Getting to Arrowhead Stadium

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is one of two venues that make up Kansas City’s Truman Sports Complex, with Kauffman Stadium, the home of MLB’s Kansas City Royals, being the other.

It’s a huge site right along Interstate 70, about 10 miles southeast of downtown Kansas City, and it’s basically two stadiums (along with the Chiefs’ practice facility) surrounded by acres of parking. So it’s a fully functional and wonderful site for the die-hard local Chiefs fans who come in hours before kickoff to tailgate, but it’s a challenging place to get to for the uninitiated.

One thing is fairly certain: If you have a car, you’re pretty much set. From downtown Kansas City, head east on Interstate 70. Once you reach the area, you’ll have several routes worth considering, and signage and traffic control officers will be abundant — but know that especially within 90 minutes of kickoff, any route will be excessively crowded within a mile of the complex.

The stadium’s location and relative isolation from major population centers mean few options exist in the way of public transportation to the game.

If you don’t have a car, you can consider taking a taxi or ride-sharing service — the Truman Sports Complex does have a large pickup and drop-off area located at the Missouri Welcome Center, on the east end of the facility. Be aware, though, that surge pricing and the fact that those vehicles have to share the same roads as everyone else can make going to the game this way both time-consuming and expensive.

Or, an on-demand bus service called Rally offers service for Chiefs games and other events from numerous pickup points around the Kansas City area. If you’re staying in a hotel in downtown Kansas City or in the Country Club Plaza area, this is worth considering if you’re looking for an alternative way of getting to Arrowhead Stadium.

Parking at Arrowhead Stadium

For Chiefs games, the Truman Sports Complex’s parking lots are divided into three tiers. Gold and Platinum lots are for season ticket members, while single-game visitors can purchase Red parking passes starting at $50. They’re available via Ticketmaster (select “Add-Ons Available” under your desired event).

Parking passes for official Arrowhead Stadium lots MUST be purchased prior to arriving and cannot be purchased on-site; the parking attendants are only able to scan passes.

There are access gates on both the west and east sides of the complex for Red parking pass holders. It’s best to follow the signage, as the roads around the lot are a confounding maze of twists and turns, and depending on your route in you can drive in a nearly 360-degree circle before being directed into a lot contained within the route you just took. When you experience it, you’ll understand why fans arrive to Chiefs games so early.

If you haven’t purchased parking, there are plenty of off-site lots selling parking the old-fashioned way — ie. by accepting cash and advertising with hand-drawn signs and attendants waving flags. You’ll find a number of them north of Interstate 70, along the Blue Ridge Cut-off. But expect a walk of a mile or more to get to the stadium.

Kansas City hotels near the stadium

• Best Western Premier Kansas City Sports Complex Hotel – 0.5 miles away
• WoodSpring Suites Kansas City Stadium – 0.5 miles away
• Drury Inn & Suites Kansas City Stadium – 0.6 miles away
Search for more Kansas City hotels on Booking.com.

Map of the Sports Complex and surrounding area

Check out rates for hotels near Arrowhead Stadium below.

Things to do around Arrowhead Stadium

Perhaps because it’s the land of fine barbecue — and probably in large part because of the parking situation described above, as well — Kansas City is home to one of the finest tailgating scenes in the NFL, and the numerous giant parking lots surrounding Arrowhead Stadium lends itself to some epic parties.

Long-time Chiefs fans have access to an “early arrival pass” that allows them to set up their tailgates up to 5½ hours before kickoff. The team also sells “private tailgate suites” — basically premium space with special privileges.

If you can’t round up a few friends to hold a tailgate party, the Chiefs do hold a tailgate party for an admission price. Called the Ford Tailgate District, it can be found between Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums in Lot M.

Or, just walk around — tailgating in K.C. is a communal experience like many football environments around the country, with footballs and frisbees flying about and adjacent groups merging to form large parties, so you’re bound to find someone welcoming enough to have you join them for a drink or a bite.

Besides, you might as well soak up the tailgate scene, because there isn’t much else to do within walking distance of Arrowhead Stadium, save for a few fast-food restaurants and hotels.

Note that some of these hotels do have restaurants and/or bars inside them, and fans — especially those from out of town who are staying there — will congregate there before Arrowhead Stadium events.

For more on visiting Kansas City, check out our Kansas City sports travel guide.

Kansas City restaurants near the stadium

• Taco Bell – fast food, 0.4 miles away
• Denny’s – diner, 0.5 miles away
• Casey’s Bar – pub, 0.7 miles away
Search for more Kansas City restaurants on Tripadvisor.

Watching a game at Arrowhead Stadium

Despite being built in the 1970s and showing telltale signs of having been a product of that particular era of stadium design (the circular ramps are a dead giveaway), GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is far from a cookie-cutter facility.

Arrowhead Stadium’s unique shape means there are far more seats along the sidelines than behind the end zones in the upper seating bowl, and two football-shaped HD videoboards stand behind the end-zone seats.

And don’t forget that Chiefs fans can bring the noise, regularly competing with Seahawks fans at Lumen Field for the loudest-noise-at-an-outdoor-stadium record — as of 2014, K.C. currently holds the upper hand, at 142.2 decibels.

With the exception of the uppermost rows in the lower seating bowl and the club level, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium offers little in the way of protection from the weather, so come prepared — especially if it’s late in the season.

The Chiefs’ recent success means Arrowhead is frequently hosting games in January, and that has made for some tough situations for fans, such as the playoff game in January 2024 that was played in sub-zero temperatures and sent several spectators to the hospital suffering from frostbite.

Otherwise, you’d be hard-pressed to find a bad seat in the house, even in the uppermost rows. Arrowhead Stadium’s configuration means that some of the 300-level seating sections can have up to 45 rows, but the upper decks still aren’t quite as high as some of the more contemporary stadiums around the NFL.

Navigating between levels requires use of one of the four circular ramps located at each corner of the stadium. Getting to the 100-level concourse actually requires going down a level from the entrance gates.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking to get to the 300 level, or upper deck, you’ll have to climb all the way to the top of the circular ramp. If you’re on one side of the 300-level concourse and wish to walk to the other side, you’ll have to descend one level using the circular ramps, as the 300-level end zone concourses are situated lower than the ones along the sidelines.

The Chiefs have gone about improving the stadium in little ways over the last few years, replacing seats and upgrading resolution on the videoboards. The naming sponsorship has spurred other small improvements, while signage has changed to include the GEHA Field name.

One way that Arrowhead shows its age is that there are very few standing-room viewing areas around the stadium. Several bar/patio spaces have been installed around both the main and upper concourses. But the ones on the main level have a limited view of the field thanks to overhangs and other factors. On the upper level, if you want to see the game you’ll have no choice but to sit in your seat.

Interested in a suite at Arrowhead Stadium? Buy suite tickets on SuiteHop.

Food and drink at Arrowhead Stadium

At Arrowhead’s food stands you can find food representative of Kansas City’s cuisine, including barbecue, of course. Try the burnt ends, a specialty unique to K.C. Or, for a bit of a twist, check out the Mac Shack stands for burnt end mac and cheese.

Burgers and hot dogs of different types are available at many different stands — and at different price points — so it pays to walk around a bit to survey your options. You can find more unique items, though, such as quesadillas at the “K.C. Dilla” stands, or Korean BBQ tacos from the Top Taco booths.

Chickie’s and Pete’s, a Philadelphia favorite that operates at several sports venues in the Northeast, can also be found at Arrowhead, offering cheesesteaks and its signature crab fries.

Original publish date: February 4, 2016
Most recent update: August 23, 2024

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