Hard Rock Stadium guide: What to know about the Miami Dolphins’ home field (2024)

This article is part of the Stadium Guides series, a comprehensive guide to your NFL team’s stadium experience.

Buy tickets on StubHub to Miami Dolphins games at Hard Rock Stadium here.

Few stadiums in America are busier or have a greater résumé of hosting big events than Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

The six Super Bowls the venue has hosted are bested only by the New Orleans Superdome’s seven. But Hard Rock Stadium also has hosted five college football national championships, two World Series, the Orange Bowl, University of Miami football since 2008 and more recently added a Formula 1 race that circles the stadium. And, of course, the Miami Dolphins have played there since the stadium’s inception.

It opened in 1987 as the country’s first privately funded multipurpose stadium. Though the Miami Marlins didn’t yet exist (they arrived in 1993 as an expansion team, then known as the Florida Marlins), the stadium was built with hopes of hosting an MLB team, too, in addition to the Dolphins. The lone drawback to that plan is a wide stadium that offers more room on the sideline than many NFL stadiums and can make it feel like fans are pushed back from the action.

The stadium underwent a significant, multiyear renovation that was completed in 2016, which included the addition of an open-air canopy that has become the most striking feature of the venue. Every seat in the stadium was replaced and the suites and club level were also built up, particularly important moves for hosting the Super Bowl.

The canopy adds much-needed shade during early-season football games, and it also helps provide a home-field advantage for the Dolphins. The home sideline is shaded, while the visiting sideline doesn’t get a reprieve from the canopy and is often significantly hotter during September contests.

The Athletichas compiled 32 stadium guides, one for eachNFL team, to give fans vital information about the game day experience.

Insider tips

2024 must-watch game at stadium: vs. San Francisco 49ers, Dec. 22

Coach Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins host his former boss and mentor Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. There should be plenty of intrigue for this one both because of the coaches and their history, but also because they should boast two of the league’s best offenses. Plus, the big question around the Dolphins is whether they can play their best football in December and January (not just the hot starts they’ve been known for), so a late-season matchup against the 49ers should provide a nice test.

Fan tradition to know: ‘When you say Miami, you’re talking Super Bowl’

After every Dolphins touchdown at home (including all 10 they scored against the Broncos last year), the stadium blares the team’s old-timey fight song, after which the more dedicated fans place a pointed hand atop their heads as if to mimic a dolphin fin.

Chad Graff’s favorite thing

The place feels like a party. Events feel like they matter at Hard Rock Stadium. There’s a weight to the place. Often, music blares from what sounds like a nightclub in one of the club areas well after a Dolphins game ends. They lean into the South Beach party vibes in the best way possible.

The Athletic’s stadium ranking: 28

Jon Machota ranked all 30 NFL stadiums in August 2023, when half of the ballots had Hard Rock Stadium in the bottom five in the NFL.

Perhaps that’s a bit harsh following the remodel. The stadium’s site, located between Miami and Fort Lauderdale and without much in the immediate surrounding area, likely hurt its mark. But few venues have hosted as many big-time events.

Game day advice

What is the ‘best bang for your buck’ seating section?

The important thing is to stay out of the sun. If you’re going to a 1 p.m. kickoff game, the seats to avoid are on the north sideline and in the end zones, according to Shaded Seats.

What’s the can’t-miss food?

You’re in Miami, so why not lean into the Cuban cuisine? Get the “Midnight sandwich from Cafe Versailles, one of the concessions at Hard Rock Stadium, that brings the classic Cuban fare to football fans,” said Carlos Frías for the Miami Herald.

Of course, you could always visit Shula Burger (named after legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula).

What’s the best beer option?

“Fans of craft beer can find local brews at two taprooms on the 100 level and a craft beer bar on the 300 level,” wrote the Miami New Times. “One such beer is a Veza Sur collaboration with the Dolphins: ‘Born and Raised,’ a 4.9 percent ABV blood orange kölsch.”

Coming to the @MiamiDolphins home opener this Sunday?

Check out the new @VezaSur bar on the 300 Level and grab yourself an ice cold 🍻! pic.twitter.com/VpQ6lAS586

— Hard Rock Stadium (@HardRockStadium) September 14, 2021

Where is the best spot to take a photo?

This spot doesn’t look too shabby.

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A post shared by Hard Rock Stadium (@hardrockstadium)

Where is the best place to tailgate?

There are nearly 5,000 members of the Miami Dolphins Tailgate Town Facebook group. Seems like a good time: “Come to the best tailgate in Miami!! The party (and shots) never stop!! We are inside Gate 2, East Orange 12, down to the end of Row 208. Look for all the flags flying. Come stop by for a shot or pull up a bar stool and stay for a while. We are normally one of the first ones in and the last to leave!!!”

What to know if you go

Stadium address: 347 Don Shula Drive, Miami Gardens, Fla. 33056.

Year opened: 1987.

Roof? No roof.

Playing surface: Grass.

Stadium seating capacity: 63,326.

2023 average attendance per game (per Pro Football Reference): 65,922.

Tickets:$253 is the average StubHub ticket cost at Hard Rock Stadium for a 2024 NFL game, according to StubHub. Season tickets for the 2024 Dolphins season are sold out. Fans can join the waitlist (with a deposit) here.

Bag policy: Bags made of clear plastic, vinyl or PVC that are no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches are allowed. Non-clear bags that are no larger than 4 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches and are about the size of a hand are permitted. These bags can be carried with or without a strap. Other bags that are allowed include one-gallon, clear plastic freezer bags, binocular cases and camera cases. Official NFL team logo clear plastic tote bags are also permitted. Exceptions may be made for medically necessary items after inspection.

Outside food policy: Guests with special medical or dietary needs may bring food in a clear plastic bag. Factory-sealed, plastic bottles of water that are 20 ounces or less in size (reusable bottles are not allowed) are permitted.

ADA information: Hard Rock Stadium offers wheelchair/low mobility and companion seating on all levels of the stadium. Ambulatory seating can be purchased in most seating areas. Hard Rock Stadium has accessible parking in the inner, outer and off-site lots for guests with a valid disability parking pass and matching photo ID.

For Dolphins games, guests must have a pre-purchased inner lot “ADA reserved” parking pass to park in an inner lot accessible parking spot. The dedicated pickup areas for guests with disabilities are in Lots 13, 18 and 40 near ADA parking. Wheelchair escorts are available from Hard Rock Stadium gates to seating locations and back.

Elevators are available only for guests with disabilities or suite holders with strollers on the north, south, east and west sides of Hard Rock Stadium.

All public restrooms are accessible to guests with disabilities. Service animals are permitted at Hard Rock Stadium. For more ADA information, click here.

Tailgating policy: Tailgating is permitted at all Hard Rock Stadium parking lots unless otherwise designated.

Transportation options: Parking is available in lots around the stadium. Taxi pickup location: Gate 4. The ride-share pickup location is at Lot 42 on NW 27th Avenue (south of Walmart — a 20-minute walk). Guests can ride the Brightline to the Aventura Station where a complimentary shuttle service will take them to the stadium (on NW 199th near Gate 3 Pedestrian Bridge).

Learn more: hardrockstadium.com

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(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Perry Knotts / Getty Images and Cliff Hawkins / FIFA via Getty Images)