SportsQuest
All games

Week 16, Sun, Dec 27, 3:25 PM local

San Francisco 49ersat Kansas City Chiefs

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City. Fly into MCI.

Build the quest

Kickoff slot

Late afternoon

The best slot for a traveling fan.

Lots open

10:00 AM

Local time on game day.

Where to stay

In the city

Tailgate from 10:00 AM, then the game.

The matchup

Form, ESPN's model and the stat leaders
Form

The 49ers are 3-0 after 3 games, 1st in the NFC West.

They have won 3 in a row.

They are 1-0 on the road.

The Chiefs are 3-0 after 3 games, 1st in the AFC West.

They have won 3 in a row.

They are 2-0 at home.

What we know about GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Where visiting fans stay

From a specialist guide
  • Downtown Kansas City. 20 min by rideshare. The Truman Sports Complex has nothing around it. Build your trip around the city instead. Downtown gives you the Power & Light District bars, the Crossroads arts district, the free KC Streetcar along Main Street, and barbecue and jazz. That is the real reason to visit Kansas City. You pay for a rideshare to the stadium, about 10 miles southeast down I-70. You would pay for one from anywhere.
  • Sports Complex hotel cluster. 12 min by walk. Only for a fan who wants a short walk over having anything to do. Stadium hotels sit 0.5 to 0.6 miles out, close enough to walk. Walking gets you little: a Taco Bell 0.4 miles off is the closest thing to a restaurant, Casey's at 0.7 miles the closest thing to a bar. Past that, it's fast food and hotel lobbies. You'll spend your evenings in rideshares to town.

Around the stadium

From a specialist guide
There is no cluster near the stadium. The Truman Sports Complex is two stadiums surrounded by acres of parking at the I-70/I-435 interchange. Nearest restaurant is 0.4 miles away, a Taco Bell. Nearest bar is 0.7 miles away, Casey's Bar. Everything social happens in the parking lots or in the city.

Getting in from the airport

From a specialist guide
MCI Kansas City International, 60 minutes via RideKC route 229 bus to downtown, hourly, or rideshare, which is faster.

Getting to the stadium

Checked at the source
RideKC 47 Martin Luther King Jr. (bus). Uber/Lyft to the Missouri Welcome Center. Between Gates 1 and 2 on Blue Ridge Cutoff. Rally bus service from Kansas City pickup points. There is no rail service of any kind.

Tailgating

Checked at the source
The official tailgating policy states parking spaces may not be used for tailgate equipment alone; the space must hold a vehicle. Setups are capped at eight feet behind each parking space, and emergency lanes marked by two yellow lines must stay clear. There's a limited 'open park' allowance for the first 30 minutes after gates open, but it doesn't create a walk-up tailgate. For a carless fan, the real answer is the Ford Tailgate District. Ford Tailgate District: no admission cost found. It sits outside the Hy-Vee Gate on the stadium apron. It opens 4 hours before kickoff and stays open until just before kickoff.

Getting in

Checked at the source
  • Bag policy: Bags allowed: clear plastic, vinyl or PVC, up to 12" x 6" x 12"; one-gallon clear freezer bags; or clutches 4.5" x 6.5" or smaller.
  • Re-entry: No re-entry. Once you leave, your ticket will not get you back in, so do not step out to the tailgate.

Touring the stadium

Checked at the source
Arrowhead runs a 60-minute Gameday Tour during home games. Book it publicly through Ticketmaster as a VIP add-on. It covers The Penthouse presented by Tickets for Less, the Chiefs Hall of Honor, and 20 minutes on the sidelines before the game. The sideline access during warm-ups is the standout part. Public Tours run daily on non-gameday dates; Private Tours run Sunday through Thursday only. Book Public Tours through Ticketmaster. Private Tours need full payment 5 days in advance. Price is not published on the tours page; discounts apply for seniors 65+, children 5-12, and military. Private Guided Tours run 90 minutes, Sunday through Thursday only, never on a game day or the day after, up to 20 guests online, larger groups by request, full payment at least 5 days ahead. By phone, quoted rates are $300 for 1-4 guests, $500 for 5-10, and $650 for 11-20, a flat group rate not listed online.

One thing to avoid

From a specialist guide
Don't book the sports-complex hotels expecting a stadium district. There isn't one, and you'll have neither the walkable city nor a car. Don't book far out in Overland Park or Lee's Summit to save money either. Without a car, you're then two expensive rideshares from everything.

Bars near the stadium

Checked at the source

  • Chappell's Restaurant and Sports Museum

    323 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO 64116

    Jim Chappell opened this bar in 1986 with 65 chairs and a few things on the walls, meant as a political-and-sports bar. Six months in, he dropped the politics.

    Away fans: welcomes away fans. It is a sports museum, national in scope, not just for Chiefs fans.

  • The Brooksider Sports Bar & Grill

    6330 Brookside Plaza, Kansas City, MO 64113

    The Brooksider sits in Brookside, one of Kansas City's older residential districts. It is a local's bar that is also good for football.

    Away fans: mostly home fans.

  • Gael's Public House & Sports

    5424 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110

    Gael's is in a hundred-year-old building in the university belt between UMKC and Rockhurst. It has old bones, three full-service bars, and 26 screens.

  • Kelly's Westport Inn

    Westport, Kansas City, MO

    Visit KC's Chiefs gameday guide calls Kelly's an old-school joint with a passionate following. It anchors Westport, the district Kansas City sends visitors to for a night out.

    Away fans: westport is KC's nightlife district and draws a broad, mixed crowd.

Sidequests in Kansas City

In the order they happen. Each one earns points.

  1. Eat65 points

    Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que gas station original

    Kansas City barbecue out of a working gas station in KCK. Known for ribs, brisket, burnt ends and the Z-Man sandwich; go the day before, it's west of downtown.

    $$. The day before

  2. Tour100 points

    GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium guided tour

    Ninety minutes through the press box, club level, field, Hall of Honor, locker room and press conference room. Public tours run non-game days; Gameday Tours are a separate ticket.

    $. The day before. Bookable

  3. Outing40 points

    18th & Vine two-museum combo visit

    The Horace Peterson Visitors Center sits with the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. One combo ticket covers both, good for a family morning before kickoff.

    $. The day before

  4. Landmark65 points

    Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 18th & Vine

    Negro Leagues history laid out as a timeline, built around the Field of Legends with ten life-sized bronze players. Sits in 18th and Vine, near Arthur Bryant's.

    $. The day before

  5. Landmark65 points

    National WWI Museum and Memorial

    The memorial rises above Union Station, Liberty Memorial Tower standing 217 feet over the courtyard. Four 40-foot Guardian Spirit figures watch from the top.

    $. The day before

  6. Photo25 points

    Liberty Memorial Tower observation deck

    An elevator and 45 stairs take you to an open-air deck over the Kansas City skyline. The tower costs $6, or $3 more on a combo ticket.

    $. The day before

  7. Eat65 points

    Arthur Bryant's Barbeque, 18th & Brooklyn

    Barbecue joint running since 1908 at 18th and Brooklyn. Hickory and oak smoked, Original or Rich & Spicy sauce, sitting between downtown and the stadium.

    $$. 3 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  8. Tailgate65 points

    Red Kingdom block party at Power & Light

    Chiefs block party right in Power & Light, two stages and LED screens. Live music, photo spots, doors open at KC Live! at 11 a.m., no car needed from downtown.

    $. 1 hour before kickoff

  9. Ritual25 points

    Free KC Streetcar ride up Main Street

    Free ride on the original 2.2-mile streetcar line, mostly up Main Street. Sixteen stops about two blocks apart, connecting River Market, Union Station and Power & Light.

    Free

Seats and views

Where each part of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium sits, and what you see from it.

Field Level, end zoneField Level, corner, home sideField Level, home sidelineField Level, corner, home sideField Level, end zoneField Level, corner, visitor sideField Level, visitor sidelineField Level, corner, visitor sideCommunityAmerica Club Level, end zoneCommunityAmerica Club Level, corner, home sideCommunityAmerica Club Level, home sidelineCommunityAmerica Club Level, corner, home sideCommunityAmerica Club Level, end zoneCommunityAmerica Club Level, corner, visitor sideCommunityAmerica Club Level, visitor sidelineCommunityAmerica Club Level, corner, visitor sideUpper Level, end zoneUpper Level, corner, home sideUpper Level, home sidelineUpper Level, corner, home sideUpper Level, end zoneUpper Level, corner, visitor sideUpper Level, visitor sidelineUpper Level, corner, visitor sideHomeVisitors
Field Level101 to 136CommunityAmerica Club Level201 to 246Upper Level301 to 346Tap any part of the stadium to see its view.