Orange Bowl weekend: where to stay

Last reviewed: November 4, 2026. Sources for this page are listed in its fact sheet.

Short answer first. The College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl kicks off on Thursday, January 14, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and the two teams stay unknown until the quarterfinals finish on January 1. Book the hotel, the parking, and the airport plan today, because January 1 is when two fan bases book at once. Stay in Aventura or Miami Gardens for the short game night trip. Stay in Miami Beach if the trip is a winter weekend with a game inside it.

A large football stadium on a quiet day. This is a stock photo of Celtic Park in Glasgow, not Hard Rock Stadium. Photo: Lewis Ashton, Pexels.

The game, in one paragraph

This is the 93rd Orange Bowl, a playoff semifinal, on Thursday, January 14, 2027, at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Drive, Miami Gardens, Florida 33056. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET, the game airs on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max, and the winner moves on to the national championship game on January 25, 2027, in Las Vegas. The matchup pairs the winners of two quarterfinals, played on December 30, 2026, at the Fiesta Bowl and on January 1, 2027, and the higher seeded team is the home team. Our companion Orange Bowl visitor guide covers tickets in full. This page covers the weekend around the game.

Stay near the stadium: Aventura and Miami Gardens

The stadium sits inland in Miami Gardens, surrounded by parking lots, with no beach and no downtown around it. The hotels built for this geography are the small set in Miami Gardens itself and the larger stock in Aventura, about eight to nine miles east, where Aventura Mall and the Brightline station give you something to do on the other days. If the game is the point of the trip and Friday is a travel day, stay north. Rooms closest to the stadium sell out first, and they sell out again on January 1.

Check hotels near Hard Rock Stadium on Expedia

Our hotels near Hard Rock Stadium guide walks the closest properties one by one, with honest drive times. Read it before you book a hotel that claims to be stadium adjacent. In Miami Gardens, adjacent can still mean a drive.

Stay at the beach: the Miami Beach trade

Miami Beach is the other real option, and for a lot of fans it's the right one. January is peak season, and a Thursday night game leaves Friday and Saturday for the beach, Lincoln Road, and a day tour booked through Viator before you fly home. The cost is game night. The drive to the stadium is the better part of an hour in normal conditions and longer in game traffic, and the trip back after a 7:30 p.m. kickoff puts you on the road late with a full stadium leaving the same lots. Book the beach if the weekend matters more than the commute, on refundable rates you recheck after January 1.

Check Miami Beach hotel prices for game weekend on Expedia

Game day logistics that decide the night

Tickets are digital. The organizer states that all Orange Bowl tickets are digital through the Orange Bowl Mobile App, with official resale through Ticket Galaxy. Charge your phone, and transfer each ticket to the person using it before game day.

Parking has a paper trap. A physical hang tag pass is required for the black, purple, pink, and silver lots. Mobile passes are accepted only at the orange and yellow lots. Buy parking when you buy tickets and match the pass format to your lot. The organizer takes parking questions at its ticket office, (305) 341-4701.

The bag rule is strict. Hard Rock Stadium allows one clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a one gallon clear freezer bag, plus a small clutch about the size of a hand. Diaper bags are allowed after a search, and one factory sealed plastic water bottle of 20 ounces or less is allowed per person. Anything bigger goes back to the car or into the paid bag check near Gates 3, 5, 8, and 14, at $12 to $20 by card. Pack for the rule at the hotel, not at the gate.

The train is a real option. Brightline's Aventura station is the rail stop for the stadium corridor. For Dolphins games and other listed events, Brightline runs trains marked with an End Zone Express or Hard Rock Stadium Connect icon, with complimentary shuttles between Aventura station and the stadium, leaving the station 10 minutes after the train arrives and leaving the stadium one hour before the return train. The stadium pickup sits on NW 199th Street near the Gate 3 pedestrian bridge. As of this November 4, 2026 check, Brightline had not posted an Orange Bowl specific shuttle plan, so treat the train as a plan to confirm, and look for the event icon when you book. Our Dolphins game day guide covers the same stadium routine.

A three day plan for the weekend

Thursday, game day. Arrive by early afternoon if you're flying in that day, and use our MIA airport guide for the airport to hotel leg. Eat a real meal before you leave for the stadium, and let the first postgame wave clear before you order a car.

Friday and the weekend. Sleep in. Then take the day the winning fans will take: the beach if you're based there, or Aventura Mall and Sunny Isles if you're based north. The Miami Open guide covers the same stadium campus later in the season. Book the tour day before the flight home, not after it.

Frequently asked questions

When will the Orange Bowl teams be known?
On January 1, 2027, when the quarterfinals finish. The semifinal pairs two quarterfinal winners, about two weeks before the game. Book hotels and flights before then on refundable rates.

Where should I stay for the Orange Bowl?
Aventura and Miami Gardens for the shortest game night trip. Miami Beach for a full winter weekend with the game inside it, at the cost of a long game night drive each way.

Can I take Brightline to the Orange Bowl?
Brightline serves Aventura station, and for listed stadium events it runs marked trains with complimentary shuttles to the stadium. An Orange Bowl specific plan had not been posted at this check, so confirm the event icon closer to game week.

What can I carry into Hard Rock Stadium?
One clear bag up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a one gallon clear freezer bag, plus a small clutch. One sealed water bottle of 20 ounces or less is allowed. Oversize bags can be checked near Gates 3, 5, 8, and 14 for $12 to $20 by card.

Is the Orange Bowl in Miami?
It's in Miami Gardens, a separate city northwest of downtown Miami, at 347 Don Shula Drive. Allow real travel time from the beach.

Keep planning

Start with the companion Orange Bowl visitor guide for tickets, use the Miami sports hub for the rest of the January calendar, and work the stadium routine in the Dolphins game day guide.