TCU Tailgating at Amon G. Carter Stadium: Lots & Rules

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Joe T. Garcia's Fort Worth's Tex-Mex institution on North Commerce Street, open since 1935 and served family-style.
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Quick answers

What time do the TCU lots open?

5 hours before kickoff, and TCU can change that for university needs. After a game that kicks at or before 2:30 p.m., lots must be clear 3 hours after; after a later kickoff, 90 minutes after or by 11 p.m., whichever is first.

Can you grill at TCU tailgates?

Yes, in the surface lots, with an ABC fire extinguisher or a bucket of water next to any grill or pit. Dump coals at the stations in Lots 1 and 3. No grills, smokers or open flame in the Frog Alley, Legends Suite or Molly Reid garages.

Can you drink at TCU tailgates?

The drinking age is 21 and TABC rules apply. TCU allows personal containers only, no glass and no kegs, and selling alcohol in the lots is prohibited.

Do you need a ticket to tailgate at TCU?

TCU's policies don't require one, but campus lots run on Frog Club passes, one space per pass. A tailgate that takes a parking space needs a pass for that space too.

How do you buy parking at TCU?

Campus lots are Frog Club donor passes, sold by the season with limited single games. Without one, use the free church lots at Doxology Bible and Travis Avenue Baptist or the paid off-campus lots, all with free shuttles.

The game-day timeline

Fri 6 PMLot 13 RV opens for Saturday games
5 hrs beforeCampus lots open
3 hrs beforeFree shuttles start; beer sales open in Frog Alley
2 hrs beforeThe team arrives by bus at Schollmaier Arena
90 min beforeGates open
45 min afterLast shuttle leaves the stadium
3 hrs afterLots clear after early games (90 min or 11 PM after later ones)
Sun 10 AMRVs out of Lot 13 RV

Where to park

Campus parking at TCU is Frog Club passes, one space each. Everyone else parks at a church or school lot and rides a free shuttle.

Frog Club lots: Lots 1 through 8, 13 and 14, plus the garages, by the season. One pass, one vehicle, one 9 x 18 foot space.
Free lots: Doxology Bible Church (4805 Arborlawn Dr) and Travis Avenue Baptist Church (800 W Berry St), with free shuttles.
Paid lots: University United Methodist, University Baptist, St. Stephen's Presbyterian and Paschal High School.
Trailers: A trailer is its own vehicle and needs its own pass for that lot. Anything over 9 x 18 feet goes to Lot 13 RV.
RV: Lot 13 RV only, from 6 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Sunday for Saturday games. No overnight stays around weekday games.
Accessible: The ADA garage is the Frog Alley Garage at West Cantey Street and Stadium Drive, with a state placard or plate. Limited, so come early.

Amon G. Carter Stadium game-day parking, simplified

See the official Amon G. Carter Stadium parking map

Stadium Drive closes between West Cantey Street and Bellaire Drive North on game days.
After the game, Fort Worth and TCU police set the exits lot by lot. Lot 8, for example, exits south onto West Berry Street only.
No car? Rideshare drops off and picks up only at Lot 8, at West Berry Street and Stadium Drive. Taxis use Stadium Drive and Bellaire Drive North. Trinity Metro route 7 runs from downtown to University Drive and Berry Street.

The rules

Rules last verified Oct 14, 2026 against tcufrogclub.com and gofrogs.com.

TCU's tailgate rules are short and specific. The fire rule and the garage rule trip people up.

Grills: Allowed in the surface lots with an ABC extinguisher or a bucket of water. Coals go to the dump stations in Lots 1 and 3.
Garages: No grills, smokers or open flame, no tents, and nothing in the drive lanes.
Alcohol: 21 and over, TABC rules. Personal containers only, no glass, no kegs, and no selling.
Your space: One pass, one space. Tailgate at the front or back of your car, never in drive lanes, fire lanes, walkways or landscaping.
Generators: Allowed if they don't damage university property. No plugging into university power or water.
Not allowed: Drones, ads or commercial banners, and caterers not cleared with the Frog Club 48 hours ahead.
When it ends: Flames out before you go in. Lots clear 3 hours after early games, or 90 minutes after later ones, by 11 p.m.
Bags at the gate: Clear, up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, a 12 x 12 inch clear drawstring bag or a 1-gallon bag, plus a clutch up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches.
Gates open: 90 minutes before kickoff. No re-entry.

Compare the rules in all 173 guides →

Before you go

TCU football game day parking (2026)2026 football parking policy manual (PDF)TCU tailgating policies TCU football: know before you go

Official pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.

Pack for Fort Worth

What we'd bring.

Ultralight Tall-Back Camp Chair
$45

Ships free
Dubler Party Cooler
$169.89

Ships free
Drinks on one side, cold food on the other, so one cooler covers the whole spread.
Dubler Chill Boards, Set of 2
$38.89

Ships free

More for this lot

Monument G22 Tabletop Gas Grill, 2 Burners$199 · Ships free

Shipping and returns

Get the Pregame for the Horned Frogs. Your lot, your game and what to cook, every week. Free.Get the Pregame for the Horned Frogs

Where the party is

TCU keeps the pregame on Stadium Drive. Frog Alley is the official pregame headquarters, beer sales start there 3 hours before kickoff, and 2 hours out the team steps off the bus by Schollmaier Arena and walks to the stadium.

The main street

Frog Alley

TCU's official pregame headquarters, on Stadium Drive. Beer sales start here 3 hours before kickoff.

The moment

The team arrival

About 2 hours before kickoff the team gets off the bus outside Schollmaier Arena, walks to the frog statue and goes in at Gate 10.

The lot life

The Frog Club lots

Lots 1 through 8 ring the stadium, and Lots 1 and 3 have the coal dump stations.

Know a setup worth showing off? Nominate your tailgate.

What to eat

Cook thisReverse-sear ribeye

Getting out

TCU and Fort Worth police point every lot a set direction after the game. Your options, best first:

Ride the shuttle back. The last shuttle leaves Amon G. Carter Stadium 45 minutes after the game. Don't linger past that.
Follow your lot's exit. Each lot has a posted postgame route, like Lot 1 west on Bellaire Drive or Lot 7 south on Stadium Drive.
Rideshare from Lot 8. It's the only rideshare zone, at West Berry Street and Stadium Drive, so expect a wait.
Skip this
Turn the other way because the map says so. The police are routing everyone for a reason. Go where they point.