Whether you’re a sports fan, music lover, architecture buff or just a casual tourists, there’s something truly remarkable about LA’s SoFi Stadium. The 70,000 seat arena opened in 2020 at a cost approaching $6 billion. Everything about the stadium is big, from its physical scale to its massive infinity screen to the economic development it’s spearheading in the Inglewood neighborhood.
Like so many people across America, I first took major notice of SoFi Stadium during Super Bowl LVI in 2022. The stadium seemed like as much of a star as the players on the field! SoFi’s profile is still on the rise, as it will host eight matches of the FIFA World cup in summer 2026, Super Bowl LXI in early 2027 and both the opening and closing ceremonies and swimming events for the 2028 summer Olympics – yes, they’re swapping out the turf for a pool.
During football season, SoFi Stadium is home to both the Los Angeles Chargers and the LA Rams. The fact that two teams play there impacts what area your tour can access on certain days during football season – more on that later.
But even if you don’t have the budget to sit in the stands for a major event, you can still get an incredible behind-the-scenes look by booking a SoFi Stadium tour! We recently took our teen and his older cousin on this tour and they were both like kids in a candy store. Even though neither is a huge football fan, they loved checking out the luxury suites and throwing a ball down on the field – plus learning about the stadiums secrets and inner workings.
After reading this SoFi Stadium tour review, you’ll have all the tips you need to make the most of your experience – including how to snag a SoFi Stadium tour discount!
SoFi Stadium tour information
The SoFi Stadium tour takes you around, through and behind this massive complex just 5 miles from LAX. The basic tour lasts for one hour and grants you guided access to the field, the walkway around the stadium, owner’s suites and more. In theory it also includes one of the locker rooms but access depends on the day’s schedule – we toured the day before a game and the visiting team had just arrived to get situated so we had to give them their space.
Another option is the Stadium Tour PLUS, which will run you an extra $12 but provides a $15 voucher toward food or merchandise. The tour itself is the same so I’d pass on this option.
The final tour option is dubbed “NFL Experience”. In addition to the 60 minute stadium tour and food voucher, you’ll spend 30 minutes touring the NFL’s west coast headquarters. There’s generally more availability for that tour in the off-season.
Is the SoFi Stadium tour worth taking?
In short, absolutely! I’m not a football fan, but the design of the stadium and the sheer sale are truly incredible. We all learned so much that we never would have thought about – here’s a small sampling:
- The field is 100 feet below ground level due to FAA rules; that puts about 80% of seats below ground as well
- Almost everything is identical (locker rooms, owner’s suites, seating etc) on both sides of the field, as it was purpose-built to house two teams
- To cope with the region’s earthquake risk, SoFi Stadium actually uses three separate structures that aren’t attached to each other including an LED-laden canopy rather than a roof
- The Infinity Screen is even bigger than the field; it’s 4 stories tall with 80 million pixels and weighs 2.2 million pounds in part because it houses 260 speakers
- A team of trained hawks patrols the perimeter of the stadium to keep birds out – sadly a few weeks after our visit, two of the three were stolen and only one was recovered
- The stadium is surrounded by a series of three artificial canyons, each representing a different California ecosystem: desert on the north side, mountains on the east side, chaparral on the west. They aid in mitigating environmental impact but also give the stadium an amazing indoor-outdoor vibe.
All in all, I loved the tour despite not being a sports fan. It was such a neat behind-the-scenes look at a really unique building… so unique, in fact, that it’s won accolades like “Stadium of the Year”, “Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement” and “Game Changer Award” among others.
SoFi Stadium tour tips
When’s the best time to take the SoFi Stadium tour?
When you’re planning your trip to Los Angeles and want to include a visit to SoFi Stadium, I recommend that it be one of the first things you plan and book (perhaps right after theme parks). While there’s generally plenty of tour availability, the specifics of your tour will depend a little on the date.
You can scroll down on this page to see which dates have tours, but also which dates don’t allow field access. We happened to visit on a day when we couldn’t walk on to the field as it had just been repainted for the following day’s game. We were able to throw the ball and run along the sidelines, but on tour dates that allow field access you can get out there and kick field goals or run for a touchdown.
The “no field access” dates can be a little inconsistent. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, that’s in large part because there are two teams playing here. That means there are twice as many home games, so the turf has to be repainted twice as often as at other stadiums. SoFi also hosts plenty of concerts throughout the year that add floor-level seats to increase capacity, so the setup can impact field access. While locker room access isn’t spelled out on the tour calendar, it’s probably safe to assume that it lines up with field access during the football season (typically early September to sometime in January).
One other note on timing: in general the parking for SoFi Stadium tours is free. However, if you choose to tour on a game day and it’s close enough to game time, YMMV and you may wind up paying to park (and getting stuck in a lot of traffic). Personally I’d steer clear of game days – you’re more likely to have arrival/departure difficulties and encounter inaccessible areas of the stadium.
How to score a SoFi Stadium tour discount
The best way to get a discount on the SoFi Stadium tour is by purchasing a GoCity Los Angeles pass – either the Explorer or the All-Inclusive depending on how busy you plan to be.
Choose the 2-day All-Inclusive Pass if you want to take the Warner Brothers Studio tour as well (we enjoy it so much that my kids demanded a second visit recently) or the All-Inclusive Plus if you want to add in Universal Studios Hollywood and a few other attractions like the Grammy Museum.
What age should kids be for the SoFi Stadium tour?
I think the SoFi Stadium tour is a great pick for things to do in Los Angeles with teens! I would also consider it for elementary school ages sports fans, as long as they can hang for an hour-long tour that includes plenty of non-sports information about things like engineering, technology, ecology and more.
Can you take photos and videos on the SoFi Stadium tour?
Yes, you can take photos and videos for personal use. There are a few areas where it’s prohibited (like specific luxury suites) but your guide will tell you at that specific location.
How to get to SoFi Stadium tour + parking
Before I get into the different ways to get to SoFi Stadium, I just want to share a quick insider tip: everyone who is going to participate in the tour needs to check in and fill out a waiver/release on an iPad before the tour starts. Our party of five was only offered a single iPad so it was actually a pretty slow process even though there was no one else waiting! Allow extra time for this before your tour begins.
The simplest way to get to the SoFi Stadium tour is to drive yourself. Free parking is provided in Lot N, which you can access from the intersection of Arbor Vitae Street and Prairie Avenue. It was actually pretty tricky to find the day we visited due to some street closures! If you’re entering the complex on Arbor Vitae, turn right on District Drive and the lot will be on your left in front of the lake.
If you prefer to take public transportation, one straight-forward option is to hop on the orange #117 bus at LAX/Metro Transit Center. It’ll drop you off just south of the stadium on Century Boulevard and then you can walk 10 minutes up District Drive to the entrance.
There’s also a free shuttle that runs from LAX/Metro Transit Center to SoFi Stadium on game days, but only three hours before kickoff. Unfortunately it’s not a good option if you’re going on a SoFi Stadium tour.
You’ll walk toward the stadium and enter through the American Airlines VIP Entrance, which is right near the lake.
Best places to stay near the SoFi Stadium tour
At this time there aren’t a ton of hotels in the immediate vicinity of SoFi Stadium – one will open in Hollywood Park in late 2026, but it will likely be very expensive. There are just a few options worth considering:
- The Lum Hotel Stadium District – This is right in front of the Intuit Dome, and just a 15 minute walk to the entrance you’ll use for your SoFi Stadium tour. The hotel isn’t fancy, but it has a pool, gym and fitness center. Hilton recently purchased the property and is refreshing the lobby as well.
- Hilton LAX – Just a quick drive or Uber from SoFi Stadium, the Hilton LAX is a full-service hotel in a handy location. It provides a free shuttle from LAX and you can walk to the LAX/Metro Transit Center to grab a shuttle to the stadium if you’re coming for a game or event in addition to your tour.
- The Shay – This is our new go-to property in LA thanks to its lovely walkable location, ultra-friendly staff and great on-site amenities. It’s just the right amount of bougie and only about a 20 minute drive to SoFi Stadium.
Keep exploring LA
After you’ve wrapped up your SoFi Stadium tour in LA, check out these other fun things to do in Los Angeles: