Cotton Bowl
The Cotton Bowl is an outdoor stadium in Dallas, Texas, United States. It was established in 1930. Worth the trip, AT&T Stadium is 19 mi off.
A stadium & arena inside Dallas
One of the most looked-up attractions in the U.S.
About 165K people a year read its Wikipedia article, more than for 98% of the 7,770 attractions we track.
Summers are hot
July and August highs run 95–96°, and about 108 days a year reach 90°. When to go ↓
You can stay in Dallas
Cotton Bowl is inside Dallas, which has 388 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Oct and Nov
March, April, May, October and November are the mild months, with highs of 67–83°. When to go ↓
An airport 7 miles away
Dallas Love Field (DAL) has airline service, about 7 miles from Cotton Bowl.
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Choosing a month
Plan a visit to Cotton Bowl around the weather below.
Cotton Bowl
The Cotton Bowl is an outdoor stadium in Dallas, Texas, United States. Opened in 1930 as Fair Park Stadium, it is on the site of the State Fair of Texas, known as Fair Park.
The Cotton Bowl was the longtime home of the annual college football post-season bowl game known as the Cotton Bowl Classic, after which the stadium is named. Starting on New Year's Day 1937, it hosted the first 73 editions of the game, through January 2009; the game was moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington in January 2010. The stadium hosts the Red River Rivalry, the annual college football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns, and formerly, the First Responder Bowl.
- Type
- Stadium & arena
- Established
- 1930
- Wikipedia readers
- 165K a year
Lodging near Cotton Bowl
Hotels, motels or campgrounds are closest in Dallas (388) and Irving (116).
- 1AT&T Stadium
- 2Texas Stadium
- 3Globe Life Field
- 4Six Flags Over Texas
- 5Gerald J. Ford Stadium
- 6Reunion Tower
- 7Choctaw Stadium
- 8George W. Bush Presidential Center
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Cotton Bowl | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | in town | — | 388 301 hotels · 61 motels · 7 inns & B&Bs · 8 lodges & cabins · 1 hostel · 7 campgrounds · 3 RV parks | 1,329,491 | $321K | D |
| Irving | 13 mi northwest | 20 min | 116 104 hotels · 10 motels · 1 hostel · 1 RV park | 257,076 | $316K | C− |
| Mesquite | 10 mi east | 15 min | 33 24 hotels · 5 motels · 1 inn or B&B · 2 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 150,693 | $246K | D |
| Plano | 19 mi north | 30 min | 79 73 hotels · 4 motels · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 293,028 | $466K | B− |
| Garland | 12 mi northeast | 20 min | 28 17 hotels · 7 motels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 249,625 | $271K | C |
| Addison | 13 mi north | 20 min | 32 30 hotels · 1 motel · 1 campground | 17,195 | $482K | D− |
| Grand Prairie | 17 mi southwest | 25 min | 47 29 hotels · 10 motels · 1 inn or B&B · 3 campgrounds · 4 RV parks | 209,434 | $296K | C+ |
| Arlington | 22 mi west | 35 min | 83 61 hotels · 12 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 3 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 402,134 | $305K | C− |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Other places close by
These well-known sights sit within 20 miles.
Big draw119 mi Stadium & arenaAT&T Stadium
Big draw210 mi Stadium & arenaTexas Stadium
Big draw319 mi Stadium & arenaGlobe Life Field
418 mi Theme parkSix Flags Over Texas
54 mi Stadium & arenaGerald J. Ford Stadium
63 mi LookoutReunion Tower
719 mi Stadium & arenaChoctaw Stadium
84 mi MuseumGeorge W. Bush Presidential CenterPhoto credits
AT&T Stadium: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Texas Stadium: Allspamme, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Globe Life Field: Drone To Fly, CC BY 3.0 · Six Flags Over Texas: Chris Hagerman from New Port Richey, FL, US, CC BY 2.0 · Gerald J. Ford Stadium: Jmcstrav, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Reunion Tower: Batrak, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Choctaw Stadium: KENGRIFFEY24FAN, CC BY-SA 4.0 · George W. Bush Presidential Center: Shannon McGee from Huntsville, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Know before you visit Cotton Bowl
Is Cotton Bowl in Dallas?
Yes. It’s inside Dallas, TX.
When is the best time to visit Cotton Bowl?
March, April, May, October and November, with highs of 67–83°.
What is the closest airport to Cotton Bowl?
Dallas Love Field (DAL), about 7 miles away.
Where should I stay near Cotton Bowl?
Dallas (in town, 388 places to stay), Irving (13 mi, 116 places to stay) and Mesquite (10 mi, 33 places to stay).
Locals’ advice in Dallas
Share what you know in Dallas’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.