Michie Stadium is the main football stadium for the United States Military Academy at West Point. It serves as home to Army Football as well as to Army Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse. It is consistently ranked as one of the best, most scenic college football stadiums in the entire nation.
Overview
Located at the historic “West Point” of the Hudson River, Fortress West Point was established to guard Albany and Upstate New York from the invading British during the Revolutionary War. The West Point is itself part of a notoriously tricky S-turn, which required sailing ships to slow and tack on their way upriver. The Continental Army installed a coastal artillery battery and a Great Chain across the river at the point of this turn — the West Point — to deny river access to the British Navy. The Army then installed a series of small infantry redoubts in the surrounding heights to protect the battery from an assault by British infantry.
The Army put war hero General Benedict Arnold in charge of West Point on June 29, 1780, after a disastrous stint as military governor of Philadelphia. Arnold infamously turned his coat, sold the plans to the British, was almost discovered, and wound up having to flee on a British warship. He narrowly escaped, but the Culper Ring caught and hanged his contact, Major John André, Commander of British Intelligence, and recovered the plans. Despite viewing West Point as the strategic lynchpin of the nascent nation, the British never attempted an assault. The entire story is fascinating, and indeed historian Rick Atkinson covers the events in detail in the second book of his new Revolution Trilogy, The Fate of the Day. The Revolutionary Era TV show Turn: Washington’s Spies dramatizes Arnold’s downfall throughout its third season.
The United States Military Academy (USMA) was founded at West Point in 1802. The Academy was itself created as something of a compromise. President Thomas Jefferson wanted a national academy similar to the Sorbonne in France. Military hardliners in Congress wanted a stronger Army. USMA met both needs. Today’s military academies still reflect something of this compromise in that they allow highly select students to matriculate at taxpayer expense but owe a debt of military service after graduation.
West Point cadets are college students, but they are on active duty in the U.S. Army, too.
Getting Tickets
Army Football plays twelve regular season college football games per year as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Depending on the year, this may include five or six home games played at Michie Stadium. The number of home games changes because of the way Army-Air Force rotates. Though the Black Knights play Air Force as part of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy series, the game exists outside of American Conference play. As a result, the Black Knights pick up a home game when the game is at Michie Stadium, and they often lose a home game when it’s in Colorado Springs.
Army Football has an exciting six game home slate this year — Bryant, USF, Tulane, Florida Atlantic, Air Force, and East Carolina. When the new East Stands open, Army’s stadium will seat approximately thirty-six thousand fans. However, save for selected matchups, like the game against Air Force, the stadium rarely sells out. As of this writing, seats can be had for around $45 for the home opener against FCS Bryant. South Florida tickets start at $55 while Tulane and FAU tickets will run you $65 or more, owing to the attractive power of West Point’s fall foliage season. Tickets to Army-Air Force are already running at $80+ and should sell out soon. That said, if you’re willing to brave the wilds of Upstate New York on November 21st, you can see Army-ECU, in all likelihood a fantastic college football game, for as little as $45. However, you’ll want to make sure to dress warmly for it.
Season tickets are a great deal at Michie Stadium, especially if you are willing to walk a little. Premium seats and parking can get pricey, but if you’re ready to hike up to the stadium and sit along the goal line, you can attend the whole season for less than $300, parking included. I did this myself for a few years, and it was well worth it. From there, you can add in a premium chairback to create a vastly more comfortable experience for just $50.
Experience gameday at West Point this Fall!🏈
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) June 24, 2026
Single-Game Tix → https://t.co/ACdlCI1sPk pic.twitter.com/wyB4eKaIfg
The Army “A” Club & Army-Navy Tickets
Army-Navy is a neutral site game played at an NFL stadium. It sells out every year. By far the best way to get tickets is to join the Army “A” Club, support Army Athletics, and then buy tickets in accordance with your donation level. Army intercollegiate athletics exists outside the framework of U.S. Government support, so Grad/fan/parent support is extremely important to the overall cadet-athlete experience.
Parking for Army Football Saturdays also goes according to A Club donation level. Getting legitimately great parking can be pricey, but getting good to decent parking remains relatively affordable. For this reason, joining the A Club remains key to getting into the best part of Army’s tailgating scene.
Getting on Post and Parking
West Point is a mountainside riverine fortress. It was built on imminently defensible terrain long before the invention of motor vehicles. This gives the place many spectacular views, but it also creates a spaghetti road network of winding two lane roads. Parking can be tricky, and there are exactly three ways on and off post. Moreover, West Point exists fully in three dimensions. Michie Stadium sits hundreds of feet above the Cadet Areas and the Plain, which in turn sit above Eisenhower Hall, the Field House, Buffalo Soldier Field, and several major parking areas.
If you remember nothing else, remember this:
GET THERE EARLY.
For a noon kickoff, you will definitely want to try to be on post no later than 10 am.
Note: You have to have a valid government-issued ID to get on post, even on Football Saturdays.
How you get on post is determined by where you are supposed to park. If you don’t have a parking pass, you are supposed to enter through Washington Gate (the northern gate) and park in one of the Blue lots. These are all well away from the stadium, necessitating shuttle busing, but they are also reasonably convenient for getting on and off post. Plus, they’re free!
Alas, if you’re unfamiliar with the Academy, and you’ve not done any research ahead of time, your GPS will take you to Thayer Gate (the southern gate). You will still get where you are supposed to go — eventually — but traffic at Thayer Gate tends to be very heavy, both because Buffalo Soldier Field is a major parking area located right inside the gate and because bunches of people who don’t know where they’re going will come on post this way. The gate can handle the traffic, but every third car stops to ask directions, and that takes time.
No matter where you park, you will almost certainly face either a substantial walk to the stadium or a ride on one of the shuttle buses. If you’ve got time, some physical stamina, and decent walking shoes, the hike around Trophy Point, the Plain, and the Superintendent’s House is well worth the effort. If you stop by Grant Hall, you can even grab a cup of coffee or some light snacks and maybe see some of the cadets in their natural habitat. From there, you can either walk up to the stadium or catch the Trophy Point shuttle bus.
If this is your first time at West Point, I strongly recommend doing at least some sightseeing.
Tailgating
If you’ve never spent any time around military members, it may surprise you to learn that West Point has a vibrant pregame tailgating tradition. But Army officers are already planners by nature, and no one raises Hell like a bunch of soldiers blowing off steam on the weekend.
Army Football regulars always tailgate. In the years before the team’s resurgence, the tailgate was often the highlight of the gameday experience. Personally, I like to get there early, park, grill out, drink plenty of beer, and then stumble into the stadium just in time to catch the parachute jump.
If you don’t necessarily care about sightseeing, this is the way to do it. Try to get a parking spot with a decent view. There are plenty.
Class reunion tailgates are often held down at Buffalo Soldier Field. Lots of smaller official tailgates get located at Daly Field near the Plain or down by South Dock. There is also a substantial tailgating presence up in the lots above the stadium and along the access road by Lusk Reservoir, but you probably won’t get to one of these if you don’t know someone who parks there.
Tailgating goes until well after dark. You’re not allowed to stay in the lots overnight, but folks will hang out quite a while after games. Indeed, waiting an hour or so for the traffic to thin out is a good idea considering how congested the roads can get in and around post.
Cadets at Tailgates
With rare exceptions, cadets cannot join pregame tailgates. They have other things to do on gamedays, including parades, room inspections, and/or Corps Squad athletic practices. After the games, though, cadets attend TONS of tailgates.
This is probably your best chance to interact with them. Be friendly and bring plenty of food.
Black Knights Alley & the Benny Havens Band
Black Knights Alley is now located between the stadium and the practice field. When I used to come up with my kids, I’d often stop by Grant Hall for a quick bite before heading up to Black Knights Alley to listen to the Benny Havens Band while the kids danced.
Black Knights Alley is great because they have lots of activities for kids along with food, restrooms, and merchandise tents. It can get crowded, but it’s a fun kind of crowded, and the area around the stadium is picturesque.
Parachute Jumps
Weather permitting, the Army Parachute Team jumps into Michie Stadium about fifteen minutes before kickoff, carrying the game ball and the flag. They also often jump after gameday parades. In both cases, this is the Military Academy’s competitive parachute team, not the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights, so the parachutists are (mostly) cadets.
The Game
The Army West Point Athletic Association (AWPAA) just introduced a new clear bag policy with screening technology for Army football games.
PERMITTED BAGS
— One clear bag (plastic, vinyl or PVC), no larger than 12″ x 6″ x 12″, OR
— One clear plastic freezer bag, gallon size or smaller, AND/OR
— One small clutch or handheld wallet with no handle or strap, no larger than 8″ x 5″ x 2″
PERMITTED ITEMS
— Phones, tablets, binoculars and small digital cameras
— Blankets and single-seat cushions without pockets, zippers, metal frames, armrests or covers
— Prescribed medical equipment and service animals
— Strollers (must be checked at a Guest Services Tent) and diaper bags
Moving in and around Michie Stadium is not always easy, but folks are unfailingly polite, so with a little time and patience, you will eventually get where you’re going.
Thankfully, the Athletic Department just renumbered all of the seating sections in concert with the new East Stands opening, so finding your seat should be a bit more straightforward than it used to be. Previously, seats in the upper decks were labeled with a “U”, invariably creating confusion. They’ve now changed it so that lower level seats are now the 100 sections, mid-level seats are the 200 sections, and upper deck seats are the 300 sections. I personally am in Section 121, about 15 rows up from the field, because I like to heckle opposing teams. My buddy Matt, however, prefers section 221 because he likes being under the overhang when it rains. We’re both right on the 35-yard-line.
Concessions at the stadium have improved markedly over the past year with the advent of Levy Hospitality’s contract with Army Sports. The food is not cheap, and the lines can grow kind of long, so I still strongly recommend eating plenty at your tailgate before you get inside the stadium. However, I appreciate what the Athletic Department is trying to do here even if it’ll still take some convincing to get me to believe they can actually serve thirty-six thousand people during a game.
With that said, Levy added “tank nachos” this year as one of their new things, so we’ll all have to give those a try. Army also started allowing alcohol sales inside the stadium last year, including Newburgh Brewing’s West Point exclusive Stronghold Golden Ale.
Strongly recommended. That’s a good beer.
My final note is for Grads: it’s worth your time to try to meet up with your classmates during the game and take a group picture. Especially if you’ve got classmates who are on faculty, meet in one of the middle sections during halftime and pose. You’ll be glad you did.
This Week in Army Football to originate from the new East Stands at Michie Stadium preserved by USAA.#GoArmyhttps://t.co/HNV342Y20D
— ArmyWestPoint Sports (@GoArmyWestPoint) August 20, 2026
Notable Locations
You may hear about some of these during your trip.
Trophy Point. The scenic bluff overlooking the Hudson River, so-called because it displays cannons, i.e. war trophies, taken by the U.S. Army. Battle Monument is located on Trophy Point.
The Plain. The parade ground, located in the middle of post. It sits in front of the Mess Hall and the Cadet Areas and behind Trophy Point.
The Firstie Club, aka the “Firstie”. The on-post bar, located just below Trophy Point in the former Armory Building. Back in the day, this was only for First Class cadets and their invited guests, but since its renovation, it’s now open to the public. They offer a nice pregame “tailgate” buffet that we attended last year ahead of the home opener against Tarleton State. If you’re a Grad, and you haven’t been to the Firstie in a while, you will literally not believe how nice it is now.
Cadet Areas. Where the cadet barracks are located. These areas are off-limits to visitors.
Doubleday Field. The baseball stadium, located near the Plain.
Quarters 100. The Superintendent’s house, overlooking the Plain. Quarters 101 is the Commandant’s house.
Flirtation Walk. Also called “Chain Battery Walk”. This is the access trail to the old coastal artillery site. It’s now called Flirtation Walk, or “Flirtie”, because cadets are forbidden public displays of affection. But by tradition only cadets and their guests are allowed access to Flirtie, so the place became something like Make Out Point back in the day. Flirtie runs along the river below Trophy Point. The film Flirtation Walk was a hit love story back in 1934.
Michie Stadium. The football stadium, located up the hill from the Plain.
Lusk Reservoir. Located across from Michie Stadium. Lusk Reservoir holds 78 million gallons when the water is flowing over the spillway.
Black Knights Alley. Held on the access road between Michie Stadium and the practice field. Pre-game festivities start around 10 am. You can buy beer and food at Black Knights Alley, and the Benny Havens Band plays there before games. If your tailgating plans fall through, this is a decent way to spend an hour before the game.
Grant Hall. A reinforced coffee shop located just outside the Cadet Areas on Thayer Road. As a visitor, this is your best chance to see cadets going about their daily lives.
Buffalo Soldier Field. The large grassy field located just inside Thayer Gate.
Thayer Hotel. The post hotel, located just across from Buffalo Soldier Field. The hotel itself may or may not be worth an overnight stay, but it’s a landmark, and they have a terrific Sunday brunch. They also have a postgame Tailgate Buffet, which always reminds me viscerally of the old-timey Officer’s Club dinners my folks took me to back in the late 1970s. Zulu Time, the Thayer’s rooftop bar, offers peerless views of the river and a fun atmosphere for a postgame date.
North and South Docks. Large parking areas down by the river. South Dock in particular tends to host a lot of tailgates. It’s a LONG walk from the docks to the stadium, but the shuttle bus service is not bad.
The Visitor’s Center. Located just outside Thayer Gate, West Point’s Visitor’s Center has a full-on museum and a massive gift shop.
Learn Before You Go
Hollywood has made a bunch of movies about West Point. If you don’t know anything about the Academy, and you want to get some context before your visit, watch The Long Gray Line (1955). That’s my favorite movie about or concerning West Point. It does an incredible job showing why the place and its people are special.
Got questions? Hit us up at @AsForFootball on social media. Enjoy the game!
Go Army! Beat Bryant!!!
