FootballStay
Aerial view of Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, the orange end zones and the domed State Farm Center behind

Memorial Stadium with State Farm Center behind, August 2021. Photo: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0

Big Ten · Champaign, Illinois

Where to stay for an Illinois game Hotels near Gies Memorial Stadium, by time to the gate

Checked against 10 sources on November 10, 2026 · Editorial team · How we check

Stay on South Neil or First Street, a 12–22 minute walk. Next best: Campustown or downtown Champaign, 24–40 minutes on foot, then the I-74 hotels, 10 minutes by car. When Champaign-Urbana is full: Rantoul or Tuscola.

Five hotels on South Neil and First Streets, west and south of the stadium, are 12–22 minutes on foot, the iHotel the closest. TownePlace Suites in Campustown is 24 minutes away walking, and downtown Champaign and the Hampton in Urbana about 40. The big group of hotels by I-74 on the north side is 10 minutes by car. Illinois has sold out its season tickets for two years running; Rantoul is 28 minutes north and Tuscola 33 minutes south.

Affiliate links: we earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

Hotels in South Neil →See the 2027 weekends

Stadium
Gies Memorial Stadium, 60,670 seats [7]
Season tickets
Sold out in each of the last two seasons; a 2027 waiting list is open [2]
Traffic
Lot-specific routes from about 3½ hours before kickoff (new in 2026) [4]
Rideshare
State Farm Center circle drives, from First or Fourth Street [4]
Parking
Cashless; single-game lots were $30 a car for the November 2026 Nebraska game [5]

Illinois weekends by the numbers

  • 0.7stadium seats for every resident of Champaign: 60,670 seats (capacity) [7] against 91,195 residents [8]
  • 12 minwalk from the closest hotel, the iHotel and Conference Center, to the stadium (0.6 mi) [9]
  • 8hotels we list within a 40 minute walk of the stadium [9]
  • 162 mindrive, with no traffic, from the furthest overflow town fans use when Champaign is full [9]

Illinois's 2027 home weekends, rated

Seven games in Champaign in 2027: FIU and Delaware in early September, then five Big Ten visitors (Indiana, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA, Wisconsin) on dates the league will set later. Illinois opens the Notre Dame series in South Bend. [2] Hardest so far: Penn State (Very hard). How we rate weekends.

Fans in orange walking along the brick and column west facade of Memorial Stadium to the gates before a game
Fans arriving at the west side of Memorial Stadium before a game, September 2004. Photo: EnakoNosaj (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Illinois 2027 home games and how hard rooms will be
DateOpponentRoomsWhyBook
Sat, Aug 28, 2027FIU
Non-conference
BusyNon-conference, no billed weekend
Season opener. [2]
Rooms Fri–Sun →
Sat, Sep 11, 2027Delaware
Non-conference
BusyNon-conference, no billed weekend
A first meeting. [3]
Rooms Fri–Sun →
Date not yet setIndiana
Big Ten
HardConference game [2]Rooms →
Date not yet setNorthwestern
Big Ten
HardConference game [2]Rooms →
Date not yet setPenn State
Big Ten
Very hardConference game · Visiting fans travel [2]Rooms →
Date not yet setUCLA
Big Ten
HardConference game [2]Rooms →
Date not yet setWisconsin
Big Ten
HardConference game [2]Rooms →

Kickoff times may not be set until a few weeks before the game. Book Friday and Saturday nights, and check the time before you travel.

Hotels closest to Gies Memorial Stadium

Of the 14 hotels we list, the closest is the iHotel and Conference Center at 1900 South First Street: a 12 minute walk (0.6 mi) to the stadium. 8 are within a 40 minute walk. Times are routed on OpenStreetMap from each hotel to the stadium with no traffic [9]; on game day the drive takes longer and the lots fill early.

Hotels near Gies Memorial Stadium, closest first, with walk and drive times
HotelAreaOn footBy carGame-day bus
iHotel and Conference Center
1900 South First Street, Champaign
South Neil12 min · 0.6 mi2 min · 0.6 miNone listed
Hilton Garden Inn Champaign/Urbana
1501 South Neil Street, Champaign
South Neil14 min · 0.7 mi2 min · 0.7 miNone listed
Homewood Suites Champaign-Urbana
1417 South Neil Street, Champaign
South Neil14 min · 0.7 mi2 min · 0.7 miNone listed
Holiday Inn Champaign
101 Trade Centre Drive, Champaign
South Neil15 min · 0.7 mi2 min · 0.7 miNone listed
Home2 Suites by Hilton Champaign/Urbana
2013 South Neil Street, Champaign
South Neil22 min · 1.0 mi3 min · 1.0 miNone listed
TownePlace Suites Champaign Urbana/Campustown
603 South Sixth Street, Champaign
Campustown24 min · 1.1 mi4 min · 1.2 miNone listed
Hyatt Place Champaign/Urbana
217 North Neil Street, Champaign
Campustown38 min · 1.8 mi5 min · 1.9 miNone listed
Hampton Inn Champaign/Urbana
1200 West University Avenue, Urbana, Champaign
Campustown40 min · 1.9 mi6 min · 2.1 miNone listed
Courtyard Champaign
1811 Moreland Boulevard, Champaign
North Champaign (I-74)Drive10 min · 3.7 miNone listed
Fairfield Inn & Suites Champaign
1807 Moreland Boulevard, Champaign
North Champaign (I-74)Drive10 min · 3.7 miNone listed
Residence Inn Champaign
502 West Marketview Drive, Champaign
North Champaign (I-74)Drive10 min · 3.7 miNone listed
Drury Inn & Suites Champaign
905 West Anthony Drive, Champaign
North Champaign (I-74)Drive10 min · 4.1 miNone listed
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Rantoul
946 Broadmeadow Road, Rantoul, Rantoul
Rantoul (I-57 north)Drive28 min · 17.5 miNone listed
Baymont by Wyndham Tuscola
1006 Progress Boulevard, Tuscola, Tuscola
Tuscola (I-57 south)Drive33 min · 22.6 miNone listed

Where to stay in Champaign, by area

3 km10 km25 kmGies Memorial StadiumChicago162 min driveRantoul (I-57 north)28 min driveBloomington-Normal67 min driveNorth Champaign (I-74)10 min driveDanville44 min driveCampustown24 min walkSouth Neil12 min walkIndianapolis144 min driveTuscola (I-57 south)33 min drive
  1. North Champaign (I-74) 10 min drive
  2. South Neil 12 min walk
  3. Campustown 24 min walk
  4. Rantoul (I-57 north) 28 min drive
  5. Tuscola (I-57 south) 33 min drive
  6. Danville 44 min drive
  7. Bloomington-Normal 67 min drive
  8. Indianapolis 144 min drive
  9. Chicago 162 min drive
Walk to the gatesShort drive or shuttleOverflow townsPositions are to scale in direction; distance is compressed. Times are routed with no traffic.

Walk to the gates

South Neil and First Streets

Walk to the gatesFamilies

Five hotels just west and south of the stadium. A 12–22 minute walk.

  • 12 min Walk from the iHotel to the stadium (0.6 mi) [9]
  • 14 min Walk from the Hilton Garden Inn (0.7 mi) [9]

Hotels here

Hotels in South Neil →

Campustown and downtown

NightlifeWalkable at a push

Campustown, by the Quad, and the two downtowns, Champaign and Urbana. A 24–40 minute walk, or 4–6 minutes by car.

  • 24 min Walk from TownePlace Suites to the stadium (1.1 mi) [9]
  • 38 min Walk from Hyatt Place downtown (1.8 mi) [9]

Hotels here

Hotels in Campustown →

A short drive or shuttle

North Champaign (I-74)

DriversEasy from I-74 and I-57More choice

The biggest group of hotels, by I-74 and the North Prospect shops. 10 minutes by car with no traffic.

  • 10 min Drive from the Courtyard, no traffic (3.7 mi) [9]

Hotels here

Hotels in North Champaign (I-74) →

When the town is full

Danville, Bloomington-Normal, Indianapolis and Chicago

Big weekendsFly in

Danville, east on I-74, is 44 minutes away and Bloomington-Normal 67. Indianapolis and Chicago are both about two and a half hours.

  • 44 min Danville, no traffic (33.7 mi) [9]
  • 67 min Bloomington-Normal, no traffic (52.7 mi) [9]
  • 162 min Downtown Chicago, no traffic (135.4 mi) [9]
Hotels in Danville, Bloomington-Normal, Indianapolis →

Booking rules: when rooms open and what big weekends cost

Neil Street in downtown Champaign, brick shopfronts with awnings behind leafy trees and parked cars
Neil Street, downtown Champaign, September 2013. Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Single-game parking is $30

For the Friday-night Nebraska game in November 2026, single-game parking was $30 a car in the Research Park grass lot off Oak Street and the paved Research Park and Veterinary Medicine lots. Accessible spaces around State Farm Center were also $30. All game-day parking is cashless. [5]

Season tickets sell out

Illinois sold out of season tickets in each of the last two seasons and has opened a 2027 waiting list. [2]

Follow your lot's route

From 2026, every fan must follow the traffic route assigned to their parking lot, from about three and a half hours before kickoff. Drivers on the wrong route are sent back to the right one. [4]

Coming as a group or a family? Houses and apartments in and around Champaign are on Vrbo: vacation rentals in Champaign →

What we saw in the 2026 season

Our own readings of Booking.com search results: two nights, two adults, prices before taxes, one reading on one day. A record of last season, not a forecast for 2027, and not used in the rating.

  • 11 days before the Iowa game (Saturday 21 November), Booking.com showed 25 places with rooms in Champaign for the nights of 20–22 November, at a median of $610 for two nights. In Danville, the overflow town, the same nights showed 10 places at a median of $212. [1]
  • For a weekend with no home game, 4–6 December 2026, Booking.com showed 41 places with rooms in Champaign, at a median of $198 for two nights. [1]

Live hotel prices around Gies Memorial Stadium

Loading the live map…

The map is provided by Stay22 and uses cookies. Showing it loads Stay22 for this visit only.

We earn a commission if you book through this map. It never changes how we rank the zones.

Game day at Gies Memorial Stadium: parking, traffic and buses

Street closures

Fourth Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Kirby Avenue is closed to pre-game traffic, and Kirby Avenue from First Street to Oak Street closes three hours before kickoff. [6]

Rideshare

Uber and Lyft pick up and drop off at the State Farm Center circle drives, reached from First Street or Fourth Street. [4]

Clear bags

Clear plastic or vinyl bags up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, a clear drawstring bag up to 12 x 12, a one-gallon clear storage bag, or a clutch no bigger than 4.5 x 7 inches. The Grange Express Entrance takes no bags at all. [6]

Grange Grove

For the November 2026 Nebraska game, the Grange Grove tailgate area opened at 7 a.m. on game day and stayed open until an hour after the game; RVs could park in Lot 33 from 1 p.m. the day before. [5]

Ticket office

The ticket office in the west lobby of State Farm Center opens at 9 a.m. for games before 3 p.m., and at noon for later kickoffs. Children two and under get in free on a lap. [6]

Premium seating

Premium guests enter through the west-side premium lobby at Gates 16 and 18; suites and club areas open two hours before kickoff and close an hour after the game. [6]

App

Tickets and parking passes live in the Fighting Illini app, upgraded for 2026 with a game-day Game Center. [4]

Getting back after the game

From the Neil and First Street hotels you can walk back in 12–22 minutes and skip the post-game traffic routes. [4]

Getting to Champaign

Driving

Champaign sits where I-57, I-74 and I-72 meet: about two and a half hours from downtown Chicago or Indianapolis with no traffic. [9]

Flying

Willard Airport (CMI), south of town, is 17 minutes from the stadium. [9]

Flying in

University of Illinois Willard (CMI) is 17 minutes' drive from the stadium with no traffic (7.3 mi). [9]

Travel news for the 2027 season

  • Illinois scheduled Notre Dame (away 4 September 2027, home 2 September 2028) and added FIU for 28 August 2027. [2]
  • For 2026 Illinois added lot-specific traffic routes, moved rideshare to the State Farm Center circle drives and installed new videoboards. [4]

Illinois game weekends: questions fans ask

What is the closest hotel to Gies Memorial Stadium?

The iHotel and Conference Center at 1900 South First Street, a 12 minute walk (0.6 miles). Four more hotels on South Neil Street are 14–22 minutes away. [9]

Where should I stay if Champaign-Urbana is sold out?

Rantoul, 28 minutes north on I-57, or Tuscola, 33 minutes south. Danville is 44 minutes east. [9]

When are Illinois's 2027 home games?

FIU opens the season on 28 August and Delaware comes on 11 September. Indiana, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA and Wisconsin play in Champaign too, with dates still to come from the Big Ten. [2]

Where do Uber and Lyft drop off for Illinois games?

At the State Farm Center circle drives, from First Street or Fourth Street. [4]

How much is parking at Illinois football games?

Single-game lots were $30 a car for the Nebraska game in November 2026, cashless. [5]

What bags can I take into Gies Memorial Stadium?

A clear bag up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, a clear drawstring bag up to 12 x 12, a one-gallon clear storage bag, or a small clutch up to 4.5 x 7 inches. The Grange Express Entrance allows no bags. [6]

When does the Illinois ticket office open on game day?

At 9 a.m. for kickoffs before 3 p.m. and at noon for later games, in the west lobby of State Farm Center. [6]

Is Notre Dame playing in Champaign?

Not in 2027: Illinois plays at Notre Dame on 4 September 2027. Notre Dame comes to Champaign on 2 September 2028. [2]

Sources

  1. Our reading of Booking.com search results (two nights, two adults, before taxes): searches for Champaign, Illinois, United States on booking.com, for the nights given with each reading, FootballStay (10 November 2026). Checked November 10, 2026.
  2. Illinois and Notre Dame Schedule Home-And-Home for 2027 and 2028, University of Illinois Athletics, FightingIllini.com (3 November 2026). Checked November 10, 2026.
  3. Illinois Adds 2027 Home Game Against Delaware, University of Illinois Athletics, FightingIllini.com (21 January 2026). Checked November 10, 2026.
  4. 10 Days to Game Day: 10 Enhancements at Gies Memorial Stadium, University of Illinois Athletics, FightingIllini.com (24 August 2026). Checked November 10, 2026.
  5. Friday Night Football Parking Advisory, University of Illinois Athletics, FightingIllini.com (3 November 2026). Checked November 10, 2026.
  6. Gies Memorial Stadium Gameday Information, University of Illinois Athletics, FightingIllini.com (2026 season). Checked November 10, 2026.
  7. Memorial Stadium (Champaign), Wikipedia. Checked November 10, 2026.
  8. City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2025 (Vintage 2025), U.S. Census Bureau. Checked November 10, 2026.
  9. Routed walk and drive times (OSRM on OpenStreetMap, no traffic), FOSSGIS routing.openstreetmap.de. Checked November 10, 2026.
  10. Hotel positions and addresses, OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Checked November 10, 2026.

Photos

Photos are openly licensed, resized and cropped for this page. None shows a hotel we list or implies endorsement.

Walk and drive times are routed on OpenStreetMap with no traffic; game-day traffic adds to them. Found something out of date? Tell us and we fix it with a dated correction.

FootballStay is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the NFL, the NCAA, any conference, university or team. Team and stadium names are used only to describe where games are played.

Keep planning

The season planner: every home weekend we cover, by how hard rooms will be. Every college football team we cover, ranked by stadium seats per resident. How we rate weekends.