Sports

For anyone who has ever arrived at a Texas Longhorns football game wondering which gate to use, where the nearest restroom is or how to find a particular pregame attraction, Texas Athletics is trying to make gameday a little easier.

A new interactive 3D map is now available for Texas Football gamedays at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, putting stadium amenities and several popular pregame destinations into one mobile-friendly digital experience. The map debuted for the Longhorns’ 2026 home opener against Texas State on Saturday, Sept. 5. (University of Texas Athletics)

For families bringing children to DKR, first-time visitors learning their way around the Forty Acres and longtime season-ticket holders trying to find something specific, the idea is straightforward: spend less time searching and more time enjoying the day.

What Fans Can Find on the New DKR Interactive Map

Powered by Mappedin, the Texas Longhorns interactive stadium map allows users to locate seating areas, concessions, restrooms, first aid stations, water stations, entrance gates and Fan Services from a mobile device.

Fans can access the map through the Texas Longhorns app, presented by Huntington Bank, or online through the Texas Athletics website. (University of Texas Athletics)

That makes the tool useful both before leaving home and while walking around the stadium on Texas Football gameday.

The map also connects fans with experiences outside DKR’s gates, an increasingly important part of Saturdays at the University of Texas.

(Source: Texas Longhorns)

Texas Football Gameday Now Stretches Well Beyond the Stadium

A Longhorns home game has become much more than kickoff and four quarters of football.

Texas Athletics currently organizes its pregame experience around five signature destinations: Bevo Blvd presented by H-E-B, Longhorn City Limits presented by Hollister, Smokey’s Midway presented by Conecuh Sausage, Hook ’Em Hangout and Big Bertha’s Bazaar. Those areas feature a mix of live music, food, games, Texas traditions, family activities and fan experiences surrounding DKR. (University of Texas Athletics)

The new digital map is designed to pull those pieces together in one place.

That could be especially helpful for people visiting Austin for a Texas Longhorns football game for the first time. Instead of relying on a static map or trying to figure out where different attractions are located after arriving, fans can use the 3D platform to see how the stadium and surrounding gameday destinations fit together.

New Fan Journeys Help Different Fans Plan Different Kinds of Saturdays

The interactive map also works alongside Texas Athletics’ new Texas Football Fan Journeys program, launched for the 2026 season.

The program divides suggested gameday experiences into three tracks: Families, Explorers and Essentials. 

The Families Journey is geared toward parents and children looking for activities, traditions, photo opportunities and other family-friendly stops.

The Explorers Journey focuses more on the food, drinks, sights, sounds, fashion and photo opportunities surrounding a Longhorns gameday.

The Essentials Journey is designed for first-time visitors and dedicated Texas fans who want to experience many of the program’s best-known traditions and gameday highlights. 

The map gives those recommendations a practical layer. A fan can not only decide what sounds interesting, but also see where it is located.

Texas Athletics summed up the relationship between the two programs this way: “The Fan Journeys program answers, ‘What should I experience?’ The interactive map answers, ‘Where is it?’ And upcoming wayfinding features will answer, ‘How do I get there?’”

Step-by-Step Directions Are Planned Next

The current map is only the first phase.

Texas Athletics says step-by-step wayfinding is expected to be added as the platform develops, eventually allowing fans to select a destination and receive routing directions directly to it.

That could make a noticeable difference inside a stadium that welcomes tens of thousands of people on a home football Saturday, particularly when fans are trying to find a specific concession stand, service area or attraction without missing too much of the game.

The technology also ties into several other 2026 gameday upgrades at DKR. Texas Athletics and Sodexo Live! have expanded food and beverage offerings this season, while 16 additional self-checkout units bring the stadium’s total to 105. The school has also promoted its interactive mapping technology as a way to help fans locate specific food and beverage items more quickly. 

Texas Athletics Says the Map Will Keep Changing

Texas Athletics Deputy Athletics Director Drew Martin said the goal is to make the broader gameday experience easier to explore.

“We can't wait for Longhorn Nation to use our new interactive map beginning with this week's season opener versus Texas State,” Martin said. “There is so much that makes gameday so special, and our goal is to make it even easier for fans to discover and navigate. By connecting Fan Journeys, an interactive 3D map and eventually step-by-step wayfinding, we're creating a more intuitive way for fans to explore DKR and everything surrounding it. This is just the beginning of what we believe can become an incredibly powerful tool for the Texas gameday.” 

Texas Athletics plans to continue refining the platform throughout the football season based on how fans use it. Locations, routing and other features may be adjusted as feedback comes in. 

For Austin-area Longhorn fans, the practical benefit may be the simplest one: a packed Texas Football Saturday comes with plenty to see and do, and now there is one more tool for figuring out where to go next.

Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more Austin-area events, University of Texas updates and community news that matters to local residents.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

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