Going to baeball games can be great fun. The sun, the smell of hot dogs, the gambling, getting a souvenir and obviously seeing your favorite team take the field. What can make the day even more special is seeing the game played in unique venue. Some stadiums have more character than others, better fans or better sight lines. Whatever that unique characteristic is, going to a game in that stadium is just a better day out - even if the home team doesn't play there. Here are my top baseball stadiums to see a game in...
1. Fenway Park
The oldest stadium in MLB and perhaps the location that is most revered among fans. Famous for the Green Monster that dominates left field, Pesky Pole in right, the manual scoreboard and the odd garage and triangle in centre. In the past couple of seasons the Red Sox ownership have taken advantage of the success of the team and the demand for tickets and have added seats in some odd places at Fenway. The top of the Green Monster now holds some of the most sought after seats and the seats on top of the Budweiser sign are gaining traction. Whoever the BoSox are playing it is guaranteed to be a sell out, so plan early and make certain you see this Park.
2. Wrigley Field
"The Friendly Confines" isn't far behind Fenway in terms of age, it's reverence and some odd seats. Located in the middle of a residential area it has some of the most die-hard fans, who have even taken to naming their children after the Field. With the ivy covered brick wall in the outfield, the crazy bleacher bums and the ability to watch games from the roof tops of neighbouring buildings, going to Wrigley is a fun day out - just make sure it is a day game and that Ozzy Osbourne isn't signing "take me out to the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.
3. AT&T Park
For those of you who can't keep up with stadium naming rights - AT&T Park was SBC Park and before that Pac Bell Park. Ring a bell now? (no pun intended)The home of the San Francisco Giants is located in the waterfront and gives you an extraordinary view of the golden gate bridge and the appropriately named McCovey Cove beyond the right field wall. Between the giant Coke bottle, over sized mitt and being able to hit home runs into the water and seeing kayakers go after them like they rare gems, this Park has something for all fans. Even though it was built in 2000, they have taken cues from the older stadiums like Fenway and Wrigley and have a manual scoreboard to compliment the HD scoreboard. Although you won't get to see any more Barry Bonds home runs into McCovey Cove you can still see some great action at AT&T Park
4. Camden Yards
The first of the new-old stadiums that were built in the 1990's and 2000's, Oriole Park at Camden Yards first opened its gates to fans in 1992. Opened in the Baltimore harbour area it launched a new wave of building around the stadium that made going to the ballpark fun again. The shops, restaurants and bars made the game an experience instead of a chore. Like the ballparks named above Camden also has some special traits that endears it to fans. The B&O Warehouse building stands behind left field and was incorporated into the design instead of being torn down. Although many players have tried, only one has it on the fly since it opened - Griffey Jr. during the 1993 All-Star game Home Run Derby. Another unique feature of the Stadium is the two-tiered bullpen. The first of its kind in the major leagues is very cool to see in action, even though it holds bad memories for some Jays fans (think '93 All-Star game, Mussina warming up and not getting into the game). A fun evening and a great seat can be had at Camden Yards.
5. Miller Park
The home of the Milwaukee Brewers since 2001, Miller Park is always going to provide fans with a great day/night to watch a ballgame. The innovative retractable roof that was built in a convertible style like a fan, can open and close in 10 minutes. What is even better about this stadium is the open style windows in the outfield that let in natural light and allow grass to be grown instead of using artificial turf. This makes playing and watching a game so much better. Again, like the other stadiums on the list, Miller Park does not shy away from having attractions in and around the stadium. Unlike some of the others, Miller Park concentrates more of theirs in-stadium and in-game. With some of the best food choices in the concession area, and obviously fresh beer it helps keeping fans happy. Other activities to look out for is the sausage race in the middle of the 6th inning and mascot Bernie Brewer goes down a slide into a mug of beer. Luckiest mascot ever!
1. Fenway Park
The oldest stadium in MLB and perhaps the location that is most revered among fans. Famous for the Green Monster that dominates left field, Pesky Pole in right, the manual scoreboard and the odd garage and triangle in centre. In the past couple of seasons the Red Sox ownership have taken advantage of the success of the team and the demand for tickets and have added seats in some odd places at Fenway. The top of the Green Monster now holds some of the most sought after seats and the seats on top of the Budweiser sign are gaining traction. Whoever the BoSox are playing it is guaranteed to be a sell out, so plan early and make certain you see this Park.
2. Wrigley Field
"The Friendly Confines" isn't far behind Fenway in terms of age, it's reverence and some odd seats. Located in the middle of a residential area it has some of the most die-hard fans, who have even taken to naming their children after the Field. With the ivy covered brick wall in the outfield, the crazy bleacher bums and the ability to watch games from the roof tops of neighbouring buildings, going to Wrigley is a fun day out - just make sure it is a day game and that Ozzy Osbourne isn't signing "take me out to the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.
3. AT&T Park
For those of you who can't keep up with stadium naming rights - AT&T Park was SBC Park and before that Pac Bell Park. Ring a bell now? (no pun intended)The home of the San Francisco Giants is located in the waterfront and gives you an extraordinary view of the golden gate bridge and the appropriately named McCovey Cove beyond the right field wall. Between the giant Coke bottle, over sized mitt and being able to hit home runs into the water and seeing kayakers go after them like they rare gems, this Park has something for all fans. Even though it was built in 2000, they have taken cues from the older stadiums like Fenway and Wrigley and have a manual scoreboard to compliment the HD scoreboard. Although you won't get to see any more Barry Bonds home runs into McCovey Cove you can still see some great action at AT&T Park
4. Camden Yards
The first of the new-old stadiums that were built in the 1990's and 2000's, Oriole Park at Camden Yards first opened its gates to fans in 1992. Opened in the Baltimore harbour area it launched a new wave of building around the stadium that made going to the ballpark fun again. The shops, restaurants and bars made the game an experience instead of a chore. Like the ballparks named above Camden also has some special traits that endears it to fans. The B&O Warehouse building stands behind left field and was incorporated into the design instead of being torn down. Although many players have tried, only one has it on the fly since it opened - Griffey Jr. during the 1993 All-Star game Home Run Derby. Another unique feature of the Stadium is the two-tiered bullpen. The first of its kind in the major leagues is very cool to see in action, even though it holds bad memories for some Jays fans (think '93 All-Star game, Mussina warming up and not getting into the game). A fun evening and a great seat can be had at Camden Yards.
5. Miller Park
The home of the Milwaukee Brewers since 2001, Miller Park is always going to provide fans with a great day/night to watch a ballgame. The innovative retractable roof that was built in a convertible style like a fan, can open and close in 10 minutes. What is even better about this stadium is the open style windows in the outfield that let in natural light and allow grass to be grown instead of using artificial turf. This makes playing and watching a game so much better. Again, like the other stadiums on the list, Miller Park does not shy away from having attractions in and around the stadium. Unlike some of the others, Miller Park concentrates more of theirs in-stadium and in-game. With some of the best food choices in the concession area, and obviously fresh beer it helps keeping fans happy. Other activities to look out for is the sausage race in the middle of the 6th inning and mascot Bernie Brewer goes down a slide into a mug of beer. Luckiest mascot ever!
Where is the Skydome on the list? It was number 2 on the USA Today list of the 10 best seats in Baseball.
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