Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2020

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2020. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    • Travel Guides
    • Flight Deals
    • Travel Deals
    • Ways to Save
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Disney Vacations
    • Festivals + Events
    • Airlines + Airports
    • Buses + Trains
    • Ground Transportation
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Attractions
  3. Sports
  4. America's Best Baseball Stadiums

America's Best Baseball Stadiums

By Chris Abell ,  Chris Abell and Yelena Moroz and Yelena Moroz
May 30, 2015
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: © Scott Kemper / Alamy
“Baseball stadiums are epicenters of community pride,” says Wayne McDonnell, clinical associate professor of sports management at New York University. “It’s an extension of who they [the communities] are; each park has something that the others don’t.” Take Miami’s Marlins Park. The swanky stadium, completed in 2012, features a South Beach-worthy pool, two 450-gallon aquariums, a retractable roof, and guacamole-jalapeno-topped Tater Tots. Just a few years old, the park already reflects its flamboyant hometown.

The best ballparks play to their particular strengths, whether it’s an easily accessible location with skyline views, exhibitions honoring bygone greats, or craft beers served by fire pits overlooking left field. Classics such as Fenway Park and Wrigley Field—each over 100 years old—still use hand-operated scoreboards and keep baseball’s history alive, while others have introduced decidedly modern features like the synchronized music and light show that follows every home run at Detroit’s Comerica Park.

The fusion of sports with entertainment has grown tremendously over the last decade, and as a result, you no longer need to bleed your team’s colors to embrace the ballpark experience. With over 70 million people pouring into parks each season, many stadiums are rivaling amusement parks. “When you walk through the turnstiles, you’re getting one-stop shopping for the entire family,” says McDonnell.

Kids can play mini-golf or ride a carousel at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium, for instance, while parents can enjoy one (or several) of the 75 available craft beers. At San Francisco’s waterfront AT&T Park, children can tackle the Coca-Cola Superslide, 465 feet from home plate, as adults sip wines sourced from nearby Napa Valley and paired with Dungeness crab sandwiches.

The fun may not always be old-fashioned these days, but it’s still part of the all-American tradition of a day out at the ball game. As Walt Whitman put it: “Baseball has the snap, go, fling of the American atmosphere. It is the place where memory gathers.” So take yourself out to one of the best baseball stadiums and start building those memories.
Start Slideshow

1 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Coors Field: Colorado Rockies

Credit: Russell Lansford / Icon SMI / Corbis

Fans in the Mile High City are treated to spectacular Rocky Mountain views, particularly from the purple-colored seats at precisely 5,280 feet above sea level. But keep your eye on the ball because games here move at a faster pace. High altitude dries and hardens the baseballs, so they actually fly 9 percent faster up in the mountains. Known as a “hitter’s park,” Coors Field tends to get high-scoring games with quite a few home runs. It’s also a hit for cheap Rockpile bleacher seats (as low as $4) and the stadium’s brick warehouse look, which fits in with the surrounding LoDo neighborhood.

colorado.rockies.mlb.com

1 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

PNC Park: Pittsburgh Pirates

Credit: © Vespasian / Alamy

Even the highest seat in this stately two-level ballpark (the only one in MLB) is just 88 feet from the field, so prepare for terrific views of the action as well as the Pittsburgh skyline and the Allegheny River—where decked-out fans wait in boats and kayaks for a stray ball. On game days, the Roberto Clemente Bridge closes to traffic so that you can walk across it and take the adjoining river walk to the stadium. Pup Nights on select Tuesdays, local favorites like Primanti Brother's Almost Famous sandwiches and Quaker Steak & Lube wings, and quirky entertainment like pierogi mascot races make a summer outing to PNC pitch perfect.

2 of 15

3 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Citi Field: New York Mets

Credit: Tim Clayton / Corbis

New York’s culinary melting pot has come to Citi Field, which opened in 2009 with improved sightlines, a sunlit rotunda honoring Brooklyn slugger Jackie Robinson, and a lineup of gourmet ballpark food. Show up hungry to feast on lobster rolls from James Beard-Award-winning chef Dave Pasternack; finger-licking-good ribs from Danny Meyer’s Blue Smoke (Meyer also runs the cultish Shake Shack and El Verano Taquería.); or "Meat the Mets," a Creole chicken, pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, and jalapeño pizza by newcomer Two Boots. Wash it down with more than 60 beers, including local brews, and gourmet Coolhaus ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

3 of 15

Advertisement

4 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Marlins Park: Miami Marlins

Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy

The Little Havana-based Marlins Park, which debuted for the 2012 season, is already making a big splash—literally, with two 450-gallon tanks featuring nearly 100 tropical fish. Try the aquatic life yourself with a dip in the Clevelander’s pool, a South Beach party outpost complete with animal-print-body-painted dancers and celeb DJs spinning at each game. A kaleidoscopic mosaic walkway, mango slaw-topped SoBe dogs, and a 73-foot marlin (and flamingo) sculpture that rotates to celebrate home runs also reflect Miami’s flamboyant influence.

miami.marlins.mlb.com

4 of 15

5 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Baltimore Orioles

Credit: Frank Vetere / Alamy

No park blends the old with the new quite like Camden Yards. Constructed over an old railroad station and what was once a café owned by Babe Ruth’s father (now centerfield), the downtown stadium harks back to baseball’s early days—even though it opened in 1992. The stadium is largely credited with starting the league-wide trend toward parks built with an eye toward integrating neighborhoods and serving regional cuisine. Follow that smoky aroma over to Boog’s Barbecue, where the thing to order is a pit beef sandwich topped with thinly sliced raw onions and secret sauce.

baltimore.orioles.mlb.com

5 of 15

6 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

AT&T Park: San Francisco Giants

Credit: © Ron Niebrugge / Alamy Stock Photo

The City by the Bay got an award-winning waterfront ballpark in 2000, witnessed some of outfielder Barry Bonds's record-setting home runs, and hosted World Series games in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Fans can also cheer about the wine list sourced from nearby vineyards. Fans hoping to fish out long balls that splash into McCovey Cove (named in honor of Giants slugger Willie McCovey) station themselves in kayaks just outside the stadium. Others scope out park attractions like the Coca-Cola Fan Lot, with its 26-foot-high by 30-foot-wide baseball glove; four twisty slides; and Little Giants Park, a kid-size replica. No tickets? Head to the south side right field wall for a free glimpse of the action through one of the four portholes.

6 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fenway Park: Boston Red Sox

Credit: Richard T. Nowitz / Corbis

As historic as the city of Boston, the Green Monster celebrated its 100th season in 2012 and remains much as it did when it opened. You don’t need to be a die-hard Red Sox fan to appreciate its original architecture, the hand-operated scoreboard, and the red-painted seat in the right-field bleachers that marks Fenway’s longest measurable homer (hit by Ted Williams in 1946). Whether you’re singing “Sweet Caroline” or downing a pitcher at the nearby Cask 'n Flagon on Lansdowne Street, you’re cementing its legacy.

7 of 15

8 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Comerica Park: Detroit Tigers

Credit: © Ralf-Finn Hestoft / Corbis

Kids score big at Comerica Park thanks to its 50-foot Ferris wheel and the tiger-clad carousel at the base of the food court; come on Sunday, and kids 14 and younger ride for free. But grown-ups have a playground of their own at the 1940s-style Cigar Bar of the Tiger Club, stocked with 20 cigar varieties and a baby grand. Whether you’ve got club access or nosebleed seats, you’ll appreciate the Bellagio-like liquid fireworks—a synchronized light and music fountain that shoots up 150 feet in the air through more than 900 nozzles to celebrate each home run.

detroit.tigers.mlb.com

8 of 15

9 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Yankee Stadium: New York Yankees

Credit: © Chris Selby / Alamy Stock Photo

Welcome to the modern-day coliseum. Though it's not The House That Ruth Built, the new Yankee Stadium still honors pinstripe legends. After all, the epic team has won more championships than anyone else in the major leagues. Stop by Monument Park, relocated from the original ballpark across the street, to pay homage to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle. And treat yourself to Torrisi's meatball parm sandwich in the Great Hall between gates 4 and 6.

9 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Miller Park: Milwaukee Brewers

Credit: Andre Jenny / Alamy

Tailgating parties here rival those prior to NFL games, so don’t be alarmed by that smoky haze visible from I-94. It billows up from thousands of grills sprawled across the 12,500-car lot where fans have been cooking up pregame chow. Come early because the line to the lot starts hours before the game. By the time you’re inside, you may be ready for round two: helpings of the stadium’s bratwursts, Polish sausages, chorizos, and bacon-wrapped hot dogs. Rally for your favorite link in the Famous Racing Sausagessprinting extravaganza on the field. And don’t let any foul weather deter you; Miller Field’s retractable roof can open and close in about 10 minutes.

milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com

10 of 15

11 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Wrigley Field: Chicago Cubs

Credit: © Carrie Garcia / Alamy

Wrigley Field is built on holy ground—a former seminary, to be precise, though America’s second-oldest ballpark is pretty sacred in its own right. The original scoreboard is still hand-operated and the iconic ivy on the outfield wall grows so thick that balls can get lost in the foliage. New traditions are embraced with zeal. Bill Murray and Ozzy Osbourne are among those who've seized the microphone for unconventional takes on “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Sure, the Cubs may not have won a championship since 1908, but the fan camaraderie is unmistakable. Wrigleyville prides itself with neighborhood-wide parties. The stadium is currently in the midst of a multi-year renovation project, which includes a new jumbotron, expanded bleachers, and upgraded player facilities.

chicago.cubs.mlb.com

11 of 15

12 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Safeco Field, Seattle Mariners

Credit: © Max Herman / Alamy Stock Photo

Come early for happy hour at the newly opened 'Pen to get your fill of $5 beers and star-chef Ethan Stowell’s oyster po’boys. Then settle into the stadium, which offers sunset views of the Puget Sound and Seattle skyline. It borders Pioneer Square, an area that includes artist studios, shops, and restaurants. Baseball-inspired works by Pacific Northwestern artists are on display, including a chandelier made from 1,000 resin baseball bats, located above the home-plate entry way. The 12-by-9-foot abstract bronze catcher's mitt is a popular photo-op as is the team mascot, the Mariner Moose, which can be found in the main concourse’s Moose Den.

12 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Petco Park: San Diego Padres

Credit: © ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy

You can’t go wrong with your seating at Petco Park, which has some of the best sightlines in baseball and is served by the trolley line. Join families and couples for a picnic on the grassy area beyond the outfield wall prior to Sunday home games. Or time your visit to Friday for theme parties like 80s Night, Ultimate Cookout, and Beerfest at the park near the whiffle ball field. Postgame, the fun spills over to the nearby Gaslamp District.

sandiego.padres.mlb.com

13 of 15

14 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Kauffman Stadium: Kansas City Royals

Credit: Getty Images

The Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium is not new, but it’s experienced a recent surge in fan appreciation. Thanks in part to a $250 million renovation finished in 2009, the sixth-oldest stadium in the majors (it opened in 1973) now offers one of the sport’s best game-day experiences. The 84’ x 104’ high-definition LED display screen is not only one of the world’s biggest, it’s also one of the most unique: Together with the massive golden crown atop it, the screen forms the shape of the Royals logo. Waterfalls flow constantly behind the fence in right field, where powerful fountains create a majestic backdrop between innings and before and after games. Grab one of 75 craft beers at Craft and Draft, and enjoy creative sandwiches from celebrity chef Andrew ZImmern or some barbecue at Sweet Baby Ray’s.

14 of 15

15 of 15

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Target Field: Minnesota Twins

Credit: © Scott Kemper / Alamy

The downtown location makes Target Field one of the most accessible ballparks in America, so go ahead and pedal to the gates. Grab a Kramarczuk's brat or a walleye-on-a-stick. When temperatures start to drop, the left-field sanctuary brings relief in the form of cozy fire pits and views of the Minneapolis skyline.

minnesota.twins.mlb.com

15 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Chris Abell ,  Chris Abell and Yelena Moroz and Yelena Moroz

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 15 Coors Field: Colorado Rockies
2 of 15 PNC Park: Pittsburgh Pirates
3 of 15 Citi Field: New York Mets
4 of 15 Marlins Park: Miami Marlins
5 of 15 Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Baltimore Orioles
6 of 15 AT&T Park: San Francisco Giants
7 of 15 Fenway Park: Boston Red Sox
8 of 15 Comerica Park: Detroit Tigers
9 of 15 Yankee Stadium: New York Yankees
10 of 15 Miller Park: Milwaukee Brewers
11 of 15 Wrigley Field: Chicago Cubs
12 of 15 Safeco Field, Seattle Mariners
13 of 15 Petco Park: San Diego Padres
14 of 15 Kauffman Stadium: Kansas City Royals
15 of 15 Target Field: Minnesota Twins

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

America's Best Baseball Stadiums
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.