Ranking My Top 5 MLB Ballparks
Be ready to hear about my top 5 MLB ballparks, and they may be controversial!
Many baseball enthusiasts look to visit every stadium in the major leagues, and there's a good reason behind this. Compared to other sports played in relatively identical arenas each baseball stadium stands as a distinctive space. With differentiating field dimensions, unique design, and different surroundings, the experience of watching a game in one city greatly differs from witnessing the same two teams play in another. For each ballpark, we will break it down into 3 different categories, In Stadium Food, Ballpark Experience and Non-Ballpark Experience.
No. 5 Tropicana Field (Tampa, FL)
Tropicana Field may be a pretty controversial top 5 stadium, but I weirdly enjoyed my time there. The Trop is located in Downtown St. Petersburg which allows almost all of the Tampa Bay area to easily access the games. The uniqueness of the ballpark really interested me. From the AC cooled stadium, to the ability to hold events regardless of the weather in Florida. Although the best fan experiences may be right outside the stadium at Ferg’s Sports Bar, there are a few very unique things that should draw crowds to the Rays stadium.
In-Stadium Food:
I honestly was very underwhelmed with the food that was offered at Tropicana Field. Let’s not forget to mention the prices were insane for a ballpark that has a hard time drawing fans to their games in the first place. There wasn't a food item that made me say “WOW” which I was pretty disappointed in as I love trying the top-tier or fan favorite foods at each stadium.
Since I was underwhelmed after walking around the entire stadium looking for something to catch my eye, I settled on a sausage with peppers and a souvenir soda. The sausage was on a hotdog bun and they put barbecue sauce on it? I was a bit confused with the barbeque sauce, and I was extremely underwhelmed with the food. The souvenir cup was a must but it was $20… A sausage and a soda cost me $40, pretty steep if you ask me if you are trying to draw people into your stadium.
Ballpark Experience:
This is where I think the Trop excels but also fails compared to some other stadiums. The Ray Tank and 162 Landing are really cool to check out before the game starts that way you're able to really take it in and check it out. But, there’s some very weird things going on in the Trop as well.
The Ray Tank is a very unique experience that I thought was a great touch to Tropicana Field to really separate themselves from other ballparks. In center field, you’ll find a 10,000 gallon touch tank full of cow-nose sting rays. The tank is free to every ticketed fan but the tank closes roughly two hours before first pitch.
162 Landing has a great historical background to it and it’s interesting to any baseball history junky. On the last day of the 2011 regular season, the Rays mounted an amazing comeback against the Yankees after being down 7 runs in the 8th inning. A Red Sox loss would help them punch their most improbable ticket to the postseason. A walk off home run hit by Evan Longoria just over the left field wall you’ll find a floor marker where the historic home run landed, as well as a wall display recapping the craziness of that game and the other included in the Rays improbable scenario.
The biggest problem I had with Tropicana Field was the environment of the stadium. I enjoyed the AC cooling system especially in the heat of the summer, but the environment was dead. I went to Tampa Bay versus Miami. Two in-state rivals. It was the end of July. There was nobody there. I almost felt like I could hear a pin drop. The stadium had hard wood floors around the seats, their in-game entertainment was almost non-existent and their food service area gave me vibes from a mall food court.
Non-Ballpark Experience:
Ferg’s Sports Bar carried the Non-Ballpark Experience for me. Live Music, drinks, bar food and a ton of Rays fans jammed into a bar was a great experience for me. The food and drinks were well priced and good. They also have an indoor golfing simulator and axe throwing. What more could someone want before going to watch some baseball. Downtown St. Petersburg has other great spots like Engine No. 9, and Red Mesa Cantina.
No. 4 Citizen Bank Park (Philadelphia, PA)
Citizen Bank Park was a fantastic environment and was a ballpark I would most defiantly travel to again. The Philly natives are in love with their team and are most defiantly die-hards. “The Bank” is in a great sports lovers area. Wells Fargo Arena (Home of the 76ers and Flyers) and Lincoln Financial Field (Home of the Eagles) are all in the same parking lot with an amazing environment. Philly fans are a different breed and it all goes into the experience of going to The Bank for a game.
In-Stadium Food:
Philadelphia is known for Chickie’s and Pete’s Crab Seasoning. That crab seasoning is like Frank’s Red Hot, they put that shit on everything. I went ahead and tried the famous Chickie’s and Pete’s Crab Fries with cheese sauce and after my first bite, I 100% understood the hype around these fries. I also enjoyed an ice cold Yuengling beer which is brewed local to Philadelphia.
The Bank also had many different local breweries inside the stadium. They had different flights of local brews that we tried at the stadium.
Ballpark Experience:
The Baseball experience in this ballpark was incredible. Being here for a playoff game was surreal even if I didn’t care who won. Philly fans are just built different. They’re animals. They put all of their hearts into their team and it shows. Calling the Philly natives diehards might be a disgrace to how much they love this team. The energy was felt all game long, especially when Bryson Stott demolished this baseball to extend the Phillies lead over the Marlins.
A really cool spot in Citizen’s Bank Park is “The Yard”. The Yard is a 70-foot-deep field where in game promotions are held. Kids can play wiffle ball, a 30-foot-tall climbing wall and more. Although there isn’t much more in stadium activities other than food and such, there is a very cool Wall of Fame inside the park that pays tribute to some of the greatest Phillies players in their history.
Non-Ballpark Experience:
Like I previously talked about before, you’re in a great environment in South Philly. Citizen’s Bank Park is a unreal sports complex with the Wells Fargo Center, Lincoln Financial Field as well as a casino, hotels and The Xfinity Live bar which is one of the craziest sports bars I’ve ever been into.
I’ve been to the Bank twice and once was when the Phillies played a 1pm game while the Eagles played at 4pm and the Flyers played at 7pm. It was the rowdiest sports environment I had ever been in. There were fans that went to all three games as each stadium is walking distance to each other.
No. 3 Citi Field (Flushing, NY)
Citi Field might actually be the most fan friendly stadium in all of the MLB. Parking is easy, food is good and the stadium is on the newer side. The Mets are normally a very solid team with star players too, but, they also seem to have a hard time drawing fans in. I have a hard time trying to figure out why that have a hard time drawing people in because I LOVE Citi Field.
In-Stadium Food:
Citi really impressed me with their food options. Their famous “WOWFulls” were fantastic. A freshly made hot waffle with ice cream and toppings. The price tag of $15 per item was definitely steep, but in my opinion, extremely worth it. One item I didn’t get to try but I wanted to was the Glazed Donut chicken sandwich from Jacob’s Pickles. The line was insanely long so we decided to skip it for the time being, but on my next trip, I will be waiting in the line or getting there early for a chance to try it out.
Ballpark Experience:
Citi Field was one of their first MLB Stadiums to introduce flickering LED lights as part of celebrations of in game activities like home runs. Experiencing that for the first time during a game was very electric and showed the energy that can be brought at MLB games. Another very unique experience at Citi Field is Closer, Edwin Diaz’s walk-out song, Narco by Timmy Trumpet. Diaz was known for his electric walk-up song as his dominance took over the MLB as the best closer in the league. When the Trumpets sounded, Mets fans and the opposing team knew they were up against the odds.
Non-Ballpark Experience:
The Non-Ballpark Experience to me is why this ballpark isn’t higher on my list. Being in New York is hard to add a good non-ballpark experience. There is nothing around the stadium to do pre-game unless you want to wait in 2 hours worth of traffic to drive 10 miles, and yes, that’s what I decided to do unfortunately. Famous Coney Island is just a few miles away from Citi Field but with New York traffic, I wouldn’t recommend going on game days. With that being said, there’s nothing as of now on site for Mets fans to enjoy pre-game, but team owner Steve Cohen has plans to change that.
No. 2 PNC Park (Pittsburgh, PA)
PNC Park completely lived up to the hype. Unfortunately, the Pirates are just plain out bad at baseball because this stadium was BEAUTIFUL. There’s no other word to describe it honestly. With beautiful scenery behind the field with the Pittsburgh skyline, the Roberto Clemente Bridge just beyond the Allegheny River, it’s one of the hardest to beat views in all of Major League Baseball. I really hope the Pirates can start winning some baseball games because I just know that playoff baseball in Pittsburgh is needed and will be good for baseball.
In-Stadium Food:
When I went to PNC Park, the food honestly didn’t impress me. I didn’t find a food item that wowed me and made me want to try it. The stadium had the regular fan favorite chicken tenders, fresh fries and hot dogs. But, when I went to the game this summer, it was $1 hot dog night. When I say I had my fair share of hot dogs, I definitely took advantage of the promotion. I wish I had looked into more food options while I was there, I must’ve missed something that was delicious but never the less, the hot dogs were most certainly worth the $1.
Ballpark Experience:
The ballpark in Pittsburgh is beautiful. Just being inside the stadium is worth the price of admission. The skyline over the field is a sight to see when the sun starts to go down and the city lights light up the sky. The Pirates also had a promotion each night I was there. The team put on $1 hot dog night like I touched on before as well as a bobble head night and a firework night. These promotions will defiantly draw in potential consumers like it did for me. They also have the famous Mrs. T’s Pierogi race where 4 life sized pierogi’s race around the field!
During my trip to PNC Park I was also able to spend time on the field for batting practice pre-game from my longtime friend and Pirates pitcher, Tyler Beede. Tyler pitched at Auburn High, the same high school that I attended and we were able to meet up with him and watch him pitch which was an added point for the overall score of PNC Park.
Non-Ballpark Experience:
PNC Park is in a very unique spot in the downtown area of the Steel City. Right down the road is Acrisure Stadium (Home of the Pittsburgh Steelers) as well as many different restaurants right by the park. When we were in Pittsburgh, there was also some sort of block party right outside the game. There was free food, music and games all throughout the streets of Pittsburgh. I thought this was a different and cool touch from other stadiums as there was a legitimate party outside of the game before gates opened.
There are also life sized (or larger) statues of Pirates legends all around the stadiums and by Allegheny River there are all retired numbers of those legends.
No. 1 Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
Beautiful, 112 year old Fenway Park. The memories that this stadium holds for me over my first 21 years of life is enough to last me a lifetime. This place is undoubtably the best ballpark in all of Major League Baseball. From some of the worst seasons since 2012 to the best seasons in 2018, the Red Sox have been there for me to make sure my summers have forever memories. From taking trips with college friend to spending the day at the park for family birthdays, there are countless memories inside the boundaries of the Green Monster that catapults the beloved field to #1 in all of baseball.
In-Stadium Food:
Although there’s not an immense love for food at Fenway, there’s nothing better than getting to the ballpark and getting a hot steamed Fenway Frank. The crunch of a Kayem hotdog with a steamed bun just hits different at Fenway. Then get yourself a beverage from the Truly Deck in the outfield bleachers and you’re ready to watch some ball.
The most classic thing at Fenway on a hot summer day is the Soft Serve Helmet. A sweet melty success at Fenway that everyone loves which is also a souvenir!
Ballpark Experience:
The in-game ballpark experience is why you go to Fenway Park. Singing Sweet Caroline in the 8th inning, waiting until the last pitch to hear Dirty Water, energizing the team with the wave and the immense history that is within the ballpark.
People are in love with the Red Seat in the bleachers, signing their name on Pesky’s Pole, standing a-top of the Green Monster and just taking in the history in every single seat of the MLB’s oldest ballpark.
Celebrating a Walk-Off win might be one of the best things in baseball, but at Fenway, everyone is everyone friend and you just grab someone to celebrate with like you’ve known them your entire life.
There’s almost too many memories I have in this ballpark, its hard to pin point them all.
Being in attendance at Fenway is just something that you have to do as a baseball fan. The Fenway experience is like no other ballpark in America.
Non-Ballpark Experience:
Again, just like the In-Game Ballpark Experience, there is just something insanely different about Boston and the pregame experience. being able to take the T in from basically anywhere and getting to Yawkey Way early just hits different. Pre-game, the best spot in Boston is the Cask n’ Flagon. Hitting the Cask early before the game is almost a need in Boston. With an amazing atmosphere and great food it’s hard to go wrong.
One of the coolest things about Yawkey Way to me is right above the Pro-Shop, there are life sized baseball cards that share the Red Sox Starting line up for that game. Those cards are changed daily for each game, home or away.
On the way out of the game, grabbing a steak tip sandwich or a sausage and peppers from one of the carts around Fenway is a ritual, you just have to experience the tastes and smells that those carts emit.