The ultimate accomplishment on my bucket list is to see all baseball stadiums in the United States. It has been my goal for decades and will continue to be my goal until I finally complete it.
As it stands right now, I have seen 21 baseball stadiums, but 5 of them are now retired ballparks. Two were retired fairly recently, so I unfortunately had to update my active stadium count to 16.
One thing I love as much as travelling to these ballparks is creating lists and rankings of my favorite things. With that said, I will rank these 16 stadiums from “worst” to “first” for you all and provide insight on my experience there.
But first, I would like to acknowledge the retired ballparks that I had the pleasure of visiting before they were shut down. Starting with the worst stadium I have ever been in.
Turner Field (Atlanta)
Just an absolute dump. It was only in commission for 19 years before it was demolished. It was a boring stadium and even worse, it was a dirty stadium. There were roaches running around by my feet the entire game and the bathrooms were borderline unusable. The stench in the bathrooms was one of the worst smells I have ever encountered, and the overall state of this dilapidated stadium left no curiosity for me as to why it was closing.
I did happen to see a game there during the final season so they may have just decided to let it go at that point and cut maintenance costs, but it is easily the worst stadium I have ever seen. The experience was completely saved for me when Kelly Johnson clubbed a clutch pinch-hit home run in the 11th inning to lead the Mets to a 1-0 win.
Oakland Coliseum
Not as bad as Turner Field, but absolutely in the same tier. The A’s are surely going to enjoy their future in a massive Las Vegas stadium, and it is well-deserved considering the stadium conditions they had to endure here. The Oakland fanbase is top notch and loaded with die-hard fans who were super welcoming, but this is a stadium list and I mean no offense to any fanbases here.
Most of the stadium was closed due to an insanely low average attendance, so concessions were extremely limited. We eventually had to settle for plain old ballpark food, including chicken fingers, hot dogs, etc. The chicken fingers tasted like they were frozen for 3 years and microwaved for 45 seconds. Edible, but also not really.
Lastly, the bathrooms. Oh god the bathrooms. We had a group of over 10 men go into the bathroom to find that there was only one singular trough available to us. Needless to say, we got a lot closer as friends that day. It was a bottom of the barrel stadium experience and just a few roaches away from being worse than Turner Field.
Globe Life Park
The Texas Rangers now play in the mega stadium named Globe Life Field, but before that they played in Globe Life Park for 25 years. It was a short life for the stadium and despite being built in the 90s, it had an old vibe to it. I personally loved the stadium and enjoyed the feel of it all, but it definitely lacked the modern luster of current parks.
The center field area was very cool, and I loved the look of it. The right field seating had such an old-school feeling as well. But aside from the pleasing aesthetics, it was a wide-open stadium in one of the hottest climates in the country. I caught them on a bad day in which it was 105 degrees before the 4th inning. I was ROASTING behind home plate and had to escape for long periods of time to get frozen lemonades, water, ice cream, sodas and literally anything that could cool me off.
The concourse had a Fenway/Wrigley-ish vibe in terms of lacking many modern activations or concessions, but it lacked the nostalgia as the stadium was nearly the same age as me. I feel a sense of nostalgia in every stadium I visit only because I have been playing in these stadiums in video games and watching games in them on TV since I was 5 years old, but there is a huge difference between this and the nostalgia I felt l in the oldest stadiums in the league. It was a literal hot spot that lacked modern amenities but was damn beautiful to look at and sit in. It is one stadium that I miss.
Old Yankee Stadium
So much history in this stadium and that is all it was to be honest. I respect that it was built in 1923 and enjoyed that aspect of it along with Monument Park, but overall, it was a boring stadium. I went when I was very young and while I appreciated the history, it mostly left a lot to be desired. Luckily if I ever feel like reliving those memories, I can go to the New Yankee Stadium which is just an exact replica of it.
Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium was my first home as a young baseball fan. I spent so much of my childhood attending games here with my dad. I saw a wide variety of superstars and obscure players make their way through here and I loved every second of it. The 2006 Mets were my favorite team ever and I got to attend multiple games that season and the two seasons that followed. I watched my favorite player ever, David Wright, start his career here and I watched Mike Piazza end it here.
I enjoyed super stars like Johan Santana, Jose Reyes, Billy Wagner, and Carlos Beltran here. I even begged my dad so many times to take me when the Reds were in town so I could get a look at Ken Griffey Jr. There is nothing but good memories for me here, down to the last game I ever attended in which Johan Santana tossed a complete game shutout to keep the Mets playoff hopes alive in game 161 of the 2008 season.
Now, putting the memories aside, it was not the best stadium. It was built in the 1960s, so it was definitely an older park when I was able to enjoy it, but with that age comes lackluster concessions, bathrooms, and overall convenience. The walking ramps that led from the top of the extremely steep upper deck all the way down to street level brought some fun memories after big Mets wins but was largely inconvenient for fans. You also could not walk a full loop around the stadium as the outfield seating was entirely detached from the seating that ended at each foul pole.
To me, it will always be beautiful in its own right with the gigantic scoreboard in Right Field, the Left Field Bleachers, and the massive neon players on the outside paneling of the building, but putting my bias aside, it was a stadium that was outdated in its final days and could not keep up with the growing demands of baseball fans.
That is all for my honorable mentions/nods to the stadiums I have been to but will never host an MLB baseball game again. Now, on to the active stadium list. We start here at the bottom, and I mean the BOTTOM.
16. Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays)
This stadium, while it is out of commission this season, is still an active stadium until the Rays either relocate or build a new stadium in the Tampa area. This stadium is just not good. Most concession stands are closed, and the team stores leave much to be desire in terms of appearance and quality.
The field itself is not great in terms of quality and appearance. The catwalk looks bad and even interferes with high fly balls too. They do have a loyal fanbase when they are great, but for the most part, this stadium is typically empty. That certainly does factor into the overall fan experience and quality of the stadium. There are not many redeeming qualities to the home of the Rays.
15. Nationals Park (Washington Nationals)
It is not the worst, obviously. But it is far from the best. I found it to be just a boring stadium with little to no creative activations or interactive fan activities that typically boost the overall experience.
The food was very average, and this may be the Met fan bias coming out to play, but the fanbase was insufferable. The very limited range of chants/cheers they had for players and the team itself was annoying, if we are being honest. This was also 9 years ago so times may have changed in Nationals Park, but it was a mostly boring stadium to walk around.
Please know that I ALWAYS have fun when I travel to see stadiums, and I did have fun this day, but it was not because of what the stadium offered. It was rather due to the general idea of just being in a new stadium.
14. Rate Field (Chicago White Sox)
I saw a great game and, again, I did have fun, but the stadium felt outdated. It felt like Turner Field if Turner Field was even remotely cared about or cleaned on a somewhat daily basis. I am a sucker for solid outfield seating, and this ballpark has it. It makes for a great view when you sit in the main bowl of seats behind home plate or down the sidelines.
The seats were very cheap, and I was able to sit right next to the away team dugout (the Mets were the away team). That would excite me no matter what, but the fact that I got to sit next to my team certainly helped in my quest to have fun. I know there is some bias in that sentiment, but I am all about honesty on this blog. I am a diehard Mets fan and I have travelled to see them play in many cities. It is always a factor in ballpark experience, but not the driving force.
For instance, the Mets won a nailbiter in the late innings in this battle versus the White Sox, but I still have the stadium ranked fairly low. It is my attempt at adulting here. Overall, it’s a nice stadium in a not-so-nice area, but the fan base was very nice across the board and that also helped.
13. Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)
I am truly not ranking this stadium this low to be malicious. It is not because of my violent disdain for the franchise that plays there. It is actually just a very boring stadium, and it is even more of a letdown when you factor in that the Yankees are the most valuable team in the league and could have done way better with a stadium that was only introduced in 2009.
There are only two escalator banks in the whole stadium, and they are relatively hidden (or at the very least they are not in the most populated areas of the concourse). I am all for the traditional renderings and nods to the old Yankee stadium, but it literally feels like an exact replica of the old stadium and with suites now. Feel like they should have exhausted all options to maintain and renovate the old stadium if they were just going to build the exact same thing next door.
It is a very average stadium and I do think it will not end up too low on the list when it is all said and done, but there is just a missing element in my opinion.
On paper, I should like this stadium. Their rich history is very much respected and honored accordingly across the entire ballpark. Monument Park will always be one of the cooler traits of any stadium and the white fencing design is soothing to look at as well. The field is maintained beautifully, and I would never take that away from them. In the end, it makes for a nice day out, but it is far from being a superb fan experience on the concourse. There is not much to offer beyond just the game itself, and some people certainly do value that differently. I appreciate that for the older stadiums, but a stadium built in the last 20 years should have more for fans.
12. Marlins Park (Miami Marlins)
The only redeeming quality of this stadium is that it has a dome, and I tend to like domed stadiums. It is the opposite of Tropicana in that it is a state-of-the-art facility with a clean concourse, a legitimate dome, and solid bathrooms, concessions, etc. However, it is just like Tropicana in that it is always empty. The atmosphere was not great, the food was subpar, and it mainly felt like an overall waste of such a beautiful stadium. There was not much to do on the concourse and the entertainment was lacking.
There is so much potential here, but I did not see much of it.
11. T-Mobile Park (Seattle Mariners)
Stadiums #9-13 on my list are really average stadiums, and while T-Mobile Park is on the lower end of it, they all gave me very similar vibes. Please note that any of those in that range could be interchangeable and offer very similar experiences for the common fan.
Seattle is an amazing city, and I loved every second of my trip there. The stadium was very nice and clean, which are always a plus. The food was solid for a ballpark and the fans were very nice. It theoretically checks all the basic boxes, but like Marlins Park and Yankee Stadium, there is not much else to do or see in this stadium outside of the actual game.
I LOVE stadiums with distinctive features like the Green Monster, Tal’s Hill (RIP), Western Metal Supply Co., and more. I have played baseball video games my entire life, so seeing classic features like these in person also feels so surreal. More on this to follow as we proceed through the list. Stadiums #9-13 just lack landmarks like these, and it is not a bad thing or even a dealbreaker, but it certainly does factor into my rankings.
10. Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies)
This was one of the first stadiums I ever went to, and I went to the game where Jonathan Papelbon had an absolute meltdown in front of the hometown fans and famously grabbed his crotch to show his lack of appreciation for them.
At the time, I loved this stadium, and I should also note I had only ever seen the New York stadiums and Tropicana Field before it. So, this was the first ever refreshing change of pace stadium I got to experience, and it just moved further and further down the list as I visited more stadiums. The fans are insane, but the loyalty creates an infectious and electric atmosphere that makes for a very fun time, so long as you are NOT a fan of the visiting team.
This is just another average stadium at the end of the day, but it is a very beautiful one to look at and attend a game at. The beauty of the entire outfield puts this above many others that I have seen. I should also note that the Philly Cheesesteaks in this ballpark were top notch, and I would absolutely return to the stadium to get another one.
9. Progressive Field (Cleveland Guardians)
This is the last of the “average” ballparks. This may catch some fire from the harsh critics reading this, but I loved my time at this stadium. The outfield is absolutely beautiful with the elevated grandstand seating at the top of their 19-foot wall in left field and the trees in Center Field that serve as a batter’s eye. The scoreboard is absolutely tremendous and dominates the eye line for nearly all fans sitting in fair territory.
It may be equal to Citizens Bank Park in terms of beauty and overall experience on the concourse and in the seats, but there is one thing that puts this ahead of Philly. It is something that no other stadium can accomplish or compete with. The first ever beer that my Dad bought me was purchased in the upper deck of this stadium. It was an awesome moment, and I will never forget the memory it created for me. I love Cleveland forever.
8. Truist Park (Atlanta Braves)
Atlanta…take two. Now THIS is a stadium, Atlanta. Turner Field was an abomination to society, but Truist Park (SunTrust Park when I went there) was AWESOME!
There is a clear line on my list between the average ballparks and the great ones. We have crossed that line now as Truist Park was one of the more elite stadiums I have been too. The outfield concourse in this stadium is unbelievable as there is a wide-open area in which a nonstop stream of music, performances, and all kinds of entertainment is occurring.
If you leave the stadium from this part of the park, you can walk through The Battery, which is a fun strip of stores, bars, vendors and more. It is a mini village of all Braves-themed bars and establishments. Pair that with the solid in-game entertainment (headlined by The Freeze) and impressive presentation and you can very easily give yourself a pleasant night out.
My only gripe with attending a game here is the unbearable Tomahawk chant. I swear they use it as walk-up music for their players after a certain point. It is one of the only chants they use as a fanbase, and it gets old quick. I am sure it is a blast for Braves fans, but as a visitor, it is brutal. I know I am a diehard fan of their rival team, but I promise there is no bias at play when I report back on this. The stadium itself is amazing though and I would never let this affect it’s standing on my list. It only sits at #8 because of the heavy hitters that are coming your way now.
7. Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles)
Yeah. I told you it was all heavy hitters now.
Camden Yards is a MUST-see ballpark for all baseball fans. While there is likely more to do and see at a stadium like Truist Park, Camden Yards is especially noteworthy because of its history and importance. Camden Yards is often regarded as the first “Modern Ballpark” and is often considered as the prototype or go-to “model” for all modern ballparks.
With an inaugural season of 1992, the game of baseball forever changed when this stadium was built. The Orioles made sure to modernize their stadium but with a retro design and focus heavily on a fan-friendly experience, by widening the concourse, allowing fans to see the game from the concessions area and offering fun activation opportunities across the entire place.
I mentioned earlier that I am a sucker for the landmarks, and Camden has one of the cooler ones in all of baseball. They have B&O Warehouse in Right and Right-Center Field. Seeing it on tv and video games does not compare to seeing it in real life. Its perfect. It dominates the backdrop of the stadium for all fans and shares the general eyeline for all with the city of Baltimore. It is a beautiful place to sit down and watch a game, check out the sights, take in the rich history of the franchise and even stroll around the ballpark. I had a phenomenal experience here.
6. Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)
Fenway is the most recent stadium that I have had the pleasure of visiting. It was more than worth the hype and respectfully jumped high up on my list. You know what you are getting, in terms of quality, when you go to this stadium as it is the oldest park in the league. It has been the home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912, so bathrooms, food, and concourse comfortability are not the best, but there is so much history here and it more than offsets those concerns.
There are countless opportunities to respect all the history held within the walls of this stadium and you should take advantage of all of them. You do not come here to get great food and play games in the outfield. You come here to watch baseball and anyone who truly loves the game feels something very joyful when they sit in their seats and see that beautiful field. The iconic Green Monster dominates Left Field, while the Center Field Triangle turns doubles into triples, and the knee-high wall in Right allows some hard-hit liners to sneak out as homers.
It’s so hard to explain beyond that. Baseball is my passion and my greatest interest, and it was simply very special to be here. Fenway is just a must-see for all fans of the game. There is only one other ballpark that made me feel like this, and they come in at #5.
5. Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)
I. Love. This. Place.
One of the best experiences I ever had at a sporting event was here at Wrigley Field. You could essentially copy and paste what I said about Fenway in terms of just surrounding yourself with all the history in this place. Again, you come here for the classic ballpark food like hot dogs, cracker jacks, popcorn, etc. You come here to watch baseball. And you come here for the community.
I have NEVER seen another fanbase like the Chicago Cubs fanbase. It is the most loyal group of people I have ever seen. Through thickness and thin, these fans stick with their team and sell the place out, and this is for a team that plays a massive amount of day games during the week. The North side of Chicago stops when the Cubs play ball, and you do not just feel this atmosphere, but you feed off it too.
The game itself was electric and I loved every second of it. The ivy in the outfield makes their outfield wall the most recognizable in the league, and the rooftop seating across the entirety of the outfield skyline is a nice touch as well. Then, on top of all of this, I was lucky enough to see the Cubs win. I was able to see their amazing fans serenade their players with “Go Cubs Go” and I got full-body goosebumps.
Like Atlanta, they ALSO have a mini village outside of their stadium and it is appropriately named “Wrigleyville”, and this serves as the home of many cool Cubs bars, restaurants, and stores. It is one huge block party, and it may be the happiest place on Earth after a Cubbies win.
Wrigley Field will always have a piece of my heart and it will always be very easy for me to cheer this team on. They won me over big time.
4. Daikin Park (Houston Astros)
Just another amazing stadium. I was sold on it as soon as I walked in, and I am not being dramatic. I entered near Left Field, and it felt like I was in an old bank. The large vestibule had a speakeasy type of vibe as we walked through a single door and emerged through the threshold of the stadium. My eyes first locked in on the enormous scoreboard in left field and seeing that and the huge dome literally took my breath away.
Sounds dramatic, but it is true. This is one of the earlier stadiums I had the pleasure of travelling to, and it more than lived up to the hype. The iconic train in left field was surreal to see in real life and I was blessed to see an Astros home run, which triggers the train to do a victory lap. Every single Astros fan I encountered was so kind and welcoming (this was also way before the trash can drama). I sat down low by third base, and it was an exciting game that came down to the wire, so the crowd was buzzing the whole time and the fans around me made me feel at home.
It is an elite place to attend a game as the food is great, the atmosphere is electric, and there are plenty of things to see around the entire stadium. I personally loved walking around the outfield. Specifically, under the train tracks and alongside the archways in Left Field. There are ample places to stand and take in the game from the concourse, but this location in particular struck me in a very positive manner.
I cannot recommend this stadium enough.
3. Citi Field (New York Mets)
Home sweet home. This is my home stadium.
This is where I am the most comfortable. This is where I attend most of my baseball games during a single season. Where I saw David Wright become a captain. Where Johan Santana tossed the first no-no in franchise history. Where Pete Alonso broke the Rookie Home Run record. Where I attended my first playoff game. Even where I began my career.
It is a perfect stadium in every way. The food is ranked as number 1 in the league every single year and the evolution of their concessions is a prime selling point for them. The entertainment aspect has improved so much in recent years as well with the addition of advanced LED screens across the entire stadium and the biggest screen in the MLB. The enhanced lighting has allowed for intimidating light shows at the expense of visiting team’s pitchers and the benefit of Mets pitchers (most notably Edwin Diaz).
You can see the action on the concourse from anywhere in the stadium except Center Field, which serves as a main hub for the guest experience. However, in Center Field, there are some top-notch concessions, a wiffle ball field for kids, a beautiful viewing opportunity of the NYC skyline, a massive screen to watch the game, and access to the Shea Bridge which connects center field to right field. The bridge itself goes over the bullpen and allows fans a chance to be over the relief pitchers for both teams while also getting a perfect view of the stadium from the outfield. It takes you to right field where there are even more concessions and stores. Every square inch of this place provides fans with something to do or see.
The fanbase is a very loud and loyal one too. If you happen to be at a game where some patented “Mets Magic” occurs, you will see a crowd eruption like you have never seen before. This stadium ROCKS when the Mets are playing winning baseball, and unless you are a fan of the visiting team, it is hard to ignore the electricity you feel from the fans in this place.
It is a perfect stadium, and I only put two stadiums above it. It could easily be #1, but you will see which stadiums are placed above it and why I ranked them there.
2. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates)
I do not truly think my top two will ever change. There are contenders that I think could do it, but it would take a lot to dethrone this stadium and my number 1, which is coming your way in a moment. Both this stadium and my number 1 are very similar in that they have perfect geographic locations.
PNC Park was so beautiful that it truly felt like I was in a movie. The Pittsburgh skyline and the breathtaking Roberto Clemente Bridge dominate the view in the outfield, and it is so majestic that I had to reel myself back in and question if it was real or not.
Sounds crazy, but I am all about the honesty here.
The Roberto Clemente Bridge famously goes over the Allegheny River, which is home to many baseballs as it is directly behind right field. The food was very good, and the fanbase, while perpetually suffering, is also very loyal. They had some elite level in-game entertainment, headlined by a real-life Super Mario game on the Clemente Wall in right field.
This is yet another stadium that I had a blast in, which is obvious as it sits at #2 on my list, and I most definitely plan on attending another game here in the future.
You should all do the same.
1. Oracle Park (San Francisco Giants)
San Francisco! The number 1 stadium on my list and easily the coolest ballpark I have seen yet. Take everything and said about PNC Park, copy it, and paste it on the West Coast.
Voila. You get Oracle Park.
It is loaded with these iconic “landmarks” that I keep on blabbing about. The huge scoreboard in centerfield commands your attention while the giant Coke bottle and baseball glove in left field add to the view in the outfield. The latter two landmarks certainly create a fun vibe in the outfield, and it was super fun walking by them on the concourse out there.
Right field is dominated by the huge brick wall that stands 24 feet tall and is the only thing separating the field from McCovey Cove (San Francisco Bay). The “Cove” is occupied by Giants fans on boats, kayaks, canoes and more as they sit there and wait for balls to fly into the water.
Take all these outfield landmarks into account and then add the beautiful San Francisco Bay behind all of it. It is, without question, the best view in all professional sports, and I feel very lucky to have seen it in person. I stood on the brick wall in right field for batting practice and suggest all who visit in the future to do the same as the baseballs just crash down out there repeatedly. I sat close to the field but would actually move up to the upper deck as close to home plate as possible next time I go.
That view beyond the outfield walls is special. Very very special, and I would want to take all of it in as much as I could.
If you have any interest in seeing baseball stadiums around the United States, this one should be at the top of your list. It is simply perfect.
What is Next?
I still need to see 14 more ballparks, and while I will not mention all of them right now, there are a few that I am very eager to see and deserve a quick shoutout. I have a feeling that each of the parks in Arizona, Colorado, Anaheim, San Diego, and Milwaukee will be amazing and could threaten the top 10 and even top 5 of my current list. I will not know for sure until I see them in person and experience a game there, but it will be extremely enjoyable to check them off my bucket list.
One thing that is guaranteed, however, is that I will gladly review each stadium I visit until I complete the journey and this list you read here today will continue to receive updates and tweaks along the way.
You never know what the final list will look like, but I am excited to see it unfold.
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