Tropicana Field

St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg Clearwater International Airport (PIE)

12 miles/18 minutes to Tropicana Field

Tampa International Airport (TPA)

20 miles/25 minutes to Tropicana Field

 

Hotels – there are no hotels within walking distance to Tropicana Field. Ballpark Chasers recommend reserving a rental car from the airport as all hotels below are within 1-3 miles of the stadium.

Unlimited Budget

The Pier Hotel

Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club

 

Moderate Budget        

America’s Best Inn - St. Petersburg

Courtyard by Marriott - Downtown St. Petersburg

Hampton Inn & Suites – St. Petersburg Downtown

 

Chaser Budget Traveler

Comfort Inn & Suites at Tropicana Field

Ballpark Chasers hidden gem: Hilton St. Petersburg – Carillon Point (about 10 miles from Tropicana Field but worth the drive)

 

Parking

The Rays organization makes parking a snap, offering 9 lots around Tropicana Field. Rays parking is $15 for the main lots, while select areas drop to $10 further away from the stadium. Commercial and city owned lots are also available and will save you a few bucks.

Ballpark Chasers Tip: the Rays are doing their part to encourage car-pooling by offering fans free parking when arriving at the game with 4 or more people in the same vehicle!

 

Dining

Rays fans love to grab food and drinks at Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill before every home game. Located directly across from Tropicana Field, Ferg’s boasts about their numerous awards from the local online community. Start with some scrumptious boneless chicken wings and follow it up with “The Devil Ray” burger.

If you’re in the mood for some good Southern comfort cuisine, look for The Savannah Café on Central Ave, one block from Tropicana Field. Just make sure to save room for dessert as the pineapple upside-down cake is amazing.

Our final suggestion is a little further out but well worth the walk. Captain Al’s Waterfront Grill & Bar is located right next to the historic St. Petersburg Pier which offers gorgeous views of Tampa Bay. Make sure to take advantage of their outdoor seating, specialty mixed drinks, live music and endless sunshine. Grab a table with a view and enjoy a Ballpark Chasers meal by ordering the crispy calamari for starters, a grouper sandwich for the main course and your choice of their many house specialty drinks.

Once inside Tropicana Field, the concession options are nothing to write home about. Ballpark Chasers only suggests the Columbia Restaurant (really just a stand) for quick Cuban style food and the Centerfield Brew House, for a sit-down restaurant. The Brew Pub opens 2 hours before game time and serves traditional bar food and drinks. Don’t forget to check out the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame and the 10,000 gallon tank filled with live Rays after your meal.

 

Tickets

Despite the Rays being American League Champions, Tropicana Field was nearly half empty during the 2008 home games. Even the World Series didn’t fill up the stadium! Expect a higher demand with ticket sales for this season, but not enough to have to pre-buy. Tickets can be purchased at the main box office or from your favorite online broker. Scalping is illegal on stadium property; however, reselling tickets at or below face value can take place on the west side of the stadium, between Gates 5 and 6. Look for plenty of action in this area and great bargains starting about 2.5 hours before every home game.

 

Weather

It’s Florida! Enjoy the sun and no need to worry about rainouts as Tropicana Field is one of the few remaining domes in Major League Baseball. Ballpark Chasers favorite month to travel to Tropicana Field is May due to the warm, but comfortable temperatures and less rainfall than the rest of the summer brings.

Local Attractions

The beautiful Florida sun provides numerous outdoor activities throughout the summer. Ballpark Chasers favorite is Busch Gardens, just 35 minutes from Tropicana Field. Busch Gardens is much more than just an amusement park, offering everything from an animal park, live shows, safaris, a bird garden, a water park and a children’s play area. But who are we kidding; you come to Busch Gardens for their roller coasters!  Sheikra is America’s first “dive coaster” – 200 feet up followed by 90 degrees straight down! Gwazi is the area’s largest and fastest double wooden coaster that will make you question how a bunch of wood (1.25 million board feet to be exact) can keep the coaster up! Check out the Montu for a 60 mph inverted roller coaster that reaches G-force of 3.85. To put that in perspective, Space Shuttle astronauts experience a similar force upon lift-off. The best of all has to be Kumba! The 135 ft. drop will make your stomach rise up to your throat! Ballpark Chasers suggestion: take these coaster rides on an empty stomach!

Tampa’s best kept secret is the Big Cat Rescue. This nonprofit organization rescues exotic cats from being abused and/or abandoned and provides them with a safe home. Day tours are offered Monday through Saturday (children under the age of 10 can only take the Saturday tour) and include seeing over 140 animals from over 15 different species of wild cat.  This is truly one of the few opportunities to see up close cougars, tigers, bobcats, lions, leopards and lynx as many of them are now endangered or even extent in the wild. Keep in mind that the Big Cat Rescue is not a zoo and tours are the only way to see the cats. Also, cameras are allowed but no tripods. Umbrellas are forbidden. Make sure to wear an old but comfortable pair of walking shoes.

 

Ballpark Chasers Trip Suggestion

Tropicana Field is part of the "Sunshine Pair" Ballpark Chasers Trip, which includes seeing Land Shark Stadium in Miami. The drive between stadiums is roughly 253 miles, or about 4 hours. Ballpark Chasers recommends searching for airline tickets to either Tampa International Airport or Miami International Airport to find the cheapest ticket from your home city.

In order to break up the 4 hour drive, pick one or more Florida State League ballparks to visit on the way. Our favorite is Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida. The newly renovated stadium is home to the Charlotte Stone Crabs, the High-A Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.  Further south is Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida. The Twins Advanced Single A Affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle, play here and offer a great beer garden along with fabulous turkey legs! One last ballpark along Interstate I-75 is Ed Smith Stadium, home of the Sarasota Reds. Not much stands out here other than the ability to check off another ballpark from your hit list!

If you prefer to hang around the Tampa area, check out a Tampa Yankees game at famous Legends Field. George M. Steinbrenner built the stadium to hold 11, 000 fans over 31 acres. The stadium has identical dimensions to the original Yankee Stadium and is unlike most Minor League parks around the country. This stadium is a must see for any Yankees fan or for any fan of baseball. Make sure to check out the retired Yankees monuments outside of the park and the Westshore Pizza Pinstripe Pub once inside.