Tropicana Field

St. Petersburg, Florida

20 miles/25 minutes to Tropicana Field

WHERE TO STAY? There are no hotels within walking distance to Tropicana Field. Ballpark Chasers recommends 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)

WHERE TO PARK?

The Rays organization makes parking a snap, offering 9 lots around Tropicana Field. Rays parking is $20 for the premium games, while select games drop to just $10. To find pricing information for your game and reserve a spot in advance, click here. A more affortable option are the commercial and city owned lots surrounding Tropicana Field. For select games, a free baseball Shuttle picks up passengers on Second Street mid-block between Central Avenue and 1st Avenue South (under the Bank of America Tower's pedestrian bridge) and drops passengers off near Gate 4 at Tropicana Field. The baseball shuttle operates 90 minutes before game time and until one hour after the game is over. A city-owned garage on 1st Avenue South, just east of 2nd Street South, is the designated shuttle parking facility and costs $5.

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!

WHERE TO EAT?

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.

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS?

Despite the Rays being highly competitive, Tropicana Field sat nearly half empty during the 2009 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.

WHEN TO GO?

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.

WHAT ELSE TO SEE?

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 VACATION?

Tropicana Field is part of the "Sunshine Pair" Ballpark Chasers Trip, which includes seeing Sun Life 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, check out a game at one or more of the Florida State League ballparks. 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!

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.