by Virginia Fay
posted on April 13, 2016
Hot dogs, novelty beer cups, the wave — it’s baseball season, and America’s favorite pastime is in the air. While you can’t go wrong with spending a warm evening or sunny afternoon at any ballpark from Little League on up, we’ve rounded up five of our favorite MLB stadiums and their best food and drink options for your sporting pleasure this season.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Baltimore Orioles
Built just under a quarter century ago, this park manages to encapsulate the timeless appeal befitting of its city’s nickname (Charm City, of course). With brick edifices and a downtown Baltimore location, it’s tough to beat an afternoon spent cheering on the Orioles and sipping a local beer from brewery Flying Dog (which should be paired with Chesapeake fries — waffle fries topped with crab dip) or ducking into Dempsey’s Brew Pub for an even larger range of craft beers.
AT&T Park: San Francisco Giants
There’s so much San Francisco does well, and their ball game doesn’t disappoint. Besides the Giants’ three championships (!) in the last few years, the park has practically unparalleled views of the bay, a cool, retro feel, and consistently pleasant weather thanks to its California location. The classic garlic fries are omnipresent, but you should also make a foray into the myriad foodie options, like Rich Table’s porcini doughnuts, and a beverage from any of the stadium’s many offerings, like Bayside Brews or Cable Car Bar.
Busch Stadium: St. Louis Cardinals
With the St. Louis arch peeking out from the sea of red seats, the Redbirds’ home (colloquially called New Busch Stadium) was built 10 years ago and has struck just the right mix of modern and classic. Keep the update-on-a-classic theme going by stopping at Food Network Hot Dog Bar for fancy dogs like the St. Louis Dog, featuring BBQ sauce, potato chips, and a proprietary shredded cheese blend.
Coors Field: Colorado Rockies
The air may be thinner here, but the atmosphere is rich with baseball fans, aficionados and amateurs alike. Take in a Denver sunset during a Rockies home game accompanied by a cold one from the only stadium with a working brewery (Blue Moon FTW). For munchies, try the perennial favorite Helton Burger Shack, or venture into the specialty items new for the 2016 season designed by Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern, including the Beach Comber hot dog and Rockies Corned Beef Sandwich.
Fenway Park: Boston Red Sox
For over a century, baseball lovers have come to worship at this timeless altar to America’s favorite sport. And for good reason: a genuinely delightful stadium jam-packed with history and arguably some of the country’s most impassioned fans (and considerably more cheerful since that pesky curse was broken), an afternoon here won’t be soon forgotten. You can’t go wrong with a classic lobster roll (served at EMC Club, among others) and an unfussy beer. Why not kick back and help the hardworking beverage peddlers earn their keep? You’re at Fenway, and there’s nothing more classic than helping out the workers who keep the park alive with another beer order.
Virginia Fay
Virginia is equally enamored with words and globetrotting. Whenever possible, she likes to combine the two through travel writing to help other wanderers discover and fall in love with the world.
