Fenway Park

The field at Fenway Park
The field at Fenway Park

Is there a more beautiful baseball stadium today than picturesque Fenway Park in Boston? It’s the oldest remaining active stadium in baseball today, built in 1912 and going strong as the home to the eight-time World Series champion Boston Red Sox. The brick façade mixed with a steel frame, the old wooden seats in the grandstand, and the closeness of the fans to the field… many others have tried to duplicate it, but there is only one true original. Every summer, fans from all over New England and places far and wide descend on this baseball Mecca and a visit to old Fenway Park can bring a renewed sense of love and appreciation for the game of baseball.

If you are planning or thinking about making the trip this year to see a home game for the Red Sox, we have some general information to show you where you could be sitting, how much you’ll pay to sit there, and how you can get there from where you are. We also have information about the history of this park, including where the Sox first played baseball and Fenway Park features that no longer exist. We also show some of today’s features that make the park as unique as it is. For example, have you noticed a red chair among the sea of green bleacher seats? Or what do they mean when a player wraps one around the “Pesky Pole?” And just what the heck are Monster Seats?

Visiting Fenway Park

Fenway Park Gate C
Fenway Park Gate C

Fenway Park is located at 4 Yawkey Way near Kenmore Square in Boston. If you are going to go only once, we advise going at night just to see the field glow under the sodium lights. Regardless, be sure to pack your camera so you can take lots of pictures. The Sox do allow backpacks, totes, and other bags into the park pending an inspection of the contents. They will likely confiscate beer (no kidding!) but you should be able to bring a water bottle, especially if you are going to be sitting in the bleachers on a hot summer day. On that subject, be sure to bring sunscreen or you’ll get cooked like a lobster!

There are really no bad seats in Fenway, although the best seats are either in the lower infield grandstand or the loge box seats. There are some obstructed views which means that a column supporting the upper deck may partially block your view of the field, but that is just part of the charm of being in a stadium that’s more than a hundred years old. Opened in recent seasons are the right field roof box seats and the Green Monster seats, the hottest tickets at Fenway Park if not all of baseball, that put you on top of the famed left field wall.

Being that the organization is trying to promote that “Friendly Fenway” atmosphere, they have done a lot for families who want to bring young children. There are family restrooms monitored by the friendly staff so that you can take your child in to change a soiled diaper in privacy. Also, the Sox now have a large concession area back behind the right field grandstand area to give youngsters a chance to burn off that energy created by the combination of a “Fenway Frank” and a large soda.

Concessions are typical for a major league sporting event: overpriced! Your best bet is to eat something immediately before or after the game and bring a pack of gum to ward off any hunger pangs. Otherwise, the typical wares are available: Fenway Franks, beer, soda, popcorn, soft pretzels, and ice cream, and there are plenty of other “gourmet” options for those with more sensitive palates.