Ballpark Game Plan: Boston Red Sox & Fenway Park

Field: Fenway Park

Official Site: https://www.mlb.com/redsox/ballpark

Year Completed: 1912 and rebuilt in 1934

Capacity: 37,755

Covered: No – Postponement/Rainout Policy

Mascot: Wally the Green Monster

The Game We’ll See: Tuesday, August 8: Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox (see all 30 here!)

Parking & Transportation:

Fenway Park is in the heart of the historic city of Boston. Parking is limited and the stadium encourages the use of public transportation when possible. In addition, there are height restrictions on some of the streets. Be sure to refer to the driving directions before heading for the stadium.

The Red Sox recommend using SpotHero to reserve parking in advance. Plan to spend $50 to $65 to park for the game.

Oversized vehicle: Parking for buses and RVs is not available.

There are several public transportation alternatives: the T (Boston’s rapid transit system), commuter rail, and bus lines. Information about each of these is included through the links.

Stadium Tours:

There are a few game day tour options, and they come highly recommended by local fans. The regular Public Tour includes a 60-minute guided tour and visit to the Green Monster. It costs $25 for adults, and $17 for children 3 – 12.

The Pregame Tour includes access to the field’s warning track, a visit to the oldest seats (in operations since 1934), and a chance to sit atop the Green Monster. The tour begins 3 hours prior to game time, and all tours must exit the park at the end of the tour. It costs $40 per person.

Finally, The Day Game Premium Tour includes a visit with Wally the Green Monster. However, it is only available when the afternoon game is before 3:00 p.m..

General Information:

Bags: Fenway Park prohibits bags larger than 12” x 12” x 6”, except for medical bag and diaper bags with children. Backpacks are not allowed, and single-compartment clear bags are preferred. Fenway also prohibits hard-sided coolers and glass containers. Fans have the option of using a third-party locker company at the top of Lansdowne Garage, across from Gate E, if they have a bag that is too large.

Food & Beverages: Fans may bring in one plastic, factory-sealed, 16-ounce bottle of water to the game. No mention is made of food in the information guide, but it is not on the prohibited list. It’s worth a try if you want to save some money!

Cashless transactions: All transactions are cashless.

Signs: Signs are permitted as long as they are baseball-related, don’t block views, interfere with the game, contain advertising, or contain offensive materials.

Foul Balls: Fans may keep foul balls, as long as they don’t interfere with play or enter the playing area to retrieve them.

Gates: All Fenway gates open 90 minutes prior to the start of the game.

Cameras: The Red Sox allows non-professional audio and visual equipment, except tri-pods and mono-pods.

Umbrellas: While umbrellas are allowed, they may only be used during official rain delays.

Where to Sit:

Let’s start with where not to sit! According to several sources, when the seating map says the views are obstructed, they are. In many cases, you can’t see the field at all. Be sure to check the sight map. Also, while the original 1933 grandstand seats (Sections GS1- GS33) are charming from a historic perspective, they are also narrow with limited leg room. They truly were meant for a time when the average fan was much smaller!

If you do decide to try the grandstand seats, the best views are in the first ten rows. The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip recommends trying for sections 14 – 17, 19 – 22, or 29 – 31.

Ballpark Savvy recommends general admission (standing room only) tickets on the Pavilion level for fans looking for a deal. The outfield grandstand sections (32 and 33) are alcohol free sections that are closer to the infield and are one of the best values at Fenway Park.

To catch a foul ball, Baseball Bucket List recommends trying Sections 53, 64, 142 – 150 (on the third base side), and 20 -37 and 112 – 124 on the first base side. For shade, stick to the third base side.

Baseball Road Trips recommends the loge box area from sections 142 to 149, or the pavilion box sections 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, and 12. For evening games the right-field box area (Sections 1 – 7) are a great place to sit.

Food:

According to InsideHook, the Boston Red Sox’ trademark meal is the New England Lobster Roll. Unfortunately, one of the Facebook Ballpark Chasers group members says that they are disappointing. They recommend waiting until after the game, then going to Neptunes Oyster in the north end to get the best New England Lobster Roll in Boston.
The Red Sox’ dog is the Fenway Frank, a boiled then lightly grilled dog in a New-England-style hot dog roll.

Food Outside the Ballpark:

I generally focus on the foood inside the stadium, but in Fenway’s case, I had a lot of great feedback on locations outside the ballpark. For example, one Facebook Ballpark Chaser group member suggests visiting Nickey Peanuts at the top of Jersey and Brookline Avenues. The family has had their peanut stand their since Fenway opened in 1912!

I also had a wonderful exchange with @Nikki Wolske on the Ballpark Chasers page on Facebook. She recommended the following places to eat:

Neptune Oyster has a long wait in the north end, but it is the best lobster roll in Boston.
If you like donuts, Union Square Donuts has locations in Union Square (Somerville).
Nikki also recommends Time Out Market at The Fenway and the Boston public market above Haymarket T Station.
Boston Soup Dumplings in Allston has some of the best soup dumplings around.
There are also a lot of places in south Boston’s seaport.
For breakfast, if you don’t mind making the trek, you can take the D line on the green line toward Union Square, and walk over to Bow Street. It’s about a 6-minute walk and is across the street from Union Square Donuts. It’s called The Neighborhood Restaurant and Bakery, and it has the best breakfast in the area. Plus, it’s not expensive! Their homemade cream of wheat is the best thing in the world, according to Nikki.
Thornton’s Fenway Grille is also good and is close to Fenway.
The Bleacher Bar has a fence that looks into Fenway that sits under the bleachers on Landsowne Street by Gate E.
Finally, if you want good seafood, Nikki recommends Sullivan’s Castle Island in Southie (south Boston seaport area) or Belle Isle Seafood in Winthrop. Unfortunately, Belle only takes cash. In both locations, you can watch the plans take off and land.

First Time Visitors:

The Red Sox encourage first time visitors to visit the Fan Services Booth at Gate B, D, or E for help celebrating your first time at Fenway. You’ll receive a First Time Pin, a Goodie Bag, and a Digital First Time Certificate.

Autographs:

There doesn’t appear to be a defined policy for autographs from current players. The ballpark used to host Autograph Alley, an opportunity for fans to get autographs from players, but they discontinued the practice during the pandemic. Unfortunately, it has not resumed. (Thank you @Nikki Wolske for that update!)

Other Stadium Tips & Highlights:

You can register to be a designated driver at the designated driver booth at the Gate A Concourse. Unfortunately, no incentive is publicized.

According to Ball Park Savvy, fans sing Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline in the middle of the 8^th inning.

Fenway’s scoreboard is a historic, hand-operated scoreboard.

The Green Monster (the left field wall) measures 37 feet high and includes 269 seats on top. The seats are pricey, and one of the local fans on the Facebook group page for Ballpark Chasers advised against purchasing a seat here unless you are in the front rows. It is difficult to see the outfield if you are further back.

The Hall of Fame recognizes Red Sox players, managers, front office members, and broadcasters. It is limited, as halls of fame go, but still worth a visit.

In section 42, there is a single, red seat (Row 37, Seat 21). This is the site of the longest home run in Fenway history. Ted Williams hit the 502-foot homer in 1946.

The retired Red Sox numbers appear on the right field façade in Fenway Park. They include: