Ballpark Game Plan: Baltimore Orioles & Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Parking & Transportation:

Oriole Park at Camden Yards is one of the few fields I’ve seen where the gates open just 60 minutes prior to the first pitch, rather than 90. Parking lots open just one hour before the gates open.

While the park has parking available, it is limited and advanced purchasing is recommended. Tailgating is prohibited.

There is public parking in the area. One fan on Facebook suggested the Marriott hotel parking lot. It’s about a block away and allows non-guests to park. Note that it has a 6’2” clearance. If you’re driving a big truck, like we will be, that won’t work!

Oversized vehicle: Nothing specific is noted.

Fans are encouraged to use mass transit when possible. The Transportation page includes a link to the Maryland Transit Administration website to map bus, light rail, and subway routes.

Stadium Tours:

Oriole Park at Camden Yards does not currently offer tours!

General Information:

Bags: Oriole Park at Camden Yards allow fans to have one approved bag per person. Fans may choose one of the following:

• A clear plastic bag no larger than 12” x 6” x 12”, or
• A 1-gallon plastic freezer bag, or
• A clutch purse or fanny pack that does not exceed 5” x 7”, or
• Medically necessary items, including a diaper bag.

They do have lockers onsite near Gates A, H, and C for items that are prohibited in the park.

Food & Beverages: Fans may bring in their own food and non-alcoholic beverages. Foods must be in personal serving sizes. Each fan is allowed to bring in one, factory-sealed, non-alcoholic beverage in a plastic container that is 20 ounces or smaller. Cans and glass bottles are not allowed.

Cashless transactions: All transactions are cashless.

Signs: Signs are permitted if they are handmade, do not obstruct views, do not include metal or wood, are not commercial, political, or inappropriate, and are only displayed between innings or before/after the game.

Foul Balls: The official website doesn’t comment on foul balls. Presumably, fans may keep them, as long as they don’t interfere with play or enter the playing area to retrieve them.

Umbrellas: There are no restrictions on umbrellas, other than ensuring that you are considerate of those around you.

Gates: For most games, gates open 60 minutes prior to the first pitch. There are some exceptions for which the gates will open two hours prior.

Cameras: Cameras are welcome, but camera bags, lenses longer than 7”, monopods, and tripods are prohibited.

Where to Sit:

Baseball Road Trips recommends sitting on the third base line, regardless of the level. For example, you could pick the back rows of Sections 55 to 65. In the 200 level, look for Sections 250 to 262. In the 300 level, look for sections 352 to 368. Alternatively, try for Sections 328 to 336 behind home plate.  The best place to avoid the sun is in the back rows of the third-base side at the terrace level.

The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip recommends the Lower Reserve area in Section 4, out near the right-field pole. Field box seats in the even-numbered sections between 16 and 58 are great, unobstructed, 100-level seats. Section 36 is directly behind home plate. They are reasonably priced considering the proximity to the action!

Food:

• Ballpark Savvy recommends checking out Boog’s BBQ. Located on Eutaw St., behind the center field bleachers, Boog’s is owned by former Oriole player Boog Powell. He’s a regular at his own booth, frequently stepping out to greet fans and sell food.
• Baltimore is known for crab, and there are several crab-related options at the ballpark. InsideHook reports that the signature dish is the Baltimore Orioles Chesapeake Waffle Fries. This regional treat includes a basket of waffle fries tossed in Old Bay seasoning and topped with warm crab dip. You can find them at any of the Baseline Burgers stands.
• Facebook group Ballpark Chasers fans suggest trying a cab cake at Jimmy’s Seafood.
• ESSKAY hot dogs were the official hot dogs of Oriole Park until 2019 when they were replaced by The Camden Frank, a specialty hot dog produced by Hoffman’s Quality Meats.

First Time Visitors:

The official website doesn’t list any first-time visitor recognition. However, a fan in the Facebook group Ballpark Chasers said that if you enter by the warehouse, they have a “first-timers welcome place/room” inside the warehouse. They will give you a “first time to Camden” packet and complimentary tickets to get you up to the history walk on the 200 level from third to first bases. They reported that the history walk is well worth the time.

Autographs:

Time permitting, players and coaches may sign autographs for fans along the field before the game.

Other Stadium Tips & Highlights:

Just three blocks from Oriole Park is the childhood home of Babe Ruth, which is now the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. A path of baseballs painted on the sidewalk lead the way from the house to the stadium. These represent the 60 home runs Ruth hit in 1927. The museum is open from 10 – 4 daily, and costs $13 for adults, $11 for seniors and military personnel, and $7 for kids 5 to 16.

Inside the park, the Orioles Legends Park features six bronze sculptures featuring the following former players: Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, and Cal Ripken, Jr.. As you wander through the stadium, keep an eye out for the plaques in the pavement by the warehouse that indicate where home runs have landed. Also, visit the plaque on the warehouse that commemorates Ken Griffey, Jr.’s 465 foot hit in the All Star Game Home Run Derby of 1993.

According to one Facebook fan, as of 2019 there is a person with a sign near Boog’s BBQ whose job it is to talk Orioles history with fans. This may or may not still be true post-pandemic.

During the seventh inning stretch, fans will sing “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.”

The Orioles’ retired numbers are memorialized outside the north end of Eutaw Street. The four-foot aluminum numbers include:

• 4 – Earl Weaver
• 5 – Brookers Robinson
• 8 – Cal Ripken, Jr.
• 20 – Frank Robinson
• 22 – Jim Palmer
• 33 – Eddie Murray
• 42 – Jackie Robinson (retired by the MLB)

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