“Where will I go?”
It’s the first question that baseball road trippers ponder during the off-season when they begin to think about travel plans. With 30 MLB clubs, 120 MiLB teams, and dozens of independent franchises around the country, your travel options are vast.
While there are plenty of good reasons to check out minor league parks, many baseball fans focus on the big leagues when they plan their summer trips. If you know that you want to see some big league action in 2024 but you’re feeling a little stumped about what parks you want to check out, you can’t go wrong with these candidates. Here are my 5 MLB parks to visit in 2024.
Oakland Coliseum | Oakland Athletics | Oakland, California
Oakland Coliseum is rarely on any baseball traveler’s must-visit list, but if you’ve yet to experience this unique facility that opened for baseball in 1968, time is running out. While certain details about the Athletics franchise’s future are still up in the air, one thing is for certain — the team isn’t going to be in Oakland for much longer. The team’s lease with its ballpark expires at the end of 2024, and because a new facility in Las Vegas won’t be ready for use until 2028, the A’s recently announced that they’d spend 2025 through 2027 playing in Sacramento.
There’s a good chance that a visit to the Coliseum won’t exactly wow you; many fans rank this park as the worst in the big leagues. But if you’ve grown up seeing it on TV for years, you may feel happy to see it in person before it’s gone. Make sure to check out the tarp-covered seats on Mount Davis, gaze at the enormous foul territory, and wear some comfortable shoes so that you can thoroughly explore every nook and cranny of this stadium. One thing about the Coliseum is for certain: When it finally closes, it will spell the end of an era for stadiums of its kind.
Rogers Centre | Toronto Blue Jays | Toronto, Ontario
The 2024 MLB season is a good time to dust your passport off and plan a trip to Toronto. Over the past couple of seasons, the Blue Jays have invested heavily in Rogers Centre — turning what was arguably one of the worst MLB facilities into one that you’ll be happy to visit. Phase one of the renovation was complete prior to the 2023 season, and got rave reviews from fans. Phase two, which wrapped up in time for Opening Day of 2024, added more new features. Together, these phases are accomplishing the goal of turning a stadium into a ballpark.
The $300-million-plus renovation includes a revamped 500 Level with several different “districts,” each of which offers a fun and fresh gameday experience. New seats in the 100 Level provide more comfort, redesigned bullpens give fans closer access to pitchers, and a lowered outfield fence promises more home runs at a park that is already friendly to hitters. Rogers Centre’s downtown location means that there are many things to see and do before and after games. The exchange rate for Americans visiting Canada is good right now, which will help you to keep your Toronto baseball trip on budget.
Wrigley Field | Chicago Cubs | Chicago, Illinois
Wrigley Field celebrates its 110th anniversary in 2024, and while 110 years doesn’t quite have the same ring as 100 years, it’s still pretty cool to think about visiting the famed park a century plus a decade after it opened. And, if you happened to miss visiting Wrigley in 2014 during its centennial anniversary, 2024 is a great opportunity to enjoy some baseball on the North Side. Decades from now, you’ll always be able to remember that you checked out Wrigley during its 110th year of use. The ballpark is the second-oldest in the big leagues behind Fenway Park (1912).
If possible, plan your trip so that you’ll have time for two Cubs games. (Ideally, a day game and a night game so that you can enjoy the full Wrigley experience.) With two games on your agenda, you can buy grandstand seats for one and bleacher seats for the other. There are lots of good places to document your visit to Wrigley Field with a selfie that you can proudly share on social media. You may even want to consider planning your visit so that you’re able to see the Cubs and White Sox play at home — perhaps even on the same day.
Progressive Field | Cleveland Guardians | Cleveland, Ohio
Like Wrigley Field, Cleveland’s Progressive Field is celebrating an anniversary in 2024 — albeit, a smaller one. The park, which locals often affectionately call “The Jake,” is 30 years old this season. Progressive Field opened in 1994 and has consistently been one of the better parks in the big leagues since then. Its enormous video board, tall bleachers, Heritage Park, and fun location all make it a good place to visit.
One of several things to appreciate about Progressive Field is that it has gone through several major renovations over the years. If you last visited many seasons ago, you’ll be surprised at how much the park has changed for the better. A greatly enhanced area with numerous eateries in the right field corner is one of the most popular newish areas in the park. The club unveiled the first phase of its newest $400-million-plus renovation project during its home opener on April 8, and more renovations are planned leading up to the start of the 2025 MLB season. The latest changes include an upgraded upper deck, improved sightlines of the city, and more exciting food and drink options.
Globe Life Field | Texas Rangers | Arlington, Texas
There’s a Texas-sized list of reasons to check out Globe Life Field if you haven’t already done so. The ballpark is the newest in the big leagues, opening during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. If you’re a ballpark chaser who has yet to visit the Lone Star State since the new Globe Life opened, it might be time to plan a trip. Of course, the Rangers won their first-ever World Series championship in ’23, so it’s worth visiting to see the banner that hangs overhead and a variety of other features that celebrate the accomplishment. If you’re a ballpark foodie, you’ll have no shortage of drool-worthy options throughout Globe Life Field. For barbecue aficionados, the Hurtado Barbecue concession serves up some of the best smoked fare you’ll ever eat.
Not only is the ballpark impressive, but the neighborhood around it — known as Texas Live! — is also a thrill. It’s no exaggeration to say that you can head to the park several hours before the gates open and have plenty of things to see and do. Texas Live! features numerous eateries, including establishments that specialize in barbecue, tacos, and pizza. You can listen to live music, have a cold drink on a patio, and browse the Baseballism store. Football fans will enjoy seeing AT&T Stadium in the distance. The neighborhood is well designed for walking, and it’s fun to wind your way around the buildings and take in the sights – especially with the smell of barbecue in the air and the $1.1 billion ballpark as a backdrop.
