Fenway Park is a sacred place. But it’s also an expensive and crowded place, and if you want to have a good time at the ballgame, you need to do a little bit of homework first. That’s where we come in.
Whether you’re driving in from the ‘burbs to take your kids for their first game, or visiting from across the pond for the World Cup, here’s OTM’s official guide to the most unique sports venue in all of North America.
Where To Sit (And Where Not To Sit)
Fenway is expensive no matter where you sit but the pavilion box seats lift you above
the loge and grandstands for a clear, unobstructed view for usually $100 or less. There are (limited) concessions up there, bathrooms that aren’t usually crowded, and quick access to the back stairway when the game is over.
— Mike Carlucci
Before you buy a ticket, use this virtual seat map to check the view. It’s probably not 100% accurate, but it’s a pretty decent idea of the line of vision you’ll have.
— Jacob Roy
What Mike said: pound for pound, the pavilion is the best place to go due to all the reasons he mentioned. I’m personally partial to the grandstand seats on most nights since it’s usually one of the cheaper seats you can get even on a whim, but it can get crowded there so I understand why some would be turned off to it. Good views of the entire field there, though, with easy access to the Truly Terrace.
— Fitzy Mo Peña
Infield grandstand, first 2 rows (any seat in the first row, inside 3 seats from the aisle in the second row)
If you want the hack for great tickets without completely obliterating the bank, this is what I always go for. Fantastic, generally unobstructed views regardless of whether you’re on the first-base line, third-base line or behind home. You have easy access to the largest concessions area and the shortest walk to the Jersey St team store.
— Jake Reiser
The Monster Seats are the most unique seats in all of baseball, but you can’t afford one of them without selling something nefarious on the dark web. For a reasonable facsimile, go for the grandstand and loge sections that hug the left field foul line (loge 163, 164, and 165, grandstand 33). Like the Monster Seats, these sections give you an elevated view close the field, and they’re prime foul ball territory to boot.
Oh, an whatever you do, do not sit anywhere in the right field corner. Not only will you have only the vaguest sense that a ballgame is being played somewhere, but you’ll be staring into the sun for the first few innings of every night game.
— Dan Secatore
What To Eat And Drink Inside The Ballpark
I’m a classic guy, either a Fenway Frank or an Italian Sausage for me. Though I did try the Pig Mac this past weekend, it’s actually delicious. Always get a Dels if it’s a scorcher.
— Jake Reiser
Bang for your buck (beak?) is the chicken tenders and fried. Not the fancy stand by the burger place. The basic ones. That said the potentially best item (IMHO, if you’re skipping the Italian sausage) is the Cuban sandwich at the El Tiante stand.
— Mike Carlucci
Fenway has actually expanded their food and drink offerings in recent years, so you’re bound to find something if you’re looking to broaden your horizons. As for me, though, nothing fancy: Fenway Frank with a pack of peanuts and a Miller Lite, please. Maybe some chicken and fries or popcorn if I’m feeling slutty.
— Fitzy Mo Peña
As the hawkers out on the street will tell you, you are allowed to buy a big ol’ sausage and peppers from one of the carts outside the ballpark and bring it in with you. They’re bigger, better, and cheaper than what you get inside.
Where To Eat And Drink Before And After The Game
If you like beer that isn’t just a domestic lager, Mighty Squirrel Brewing on David Ortiz Drive has a good selection. Like most breweries in New England, they have an IPA-heavy tap list, but they have enough taps where they cover most styles of beer. It’s also set back off the road enough where it doesn’t attract a ton of foot traffic, and the venue is huge, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding a seat or getting a drink. In terms of food, they have a solid soft pretzel; I’ve heard good things about the pizza as well.
— Jacob Roy
It is baffling to me how The Bullpen doesn’t get insanely crowded on a nightly basis. Busy weekend games against marquee opponents and playoff games (remember those?) will lead to the place getting pretty tight, but honestly: Bullpen doesn’t get too bad before and after games. They’ll bring food right to your table, there are a few spots to grab a drink, and the main entrance acts as its own gate to the park; you get to avoid longer security lines after having a few adult sodas. It’s easily Bullpen.
— Fitzy Mo Peña
Time Out Market is one of the best places to hang in Boston, regardless of whether there’s a Sox game. It has every genre of food you could want (though be warned: it’s all a little overpriced), it has an outpost of one of New England’s best breweries (Trillium), and on a sunny day it’s one of the best places in the city where you can sit outside and sip a cocktail — not to mention one of the only places in the city where you can sit outside and sip a cocktail without being made to order food.
— Dan Secatore
Stop telling people about The Bullpen, Fitz. I want my seedy watering hole to remain seedy.
— Jacob Roy
Parking/Transportation, and How to Get There
I tend to take the T or some form of public transit to the game, Green Line to Kenmore. Not sure if I really should say this hack, but if you get on a commuter rail at South Station on the Framingham/Worcester line, it stops at Landsdowne and you generally don’t have to even buy a ticket, no conductor has ever come by asking me for one. Free transport to the park, and sometimes it’s well-timed enough post-game for me to take the reverse route back and get on at Landsdowne towards South Station. It’s maybe 11 minutes tops, so it’s super fast.
— Jake Reiser
If you’re lucky enough to live within biking distance of Fenway, the bike valet is a great way to store your bike during the game. It’s really more of a coat check than a valet service, but you won’t have to worry about your bike getting abused by local youths or belligerent passersby. It’s on the corner of Van Ness and Jersey Street by Gate D, in a small lot by the sausage stand outside the gates. Ride up before the game (they open when the gates do, 90 minutes before first pitch), hand over your bike in exchange for a ticket. They’ll hold onto it for up to 30 minutes after the game ends, at which point you go back and exchange the ticket for your bike. It’s super secure and much better than locking it up at a random bike rack near the park.
— Jacob Roy
Hate to sound harsh, but just suck it up and take the T. Parking is expensive and it’ll take a while to get out, and Ubers are wicked expensive. The T isn’t as good as it could be, of course, but it’s easily the most cost-effective option. It’s also a bit easier for me to stomach nowadays since the slow zones on the Red Line have been done away with. — Fitzy Mo Peña
T, T, T. Commuter Rail or the Green Line or an MBTA bus. It’s especially nice when walking out of the park and there are literally a million cars wrapping their way around the statues and the gas station.
— Mike Carlucci
Walk. Just walk. This is especially true if you’re staying at a hotel pretty much anywhere in Boston. This city is made to be explored on foot, and unless you’re staying in the outer part of Seaport, your hotel is probably within a 30-40 minute stroll of the ballpark, at most. And on a beautiful summer evening, that stroll will be extremely pleasant.
Cut through the Common and take a selfie in front of the swan boats in the Public Garden. Meander down Newbury Street and give yourself time to stop for a drink at a sidewalk cafe. Take a turn down the Comm Ave Mall, the most beautiful urban street in North America. Soak in the building crowds and buzz in Kenmore Square. And then you’re there. It’s an absolutely wonderful way to get to the ballpark and will ensure that you have a great night, regardless of what happens on the field.
— Dan Secatore
Insider’s Tips
If you like to keep score but didn’t bring a scorebook and couldn’t find a program for sale outside the ballpark (they are increasingly rare) you can still find a pile of scorecards and those cute little pencils on a folding table just inside Gate A. The table has a sign on it that says “season ticket holder services” — which, you know, makes it seem like the scorecards are only for season ticket-holders — but no one’s ever hassled me about it before.
— Dan Secatore
On Dan’s note, the smaller team store on the corner of Jersey and Brookline sells scorecard books! I also bring my iPad (which you can bring in a drawstring), and can score on there. THIRTY81Press makes some of the best digital scorecards around, I use them myself.
I also add my tickets from the Ballpark app to my Apple Wallet. The NFC readers on the ticket turnstyles are so much faster and easier than finagling around with the QR code.
— Jake Reiser
One of the best things about living and working in Boston is the 20 minute walk from my office to Fenway Park. Going to a game after work is one of life’s simple pleasures. But in this post-2020 world the hybrid worker has to lug their work setup back and forth from the office and bags are (mostly) banned. On the one hand, Fenway seats are cramped enough without a backpack. On the other: what to do? This isn’t an ad I swear. But the locker truck outside the park is very close (on top of the Lansdowne garage) and for $12 bucks ($10 if you pay cash) they’ll lock up your stuff so you can be footloose and fancy free.
— Mike Carlucci
Play ballpark bingo! If you go to your MLB ballpark app during the game, you can generate a bingo card full of official scoring plays. Get five in a row, and you can go down to fan services for a prize. It’s sometimes a little wonky with how it grades certain plays, but you can check every few innings, and sometimes win a cool prize. I’ve got a bobblehead from a previous giveaway before. A friend of mine got a nice drawstring bag. Most of the prizes appear to be leftover promo items, but it’s a fun add-on to the game.
— Jacob Roy
Not so much of an insider tip as opposed to a plea: Please, oh please, make sure you know what row you’re sitting in. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen someone get confused as to where their seat was (or wasn’t) because they were unable to tell what row their tickets were for, I’d have enough money to extend Roman Anthony to a long-term deal myself. All the bickering I’ve heard about “Oh, are you sure these are your seats?” and whatnot have driven me to hammer down a point that should be elementary to anyone with functioning brain cells. Use your head.
— Fitzy Mo Peña
If you’re with small kids, make a note of where the family restrooms are before you get the game. They’re sprinkled around the ballpark and you can get in and out of them without missing a half of an inning waiting in line.
— Dan Secatore
