Last visit: March 30, 2024
Along with the Oakland Coliseum, Tropicana Field is one of the two “bad” parks in baseball. But at least the Trop tries.
This is the only MLB stadium with a fixed roof. It’s the smallest MLB venue with a capacity of just over 25,000. Its home club, the Tampa Bay Rays, is the only MLB team named after a body of water. And its home city, St. Petersburg, is the smallest municipality to host an MLB franchise.
The Trop can be depressing when the Rays are playing out the string. But like the team that seems to win a lot despite a bottom-tier payroll, it does a lot with a little. The food and drink is good, and by MLB standards, things are kept relatively affordable. Add a grossly underrated local scene, including many fantastic craft beer places, and a Rays game at the Trop is outright fun.
STADIUM 23/50
Exterior aesthetics 4/10; Interior & Concourse Aesthetics 6/10; Sightlines 3/5; Seating 3/5; Traffic flow 3/5; Scoreboard 2/10; Amenities & entertainment 4/5; Bars & Restaurants 3/5; Celebrating history 3/5; Grand entrance 4/5; Sense of place 8/25; WOW Factor 2/10. Total 46 points divided by 2 for 23.
Built before the retro ballpark craze, Tropicana Field is simply not up to snuff versus other MLB ballparks. There is ZERO “wow factor” here; it’s more like a “wtf factor”.
It’s one of the quirkier ballparks, and certainly the most unique among big league venues. I agree with those who call it “surreal”; there’s a great Salvador Dali museum nearby, and the Trop may still be the trippiest building in downtown St Pete.
It’s the only MLB park with six foul poles: the main ones and 2 each on each of the B and C rings that help support the structure. Its roof changes color. Half the park seating is now completely closed. It’s just a weird place to play Major League Baseball.
THE GOOD:
- The main entrance from the main parking lot is a fairly impressive centerfield rotunda with lots of natural light
- The semi-translucent roof lights up orange when the Rays win and red-white-and-blue during the anthem. It’s a little bizarre, but the effect is cool in a Laser Floyd sort of way.
- Concession areas are fairly wide, and overcrowding is seldom an issue given attendance woes
- The ray tank in left-center field is a neat feature, allowing animal lovers of all ages to pet and feed these critters
- While you can’t walk around the concession area and see the game, the team did pull out a few rows of seats allowing you to cruise the stadium from the main seating area
- There’s a lot of blue paint to keep it looking fresh and somewhat less dreary
- There’s a large communal bar out in centerfield from where you can watch the game as well as large picnic areas for group outings alongside third base.
THE BAD:
- You’re in an enclosed, drab, charmless, windowless dome. That alone knocks off 15-20 points. It almost hurts coming inside on a warm Florida evening for air-conditioned baseball (though admittedly, the air conditioning is nice on day games). Plus it’s ugly. Try as they may, the Rays can only put so much lipstick on this pig.
- The roof slants downward in the outfield. The catwalks that help keep it in place create occasional obstacles with which fielders must deal. It’s a unique quirk, but not a good one
- Despite only seating 25,000 with the upper deck seats no longer being sold, it doesn’t feel particularly intimate. Rather, it feels like you’re sitting in a half empty stadium.
- Once in the seating bowl, from a visual standpoint, there’s really nothing to tip you off that you’re in Florida, other than, perhaps, the average age of the fans around you
- The scoreboard is tiny by today’s standards
- There are some funky sculptures of players crashing through the wall near the main entrance, but they are more creepy than cool
- They closed the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters’ Hall of Fame. This used to be among the best in-stadium diversions in the MLB and was free with your game ticket. You used to be able to easily kill an hour with the impressive collection of memorabilia of not just Ted Williams but of many of greats. Alas this unexpected gem moved to Massachusetts in 2022.
- It feels very artificial and counter to the natural aesthetic of baseball
It’s a poor structure placed in an out-of-the-way location made somewhat presentable with some clever renovations and low-cost upgrades.
FOOD 8/10:
You can eat well at the Trop. Florida food fare like Cuban sandwiches and Firecracker shrimp, as well as many other yummies ——— BBQ pork nachos, short rib grilled cheese, fried catfish, hot chicken sandwiches, fish tacos, killer milkshakes, and sushi bowls ——— augment the usual ballpark fare. Much of the good stuff is centered in three locations (centerfield, first base or third base) meaning you may have a bit of a haul to get something other than standard fare. Quality is fine. A nice touch: the soda fountains are self-serve meaning the unlimited refills on your soda won’t cost you an inning; great for thirsty non-drinkers.
My personal fave: The Korean corn dog from the Pig and Potato was just introduced in 2024. I hope it enjoys a long run because it was amazing.
BEER 7/10:
Tampa has an amazing craft beer scene that seems to be largely ignored by the nation. Sure Cigar City’s Jai Alai has received some much-earned national acclaim, but there’s more, some of which is available at the Trop.
Brews from Coppertail, 3 Daughters, Grand Central, Mastry’s and the aforementioned Cigar City can be found in the park, along with a fairly nice range of macrobrews. It’s one of the reasons why I recommend visitors stay in downtown St Pete; you can avoid driving and enjoy the suds. My lone complaint is that you have to hunt for it a little.
NEIGHBORHOOD 9/10:
Located in the southern part of the Tampa Bay Metro area, away from the bulk of the area populace, the Trop gets deserved flack for being far away for many Tampa area residents. It sits on the outskirts of downtown St Petersburg and is surrounded by several parking lots, creating a bit of an island.
But if you’re willing to walk a little, you’ll find one of the most fun downtowns in America. Enjoy many craft breweries, some excellent. There are some good restaurants, many with a Floribbean or Hispanic flare. There is some nightlife and few worthy museums. And it keeps getting better every year. It may lack the bustle of some of the larger cities, but you can have a great time without having to cross over into Tampa. (That said, Ybor City near downtown Tampa is also worthy of a visit).
Truth be told, it’s one of my favorite places to visit on the circuit.
COST 5/5:
The Rays are among the lowest cost teams in the fan index rating and still can’t draw. There’s little wonder why they need to keep payroll so low.
ACCESSIBILITY 1/5:
For a mid-week night game, if coming from Tampa, it can take an hour to get through traffic to the park. Parking is relatively easy, but it’s really your only option. Public transit is poor other than the trolleys running from downtown St Pete. Stadium junkies who plan to hit the Trop should seriously consider staying downtown St Pete and avoiding travel altogether.
WEATHER 4/5:
It’s a dome. You’re inside.
VIBE 11/25:
This is the second lowest score in this category of any MLB team. A sparsely attended game in a dreary dome is usually a recipe for a poor atmosphere. If you’ve been to a meaningless Royals-Rays game in mid-August with a 7,000-person crowd, you almost feel sorry for the vendors and wonder why you’re spending the money to be there. At its worst, it’s really the worst.
But it deserves some props. The mascots, Raymond and DJ Kitty, engage in some fun antics. Concessions are well run. And Game Day staff do their best to make the place feel inviting and you welcomed.
You’re likely enjoying a game in shorts any time during the season. The Outfield bar has pregame specials, vintage arcade games, and some cool bar games making it a rare in-stadium pregame option worth considering. And the crowds, while small, older and often split for the visiting team, can get pretty loud, especially when the cowbells come out. Perhaps best of all, a day at St Pete Beach followed by a Major League ballgame is a dang fine day, regardless of venue.
Except for when only 6,999 others decided to join you.
GALLERY
OTHER THINGS TO DO
Three fun Tampa Bay restaurants:
- Columbia (Ybor City. A Tampa classic. White tablecloth Cuban restaurant in business since 1905)
- Bodega Comida Cantina Café (near the ballpark for a quick Cuban sandwich and pressed juice)
- Whiskey Joe’s (Waterside near the Tampa airport. A mini vacation at this huge beach bar where you can enjoy a meal and a drink with sand in your toes, and/or a beautiful view of the bay.)
Three places to imbibe before the game:
- Ferg’s (Sprawling “Bro” sports bar and the hub for pregame festivities. Close to the ballpark)
- Green Bench Brewing Co/Webb City (Two really good brewers beside each other a short walk from the Trop. Green Bench is considered by many to be the best craft brewer in St Pete. Webb City has all sort of interesting sours if that’s your bag.)
- Five Bucks Drinkery (Classic Florida bar in downtown St Pete)
One bar in the area worth hitting:
Tampa Bay Brewing (Make it a starting point for an Ybor City bar hop to include Zydeco Breweries, Bad Monkey, 7th & Grove, and Gaspar’s Grotto)
Three craft breweries in the area worthy of your time:
- Cigar City Brewing (Tampa. Acclaimed craft brewery in business since 2007)
- Cycle Brewing (Nanobrewery about 1 mile east of the stadium in downtown St Pete rated by RateBeer in 2017 as the #5 brewer in the world. While here, you can also walk around the block to St Pete Brewing Company for a nice sudsy afternoon.)
- Angry Chair (Tampa. Arguably, the best brewer in town. You can couple it with a stop at nearby 7venth Sun Brewery which was also excellent. If you want to make a full day of it and have a driver, 4 miles south of Angry Chair sits 3 more gems: Hidden Springs, Ulele Spring, and Woven Water.)
Three fun tourist attractions in the area:
- Busch Gardens (Tampa. The amusement park that’s also a zoo.)
- Salvador Dali Museum (Downtown St Pete. A surreally good collection from one of the world’s most interesting artists)
- St Pete Beach (Beach Bumming before a ballgame is pretty sweet)
SUMMARY
The Tampa area is a fun place to hang out. I’m not sure that staying in St. Petersburg is a long-term answer, but I love the area and it keeps getting better every year. But until the Rays finally get their new palace, truth is, there’s a sizable gap between the experience at the Trop and all but one other stadium. I applaud the organization’s effort, but there’s only so much lipstick you can put on this pig.
