Inside America’s Oldest Ballpark: Our Fenway Park Experience

What is there to say about Fenway Park that has not already been said? The stadium holds a special place in baseball history that has withstood the test of time. It opened the same week as the sinking of the Titanic to give some perspective of how old this ballpark is. While it has undergone a few renovations over the years, it has maintained its vintage charm. Before you read on about our Fenway Park experience, make sure you check out our previous post about what we expected prior to visiting this stadium.

Stadium Experience

Walking up Jersey Street we could immediately tell that the team takes pride in their storied history. Banners flutter in the breeze, commemorating each successful season, while the retired numbers of legends like Ted Williams and David Ortiz adorn the streets like badges of honor. And nestled at the end of Van Ness Street by Gate B, stands the iconic Ted Williams statue watching over the hallowed grounds. The Teammates statue depicting Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky stands only a few yards away. The statues are a nice tribute to the players who have contributed to the organization in great ways. As we made our way down Ipswich Street, we saw the MGM Music Hall at Fenway followed by Landsdowne Street which is filled with excellent bars, breweries, and restaurants to help enhance the pre/post-game Fenway Park experience.

During the 10am tour, we could tell that the guide loves his job and is a diehard Red Sox fan, which is something you want from someone giving a tour. He first took us to the lower level where we saw a full panorama view of the field. We were shown the different seats where there was definitely a clash of styles. While the seats closer to the field are more modern looking, the seats that were further back are the original wooden seats from about a century ago. Afterwards, the tour guide took us on the field where we had our picture taken behind home plate.

The Green Monster is as advertised (which was also my problem with it). The Green Monster is a historic part of Red Sox history, but it is riddled with advertisements. The views from the Monster seats were fantastic and we were able to touch the foul pole where Carlton Fisk waved his home run fair in the 1975 World Series. A fun fact that we learned during our tour is that the Green Monster was originally built because there were car dealerships across the street and baseballs and brand new cars don’t mix well. Also, the owner was afraid that people would try to watch from the street and he did not want to give away free baseball games. Another cool fact is that there is a ladder on the Green Monster that used to serve as a lifeline to retrieve stray baseballs hit up there. When the ladder was unexpectedly removed with the addition of the seats on top of the Green Monster, fans revolted, demanding its return as it’s a vital part of the ballpark’s history. Their passion and loyalty won out, and the ladder was eventually reinstated, even though it serves no functional purpose in modern times.

The Green Monster is also home to the manual scoreboard. In between innings, a scorekeeper will run on the field and switch the numbers for any score changes as if they were Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune. Inside the Green Monster, the scorekeepers are left to brave the elements without the luxury of air conditioning or any modern amenities. It’s like they’re in their own little time capsule, sweating it out while the game unfolds. You can also see the many dents on the Green Monster from baseballs hitting off the wall from over the years.

Let’s not forget about the red bleacher seat that commemorates Ted Williams’ home run which was the longest home run ever hit at Fenway Park, measuring at 502 feet. It will stick out like a sore thumb because it is the only red seat in the bleachers. Above the Ted Williams seat, there is the Truly Terrace. Created in 2022, the Truly Terrace is where we found unique beers and food items, such as the Irish nachos. Taking the stairs up from the Truly Terrace, we went to the Sam Deck which is short for the Sam Adams deck (Boston’s premier beer). We were able to get stunning photos of the rest of the park from up there. They have a bar and select seating. The stairs down from the Truly Terrace took us to the main level in the outfield but not before passing the Royal Rooter Club on the way. The Royal Rooter Club is a restaurant that contains many Red Sox artifacts and relics from over the years. It is set up almost like a museum and is a must visit when going to this ballpark.

Once we re-entered the park for the game following the tour, we did our usual lap around each of the levels. Fenway Park was a little more difficult to navigate because of how old it is. We felt like we were in a maze. Modern Ballparks are just a circle around the stadium at each level. However, Fenway Park, you may have to walk upstairs, around other sections and areas just to walk in a continuous manner. Along the way though, the stadium is rich with team history and relics which caused us to slow down a bit and really absorb as much as we could. While we enjoyed seeing the history throughout the stadium, it would be better if they had a “Red Sox Hall of Fame Museum” that could show all of these historical items and information (similar to the Royal Rooters Club) in one place. I only say this because if you are walking without looking around or it is overcrowded, it is very easy to miss something or feel rushed. Overall though, Fenway Park is one of the last of its kind in Major League Baseball. It is beautiful and iconic and should be preserved for years to come.

Game Experience at Fenway Park

We arrived in Boston around 9:30am Sunday, 4/14. We found parking for $50 a few blocks away but would later regret that as we found parking elsewhere for $25. We felt kind of rushed as we got a late start and arrived a half hour before our tour so we settled for the first parking we could find. We were scheduled for a premium game-day tour at 10am that would meet at the Red Sox Team Store across the street from the ballpark on Jersey Street (though it was not clear from our tickets where we would meet so had to find someone to ask at one of the gates). We went into the Team Store and bought a Red Sox mini helmet and baseball with the Red Sox logo on it. Note to self: arrive early to find bargain parking.

As we found out that we had a little more time than expected prior to the tour starting, we decided to take a walk around the stadium. We turned left onto Van Ness Street from Jersey Street and we saw that the street was blocked off but the sidewalk was open and there were many cars that were pulling up. Soon realizing that in these cars were many of the Red Sox players. We saw Brayan Bello (starting pitcher), Rafael Devers (star third baseman), and Jarren Duran (Red Sox outfielder). Jarren Duran stopped over to sign autographs for a few kids that were nearby and I was able to say hello and get a picture with him. He seemed like a kind and genuine guy!

We went back for our tour as it started in the ancient wooden seats on the first base side. We sat there while our tour guide told tales of Red Sox lore. Afterwards, we made our way to the field and stood on the track behind home plate where we took photos of the field. There was blimp flying by and it made for a cool photo. We met Wally The Green Monster (Red Sox mascot). He was fun and he was a pretty good dancer! His moves were as unpredictable like a Tim Wakefield knuckleball on a breezy day. Brittny thought he was adorable. Unfortunately, we did not see much of him during the game. Apparently, he has a sister named Tessie who we also did not see. Wally is named after the Green Monster wall in left field and Tessie is named after an old song “Tessie” that was sung by the Royal Rooters cheering section back in 1903. The song was re-released by the Dropkick Murphys in the early 2000s and is played at most games. Once the photo session concluded, we made our way towards the Green Monster seats where we stopped at Fenway Farms. Fenway Farms is where the ballpark grows its own produce that they use in concessions during the season. Any leftovers at the end of the year are donated to charity or to the hungry. We both thought that this was an exceptional idea. The final stop on the tour was the Green Monster seats, where we got to sit and see complete views of the field and surrounding area.

Once we re-entered the ballpark for the game, we went right to the Sam Adams deck for some additional beautiful panorama photos. However, not before Brittny got a pin that said “1^st Time at Fenway Park” like she was a kid at Disney. We checked out the Truly Terrace and the Royal Rooter Club. Truly Terrace is where we ordered most of our beers and got the Irish nachos. The Royal Rooter club was like a museum restaurant. It is a famous location within Fenway Park.

With about 45 minutes until game time, we decided to make our rounds and circle each level of the ballpark. However, we quickly found out that it may have been the worst day to do this as the park was very crowded with special events for boy and girl scouts. There were kids running around everywhere making it difficult to get where we wanted to go and see what we wanted to see. The concourse was also a little confusing because it was not the easiest place to navigate. We often had to backtrack to find a way to get to the next section as it’s not as direct as more modern stadiums.

Once the game started, we took our seats in Field Box 2, row H. The weather was very bi-polar. One minute the sun was beaming down on us and the next it was windy and raining, but the game never slowed up. The fans were very into the game and excited. They were not reactionary fans. They were cheering even when not much was happening. Once the late innings of the game arrived, everyone sung along to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in the seventh inning. In the eighth inning, “Sweet Caroline” took over the speakers and everyone went crazy. You can hear the whole stadium getting into it. Once the game was over and the Red Sox won, they played “Tessie” and everyone continued singing. The last three innings of the game seemed like a continued karaoke event. It was an awesome experience seeing everyone get into it.

Overall, the game experience at Fenway Park is not like many. It has many unique features and qualities and the fans help make the experience even better. I painfully agree, as a Yankee fan, that Fenway Park’s lore and experience are undeniably unrivaled.

Final Scores

Here’s a reminder of our initial score predictions and the actual final score of the game:

Sunday (4/14/24)-Los Angeles Angels @ Boston Red Sox

Marc’s Prediction: Red Sox 5 Angels 0

Brittny’s Prediction: Red Sox 3 Angels 1

Actual Score: Red Sox 5 Angels 4

Both of us predicted a Red Sox victory with Marc guessing the exact number of runs for the Red Sox. However, it was not a shutout as he predicted.

The home teams on our trip improve to 2-0!

Food Review

In our stadium expectation post, we listed the food that we wanted to get at the game. Here is a reminder of what those were:

• Fenway Frank We each got to try the famous Fenway Frank. They are reasonably priced and delicious. While it may seem like just a regular hot dog, Kayem Fenway Franks are a staple of the Fenway Park experience.
• Maple Bacon Burger Neither of us tried this.
• Ice Cream Helmet Since Brittny collects the mini helmets at each stadium as they usually come filled with ice cream, we assumed that we would buy one. However, we found one in the Team Store without the ice cream. We figured we would try and salvage our diets a little bit!
• Platanos Maduros We did not even see these in the stadium even though they were listed on the website.
• Lobster Roll I was excited to try a Lobster roll until we saw that they were $38. I inquired how big they were and was told that they were the size of a normal hotdog bun with a small cup of lobster meat. You can literally get three beers for the price of one lobster roll and still have a couple of dollars left over. No matter how good it may be, it is not worth it in our opinion.
• Clam Chowder We did not get this either. It was actually a warm day and we determined that clam chowder was probably not the best thing to get.

Other Food (we did not plan to have originally):

• Pretzel The pretzel was hot and fresh and was soft inside and chewy outside. It was delicious!
• Irish Nachos This is new to Fenway Park for 2024 and we found it in the Truly Terrace. In lieu of the lobster roll, I elected to try these instead for less than half the lobster roll price. Irish nachos are golden crisp waffle fries covered in sour cream, fresh sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, corned beef, and queso fresco. These were tasty and had a delightful mix of flavors that worked well together.

Beer Review

In our stadium expectation post, we listed the craft beers that fit our criteria in the stadium. Here is a fresh reminder of what those were:

• Cisco Shark Tracker The Shark was not tracked. We did not see this in the stadium.
• Cisco Grey Lady We did not see this in the stadium.
• Fenway Faithful IPA I asked a few stands about this and they never even heard of it. They gave me the Sam Adam Wicked Fenway IPA instead which was delicious. We wanted to bring some home but we were unable to find it outside of the stadium.
• Fiddlehead IPA We did not try this.
• Goslings Dark ‘n Stormy We did not try this.
• Harpoon IPA We did not try this at the game but we have had Harpoon IPA before as it is sold locally.
• Ipswich Ale We did not see this in the stadium.
• Lord Hobo 617 This was delicious. It was light and refreshing. We would highly recommend it.
• Lord Hobo Lager We did not see this in the stadium.
• Mighty Squirrel Cloud Candy This was one of our favorite beers. It had a unique taste where it tasted like a beer but it also tasted a little sweet like cotton candy.
• Narragansett Lager We did not have this in the ballpark but have had it locally.
• Night Shift Whirlpool This beer was the last of the ones we tried and it was delicious.

Fenway Park had some awesome beer selections. However, we had trouble finding some of the ones that were listed on the website.

Pros/Cons of Our Fenway Park Experience

Pros

• While the stadium has had a few updates over the years, the mystique of the original Fenway Park has been preserved, giving fans a unique baseball experience.
• The fan excitement helps make the game an unforgettable Fenway Park experience.
• The stadium contains many historical feature such as the Pesky Pole, Green Monster, Ted Williams seat, etc.
• The Sam Deck is a nice addition that takes stadium views to new heights…literally.
• The stadium has a wide array of beer choices with many of them worth trying.
• The stadium has many bars and restaurants outside the stadium for fans to enjoy before or after the game.
• The Fenway Park website listed out all food and beverage options in a clear manner and made it easy to find what we were looking for.
• The stadium is very kid friendly. The concourse is loaded with games and opportunities for kids to interact with the Red Sox and each other.

Cons

• Even though we could clearly see everything on the scoreboard, the scoreboard is pretty small.
• The seats are pretty small and do not offer much space. Also, they are not elevated too much so someone sitting in front of you can easily block your vision.
• The stadium is not easily navigated. You may have to go up/down, around a different area just to continue walking straight on the same level. This is because the stadium is old.
• We would like to see more of the mascots during the game.
• Green Monster contains advertisements which kind of takes away from the lore (to us).
• Fans started the wave. Most people don’t care, but we are both “anti-wave”.
• Some food and beverages are only offered in one part of the stadium. If you don’t sit near that area, you may have to navigate the whole stadium just to find what you are looking for.