Welcome to the in-depth analysis of our Rogers Centre stadium experience! In this post, we’ll take you through every aspect of our visit, from the atmosphere to the delicious food and drinks. Join us as we dive into the excitement of game day, share our predictions, and uncover the best culinary and beer offerings the stadium has to offer. Plus, we’ll weigh in on the pros and cons of the Rogers Centre, giving you the inside scoop on whether it’s a ballpark worth visiting. Let’s get started!
Stadium Experience
For the purpose of the Rogers Centre stadium experience section, this post will focus solely on the in-stadium experience on Saturday, April 13th. So after seeing a new perspective of the ballpark on Friday night from our hotel room we had some renewed optimism that it would be a good time. The first pitch was 3:07pm and we were able to get into the stadium 2 hours early.
Before we could dive into the stadium experience that afternoon, we decided to take a little detour to the charming distillery district for a dose of cultural enlightenment. After all, it’s essential to balance out the beer and hot dogs with a touch of sophistication, right? Eventually, we found ourselves back at the Rogers Centre, navigating the bustling streets like seasoned urban explorers. We had to move the car from the Marriott to another lot so we didn’t get charged a full day ($50). And let me tell you, finding a parking spot on Blue Jays Way only two blocks away felt like discovering the holy grail—only this grail cost us a modest $25.
As we approached the bubble that is the Rogers Centre, we couldn’t help but feel a twinge of skepticism. Our last visit had left us underwhelmed, with the stadium’s aesthetic resembling something out of a 1980s time capsule. But this time around, things seemed different. While the exterior still lacked the pizzazz of its more modern counterparts, we stumbled upon a statue of Ted Rogers, looking regal and slightly confused, as if wondering why he was standing guard over a glorified sports arena. The stadium could really use more statues to celebrate some of the past Blue Jays legends. Get Ted some stone friends!
The Rogers Centre did, however, have audience statues. While it was hard to make out exactly what we were looking at, at first, if you look up while on Blue Jays Way, you will see these bizarre looking statues that are supposed to represent different types of fans. They were strange but kind of cool at the same time. They almost gave off an ancient Roman vibe more than a modern American sports vibe that you would see at an American sports stadium. While they were unique and interesting to look at, they are not enough to move the needle too favorably.
Undeterred by the previous disappointment from our prior visit, we entered into the stadium like explorers entering uncharted territory, ready to uncover its hidden gems. And boy, were we in for a treat. From the nosebleed section to the outfield, the Rogers Centre was buzzing with energy. The new “Outfield District” was a sight to behold, with its sleek rooftop bar and makeshift tailgate party vibes. Live music filled the air, mingling with the aroma of popcorn and hotdogs, creating a sensory overload that would make even the toughest baseball purist weak in the knees. This area was crowded for most of the game and it seemed like a spot to go with your friends on a weekend to relax and catch up over a few drinks than watch a baseball game.
But the real magic happened on the lower level, where we stumbled upon the legendary WestJet Flight Deck—a hotspot for catching batting practice balls and rubbing elbows with fellow fanatics. And let’s not forget “The Stop,” where beer flowed like water and credit cards cried out in agony. The $25 deposit for beer might have seemed steep, but hey, you can’t put a price on liquid courage, right? We will cover food and beer in other sections.
As the day unfolded, we found ourselves swept away by the sheer spectacle of it all. The Rogers Centre may not have won any awards for aesthetics, but its slight upgrade in charm and unexpected delights left us with an appetizer for our future baseball endeavors. So here’s to a day filled with baseball, beer, and the occasional bout of confusion over statues that may or may not exist. Cheers!
Game Experience at the Rogers Centre
It was a chilly Saturday afternoon for our Rogers Centre stadium experience. We were hoping that the roof would be open but Mother Nature had to get in her weekend mischief. Once the roof is open, it cannot be closed with people in the stadium as it is considered a hazard, so closed it stayed. As we returned from the distillery district, fans were lined up waiting impatiently to get out of the cold and wind. Workers were bundled up and shivering. Fans were let in a generous two hours before game time so we set out to explore and capture the perfect stadium photos (as perfect as an iPhone can take) and scout out the unique finds and culinary items from our list. Our seats were in section 148B, row 1 in the outfield (which was actually the third row—must be the metric system?).
The closed roof sheltered us from the elements, enveloping the stadium in a brightly lit, almost cinematic glow. It was 3:07pm but felt like a night game. Imagine a scene straight out of a movie, with fans swaying to the rhythm of live music under the glow of overhead lights, the air crackling with anticipation like popcorn in a microwave. There was a live DJ. Most of the activities and liveliness came from the Outfield District and the WestJet Flight Deck. The pre-game environment was cool but the lights were a little much as they were blinding at times.
But come game time, the energy of the crowd had completely flatlined. Despite valiant attempts by the stadium to pump up the volume with noise meters and scoreboard banter, the crowd remained fairly quiet. The only moments of excitement came from Daulton Varsho’s grand slam, George Springer’s diving catch, and the inevitable eruption of “OK Blue Jays” during the seventh-inning stretch. Oh, and let’s not forget the bout of ADHD that hit the stadium in the eighth-inning prompting people to do the wave, which we refuse to partake in. There were no “Let’s Go Blue Jays” chants or any crowd engagement that made the opposing team wish they were at home. Ace, the mischievous but adorable Blue Jays mascot, was a bright spot on the in-game entertainment side. He was fun and friendly and stopped to take photos with anyone who dared to ask for one. He was the life of the party as he would dance on dugouts in between innings.
We could not see the scoreboard from our seats, leaving us in the dark about lineups, pitchers, stats, general game information, and middle inning entertainment. We didn’t even realize certain players were not playing until they were later announced as pinch hitters. The scoreboard itself was of high quality but needs to be accessible to all fans or at least a slightly smaller screen across the stadium. That put a bit of a damper on our Rogers Centre stadium experience. However, the seats themselves were great! A nice, unobstructed view of the field, often within feet of the outfielders.
Final Scores
Here’s a reminder of our initial score predictions and the actual final score of the game:
Saturday, April 13th Colorado Rockies @ Toronto Blue Jays
Marc’s Prediction: Blue Jays 9 Rockies 2
Brittny’s Prediction: Blue Jays 5 Rockies 2
Actual Score: Blue Jays 5 Rockies 4
Both of us predicted a Blue Jays victory with Brittny almost predicting the correct score.
The home teams on our trip improve to 1-0!
Food Review
In our Rogers Center stadium expectation post, we listed the food and non-beer beverages that we wanted to get at the game. Here is a fresh reminder of what those were and our thoughts on each:
- Poutine Hot Dog Canadian comfort food. Picture a Schneiders hot dog in a fluffy bun. This hot dog was smothered in gooey cheese curds and drenched in a velvety brown gravy. Even if not at the ballpark, we highly recommend trying poutine in some form when in Canada.
- Peameal on a Bun Honestly, we had no clue what peameal was. This is another traditional Canadian food that many Americans would just call “Canadian Bacon.” Peameal is a wet-cured, unsmoked bacon made from lean pork loin. It was also topped with cheese and onions on a bun. While it was tasty to try, the sandwich itself was a little dry and kind of cold. I would maybe recommend trying peameal somewhere else where it may be different and less expensive. This was only available on the 500s level of the Outfield District.
- Canadian Caesar Hot Dog We did not try this.
- Oreo Churro A chocolate churro covered in crushed up Oreo, a light drizzle and filled with cream. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more delicious, double your dopamine with a side of Nutella. Do we really need to tell you if we recommend it or not?
- Blueberry Popcorn We could not find this anywhere in the park. We re-checked the Rogers Centre concessions website and couldn’t find it there either. Maybe we were delusional from lack of sleep?
- OK Blue Jays Rum Punch Named after the traditional Blue Jays song “OK Blue Jays” that is played in the 7th inning, this was given to us in a souvenir cup. Brittny wanted to try it. It was not terrible but the ice kept getting stuck in the mouthpiece. Also, drink this right away as the ice will quickly dilute the drink. The drink was rather expensive and over $20 CAD. It was cool to say that we tried it but it wasn’t worth the price.
Other Food (we did not plan to have originally):
- Pretzel Brittny really wanted a pretzel. This may have been one of the worst pretzels that we have ever had. Marc claimed it tasted stale but Brittny said that it was just hard. We thought Canada dry only applied to ginger ale but apparently it also applies to their pretzels. All uneaten pretzels should be donated to the Maple Leafs as they can be used as hockey pucks.
- Schneider’s Hot Dog Most ballparks have unique brands of hot dogs and Schneiders is the Blue Jays brand. The hot dog was plump and juicy yet had a little crisp to it. There were no wrinkles and they were served fresh. This was a good choice.
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 and our thoughts on each:
- Beau’s Lug Tread We did not try this.
- Bellswood Jelly King Sour Since neither of us really like sour beers, we did not try this.
- Bellswood Jutsu Pale Ale We did not try this.
- Collective Arts Lost in the Clouds IPA This was a cool beer. A refreshing taste and multiple can labels of different artwork. I guess it makes sense that it is called “Collective Arts.”
- Henderson Gold Rush Ale This beer was good but tasted like any other similar beer.
- Mill Street 100th Meridian We tried this at the Mill Street Brewpub rather than the stadium. It was delicious and unique.
- Mill Street Blue Wave We tried this at the Mill Street Brewpub rather than the stadium. It tasted like a typical light beer but was still crisp and refreshing. This beer was made specifically for the Blue Jays and is their beer.
- Mill Street Organic We tried this at the Mill Street Brewpub rather than the stadium. It had a unique taste and tasted clean. We have not had many organic beers so it was a pleasant surprise.
- Mill Street Organic Haze Phaze IPA We tried this at the Mill Street Brewpub rather than the stadium. This was Brittny’s favorite.
- Mill Street Pineapple Sour We tried this at the Mill Street Brewpub rather than the stadium. Contrary to us previously stating that we do not like sour beers, this one was actually pretty good. Had a refreshing pineapple taste and would actually recommend it.
- Oast Barnraiser Pale Ale We did not try this.
One thing that helped us save on our budget and maximize the number of beers we could try for our Rogers Centre stadium experience was researching the beer list before the game. We noticed that Mill Street Brewpub had five beers in the stadium while all other breweries had only one or two. We went to the Mill Street Brewpub in person and sampled those beers. A flight was $16 CAD so we got one and sampled four of the five beers. The pours were very generous so we were able to split between the two of us. When we told the bartender what we were doing, he threw the fifth beer in (the pineapple sour) on the house to try. At the game, one beer on its own was about $16 CAD. So we got to try all five Mill Street beers for the price of one beer at the game. Once the game started, we each picked one beer to try from the remaining ones. Brittny chose the Collective Arts and I chose the Henderson Gold Rush.
Pros/Cons of Our Rogers Centre Stadium Experience
Pros
- The game environment was like a nightclub. The music and lighting brought energy and excitement to the stadium.
- Food and beer were both listed out in detail on the Blue Jays site. We were able to prepare our budgets and decide what to eat and drink beforehand. We also knew exactly where everything was which saved a lot of time.
- The Outfield District was a unique and beautiful add on. It offered great food, drinks and experiences with live music and games throughout all three levels of the ballpark. The artwork and signs were all picture-worthy and there were staff members walking around waiting and actively asking if we wanted our picture taken. We haven’t seen this at other stadiums before and was especially helpful to not have to bother strangers who just want to enjoy their own visit to the ballpark.
- The Schneider hot dogs and the poutine hot dog were homeruns in the culinary department.
- There were a wide range of domestic and craft beer choices. We did not dislike any beer that we tried.
- Close proximity to many bars, the CN Tower, and other activities made the pre-game/post-game experience easier to find things to do to make a day or weekend out of visiting the ballpark.
- Unique hotel room views from the Toronto Marriott City Center hotel made this stadium stand out.
- Beautiful stadium artwork scattered throughout the park was cool to see and showcased the pride of Toronto.
- We were able to find Ace, the Blue Jays mascot, walking around the concourse and got a few pictures of him.
Cons
- Also listed under pros, the stadium was like a nightclub. While we mentioned that it was fun and gave a unique energy to the stadium to a certain extent, it was overwhelming at times. Some of the lights were blinding. We survived the solar eclipse only to lose our vision to the Rogers Centre strobe lights.
- The fans were not very engaged despite a few efforts by the entertainment crew to get things started.
- The scoreboard could not be seen from many of the outfield seats.
- The pretzel tasted stale and was hard and dry.
- The team’s lack of recognition for its rich history and culture leaves fans longing for more, with only a lone statue of Ted Rogers to commemorate the past triumphs of the Blue Jays.
- From the outside, the stadium lacked curb appeal, resembling nothing more than a giant white bubble—a missed opportunity to make a grand impression on visitors and passersby alike.
Let us know what you thought of our Rogers Centre stadium experience! If you have been to the Rogers Centre before, do you agree with our assessment? Stay tuned for our ratings post, where we give the Rogers Centre a ballpark rating based on ten key factors.
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