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Minute Maid Park itinerary by Wise Guides

Minute Maid Park is in the heart of the city, ironically a part of town that a lot of suburb-lovin' Houstonians rarely visit. But if you're going to an Astros game, take advantage of the best of the neighborhood: friendly bars, great food and a cultural mish-mash of locals and tourists. ... If you don't live in Midtown or downtown, do yourself a favor and drive to one of the city's Park and Ride lots that also double as stations for the METRO Rail. From there, you can hop on the rail – tickets are just $2 – and head to the bars around the ballpark. ... If you're in a party mood, head to B.U.S. Bar just across from the park on Texas Street. The place resembles an open-air garage and is uber-casual, but it can get pretty rowdy on game day. ... If you're looking for a bite to eat before heading to the game, walk next door to Home Plate Bar and Grill; it'll be crowded so try the balcony if you want a table. ... Now that it's about time for the National Anthem, all you have to do is stumble across the street to the park, take a quick bathroom break and head to your seats. ... Once there, get to know your neighbors. Astros fans may not be as rowdy as fans at some other ballparks but they're friendly, and by mid-game you're likely to be making post-game plans with your seat-mates or talking about meeting up for the next game. ... The best eats inside the park are on the first level. This being Texas there's good Mexican and barbeque, but the best bet might be the giant sausages from Texas-based Kiolbassa. Get it early, though, before the lines form and they run out. ... Stay local with your brew, too, and have a Shiner Bock. ... After the game, walk a few blocks west to Main Street, Midtown's main strip, and enter The Flying Saucer, a large pub that boasts more than 200 beers on tap and in bottles. ... If you're in the mood to venture a few blocks further, hail a cab from the ballpark and go to either the Front Porch or Little Woodrow's in Midtown. Both are low-key bars but famous hangouts for Houstonians with a love of specialty beers and unique drinks.

More info at Wise Guides

Houston Astros - User Comments Add your own

Food Made Me Sick -- 2007-04-18

While it was great to see the Astros beat the Marlins 6-1, I was up most of the night puking up the $8.25 chicken strips dinner that I had to stand in line nearly an entire inning to get. I had to miss a day of work due to barely being able to keep toast down and getting only 30 minutes of sleep on the bathroom floor. The field level seats, despite their enormous cost, are uncomfortable hunks of plastic that are so close together, you're hugging your knees the entire game, and there aren't any cupholders or any places to put your greasy food except for your lap. I was sitting out toward the outfield, past first base, and the view was terrible. People were constantly moving up and down the aisle between sections, completely cutting off my view of the game. And some guy wanted 20$ to let me park something like twelve blocks from Minute Maid on Austin.

Jake

upset fan -- 2006-07-08

it was july 7th 2006 when the astros played the cardinals. i've been an astros fan for 30 years,and have never experience the rudeness of a ticket teller that was at window 27. As I approached the window in the middle 1st in such rush to get to the game. She was rude and very stubborn to sell me a ticket that i was'nt aware of.i was so much in a hurry too see the game and lost my patience with that sales person. My female friend did'nt give a rats ass about her seat cause it was the good one to make a long story short dont go purchasing tix from the rude hispanic woman at window 27 cause she is not an astros fan.she is just collecting a check off of us die hard stros fans,next time sell them to the opposing teams fans. Yours truley a fan who doesn't have price for his STROS

mike montana

BASEBALLS -- 2006-06-11

Hi I am from Nicholasville Ky. I am the coach for the Red Sox coach pitch team. they are all 7 and 8 year olds. Now here is my Problem I sent some baseballs in on Tuesday at the Lexington ledgends Applebees Park. they said that they would sign them so that i could give each one of my kids a game ball at our last game. well went i went to pick up the balls friday they said there is some good news and some bad news. I said ok what is it. they said that Clemons had signed the balls along with all the ledgends players I said great then they gave me the bad news they told me that the balls that i had sent in accidently were sent to Houston Tx. that broke my heart because i was going to have to tell all my kids that they were not going to get the balls after all they were all very sad looking if you could only have seen there faces that made me fill terable after i had told them that they were getting them. if there is any way that you could find them they were sent this weekend with a bunch of stuff going from lexington to Houston there was a dozen balls in a black mesch bag the balls were signed my all the ledgends players and Roger Clemons if you could find those balls and send them back to me I would really appreciate it so that i could give my players a game ball that i had promised them they were so disappointed I coach A Red Sox coach pitch team the kids are ages 7 and 8 i have 12 players My name is James Osborne my address is 1082 logana rd Nicholasville Kentucky 40356 my work number is 859-294-9198 or my home phone is 859-885-6229 ask for James or Kathy Osborne thank you so much for reading my letter

JAMES OSBORNE

-- 2004-07-14

I watched the 2004 All-Star game on Fox. The guys that provided the commentary did a great job, but there was such a rumbling in the background it was hard to hear what they were saying some of the time. The rumbling was very irritating, I don't know if it was just the acoustics in Minute Maid Stadium or if it was Fox's problem. It needs to be addressed and corrected.

Anita Prince

The good and bad about Minute Maid Park -- 2002-06-19

I went to a Rangers-Astros game on 6-15-2002. Here is the good and bad from the game.

The good 1. We didn't buy tickets in advance and we were 25 minutes late, but we got in for standing room for $5 each. There were empty seats in the upper deck, and the five of us snagged seats there after the fourth inning, no problem. 2. Even in the upper deck, you felt close to the field. It seats about 40,000, so it's more intimate than the Ballpark in Arlington. 3. Ny nephew and niece (ages 4 and 3) were with us and they have a special section where kids can run to first, throw to a big catcher and try to hit sprays of water coming out of the ground. There were also mascots such as Scooby-Doo and Blues Clues. Good atmosphere for kids. 4. It wasn't a long walk from parking to the park. 5. Delicious flavored pretzels, especially the garlic-flavored. 6. Ice-cold Shiner Beer, one of the best beers in America, everywhere. 7. Closed roof, which makes for a comfortable, air-conditioned environment, and you still have grass on the field. Anyone who has been in Houston during the summer knows how big this is.

The bad 1. While the Shiner was plentiful, it, and all other concessions were expensive. They sell another outstanding microbrew, St. Arnold, but it was $6 for a 12 oz. bottle!! 24 oz. Shiners were $8 each! Peanuts were $6.50 a bag. Hot dogs were $5 each. 2. No programs. Getting there late may not have helped, but there were no programs or yearbooks available at all. This is something to look out for if the Astros get back into a pennant race and have a weekend series against the Reds or Cardinals. 3. Bad nachos. Soggy and the meat tasted funny. 4. Bad pedestrian backup leaving the game. 5. Driving out of downtown Houston was a bit of a maze. You need patience. 6. Scary neighborhood. I went to a day game, so that wasn't a factor, but I wouldn't want to wander away from the crowds during night games. 7. The name. Minute Maid Park is stupid. You have maid in the name of a big-league ballpark. Enron Field had to go, but the Astros should have stuck with just plain Astros Field.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 7, and it wouldn't take much to make it a 9.

Rick

Enron -- 2001-12-10

I got free tickets to go see the Astros play at Enron in 2000 and they were good seats. 18 rows back from the dug out on the 3rd base line. Talk about feeling the game...how about a foul ball dropping in your lap.

Brad

ENRON FIELD -- 2001-09-24

I atteneded a series at Enron Field. I found the seating comfortable and roomy unlike Fenway Park where the seating makes you feel like an animal. The food was expensive but that was to be expected because of the players' salaries on the Astros. Walking around the concourse in Enron Field was a breeze. I found the Enron Field ushers friendly and helpful.

I do have a couple changes I would like to make at Enron Field. I would have chosen a different type of brick for a backdrop behind home plate. I love and worship Wrigley Field and what it has done for baseball but I think architects for baseball stadiums should use their imagination and numerous options available in choosing backdrops for new upcoming baseball stadiums to give the ballpark an attitude and atmosphere of its own. Another change I would like to make at Enron Field pertains to the Crawford Street seats in left field. They should have left this seating area out of the plans. I don't want to take revenue away from the Astros. I wonder how much revenue per game the Astros take in from the left field seats and if they were eliminated and the majority of the loss revenue charge to the luxury box people, the Field Box and Season ticket holders would they still have the same revenue coming into their ledger? The left field dimensions are too small. I would hate to see a 316 foot line drive homer decide if a team is going to go to the World Series or home for the winter.

I give Enron Field a hearty thumbs up. It is a marvelous piece of baseball architecture and a great little ballpark. If you order tickets to a ballgame at Enron Field you can be sure the game will be played because of the retractable roof. This is a big positive for those of us who like to plan ahead of time to get good seats.

Thomas Terry Jr.

Enron -- 2001-08-07

I purchased tickets to a game at Enron last July vs. Cincinati, I decided to attend batting practice, (mainly to see Jr. Griffey), and showed up about an hour before the gates even opened, I walked into what I guess were Ticket Offices to beat the heat, walked through another door, and I was INSIDE the stadium, I sort of slunk out to the area behind the left field wall and enjoyed a private view of the Astros taking bp, I caught 2 bp homers (1 barehanded in the air I might add) and that was the best time I'd ever had at a stadium. So complain about your 12-11 final scores, and the abolishment of Lima Time, but thanks to the total cluelessness of the hierarchy of the Astros stadium staff I was able to have the time of my life...

Greg Murphy

Critique of Enron -- 2001-08-04

I am an experienced baseball fan. I have been to all the major league parks (1974 - 1984) and again in 1993. Since then I have been to 23 of the current parks. Will complete the circuit for the third time in September. I have been to Enron three times.

Here are my concerns with Enron: 1) the left field fence is too close; 2) the set back in left-center is a hazard to play; 3) the flag poles in the playing field is a hazard and unnecessary; 4) the little hill in center field is tacky and a safety issue; 5) the brick wall behind home plate is tacky. What were the Astros thinking? It looks as if the architect had read a book about old ball parks and then went about borrowing old ideas. None of these features work. They are plain tacky and will inevitably result in injuries to ball players.

In addition the windows in left field need to be opaque as they are at Miller Park(the glare is immense)and the access to the upper deck requires too much walking to get to and from the escalators.

The Astros did not hit a home run with Enron (everyone else does though). I am not sure it is even a hit. More like a foul ball.

Thomas Powell

Enron has plenty of energy -- 2001-07-30

Enron Field has alot more going on than just baseball. I encourage anybody going to get their atleast 90 minutes early so you can truly enjoy the ballpark. The Sports Gallery behind home plate is great, as is Ruggles and the Conoco Deck in the left center field. The later is a great place to watch batting practice and just talk some baseball with the other fans that have gathered out there. After 35 years in the Dome- a stadium I will always love- Enron is an incredible change. Its atmosphere is incredible and watching the game is a joy. The home of the Stros gets 2 thumbs way up.

Chris

Enron Field -- 2001-07-27

Enron was my 6th ballpark this year. Its was very nice, and cozy feeling to it kinda like Fenway. The ball just flies out of that place. A big difference is the space under or behind the seats. The ablility to be able to walk around the park without bumping into people or dealing with lines from food stands IS very nice as compared to older parks like, Yankee Stadium(season ticket holder). Another is the ability to leave to park and re-enter. The only minus was the size of the seats themselves. They were very small to what im used to, and they were field level seats.

thanks'Gerard

Gerard

The short porch and poor service -- 2001-06-19

In response to a couple of comments about the left field short porch, the official word is that in order to be a retractable roof the stadium needed to be designed in it's current geometric configuration. So although they had space, the roof necessitated the current dimensions. Of course, they could have made a higher all, but that would mean less seat revenue -- $$$. Being a long time Astros fan, I long awaited this stadium, but I must admit disappointment. I've been to several new stadiums and this one comes up short. The amenities were all cut short -- poor food, lousy service, cramped seats, poor site lines (although nowhere near as bad as the Astrodome). Worth a visit, but no classic.

SirSCABS

Image if Aaron, Ruth, or Mays called this place home! -- 2001-06-04

Can we say, "1000 career home runs?" What a change from that fly ball graveyard called the Astrodome! No team in history has experienced such a change in home venues! A lot better looking than the old Dome. The hill and flagpole in the 436 foot centerfield is a great touch. Mike Piazza last year cleared all of that! Left field looks great, but move it back. 310 and 302 works in Fenway, but 315 doesn't work in Enron. And the brick wall behind home plate looks like a poor imitation of Wrigley Field's backstop. Great idea of putting giant windows in the back of the park.

David Bryant

Enron Field is a Hitter's Paradise -- 2001-05-17

The new home (one year old in 2001) of the Astros is where hitters want to play. I think it's a great stadium, however, my only beef is the 315' left field line. They had plenty of room to the street not to allow pop-flies to leave the ballpark. Other than that it's great with a flag pole in play on the center field hill beyond the warning track. There's a place to eat right in center field, a gas tank to count the Astros homeruns at Enron, not to mention a retractable roof to keep the H-Town humidity away. There's also a train that runs down the left field wall for homers and part of the old Union Station is high above the left field line and can be rented out for parties. The best seating is with a view of the right field seats, they have a very large score board that's not viewable if your sitting in the rightfield seats or far down the first base line. Good seats are pricy ($25-30), however, standing room only is $5, so all can enjoy. That's my take on Enron, see you at the games! Ryan

Ryan Addison

Where to Sit at Enron -- 2001-05-17

For the cost-conscious, the place to sit is in the Outfield Deck (Upper Level, near the left field foul pole). Adults are $5 and kids are only $1. You've got a great view of the big scoreboard as well. The left field corner is obscured, however.

Dollar for dollar, the best seat in the house is in the Upper Level behind home plate (Sections 417 thru 421) -- only $10, and you're right above the field!

Of course, if you can score Dugout Boxes behind the plate, take them!

David

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