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Tampa Bay Devil Rays - User Comments Add your own

I rate Tropicana Field an A -- 2007-06-24

I first visited Tropicana Field in 2004. I've also been to games in 2005 and 2006 (3 in that year). My father and I found this facility to be top-notch. It's well-maintained, the free parking is great, the ticket prices ($4.00 per ticket with a AAA card discount) are outstanding, the ushers and fans are friendly, and it's major league baseball. Also, the bar & grill just north of the ballpark across the street is a very fun pre/post-game hangout. Tropicana Field is centrally located in St. Petersburg, so everything good to do is really close. Lodging is very close (1 mile) as well. I hope to visit again this year. The only negative is the quality of the team, but this seems to be improving. Certainly, the new ownership has helped with Tropicana Field. I highly recommend a visit to Tropicana Field to beat the heat and enjoy an exciting major league experie

Ronald Theriot

A lot better now... -- 2006-05-20

I've been going to Rays games since Day one, and I have to say that the "Fruit Dome" is a lot better now than it EVER was under the Vince "I don't give a $^#@! what the fans think" Namoli. The new management group has really done some nice things to fix up the place: dropping the parking fees, lowering the concession prices, and allowing people to bring in their own food and drink are all well-appreciated goodwill gestures. Another thing I've noticed this season (2006) over the past is that the people working there have a much more fan-friendly attitude -- again, something that starts from the top executives and is changing the organizational culture. I hope it lasts.

The Cuesta-Ray Cigar Bar is a great place if you like to enjoy the pleasures of a find hand-rolled premium cigar, and brings a nice tie-in to the history of the Tampa Bay area and Ybor City (in Tampa) itself. The Batters Eye restaurant is fun during a game if you can get a good seat right by the windows that look out over straightaway center field (I've seen some great plays by C. Crawford, J. Gathwright, and J. Gomes while enjoying a wonderful meal). I'd suggest staying away from the Budweiser Brew House DURING the game, but before and after a game it's a lot of fun.

My main objection to the place, more on a personal level, is the stadium naming. I REALLY hate corporate naming on stadiums (ironic since I work for the company that has the naming rights to another Tampa Bay major sports facility), and wish they had kept the more familiar and traditional names for the place... to this day, I still think of the place as the "Thunderdome" since my first experiences there where while the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) played there before moving to the "Ice Palace" (aka the St. Pete Times Forum which isn't even located in St. Pete which is just another example of a naming travesty). So, anyway, I never call Tropicana Field by that name... it's simply now "The Fruit Dome"... especially when they light it up orange after those all-too-infrequent Rays victories.

On the whole, having been to a dozen or so different major league ballparks, I'd give the Fruit Dome a solid "B+" right now (up from a "C" in the years past). It's not perfect, but for an indoor facility it's pretty good. I still think baseball should be played outdoors only, but down here during the summer you'd have so many rainouts (more so than the Marlins experience) it would create a scheduling nightmare! So catwalks or no, it's our ballpark and it's a lot of fun...

TampaGeek

A empty juice carton in need of recycling -- 2006-02-11

3 words... what a dump has nothing to offer at all, you can't ever watch quaity baseball there

Benny Boy

A Nice Place -- 2002-06-18

Even though the Devil Rays don't attract many to their games, it's certainly not because of the stadium. Offered are many different restaurants selling a variety of items. You can get anything from pizza to subs to Chinese to Outback to whatever you want!

I do agree with other posters about the catwalks, and I suspect they will be modified sometime as long as the club isn't contracted!

I recommend this park for visitors and localers (if that's a word!). Very nice.

Greg

Catwalks, the Beach, etc. -- 2002-05-11

There are some fun things in the Trop. It is nice in the hot city of St. Pete to be able to sit in 72 degree weather. The catwalks are horrible. It's amazing they haven't changed them yet, because the Rays get robbed by those things often. There new policy is really bad. They don't sell upper deck seats unless the lower sections are full. You can buy a Beach ticket for $5, but you can only stay in that area. No going down for autographs, or access to many of the good restaurants. The cheapest ticket you can get for access of those good features is $14. The Batter's eye restaurant in Center Field is a nice place.

Jeff Macolino

Not as Bad as I thought...... -- 2002-05-09

but maybe I wasn't expecting much!

Overall, it's clean and the seats I had were good. But, that rug use in place of grass has got to go! I did not like the fact that many consession stands were closed because of the small crowds they attract. Also, I felt guilty sitting indoors on a beautiful sunny day.

Jeff

QUITE -- 2001-07-08

OF ALL THE PARKS I HAVE BEEN TO (64) THIS WAS SOMETHING NEW. VERY CLEAN PARK,FAIR PRICES ON FOOD. I WENT TO A RED SOX GAME ,MORE THAN HALF THE CROWD WAS FOR THE SOX. IT DID NOT SOUND LIKE ANY GAME I'VE BEEN TO. MAYBE THE DOME ,BUT FAR TO QUITE. GREAT BAR JUST OUTSIDE THE PARK ,GOOD BAR-B-QUE

ED HOPE

Get rid of the catwalks! -- 2001-06-04

Those fly ball robbing catwalks are a disgrace, especially for a ballpark built to lure an existing MLB team to Tampa. But they had to right idea in installing turf that looks like grass and an traditional dirt infield.

David Bryant

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