Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is located at 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington Texas. This beautiful stadium is the home of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers. The stadium opened in 1994, but it still looks brand new. It definitely has an intimate feeling compared to other, larger baseball stadiums. I recently attended a game there, not my first one or my last. I had a great time and want to tell you why I think this ball park is so terrific.

The outside of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington leaves you with no doubt that a Texas team plays there. You will see The Texas flag waving, as well as long horns pictured all along the outside of the stadium. If you are wearing the opposing team's attire, you can expect to take some gentle ribbing. I got it for wearing my Dodger gear when they came to town, but I also give it when I'm there rooting for the Rangers against other teams. It's all in good fun. There is plenty of parking and you can expect to pay $8-12 for parking, unless you want valet and are willing to hand over $30. The valet parking is sponsored by Lexus, so if you drive a Lexus to the game, you get free valet parking. That's a nice deal, but I'll stick with my Ford.

Ticket prices for the Texas Rangers games range from $6 to over $200. Here's the thing, there is no bad seat in this stadium. It holds 49,200 people. Even the upper deck cheap seats, are a great view of the action. Do not feel like you need to spend a lot of money, you don't. The Texas Rangers offer some great deals and specials including Tuesday games where kids under 13 get in free with an adult who has paid admission. They also have dollar hot dog nights, and an "all you can eat" section. You pay $34 for a ticket in that section, but you get unlimited sodas, hot dogs, nachos, grilled chicken sandwiches, peanuts and popcorn. It's a great deal. My favorite is FANtastic Fireworks Fridays. I went to see the Texas Rangers play the Los Angeles Dodgers on a Friday night and was treated to a very cool 10 minute fireworks show after the game. They even sell the $25 tickets for $10 on those days if you buy them online and enter FIREWORKS as the coupon code.

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington has 75 concession stands as well as a restaurant called The Bullpen Grill. The food at the grill is adequate and not too over priced. The concession stands can definitely put a hit in your pocket book. A bottle of Ozarka water cost $4.50. In the hot Texas weather, you'll want water. Also, I bought 1 regular size beer and a foot long corn dog with fries (so very bad for my cholesterol) and it cost $15. So, the food is not cheap, unless you take advantage of dollar hot dog nights! At least almost all of the seats have cup holders, so you have somewhere to put that cold beer if you buy it.

If you are going to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for the first time, go early. You should walk around the inside of the ballpark and check out the big fan shop, and the kid's activity area. It is worth it to pay extra for a ticket to visit the Legends of the Game baseball museum located within the ballpark. It is a 17,000 square foot exhibit with over 100 pieces of Hall of Fame memorabilia as well as an interactive area for the kids. Major League Baseball allows the players to sign autographs up to 45 minutes before game time. Usually, as they have time, some of the players from the home and away teams will stop and sign your baseball's or caps. The Texas Rangers player's are really good about doing that near their dug out on the first base line. I also was lucky enough to meet a few Los Angeles Dodgers player's and get an autograph near their dug out on the third base line. If you are willing to throw a few elbows with those guys who are trying to get every card they own signed, and you are nice to the players, you could walk away with an autograph and great pictures. I did, and I felt like a 12 year old kid afterwards, smiling all the way up until my Dodgers lost that game.

The field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is beautiful and it is natural grass. The center field fence is 407 feet away from home plate, so you are more likely to see home runs than not at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. I have had a wonderful experience each time I have been there and would highly recommend you come see it for yourself. If you have questions about upcoming games and tickets, you can call 817-273-5600 or go to texas.rangers.mlb.com/index.jsp. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is certainly something the city of Arlington and the Texas Rangers organization can be proud to show off.

Sources: http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/tex/ballpark/index.jsp

Personal experience of visiting the ballpark