Field: 
Surface: Maryland Bluegrass
Capacity: 48,876
Dimensions: Left 337 ft. Center 417 ft. Right 320 ft.
Stadium Opened: April 6, 1992
Date of Visit: September 30, 2000
Food:
- Boog’s Barbeque (named for Boog Powell)-serving Baltimore’s finest beef and pork.
- Past Times Restaurant-located in the warehouse.
- The usual concessions throughout the stadium…although, most of the food required a fork (ex. Cole slaw).
Parking:
No parking garage. Large lot, parking is plentiful and very close to the gates. The cost of parking was reasonable. We arrived and parked our car very early and were able to walk around downtown Baltimore and avoid the high parking fees of parking downtown. The inner harbor was just a few blocks away.
Atmosphere:
Camden Yards is a very high-class stadium. The atmosphere is mild and relaxed. Most Orioles fans did not attend the game wearing Orioles attire…but rather golf shirts and khacki pants. The fans were not rowdy and into the game as much as stadiums, like Yankee Stadium.Although the stadium is fairly new, there were a lot of reminders of past Orioles success….mainly players like Cal Ripken. The stadium managed to create an atmosphere filled with nostalgia despite being a fairly new stadium. Also, the stadium is located 2 blocks from Babe Ruth’s birthplace.
The stadium had very modern sound effects. When a pitching change was being made, while the pitcher ran in from the bullpen the PA played, “The Price is Right” theme song…”Come on Down!…”They played a lot of interesting sound effects not usually played at other stadiums.
Restrooms:
- Several restrooms are located throughout the stadium on each level.
Seating:
- Sections go in numerical order, as opposed to odd/even sides
- Sections were clearly marked
- All seats feel relatively close to the field
Interesting Facts/Features:
The stadium and the surrounding area was very clean. The ushers and staff members of Camden Yards were dressed in Tuxedo type uniforms, displaying a high class and clean cut atmosphere. Fans are allowed in the stadium for batting practice and are free to stand right up against the wall in any area of the stadium regardless of the seat they purchased during this time to get a close look at batting practice.I attended an Orioles/Yankees game. During the 7th inning stretch, they began playing “New York, New York” on the PA, and mid-way through the song they inserted an effect of a scratched record and suddenly burst into a southern song that most fans became very excited about. It was the most enthusiasm and energy I saw throughout the entire game from the Baltimore fans. Although, I did not like this being a Yankees fan, it was an interesting sound effect.One thing to also be aware of is that the Orioles fans have an unusual way of singing the National Anthem. If you didn’t know this ahead of time, you’d wonder what in the world they were doing. The fans yell “O” (for Orioles) in unison when the “Star Spangled Banner” reaches “O’ say does that star-spangled banner yet wave…”The warehouse: 94 year old landmark beyond rightfield. It is the longest building on the East Coast. This eight story building provides office space for the Orioles. A 432-foot homeruun will reach the warehouse. Lights are also mounted on top of the warehouse.Double-decked bullpens in centerfield allows you to see both pitchers warming up. There is a standing room only section in the outfield.
Overall Rating:
