📍 St. Louis, Missouri
⚾ Home of the St. Louis Cardinals

The third ballpark in St. Louis to bear the name “Busch Stadium”, the current home of the St. Louis Cardinals opened in 2006. It was built as a more welcoming replacement for the brutalist concrete donut that the Cardinals used for 40 years on the same site. Today, Busch Stadium sits in a revitalized part of downtown amongst the Ballpark Village, the unofficial pre- and post-game hangout spot that features restaurants and other gathering spaces for fans.

Inside the gates, fans will find even more unique social areas and eateries, some of which offer great vantage points of the field. There are views-a-plenty all throughout the four tiers of seats, with the areas behind home plate and along the third base side offering the best sightlines of the city’s icon, the Gateway Arch. The Cardinals sometimes capitalize on the St. Louis imagery by mowing a design of the Arch into the outfield, typically for opening weekend and/or the playoffs.

Like their much-despised National League foes up in Chicago, the Cards have some rooftop seating on the buildings across the street. Featuring two decks, the rooftop offers in-seat food service with an all-you-can-eat menu. Free admission to the Hall of Fame and Museum is also included in your ticket.

Also detached from the ballpark, the Cardinals Hall of Fame is undoubtedly one of the best team museums in the league. Several interconnected rooms offer a walk-through of Cardinals lore, as well as the overall history of baseball in St. Louis. This marvelous museum is definitely worth an hour or so of your time, and it’s highly recommended to plan a visit several hours before that night’s game in order to beat the crowds.

While the concession prices at Busch are borderline outrageous, as is to be expected at any MLB park, cheap game tickets often work to balance out the checkbook. At the end of the day, games here truly are a great value. After all, with the Cardinals playing in the shadow of the Gateway Arch, there’s really no better place to simultaneously see two Midwest icons.

Info Invasion

Parking: Plenty of garages in downtown
Nearby Venue(s): Enterprise Center
In the Area: Ride to the top of the Gateway Arch, of course. You can even see inside the ballpark from there!
Other Notes: Food and drink prices are a little steep, so maybe eat before the game 😬
Busch Stadium was actually my now-wife’s first Major League ballpark.

Published by Jared Goodman

Avid traveler and photographer. For the last few years, I’ve written and shot for several organizations that have enabled me to experience live events at a variety of stadiums and arenas in every sport. In my travels, I've been fortunate enough to visit all 50 states and 3 countries, catching over 600 games at 350 venues and counting.

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