📍 The Bronx, New York
⚾ Home of the New York Yankees

With a fanbase stretching all around the globe, the New York Yankees aren’t just a baseball team – and Yankee Stadium isn’t just a sports venue. The team is practically a way of life for many, and their home is a cathedral. Since its debut in 2009, Yankee Stadium II has been a shrine to the past and a paragon of the future, honoring more than a century of baseball history while embracing all the virtues of modernity.

Yankee Stadium is the replacement of the team’s original home known by the same name, an iconic venue often called “The House That Ruth Built.” Opened in 1923, the ballpark hosted countless legendary moments over its long history, from Babe Ruth’s towering home runs to Derek Jeter’s postseason heroics. The facility was a jewel box park that had been updated and bastardized over the years and, by the early 2000s, it was time for a new chapter in the Bronx.

In 2009, new Yankee Stadium was constructed just across 161st Street, a $2.3 billion monolith that’s one of the most expensive sports venues ever. Though its storied predecessor was quickly demolished, the ballpark pays homage to old Yankee Stadium by mimicking the iconic frieze that lined the upper deck and its original limestone exterior. The façade, in fact, was crafted from Indiana limestone sourced from the same quarry used in the Empire State Building, firmly cementing the park in New York’s architectural pedigree.

Inside, fans are funneled through the Great Hall, a soaring entryway lined with huge banners of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and other Yankees legends. This space, the largest open-air atrium in any sports venue in the world, is adorned with adaptive LED lighting that sets the mood during night games.

The entire stadium is designed with fan comfort in mind, featuring larger concourses, more bathrooms and more spaces to gather than the venue it replaced. Though its maximum capacity of just over 52,000 is a bit smaller than the old park, the overall experience feels grander and is simply just better.

While the dimensions of the field remain the same, the overall shape of the field differs slightly from old Yankee, giving it a unique playability. Beyond the center-field fence lies Monument Park, a walk through club history and one of the ballpark’s best features. Here, fans can peruse plaques and see all of the team’s retired numbers, honoring legends like Lou Gehrig, Mariano Rivera and every star in between. Be warned – the park closes 45 minutes prior to first pitch so that it can be adequately covered up to double as part of the batter’s eye.

But never fear – there’s plenty more Bronx Bombers history to see at the Yankees Museum near Gate 6. This showcase includes some World Series trophies, a replica team locker, a scale model of the stadium and the “Ball Wall,” a display of hundreds of baseballs signed by some of the past and present greats who have donned pinstripes. The wall is part of a tribute dedicated to Don Larsen and his perfect game in the 1956 World Series, encompassing life-size statues of Larsen pitching to Yogi Berra – a moment frozen in time.

The museum, of course, has endless accomplishments to highlight. The Yankees have captured 27 World Series crowns, more than any other Major League team. Fittingly, they won their 27th title in new Yankee Stadium’s inaugural season, christening their new home in the most storybook way possible.

The Yanks have also secured 41 American League Pennants and 21 division titles, in addition to maintaining the highest regular season winning percentage in MLB. Over the decades, many of the most talented Hall of Famers have put on the pinstripes at some point in time, including Mickey Mantle, Joe Torre, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford – as well as the larger-than-life players, namely Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, that will transcend generations.

Besides the Yankees, the ballpark has served as the home turf for New York City FC of MLS since 2015, though the club is expected to depart for new digs in Queens in 2027. American football is also occasionally played here, particularly during late December when it hosts college football’s Pinstripe Bowl. Even hockey has taken place at the ballpark, with the Yankees hosting two games of the 2014 NHL Stadium Series between the three New York-area franchises.

Whether it’s a sunny Sunday in June or a crisp October evening, the chants of the Bleacher Creatures or the screech of the subway going by, the sights and sounds of Yankee Stadium never cease to remind fans that this is where magic happens. It’s where legends never die, where every cheer feels like home and where dreams come true.