Ultimate Camden Yards Guide: Parking, Food + More
Posted by Kurt Smith
Here you are my baseball fan friends, your complete, detailed, and extremely helpful Oriole Park at Camden Yards guide! I’m here to help you save money on Orioles tickets, find the best seats at Oriole Park for your budget, learn how to get to Camden Yards and what to eat at the Baltimore Orioles ballpark.
Whether you’re taking a trip, bringing the kids, or are a visiting fan…heck, even if you’re a regular…this Camden Yards guide is full of useful tips for you.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards Guide – List of Tips
Finding Cheap Orioles Tickets
Choosing A Great Seat
Best Ways To Get To Camden Yards
What To Eat At Camden Yards
Camden Yards With Kids
Photo-Ops + Other Tips
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Unfortunately the Orioles still have people checking to see if you have a ticket.
Camden Yards Guide, Part 1: Finding Cheap Orioles Tickets
So your first task is, of course, to find your cheap Orioles tickets.
The most common route to buying Orioles tickets is on the team website or through the MLB Ballpark app. This is perfectly fine, although you can often find better deals through a third party like Gametime. We’ll get to that.
If you’re planning a trip to Camden Yards, or even if you go regularly, sign up for the Orioles’ ticket alert newsletter. The Orioles will inform you about pre-sales and when tickets go on sale, and you’ll want to know about this. Face price when tickets go on sale is often the best price for games against the Yankees or Red Sox (and sometimes the Nationals, Mets and Phillies too).
Just in case you didn’t know, the Orioles have a website.
The newsletter will also inform you about discount and giveaway nights, and the O’s offer some cool swag like Hawaiian shirts. It’s well worth the couple of minutes to sign up.
If the Orioles are contending, September games can be in high demand, but normally July and August weekends and Yankees and Red Sox games are the most expensive tickets. So if all you want is to visit Camden Yards, try for a weekday game in April or May if you can. You might score a great deal then.
Yes, believe it or not, they still sell paper tickets. Which make great souvenirs, incidentally.
There’s also the Orioles box office, which I usually prefer because a) there’s no “convenience” fees, which are significant, and b) I like having a ticket for a souvenir.
For most games you should be able to walk up to the box office on game day and pick up whatever seats suit your taste, and again, it’s cheaper without the fees. You might have to stand in line a bit, but the wait isn’t usually long.
Then there’s the third party market, and you should always shop around if you’re buying tickets online. Gametime is my favorite outlet (and an affiliate of mine); they usually have deals as good or better than others, especially when fees are added.
Speaking of fees, if you’re comparing prices between third parties (and the team website, for that matter), go all the way to the checkout screen to know what you’re actually paying.
You sometimes might find a broker hiding behind this sign.
If you’re looking for scalpers or people with extras at Oriole Park, you might find stragglers north of the Eutaw Street entrance, in the retired numbers plaza (where the Babe Ruth statue is). The sign says it’s illegal to resell tickets on “Stadium Controlled Property”, which I suppose means you can simply walk across the street and sell your extras.
People with extras can also sometimes be found at Pickles Pub or Sliders near Gate F (left field) before the game. There’s always a crowd there and you can ask around.
For non-prime games like a weekday game against Oakland, this is a buyer’s market, and you can wait until just before game time and make an offer that suits you.
The Orioles consider this a high demand game. Plan accordingly.
Finally, if you’re considering Craigslist for Orioles tickets, I’ve written about that here, but quickly, treat Craigslist sellers like scalpers…check the tickets carefully, especially the date and opponent, and if something doesn’t feel right don’t buy them. Sometimes you can find a great deal, but remember that there’s no protection from you being scammed. If the deal seems too good to be true…you know the rest.
So now you have some idea how to save money on Orioles tickets…there’s a different avenue for getting tickets that works best for demand. Just plan ahead and compare. With a little effort, you can score a great deal for a game at one of baseball’s best ballparks.
Incidentally, the Orioles offer some of the better prices on the high end seats in baseball; if you want to splurge on Club seats or Field Box behind home plate on your ballpark trip, Camden Yards is the place to do it.
It looks a whole lot more complicated than it is.
Camden Yards Guide, Part 2: Choosing The Best Seats
Camden Yards truly doesn’t have many poor seats, but there are a few you should probably avoid, and some sections are better than others. (If you really want the knowledge on landing a great seat here, check out this complete Oriole Park seating guide!)
Here’s a bit about what the best seats are for each budget level:
For just an extra $100, sit in the shade behind these folks!
Money Is No Object Budget: Believe it or not, if you have the means you can get a suite at Camden Yards for a single game for you and your buddies; and it’s actually not a bad price. Food isn’t included, but you can have things catered for a fee.
If I were going to try this, I would do it in April or July when a climate controlled room behind your seat is a very welcome feature. There’s TVs and couches inside to watch the game on TV if you need a break from the weather.
This is why you put in the overtime.
Large Budget: The Field Level seats between the bases are cushioned and comfortable, and they’re reasonable by ballpark standards. All of these seats are good; whether you want something closer to Eutaw (first base side) or a straight ahead view of the warehouse (third base side) is your call; either is great.
“Relaxing here isn’t it? How about a crab cake sand…oh crap! I forgot there’s a game here!”
The club level seats are among the most expensive, but they include access to the spacious climate-controlled Camden Club, with excellent food choices, a full bar and a lot of cool Orioles memorabilia. If you’re interested in club access but don’t have endless cash, try to find a deal on the All You Can Eat seats in left field, which also includes access.
Club seats here are worth splurging for, but check and see if you can score a deal on a third party site first of course, especially for low demand games.
Okay, it’s not technically an obstructed view, but by Ballpark E-Guides standards, it counts.
Medium Budget: Terrace Box and Lower Reserved are more affordable seating, but there are a couple things to be mindful of. Terrace Box can be a great deal for the money if your row is low enough, but in the higher rows the overhang blocks your view of the scoreboard and such, and part of the appeal of Camden Yards is the great views.
The lower level seating past the bases is noticeably cheaper than seating between the bases, but it’s still more expensive than the upper level, so if you like being behind home plate (as I do), you’ll probably prefer upper level seats.
The Orioles usually draw better than this. Well, okay, maybe they don’t. But the view is still very good here.
Cheap Seats: The upper level at Camden Yards is as good as any deal in baseball; they’re not as high as in many ballparks, and they offer a sweet view of the warehouse, skyline and city for your baseball backdrop. Interestingly, only the upper box (lower rows between the bases) cost more than the bleachers, and they’re significantly better seats IMHO.
As you get past the bases, though, especially in left field, upper level seats get less appealing…outer sections are farthest away and don’t have angled seats…although in right field there’s great people watching on Eutaw Street if the game bores you.
Proximity to Boog’s is never a bad thing.
The Eutaw Street Bleachers are among the cheapest seats in the ballpark, and usually feature loud fans of both teams on the field. They’re close to Boog’s BBQ and other Eutaw Street attractions, but there’s no view of the big scoreboard or the out-of-town scoreboard, which is a bummer. One plus is that they’re real seats, not benches like in many ballparks.
Prime home run territory, even since the departure of Esskay.
Standing Room: If you’re trying standing room at Camden Yards, behind the right field scoreboard is a popular location, but left field has some okay spots behind the bullpen too. You can watch pitchers warm up there and there’s a picnic area. The concourses aren’t open here, so unfortunately you can’t watch from behind home plate.
See the game the way the center field camera operator does!
If you’re a socializing sort, the Roof Deck above center field is a happening spot too. There’s a full bar (no view of the game there, however), and some seating with counters along the wall that is reserved these days. It’s a decent standing spot, but I don’t know if I’d pay the price for seats that far away.
It might be miserably hot and blinding, but it looks nice.
Finally, as far as shade, the sun sets on the third base side, so the bleachers and right field seats are the last to see shade on a summer day. Baltimore can get very hot in July and August especially; be prepared with water, shades, UV protection, all that noise.
That said, there aren’t many sights on the planet more beautiful than Oriole Park at sunset.
Featuring a helpful photo of the ballpark!
Camden Yards Guide, Part 3: Best Way(s) to Get to Oriole Park
There’s a few ways to get to Camden Yards; which one is best for you depends on where you’re coming from, and whether you’re a tightwad like me. We’ll cover as much as we can here.
Despite its location in the heart of downtown, Camden Yards is actually surprisingly easy to get to by car. Well, most of the time. It’s right off of I-95 and not far from I-83, and there is sufficient parking in most cases.
You’ll see these when you get close.
Coming from I-95 it’s simple; exit onto I-395, which becomes Cal Ripken Way heading to the ballpark. It’s a little tricky getting to the Orioles lots and neighboring lots at the Ravens’ stadium (lots you should probably use from this direction); just after getting on I-395, get off at MLK Boulevard and use the ramp towards Lee Street; there’s plenty of parking there.
I-83 is best coming from north and west of the ballpark, but traffic can get very heavy heading downtown at rush hour, especially on Friday nights when the Inner Harbor becomes a destination. You might want to exit a few stops before the end of the highway; on Friday I might consider the Light Rail instead, which follows basically the same path.
You basically can’t miss at this point.
There’s plenty of parking lots and garages in the ballpark area, and the Orioles offer helpful links with directions to get to each one on their site. In addition to the Orioles-owned lots, there’s a bunch of garages north and east of the ballpark a short walk away, and in some of these you can find a really good deal, especially if you’d like to enjoy the Inner Harbor before a game. The Orioles’ lots don’t open until an hour before the ballpark gates do, so you’ll need to use a garage to enjoy other stuff in the area.
A great spot to visit Camden Yards and/or the Inner Harbor.
So now for my most important tip for Oriole Park at Camden Yards parking: book your space ahead of time. You can save yourself some money and a LOT of time, putting a pre-paid address in your maps app.
Seriously, definitely do this…I speak from some highly annoying experience of looking for an affordable parking garage in the agonizingly slow traffic of downtown Baltimore.
The Orioles offer pre-paid passes as well, and I would definitely go for lots B or C if you can (plan ahead), since for the price and proximity it’s a great deal. There’s also ample parking at the Ravens’ stadium that is affordable, especially south of the stadium, although this can be a bit of a hike from the ballpark.
The Inner Harbor area east of the warehouse is heavily traveled and parking is more expensive in that direction, and west and further north of the ballpark can be a less neighborly area, so avoid them if you can.
I highly recommend you check this view out for yourself.
There are a few lots on Eutaw Street, most prominently the Marriott or Redwood Street lots. Walking south from a Eutaw Street lot offers arguably the best incoming view of a ballpark you’ve seen. You’ll also pass by some outside vendors with cheap grub coming from this direction…more about that in the food section.
You might find street parking where you could feed the meter cheaply until 6:00 PM, and there is a Horseshoe casino about a 15-minute walk away where I believe parking is free, but this being Baltimore, it’s not something I would do especially for a night game. Better to just book something ahead of time fairly close to the ballpark. Parking isn’t super expensive here.
Whoops…forgot they play football here too.
One last thing about driving to Camden Yards by car: if something is going on at M&T Bank Stadium or the Royal Farms Arena on game day, get to your pre-paid spot VERY early, or use the soon to be discussed Light Rail. I speak from hard experience on that too.
Don’t want to drive? Baltimore’s got your back.
OK, about this Light Rail. The MTA Light Rail Line has only one route that travels north and west along the I-83 path, but it’s got a lot going for it. The Light Rail is cheap to ride, parking is free at many of the stations, and it drops you off literally at the ballpark.
There’s even a couple of stations a short walking distance away, which you can use after the game for a better chance of having a seat on the train. Try getting on at the Convention Center if you’re heading south or the Hamburg Station if you’re going north.
No, there’s no one hiding in the machine, although that would be pretty cool.
The Light Rail can get crowded on game days especially after the game, and locals refer to it as the “White Snail”, which should give you an idea how long it can take to trudge through red lights in Baltimore at street level. Still, most people consider Light Rail to Camden Yards worthwhile and once you get to wherever you parked, you won’t be dealing with traffic hassles…which can be significant here, especially north of the ballpark.
No, I’m not washing D.C.
There is also a MARC train station right there at the ballpark; the MARC’s Camden Line starts there and goes all the way to Union Station in D.C. Unfortunately this is a commuter train and is only good for weekday games, but if you can use it it’s a great deal coming from D.C.
Baltimore also offers a free-of-charge Charm City Circulator bus that goes to popular destinations…including the Penn Station and Amtrak trains…but these buses get very crowded and you probably won’t be sitting. You can also use Light Rail to get to and from Penn Station, and it’s probably worth the few bucks by comparison.
Get here early to grab a prime spot!
The Orioles have a bunch of bicycle parking; there are bike racks near the Babe Ruth statue off of Howard Street, and there are also corrals near the east side warehouse entrance of Dempsey’s. There isn’t a bicycle share program as I write this, though, and I don’t know if I’d ride through parts of town.
The O’s list Pratt Street between Eutaw and Greene Street north of the ballpark as their Uber pick up location…personally I don’t know if I would use a rideshare, since that spot is in the heart of Baltimore and again, traffic is very slow there. It would be expensive with the meter running.
Ah, there it is! Just need to look through the trees.
So to sum this up, if you’re coming from I-95, driving and parking is generally easy enough, but definitely book your parking beforehand, and check to see if other events are happening in nearby venues. The Light Rail is also a viable and inexpensive option, and I prefer it to driving in on I-83 and dealing with downtown traffic. Either way works fine; just plan ahead.
Never Drive To Camden Yards Without A Plan…
Book A Great Parking Spot NOW With My Friends at SpotHero!
Plus you get to meet Boog and all that.
Camden Yards Guide, Part 4: What To Eat at Camden Yards
Like most ballparks these days, Oriole Park at Camden Yards food offers several local favorites…which here means crabs just like Philly means cheesesteaks.
Since some things have changed since I first published this, I’ve dedicated a separate page to some of the best food choices at Camden Yards. You can read that here, but I’ll cover some other things you should know.
Named for the World Series MVP…oh wait…
Sadly, Dempsey’s is no longer a fixture on Eutaw Street. It’s been replaced by the Superbook restaurant.
Inside the atmosphere hasn’t changed much; it’s an air conditioned sit down meal spot that features a lounge with big TVs and odds boards for people who are into betting on baseball (insert Pete Rose joke here). The menu includes what Levy Restaurants calls “elevated gameday fare“, like tater tot nachos, crab dip pretzel rolls, burgers, sandwiches, and craft brews among other things.
Superbook’s prices are about what you’d expect at a ballpark restaurant; but it’s popular for the food and craft beers and TVs, and you should get here as early as you can if you want to try it. Lines get very long, especially on high attendance nights.
Sometimes, a dog or two is all you need.
The Orioles offer an all you can eat deal with club access, that includes all the dogs, popcorn, peanuts and even salads that you can handle. The seats aren’t great, but it’s a great deal considering that you can duck out of the Baltimore heat.
Another cheap deal the Orioles offer is the $4.10 stand, so named for the Baltimore area code. This stand features inexpensive items like hot dogs and popcorn and peanuts. Good for saving money with the kids, and they won’t care about the size. You can always get more.
Good thing the Ampersands don’t play baseball in Baltimore.
Around the rest of the concourses you can find a few other decent food items…chicken tenders at the Charm City Chicken Shack, Buffalo tenders at the Hot Corner, and of course, O-shaped soft pretzels.
For healthier and vegan/vegetarian choices, there’s the Birdland Market on Eutaw Street, and a Birdland Fresh stand near home plate, with turkey burgers, Impossible burgers, vegan hot dogs and Beyond sausages. And Greek salads.
Again, for the best choices of food at Oriole Park, read this post. (It’s worth the time, trust me!)
This is what baseball food should cost.
Finally (whew!) you can bring your own food into Camden Yards;unfortunately they’ve gotten more restrictive with their policy. You’re allowed a clear plastic bag no larger than 12″ x 6″ x 12″, so you can’t squeeze as much grub as you could in the past.
That said, this is a great ballpark to fill up a goody bag beforehand; there are vendors surrounding the ballpark selling hot dogs, sausages, peanuts, even crab cake sandwiches if you search. That kind of stuff makes baseball great.
My favorite spot for cheap eats is across the street from the left field entrance, where you can find Pickles Pub and Sliders; they set up grills and offer everything from dogs to peanuts much cheaper than in the ballpark. You can also have a couple of inexpensive Natty Bohs there before the game…all part of the Baltimore baseball experience.
And O’s employees even come out on cold days.
Camden Yards Guide, Part 5: Bringing the Kids to Oriole Park
If you’re visiting Camden Yards with kids, you have some advantages – cheap tickets, for one, with the O’s struggling at the gate even in winning times. And plenty of inexpensive parking and outside food vendors.
Here are three things parents should know when bringing the kids to Oriole Park…
I only wish it was free from ’72 through ’79 when I was a kid.
Camden Yards With Kids, Tip #1) Bring The Kids For Free! Yes, you read that right…for each upper level ticket you buy as an adult, you can order two more tickets for kids nine and under absolutely free of charge. This includes every game except Opening Day…including “Kids Opening Day”, which is sometime in April.
Not while the game is going, of course.
Camden Yards With Kids, Tip #2) Go on Sunday. On Sundays the Orioles offer cool activities for the kids, like face painting and autographs. And kids love to run the bases after the game…but get in line early if you can, because it’s a very popular promotion. There are a LOT of kids in the play area on Sundays, but it helps them burn up energy.
And if the kids are into play areas at the ballpark…and they always are…
Because noting gets a little one into Orioles baseball like a birdhouse play gym.
Camden Yards With Kids, Tip #3) Sit In The Right Field Corner. The kids play area at Camden Yards with the moon bounce, pitching and batting cages…and now a “Bird House”, a treehouse-shaped gym…keeps them occupied for a while. It’s at the south end of Eutaw Street, near Gate H. The Bird House is in the shade, while the moon bounce and other activities are in the sun, so you can imagine which is more popular.
They have food stands with smaller portions and prices for the kid in the Kids’ Corner, but you can find the kids’ portions anywhere in the ballpark now.
Watch the kids race up the steps…and then back down the ladder!
One more thing…don’t forget the little one’s “first game” certificate, which you can pick up at Guest Services on Eutaw Street. The Orioles can also tag your kid here for you so that the little one doesn’t get lost.
Family restrooms all have diaper changing tables. You can check in strollers at the Guest Services locations, and the Orioles will let nursing moms use a private room on the Club level.
The one ballpark that was built exactly right.
Camden Yards Guide, Part 6: Photo-Ops and Other Tips
As you probably know, Camden Yards started it all…the modern sports venue boom that is arguably out of control these days. Here are a few of my favorite photo-ops at the classic and beautiful downtown Baltimore ballpark:
The Warehouse, the Bromo Seltzer tower, Eutaw Street, capture it all in one shot.
Camden Yards Photo-Op #1) Eutaw Street From Above. If you go to the upper level and stand at the end in the right field corner, you can capture the amazing shot you see here, and see happy baseball fans walking in wonderment along Eutaw Street next to the warehouse.
The Gold Glove is so obvious, but I still love it.
Camden Yards Photo-Op #2) Player Statues. It’s difficult to imagine it even for thirty-somethings these days, but the Orioles were indeed once a very good team. There’s Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson, Earl Weaver and of course, Cal Ripken Jr.
You have to go outside the ballpark to see Brooks Robinson and his Gold Glove along West Paca Street, but it’s worth it.
Imagine a time when antacids were a popular enough commodity that they could put their name on a city building.
Camden Yards Photo-Op #3) The Bromo-Seltzer Tower. The view of the vintage Baltimore tower is blocked by the large Hilton these days from much of the seating, which a lot of fans complain about, but you can still capture it from the right spot.
The most durable player in baseball history.
Camden Yards Photo-Op #4) Retired Number Statues. There are large numbers in the plaza at the north Eutaw Street entrance, and if you’re an older O’s fan you can tell people whose numbers they were. Incidentally, there’s a statue of native Baltimorean Babe Ruth here as well.
All is good and right with the world.
Camden Yards Photo-Op #5) The Warehouse at Sunset. Few things I have witnessed are more striking that seeing the sun shine on the huge warehouse in the early evening. Don’t miss that.
That’s just a few, but you’ll probably break your camera out a lot here.
Finally, just a few more Camden Yards tips…but they’re pretty important ones.
Baltimore weather reaches all the extremes, and it can be brutally hot in July and August here. If you’re sitting in the upper level on a hot day, you might find yourself moving to an upper row just to be in the shade of the roof. Shoot for the third base side for a hot night game, where the shade comes in earlier.
They have the same stuff one gate over!
Giveaway nights are popular at Oriole Park, and people arrive early for their swag. If you want the free stuff, enter the ballpark at Gate G, a short walk from Gate A on Eutaw Street (the Light Rail gate)…it will be far less crowded.
If you take a walk on Eutaw Street (and you should), look down: you’ll see small baseball-shaped plaques in the cement where home run balls have landed.
The other reason to visit Baltimore.
The Inner Harbor two blocks west, with its museums, views, restaurants and shopping, is worth a visit. Don’t venture too far from the Inner Harbor or ballpark area though. There are less than ideal parts of downtown just a few blocks north and west, like the strip club littered East Baltimore Street, and it’s not a place you’ll want to be at night.
Baltimore fans are more polite than most to opposing fans, although this may be a by-product of being frequently outnumbered by them. For the most part, Orioles games are a pleasant environment for visiting fans. But if you’re coming from Boston or New York, don’t call the ballpark “Yankee Stadium South” or “Fenway South”, lest you bring bad karma on your team.
You’re most welcome!
Get all that? Seriously, I hope this Camden Yards guide has been helpful to you, and that you can use the tips to save money and have a blast at your next Orioles game. Feel free to contact me with any questions, and if you’re adding a Nationals game to your baseball trip, I’ve written a helpful guide for that place too.
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