Inside Camden Yards
Let me start by saying that this is simply MY personal opinion: There are few ballparks around the game where the experience just hits different, and make no doubt about it, you can ABSOLUTELY feel it. The energy is different, the place has history, the team has history, and in what’s probably the coolest part of this experience, the fans KNOW that history. If you walk around the concourse, you can stop and talk to just about anyone, and they’ll just KNOW.
They may be an old-school Orioles player cartoon T-shirt (often Cal), a jersey of a player whose last game was almost half a century ago (like, say, Brooks), or a cool, old-school hat with collectible pins in it. They may be carrying a radio with a vintage Panasonic headset along with their scoresheet and pencil. Whatever the case, you can see how the passion is there, and you can feel it too. Ask one of these fans about the 20th guy on the roster of the 1991 Baltimore Orioles, and that fan will probably be able to tell you what position he played, what number he wore, and whether they liked him or not. They’ll even recall a big hit or strikeout that has stuck in their mind over the decades. These fans, quite honestly, well, they ARE baseball!
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is just one of those places you never forget.
The ushers often wear orange shirts to match the O’s jersey color, and they wear old school hats too. If they’re of an appropriate age, they may be able to answer any question you have about ANYTHING in franchise history.
Make sure you walk along Eutaw Street. But get there as soon as the gates open. Better yet, get your camera and walk over there at around 11am, when the bright sun is shining about 8 hours before first pitch. Yes, it is open to the public. Go over by “The Warehouse” and see the Orioles homers commemorated with brass plaques the size of baseballs where each one landed. Each plaque not only marks the exact spot where the ball in question landed, but also notes the player who hit it, the team he played for, and the date it happened. You’ll peek through the locked gates and see the third base side of the field and into the visiting dugout from afar. It’s one of the coolest things you’ll ever see in the game of baseball. This is where many of my Warehouse pictures were taken.
Janet Marie Smith designed this park. Learn about her impact on the game of baseball and why she’s the reason your Camden Yards experience is as remarkable as it is, and one an avid-to-diehard baseball fan will never forget.
It is THE BEST offshoot to a stadium in all of baseball. Again, just my opinion, but I think you’ll find it’s shared by quite a few who love the game.
Once the game begins, walk out to Boog’s BBQ beyond right field, named after 1966 and 1970 Orioles World Series Champion Boog Powell. Boog was also the 1970 AL MVP and a four-time all-star. The place makes a sandwich as good as Boog was a baseball player.
If BBQ isn’t your thing, no problem. Head to Jimmy’s to try the crab cake egg rolls. And we haven’t even mentioned the crab cake sandwich yet! You obviously have to get one of those as well.
Camden Yards opened in 1992, and despite being over 30 years old, the place somehow STILL feels new. Views of The Warehouse from most seats. Views of the Baltimore Skyline from some seats. A retro style that never ages. Walkable to many bars, restaurants, and the famous Inner Harbor. If the baseball gods had to design a ballpark, this is what they’d come up with.
I guess what I’m saying is this: Put this place at the forefront of your ballpark tour. You won’t be disappointed. And I’d venture to guess that it winds up at or near the top of your list too.
