Denver is a great city to visit and Coors Field is a must see for any sports fan. Coors Field opened in 1995 with more than 7,000 seats than it’s original design, due to the high number of fans attending the Rockies’ first two seasons. (The Rockies played their first 2 seasons at Mile High Stadium, the home of the Denver Broncos, and had 21 games that drew over 70,000 fans.)
True to Denver’s nickname, a portion of the stadium is at a mile above sea level. You have to hike a little, (the 20th row of the upper deck) but the views are spectacular. And yes I mean the views of the field and the mountains.
Like most stadiums these days, the food and drink choices are seemingly endless, as long as your wallet is. All kinds of beers, (not just Coors products,) cocktails, margaritas, xtreme dogs, tornadough, pizza, and grilled foods are available, and that’s just on the upper deck.
Tip: The kind people at Coors field allow you to bring in your own water bottles and snacks so if you’re on a budget, take advantage. We didn’t and ended up spending a small fortune on water. (What college tuition? Sorry Headless Girl; we were thirsty.) Some of the folks around us brought everything from sandwiches, to nuts, to fruit and didn’t spend a penny inside the park. Forgot to bring your water? That’s ok, independent vendors walking outside the stadium will sell you a bottle for a dollar. That’s less than a third of what you’ll pay inside the park, and well worth it in Denver, where the humidity levels are usually extremely low.
One of the coolest things about Coors Field is the close access to the players and the field. Before many of the games they schedule players (usually four) to sign autographs for fans. We spent time in the gift shop and I was worried that we wouldn’t get down to get one, but I shouldn’t have worried. The aisles are wide and the staff are well-trained to move people through the line efficiently.
Tip: Go early if you want all four players’ autographs. Game time was at 1:10 on this day, and we got in line at about 11:45. They cut the line off right after we got our autographs, around 12:00. (Rogers actually got in the game the day we were there, which was super cool for my boys.)
A Note About the Weather: The weather in Denver can be unpredictable. (Understatement. Really.) We left for the stadium in freezing cold conditions, for July anyway, and by the time we got to the stadium it was blazing hot. (Relatively, anyway, for what we were wearing.) Later, as you can see, the weather turned a little dicey. Tornado watch, lightning, rain.
Tip: Be sure to wear/carry layers for the quickly changing weather conditions.
Don’t forget to watch for these great architectural details, too:
And if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see this at the end of your visit to Coors Field:
Kendra would like to attend more sports events in Denver. Problem is, she lives in LA.
All pictures are courtesy of The Adventures of the Headless Family.
Totally agree. My home park is Camden Yards, but last year while visiting my sister at the Air Force Academy, our family decided to take in a Rockies game. Walking in, we were so impressed with the openness of the stadium design. It was a little like a minor league park in some ways. We had a great experience all around; it’s always neat to visit a different ballpark. Plus, it was nice just to watch a winning team for once.