ballpark in arlington guide
Not only is Texas home to the World Famous Square Cow Moovers, but it also plays home to the Texas Rangers. The Ballpark in Arlington is known for being a pitcher's nightmare, which usually translates into more fun for fans. Given the fact that the Rangers aren't too good, tickets are readily available. You can also get out to a game on a tight budget, which is a great thing for the savvy fan.
parking
You can find free parking at The Ballpark in Arlington. One such place is at Humperdinks, which is a restaurant on Six Flags Drive near the Interstate. Generally the traffic is manageable in this area, and you are able to get in and out easily which is important. The restaurant is also a decent place to eat if you would like, you may feel better about using them for their ample free parking. You will have about a 10 minute walk from there to the stadium, which can be a hot walk if it is a mid-summer game. However, if it is early or late in the season this is a pretty scenic 10 minute walk. The image below shows you a google map view of how far you would be from the stadium.
parking
You can find free parking at The Ballpark in Arlington. One such place is at Humperdinks, which is a restaurant on Six Flags Drive near the Interstate. Generally the traffic is manageable in this area, and you are able to get in and out easily which is important. The restaurant is also a decent place to eat if you would like, you may feel better about using them for their ample free parking. You will have about a 10 minute walk from there to the stadium, which can be a hot walk if it is a mid-summer game. However, if it is early or late in the season this is a pretty scenic 10 minute walk. The image below shows you a google map view of how far you would be from the stadium.
One more spot where you can usually score free parking when going to a Texas Rangers game is on Copeland Rd. This road is right off of I30, and there is some big retail and restaurant places such as Joes Crab Shack nearby. Its a big enough area that you can typically just park in the plaza lot and walk to the game. Again, you are looking at roughly a 10 minute walk to the ballpark. Another option are the free shuttles offered by certain hotels and restaurants in the area. One such place that offers free parking and a free shuttle to the Ballpark in Arlington is Sherlock's Bar and Grill in Lincoln Square. Once again you can grab dinner there before or after the game if you would like, but the bigger advantage is you can alleviate some of the traffic problems you would experience driving all the way to the ballpark. It is always nicer to be in a shuttle if you are going to have to fight traffic; mainly because you aren't driving. Cheap Fan ContestI would take the shuttle if possible, as I personally sweat like a prostitute in church after being in the heat for 30 seconds or more. Since Texas is about 8.3 miles North of Hell, it tends to be pretty steamy in the summer. Besides the heat, The Ballpark in Arlington is being surrounded by construction that can make driving to the park a bit of a mess. The Ranger's website recommends checking in before you go to a game to see what roads are affected, but that is up to you.
Metered parking, if you can find it, is in affect until 7pm unless otherwise noted in Arlington. That means if you are hunting for a metered spot you should be prepared to bring some quarters to pay your way until 7:00. If you decide to park in one of the Rangers official lots it is going to set you back $12, but I think you have a couple of legitimate free parking options when going to the Ballpark in Arlington.
tickets
The Texas Rangers have some pretty great ticket promotions lined up for 2009. My personal favorite are the all you can eat seats at The Ballpark in Arlington. This is becoming a more popular idea at stadiums around the country, and as fat Americans we tend to love it. At the time that I am writing this, this is the first All you can Eat seats that I have recommended as a good value. There are a couple of reasons that The Rangers All Inclusive seats stand out from the crowd.
1. Above average selection. Most stadiums only include hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn and soda; but Texas includes nachos and grilled chicken sandwiches as well, which give good variety.
2. Price. You can get these for $25 on non-premier Friday games, or $34 for a regular game. I would aim for a Friday.
3. The Food is served in an enclosed restaurant type area with AIR CONDITIONING. Your seats are still outside in the blazing heat, but hey - how nice is it when you can get into the A/C for just a few minutes. I think that gives this a club level type benefit that is especially useful in Texas.
The Rangers have some kind of fixation with getting people to the games on Fridays because you can enter the coupon code "fireworks" to receive $10 tickets on all tickets priced up to $25 on Friday Fireworks games (every Friday home game except August 14th.) These days also have $5 parking in the Rangers lots, so if you don't feel like riding the free shuttle to the Ballpark in Arlington, you can park close for much cheaper.
Moral of the story: The budget conscious fan should plan on going to Friday games if possible.
If you are going at any other time, do yourself a favor and sit in the shade. Most seats behind the outfield wall in right are under an overhang which will keep you out of the sun most of the time. This is especially helpful for a day game. For a night game, right field/first baseline seats are your best bet. If you sit in the outfield bleachers you will more than likely find the heat to be unbearable.
The cheapest seats available are $6, and these are the outer 5 sections of the upper deck. Honestly they aren't that bad of seats. You have a pretty nice view of the entire field, and if in right field you will most likely be in the shade for most of the game. Another thing about The Ballpark in Arlington is you usually can move down without much of an issue. So buying the cheap seats and 'upgrading' yourself isn't too difficult if you are comfortable with that. I outlined some good rules to follow when trying to move down on my Cincinnati Reds page, and I will copy them here:
- Get a birds eye view and scout empty rows, and usherless sections.
- Wait at least 3 innings, people are always late
- Once you have found the area to invade, WALK CONFIDENTLY.
- Half the battle is looking like you know exactly where you are going.
- If there are ushers around, act like you’re on the phone. They are less likely to stop you. I once snuck onto a plane with this method (no joke).
- In the lower sections, move to the middle of the row. It is preferable if you don’t have to get folks to stand up and let you in. The less you inconvenience people sitting there, the less likely they are to say something.By being the middle you decrease the odds of somebody coming in with those seats, (people like aisle seats) and you give yourself options to move in the same row if somebody does show.
Tickets are always available on eBay as well. Here is my advice for ticket buying on eBay; wait until the last minute. I know that sounds crazy, and you would think that closer to the event the prices would shoot up; but that is not the case. I have bought and sold plenty of tickets on eBay and I have found that when I sell them early I get top dollar because there is less competition. As the event gets closer, everybody in America who is selling tickets begins to list them at auction. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when the market is flooded with supply the price is driven down. I don't know if there are any published numbers to back me up, but I have seen it time and time again. So if buying on eBay, buy late. Here are a couple of auctions ending soon with a current bid under $50.
Metered parking, if you can find it, is in affect until 7pm unless otherwise noted in Arlington. That means if you are hunting for a metered spot you should be prepared to bring some quarters to pay your way until 7:00. If you decide to park in one of the Rangers official lots it is going to set you back $12, but I think you have a couple of legitimate free parking options when going to the Ballpark in Arlington.
tickets
The Texas Rangers have some pretty great ticket promotions lined up for 2009. My personal favorite are the all you can eat seats at The Ballpark in Arlington. This is becoming a more popular idea at stadiums around the country, and as fat Americans we tend to love it. At the time that I am writing this, this is the first All you can Eat seats that I have recommended as a good value. There are a couple of reasons that The Rangers All Inclusive seats stand out from the crowd.
1. Above average selection. Most stadiums only include hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn and soda; but Texas includes nachos and grilled chicken sandwiches as well, which give good variety.
2. Price. You can get these for $25 on non-premier Friday games, or $34 for a regular game. I would aim for a Friday.
3. The Food is served in an enclosed restaurant type area with AIR CONDITIONING. Your seats are still outside in the blazing heat, but hey - how nice is it when you can get into the A/C for just a few minutes. I think that gives this a club level type benefit that is especially useful in Texas.
The Rangers have some kind of fixation with getting people to the games on Fridays because you can enter the coupon code "fireworks" to receive $10 tickets on all tickets priced up to $25 on Friday Fireworks games (every Friday home game except August 14th.) These days also have $5 parking in the Rangers lots, so if you don't feel like riding the free shuttle to the Ballpark in Arlington, you can park close for much cheaper.
Moral of the story: The budget conscious fan should plan on going to Friday games if possible.
If you are going at any other time, do yourself a favor and sit in the shade. Most seats behind the outfield wall in right are under an overhang which will keep you out of the sun most of the time. This is especially helpful for a day game. For a night game, right field/first baseline seats are your best bet. If you sit in the outfield bleachers you will more than likely find the heat to be unbearable.
The cheapest seats available are $6, and these are the outer 5 sections of the upper deck. Honestly they aren't that bad of seats. You have a pretty nice view of the entire field, and if in right field you will most likely be in the shade for most of the game. Another thing about The Ballpark in Arlington is you usually can move down without much of an issue. So buying the cheap seats and 'upgrading' yourself isn't too difficult if you are comfortable with that. I outlined some good rules to follow when trying to move down on my Cincinnati Reds page, and I will copy them here:
- Get a birds eye view and scout empty rows, and usherless sections.
- Wait at least 3 innings, people are always late
- Once you have found the area to invade, WALK CONFIDENTLY.
- Half the battle is looking like you know exactly where you are going.
- If there are ushers around, act like you’re on the phone. They are less likely to stop you. I once snuck onto a plane with this method (no joke).
- In the lower sections, move to the middle of the row. It is preferable if you don’t have to get folks to stand up and let you in. The less you inconvenience people sitting there, the less likely they are to say something.By being the middle you decrease the odds of somebody coming in with those seats, (people like aisle seats) and you give yourself options to move in the same row if somebody does show.
Tickets are always available on eBay as well. Here is my advice for ticket buying on eBay; wait until the last minute. I know that sounds crazy, and you would think that closer to the event the prices would shoot up; but that is not the case. I have bought and sold plenty of tickets on eBay and I have found that when I sell them early I get top dollar because there is less competition. As the event gets closer, everybody in America who is selling tickets begins to list them at auction. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when the market is flooded with supply the price is driven down. I don't know if there are any published numbers to back me up, but I have seen it time and time again. So if buying on eBay, buy late. Here are a couple of auctions ending soon with a current bid under $50.
food
The Rangers have a pretty liberal policy on bringing your own food and drink. As long as that drink is in a sealed plastic bottle and is non-alcoholic of course. So instead of cursing the darkness of high concession prices, light a candle and bring your own food. Congratulations to The Ballpark in Arlington for giving you the opportunity to save some serious money. Many stadiums let you bring some stuff in, but some are better than others.
Another option that I consistently recommend is Restaurant.com Here you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of The Ballpark in Arlington (76011) to see what restaurants are nearby.
The Rangers have a pretty liberal policy on bringing your own food and drink. As long as that drink is in a sealed plastic bottle and is non-alcoholic of course. So instead of cursing the darkness of high concession prices, light a candle and bring your own food. Congratulations to The Ballpark in Arlington for giving you the opportunity to save some serious money. Many stadiums let you bring some stuff in, but some are better than others.
Another option that I consistently recommend is Restaurant.com Here you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of The Ballpark in Arlington (76011) to see what restaurants are nearby.