kauffman stadium guide
As I write this, Kauffman Stadium is getting a $250 million face lift. That being said, many things about the parking and directions to the ballpark could be subject to change once the 2009 season opens. You can see more on the renovations by clicking on the Kauffman Stadium page.
parking
I have said on different parts of this site that how you approach parking has alot to do with your station in life. As a college student, I would walk a mile or so to save 10 bucks on parking. Now that I am 25 and getting older by the day, I don't mind dropping up to $5 for parking if necessary. Whether you are a die hard park for free guy, or if you don't mind paying but you want a good spot, I think I have you covered. I will first speak to those who don't mind to pay, but you want to have the shortest walk possible. If you are coming from I70 and want to park in the stadium, you want to try to get to Lot C. Cheap Fan ContestLots A and B are usually reserved for season ticket holders and foreign dignitaries, but Lot C is wide open for average schleps like me and you. Depending on police direction you may have a hard time getting to Lot C, but here is your best shot. Stay in the furthest right lane as you approach the stadium. If the police make you go left, you will probably end up in Lot L in which case you might want to bring a camelbak and some non perishable food items. Its not a guarantee this will work, but if you are paying $9 for official parking, this is your best shot to get close. Remember, stay right.
Now, for my people: The shameless broke. Lets be honest, free parking around Kauffman Stadium is slim pickins. Once this site is ready for user content we would appreciate if you would share some ideas for free or cheap parking. I know of people who go park at the Drury Inn and then walk to the stadium. I am sure by doing this you can be towed if the person working happens to notice and calls somebody. However in my experience for similar situations is if people aren't abusing it, they won't notice or care. If you pull in and the lot is full and you get the sense that alot of them are going to the game, you might want to use your judgment. Again, people who are big on free parking tend to live on the edge a little anyway, so if that is you give it a shot! I am curious if any of you have tried that.
where to stay
My last comment really parlays nicely into this section. If you are coming in town for a game, may I recommend the Drury Inn near Kauffman Stadium? You can walk to and from the stadium from your room, so you save $9 there. You also get free hot breakfasts at the Drury Inn which are wonderful! I am not really touting that hotel, but I have stayed at a couple and thought they were great. In this case you have the benefit of one meal for free and free parking when you go the the Royals game; not bad.
parking
I have said on different parts of this site that how you approach parking has alot to do with your station in life. As a college student, I would walk a mile or so to save 10 bucks on parking. Now that I am 25 and getting older by the day, I don't mind dropping up to $5 for parking if necessary. Whether you are a die hard park for free guy, or if you don't mind paying but you want a good spot, I think I have you covered. I will first speak to those who don't mind to pay, but you want to have the shortest walk possible. If you are coming from I70 and want to park in the stadium, you want to try to get to Lot C. Cheap Fan ContestLots A and B are usually reserved for season ticket holders and foreign dignitaries, but Lot C is wide open for average schleps like me and you. Depending on police direction you may have a hard time getting to Lot C, but here is your best shot. Stay in the furthest right lane as you approach the stadium. If the police make you go left, you will probably end up in Lot L in which case you might want to bring a camelbak and some non perishable food items. Its not a guarantee this will work, but if you are paying $9 for official parking, this is your best shot to get close. Remember, stay right.
Now, for my people: The shameless broke. Lets be honest, free parking around Kauffman Stadium is slim pickins. Once this site is ready for user content we would appreciate if you would share some ideas for free or cheap parking. I know of people who go park at the Drury Inn and then walk to the stadium. I am sure by doing this you can be towed if the person working happens to notice and calls somebody. However in my experience for similar situations is if people aren't abusing it, they won't notice or care. If you pull in and the lot is full and you get the sense that alot of them are going to the game, you might want to use your judgment. Again, people who are big on free parking tend to live on the edge a little anyway, so if that is you give it a shot! I am curious if any of you have tried that.
where to stay
My last comment really parlays nicely into this section. If you are coming in town for a game, may I recommend the Drury Inn near Kauffman Stadium? You can walk to and from the stadium from your room, so you save $9 there. You also get free hot breakfasts at the Drury Inn which are wonderful! I am not really touting that hotel, but I have stayed at a couple and thought they were great. In this case you have the benefit of one meal for free and free parking when you go the the Royals game; not bad.
The other option that I recommend for any city is Hotwire I have had nothing but great experiences with them. Some people are scared because it doesn’t give you the name of the hotel until after you have bought it, but I would never use another travel site. Their ratings are trustworthy, and you can get a really good idea of the area you are staying on their map. A couple of personal examples: I got a room at the Intercontinental on Michigan Ave. in Chicago for $79 per night.I also had a room at the Hilton in St. Louis, with a view of the arch for $89 per night.In my experience; the hotel you get will have you a room available, but when you check in they ask what kind of room you want. If the person is cool, they give you one of the nicest rooms available. I will use no other travel site for hotels.
Where to Stay for Free
This part is more for the crowd that is going to park illegally in the Drury lot for every game this year. You may or may not know about couchsurfing.com, but this is a pretty cool network where you can find people who will let you sleep on a couch or in a guest room for free. If Kauffman Stadium is one destination on a big baseball trip, this could save you some serious money. I think the risks are obvious, but to me if you use your head by making sure the person has plenty of references and pictures, you are pretty safe.
For others who may want free accomodation, I would recommend Home Exchange. You may have seen this in the movies, but basically you pay $100 to join and then you can swap houses with other families for a vacation. The safety record of this is literally unblemished, and if you are taking a baseball trip or just a vacation to the area, you might find somebody to trade places with you for a week. Its an option.
tickets
Tickets at Kauffman Stadium are readily available because the team has been rebuilding since George Brett retired. I think the important thing to focus on is where the best value seats are in the stadium. This phrase is a bit trite; but Kauffman Stadium boasts that there is not a bad seat in the house. When it was originally designed over 38 years ago the owner made sure every seat pointed directly toward second base. This was too insure that nobody was sitting at an awkward angle. For those of us who have watch a baseball game at an awkward angle before, you can really appreciate this. So wherever you sit, have no fear of a neck cramp.
This site is dedicated to not necessarily finding the cheapest of everything, but finding the best bang for the rapidly declining buck. In this case, the cheap seats are pretty awesome. The HYVEE level seats cost $9 and provide a great birds eye view along with what one team official described as a "delicious" breeze. This is a matter of opinion, but I love to spread out when I can and take in a great view. The upper deck of Kauffman Stadium is one of those places where you can do this. Another nice spot is out in left field. Kauffman Stadium is famous for the waterfalls, and now they are adding seating behind the fountains in left field. These seats are going to go for $25, but I think it will make for a good seat mainly because its a truly unique perspective. Where else can you overlook fountains and watch some baseball? Also the fans in left field tend to be a little more laid back than what you might experience in the inner bowl, so if that is your style; go for it.
I want to now discuss another angle to think about for tickets to a Royals game. Are you going to a day game or a night game? if you are going to a day game and you plan to sit in the upperdeck, you better do as the song says and "wear sunscreen". The upperdeck fans bake until golden brown at afternoon affairs in Kauffman Stadium. I like a good deal, but I hate being miserable. If you are going to a summer day game I would splurge for something in the 200 level, which will put you in the shade. Another cool option for a day game is to sit in the previously mentioned seats by the fountains. These fans get treated to a nice mist during the game which is just plain awesome.
View from behind the fountain
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.
Where to Stay for Free
This part is more for the crowd that is going to park illegally in the Drury lot for every game this year. You may or may not know about couchsurfing.com, but this is a pretty cool network where you can find people who will let you sleep on a couch or in a guest room for free. If Kauffman Stadium is one destination on a big baseball trip, this could save you some serious money. I think the risks are obvious, but to me if you use your head by making sure the person has plenty of references and pictures, you are pretty safe.
For others who may want free accomodation, I would recommend Home Exchange. You may have seen this in the movies, but basically you pay $100 to join and then you can swap houses with other families for a vacation. The safety record of this is literally unblemished, and if you are taking a baseball trip or just a vacation to the area, you might find somebody to trade places with you for a week. Its an option.
tickets
Tickets at Kauffman Stadium are readily available because the team has been rebuilding since George Brett retired. I think the important thing to focus on is where the best value seats are in the stadium. This phrase is a bit trite; but Kauffman Stadium boasts that there is not a bad seat in the house. When it was originally designed over 38 years ago the owner made sure every seat pointed directly toward second base. This was too insure that nobody was sitting at an awkward angle. For those of us who have watch a baseball game at an awkward angle before, you can really appreciate this. So wherever you sit, have no fear of a neck cramp.
This site is dedicated to not necessarily finding the cheapest of everything, but finding the best bang for the rapidly declining buck. In this case, the cheap seats are pretty awesome. The HYVEE level seats cost $9 and provide a great birds eye view along with what one team official described as a "delicious" breeze. This is a matter of opinion, but I love to spread out when I can and take in a great view. The upper deck of Kauffman Stadium is one of those places where you can do this. Another nice spot is out in left field. Kauffman Stadium is famous for the waterfalls, and now they are adding seating behind the fountains in left field. These seats are going to go for $25, but I think it will make for a good seat mainly because its a truly unique perspective. Where else can you overlook fountains and watch some baseball? Also the fans in left field tend to be a little more laid back than what you might experience in the inner bowl, so if that is your style; go for it.
I want to now discuss another angle to think about for tickets to a Royals game. Are you going to a day game or a night game? if you are going to a day game and you plan to sit in the upperdeck, you better do as the song says and "wear sunscreen". The upperdeck fans bake until golden brown at afternoon affairs in Kauffman Stadium. I like a good deal, but I hate being miserable. If you are going to a summer day game I would splurge for something in the 200 level, which will put you in the shade. Another cool option for a day game is to sit in the previously mentioned seats by the fountains. These fans get treated to a nice mist during the game which is just plain awesome.
View from behind the fountain
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
Kauffman Stadium has a very liberal policy on bringing food into the stadium. So bring your own peanuts and even pick up a fast food dinner to eat at the game. If Kansas City is like Cincinnati, you undoubtedly have fans who complain about "ballpark prices". The next time you hear that, slap them. I guess that wouldn't be nice, but I get so frustrated when I hear fans complain about how expensive it is to go to a game. It doesn't have to be! And please, don't complain about the food prices unless you are a captive audience. If you want to protest the high prices, bring your own food. You can also bring in sealed bottles of water. I also understand that sometimes you just have to eat at the stadium so you feel like an American. If that spirit comes over you; please eat at Gates BBQ in the Stadium. Remember we are talking about value, so this will cost you a little more but if you are going to buy something, don't spend 5 bucks on crap if 10 bucks can get you a flavor explosion. You know what I am saying?
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 Kauffman stadium (64129) to see what restaurants are nearby.
Kauffman Stadium has a very liberal policy on bringing food into the stadium. So bring your own peanuts and even pick up a fast food dinner to eat at the game. If Kansas City is like Cincinnati, you undoubtedly have fans who complain about "ballpark prices". The next time you hear that, slap them. I guess that wouldn't be nice, but I get so frustrated when I hear fans complain about how expensive it is to go to a game. It doesn't have to be! And please, don't complain about the food prices unless you are a captive audience. If you want to protest the high prices, bring your own food. You can also bring in sealed bottles of water. I also understand that sometimes you just have to eat at the stadium so you feel like an American. If that spirit comes over you; please eat at Gates BBQ in the Stadium. Remember we are talking about value, so this will cost you a little more but if you are going to buy something, don't spend 5 bucks on crap if 10 bucks can get you a flavor explosion. You know what I am saying?
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 Kauffman stadium (64129) to see what restaurants are nearby.