Baltimore Orioles – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is kind of like our home ballpark because we live pretty close and Tom and Logan are Orioles fans. We’ve been to more games at Camden Yards than I can count.
Tom became an Orioles fan during Cal Ripken Jr.’s run to break Lou Gehrig’s record of consecutive games played in the 1995 season. He was at an Orioles game a couple of nights before Ripken broke the record when he played in his 2,131st game. Much to my chagrin, Logan grew up to also be an Orioles fan like his dad instead of a Yankees fan like his mom.
My family has been going to games at Camden Yards for a while, usually to see the Yankees play.
Camden Yards is a great place for kids. When Logan was young, we spent countless hours in the Kid’s Corner at Camden Yards located near Gate C. In the Kid’s Corner you’ll find the Bird House, an interactive treehouse activity center and jungle gym. The Kid’s Corner also has a moon bounce, skee-ball, Orioles throwing inflatable, and giant Oriole Bird bobbleheads. There is also a concession area for kids and tv screens to watch the game while your kids are playing. There is tons of shade in the Kid’s Corner, which is a major plus!
Eutaw Street is a must-see! It is a pedestrian walkway within Camden Yards that is lined with concession stands and retail shops. If you’re hungry, Boog’s BBQ is the place to go. Boog’s is located on Eutaw street near the flag court and is the best food in the ballpark. Other favorite foods are fries topped with crab dip and Old Bay and Maryland crab cakes.
Tom and I went to see the Baltimore Orioles host the San Francisco Giants when Barry Bonds was getting close to retirement. We got seats in the outfield so we had a good view of Mr. Bonds. It was cool being relatively close to a baseball legend.
At the Orioles/Giants game when we sat in the outfield, our seats were right next to the Orioles bullpen. Tom was wearing a fire department hat and Elrod Hendricks, the Orioles bullpen coach, saw it and came over to talk to us. He was an amazing guy. It was a hot day at the ballpark and he brought us ice cold water out of the bullpen cooler. Sadly, Elrod passed away in 2005 and we’ll always remember his kindness.
We really liked the big wall of the ballpark and always had our pictures taken there. It’s located on the concourse level near Gate C.
Camden Yards is located within walking distance of the Baltimore Inner Harbor. We often will stay at a hotel on the Inner Harbor and sight-see before going to a game.
There is a TON of things to do at the Baltimore Inner Harbor. We like going to the many restaurants that have some of the best seafood on the East Coast as well as going to the Port Discovery Children’s Museum. The National Aquarium is also a great place for kids and one of our favorite things to see are the historic ships that are docked in the Inner Harbor. We have taken a tour of the U.S.S. Constellation countless times and it’s always an amazing tour.
Going out on the paddle boats is always a favorite thing to do. The Maryland Science Center is also a great attraction, along with the Harborplace Mall that is full of retail and dining options. One of the best ways to see the Baltimore Inner Harbor is by boat and there are a lot of dinner cruises and water taxis. Our favorite waterfront attraction was taking a water taxi to Fort McHenry and doing a tour. Fort McHenry is a must-see!
Several years ago, Logan got to meet Angela Showalter, the wife of former manager Buck Showalter.
In 2014, we went to Derek Jeter’s last game at Camden Yards.
Like other MLB teams, the Orioles allow kids to run the bases after every Sunday home game. Logan ran the bases and had a blast. It was fun for us being down on the field too.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a great place to watch a game and there’s really no bad seat in the house. We did find out that sitting in the stands in center field in the middle of July or August gets extremely hot. It’s a great place to catch a home run ball, but there is no shade out there whatsoever. Sitting in center field is a great view and outfielders like Aaron Judge like to have a catch in between innings with kids in the stands. Bring your glove if you sit out there!
Definitely give your kids cotton candy at any ballgame you go to.
There are so many good views in Camden Yards and I encourage you to arrive early and walk around and even during the game. Just make sure to watch out for foul balls! If you get there in time for batting practice, you can get relatively close to the field and often times get autographs.
From the center field stands, you have a great view of the visitor and home bullpens.
I could go on and on about Camden Yards because there are so many family memories there for me. I went there with my brother who is now gone, I encouraged my little boy’s love of the game there, I’ve seen baseball legends there, I went on dates there with my husband, and one Thursday night when Baltimore was playing the Red Sox, I was pregnant and yelling and booing Manny Ramirez when I felt my baby boy kick for the first time.
Go to baseball games! Take your kids, take your loved ones. Just go! If you don’t live near a MLB ballpark, go to local baseball games. Some of the greatest life lessons are learned at a ballfield and family memories of going to games will last forever.
