Chicago White Sox Stadium – Everything you need to know
MLB Stadiums Tour Series
Hello and welcome to my Major League Baseball Stadium Tour! Today you will learn about Guaranteed Rate Field home of the Chicago White Sox! I made it a goal of mine a few years back to visit very MLB stadium, why? At the time, I have traveled to cities with baseball teams and went to a few games while visiting. I do love the sport (and its much more fun to watch in person), it’s America’s favorite past time, there’s a lot of history in Baseball, and its an affordable professional sport to watch! At the time of writing this, I have visited 19 out of the 30 MLB stadiums.
In this series of blog posts, I give a brief history/overview of each baseball stadium I visit, share what each has to offer, the food you should try, and my overall review of the stadium. I explain how I personally rank the stadium and why!
My rankings are broken up into the following categories:
–Location (including what is nearby/pre-post game activities)
–Ambiance (how it looks and feels, bonus points if it’s historic)
–Concession offerings (what options are available and price)
The average of the rankings will give the overall score for the ballpark, out of 10.
I hope this gives some good insight for each stadium and will help you to plan your visit!
Now let’s dive into the Chicago White Sox stadium!
White Sox Stadium History
Guaranteed Rate Field, originally Comiskey Park (then U.S. Cellular Field in 2003) was opened on April 18, 1991 and was the first new major sporting facility built Chicago since Chicago stadium was built in 1929. This ballpark was the last built before the new “retro-classic” ballparks trend in the 1990s-2000s (like the style of the Baltimore Orioles stadium, read about that stadium HERE). The ballpark has undergone many renovations throughout the years but still has remnants from its original form including the arched windows in the front of the park, and the “exploding scoreboard”.
After fixing issues with the seating in the upper deck, nearly every seat in the upper level received an unobstructed view which also made this one of the highest upper decks in baseball. This used to be one of the only stadiums in the MLB that did not allow upper deck fans to explore anywhere else in the park including the lower deck. Since then, issues have been resolved and the stadium has some unique features including flickering LED lights by the scoreboard for the first pitch, home run, and game wins. There is also a fan deck with panoramic view of the field, Miller Lite Landing with water fixtures on all sides, and even Rain Rooms (that I didn’t know about) where fans can cool off during hot games!
Location
The White Sox stadium is located on the South Side of Chicago. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) L Train public transit system can be used to get to the stadium. You can reach Guaranteed Rate Field using the Red Line, a 15 minute trip South from the heart of Downtown Chicago. Unlike Cubs Stadium, there is not a ton of restaurants and bars nearby since there’s no dedicated neighborhood surrounding the stadium. The most restaurant options nearby are about 0.6 miles away on South Halsted Street, and there are a few bar & grills right outside the stadium. I’m also not sure how much you’d want to be walking around in this neighborhood either. There is more parking available near this stadium than Wrigley Field has to offer, but honestly I would avoid driving in Chicago if you can (traffic can be a little crazy).
The location of this field is ok, not bad, not great. It is easy to get to using public transit, but not too much around within immediate walking distance. For this reason, the White Sox stadium receives a 4/10 rank for location.
Ambiance
The ambiance of this field is ok. You can tell its an older stadium, without the bells and whistles of a newer stadium. The feel inside is just a traditional baseball field. The most unique part of this stadium is the classic pinwheels on the scoreboard, which have been digitized. Being so close to downtown, you would think you’d be able to see the Chicago Skyline from your seats. The skyline is not visible inside because the field faces the wrong way. Hidden away in the ramp system on the third base side is a lookout point with GREAT views of the city. The hidden views and the scoreboard help the ambiance score, giving this stadium a 4/10.
Concession Offerings
The food in this ballpark is a mix of classic baseball offerings as well as a lot of Mexican food. This stadium does cater to their predominantly Latino fan base with Mexican food offerings (tacos, burritos, tamales, etc.), snacks (chicharrones, elote, mango with chamoy and tajin, etc.) and their beer carts with Mexican beer (mostly Modelo). There are no signature concession items unique to this stadium. Where this stadium wins in their Craft Cave, which is a two-tiered, open-air section located under the right field stands. The Craft Cave has a full wall of beer fridges filled with Craft beer from all over. There are over 75 different types craft beers in this stadium, and the Craft Cave has them organized by style. This area also lets you look into the bullpen which is at the same level as the Craft Cave. This was hard to find, but worth the search. The Craft Cave gives bonus points for concession offerings, giving this a score of 7/10.
Overall Ranking
Location: 4/10
Ambiance: 4/10
Concession Offerings: 7/10
Average = 5
Total Score: 5/10
I hope this article taught you more about the Wrigley Field and helped you plan for your visit! Let me know what you thought, and how you would rank this ballpark in the comments! For more on Chicago see more posts HERE!
