I took a tour of Fenway Park. Here’s what it’s like | Boston Bucket list
BOSTON — A tour around Fenway Park is a methodical way to soak in the history, atmosphere and sepia-tinged anecdotes you wouldn't get to appreciate amid the buzz of game day for the Red Sox .
You get to learn about how teams originally dressed in an old horse stable behind center field. You can see relics such as a Babe Ruth-signed baseball and the actual base from Dave Roberts' legendary steal during the 2004 ALCS. You might even get behind-the-scenes access and go to the visitors' clubhouse.
When you read those first two lines, you probably either quietly nodded your head in approval or started nodding off. That should really tell you all you need to know about taking a tour of Fenway Park.
So there you go. I probably either saved your $30 or put the tour way up on your bucket list.
Scenes from an everyday tour of Fenway Park.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
Fenway Park Tours | Boston Bucket List
Before deciding if a tour of Fenway is worth it, we need to discuss what a tour actually entails — and the different packages.
On the Red Sox website, there are currently four tour packages, which start at $21 for kids and go up to $175 per person.
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Public tours: A basic 60-minute tour around the park ($30 adults, $21 for children/military)
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The 8 a.m. field level tour: A 75-minute tour where you can walk on the warning track. Only offered at 8 a.m. No bags are allowed. (All tickets $75)
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The pregame tour: Allows visitors to walk on the warning track and sit on the Green Monster three hours before games. Visitors must exit the park after the tour. (All tickets $55)
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Take Me To Fenway tours: Private tours for groups of 2-20, where visitors have the option of selecting where they want to visit. (All tickets $175)
Public tours are the option most people go with. They're offered year-round and focus on sharing the history of the Red Sox and the park.
Scenes from an everyday tour of Fenway Park.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
What's it like on the tour?
I'd been to Fenway Park as a fan and as a member of the media. But I'd never been on a tour.
So I signed up for a standard tour about a week before Opening Day. I lucked out with the weather and got to the meeting spot — the Red Sox team store on Jersey Street.
Visitors are asked to show up early. I recommend that you do. The noon tour began making its way out of the store and across the street to the park, starting at 11:55 a.m.
The tour started out a bit chaotic as our guide, Jonathan, tried to corral the large group that had shown up. After settling in the lower concourse, I'd learned that folks from as far as Texas, Utah, California and Canada had made a point of visiting America's oldest ballpark.
That distinction is one of many historic factoids that Jonathan rattled off as we made our way through the park.
Being at Fenway when it's not flooded with fans is a much more relaxing experience. You really get to appreciate the atmosphere and history. It's amazing how much more you can soak in when you're not being jostled by folks rushing to the bathroom.
Scenes from an everyday tour of Fenway Park.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
Before we even got to see the field, we got some behind-the-scenes access and dipped into the visitors' clubhouse. It's not as spacious or visually impressive as the Red Sox clubhouse (by design). But it's still a fun experience that educates you about the mechanics of the ballpark.
We then made our way up through the seats and saw the field before sitting in cramped spots on the third-base line to get the meatiest history lesson of the tour.
After that, the tour turns into a rapid-fire series of excellent photo ops. We sat atop the Green Monster, learned that the park has a rooftop garden, visited the press box and walked past the NESN TV booths.
Tours allow visitors to sit in the press box at Fenway Park. Scenes from an everyday tour of Fenway Park.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
The tour concluded with a long walk along the first-base line and past the Fenway Park Music Hall of Fame, which highlights the famous musicians who performed at the park.
We finished the main chunk of the tour on the Sam Adams Deck, which offers some of the best views of the park.
With that finished, we went down the stairs to the Royal Rooters Club, a premier space at the park for events that doubles as a sort of Red Sox museum.
The Royal Rooters Club features some incredible artifacts from Red Sox history. It also has some amazing replicas of player lockers and examples of seats over the years.
That's the end of the tour. Visitors are invited to poke around the Royal Rooters Club as long as they like. Our guide, Jonathan, even offered to let some lucky tourgoers try on his World Series ring and take pictures with it.
Once I was done with the Royal Rooters Club, I went down a final staircase and through a metal door. Suddenly, poof, I was outside the park and standing on Van Ness Street.
Scenes from an everyday tour of Fenway Park.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
Is it worth going?
I was highly entertained. So in my opinion, yes, it's worth going on a tour of Fenway.
With that said, I've been a baseball fan all my life. I'm the sort of person whose eyes light up whenever someone brings up Mo Vaughn or "El Guapo" Rich Garces. So keep that in mind when weighing my opinion.
It's also important to note that the tour involves a lot of walking and a lot of stairs. There are elevators around to help those with mobility issues. But it's important to keep in mind that the tour covers a ton of ground.
Tours also run rain or shine. Our guide, Jonathan, told us about a recent tour he ran on a rainy day with a wind chill in the 20s.
One last note: The website advertises the tour as taking 60 minutes. Mine took a bit longer. The tour started from the team store at 11:55 a.m. I set foot outside the park at 1:23 p.m.
Fenway Park tours start at this desk, located inside the team store on Jersey street. Scenes from an everyday tour of Fenway Park.(Nick O'Malley/MassLive)
More info about Fenway Park Tours
Check them out— Red Sox Website
When do tours run?— Tours run year-round at Fenway Park and start at the top of each hour.
Tours run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from April 1 to Oct. 1 on non-game days. They run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Nov. 1 to March 31.
On game days, the last tour departs three hours before the game starts.
How do you get tickets?— You can get tickets for Fenway Park tours on the Red Sox website .
Are bags allowed?— Small bags are allowed. Backpacks and other larger bags are not. Check out the tours page for more info.
Where are the tours located?— Tours start at the Red Sox team store across the street from the park. The address for the team store is 19 Jersey St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02215.
What's the parking situation?— There is limited street parking near Fenway Park, along with some (pretty expensive) private parking lots.
How to get there via public transit— The nearest T stop is Kenmore on the Green Line.
Is it handicap accessible?— The Red Sox website notes that tours are handicap accessible.
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