There is nothing better than going to a baseball game. The popcorn smell, the crowd’s excitement, and the bats’ crack all tie together to form a perfect evening or afternoon. If you’re going to a baseball game for the first time or if you don’t have too much experience in the field, there are a couple of things one can do to ensure that you have the best possible experience during your visit.  

In this text we’re going to give you a brief rundown on various things to keep in mind to make sure that you have a great time at the game, regardless of what ballpark you’re visiting. Please keep in mind that this text and its advice is tailored more towards those who haven’t visited an MLB game before and could use some helpful pointers ahead of their visit. 

Tickets and where to sit 

The best thing to do if you know you will be attending a game during a specific date is to book your tickets well in advance. By booking tickets as soon as you can do so you will have a great opportunity at finding good seats at reasonable prices. It’s best to do this through an official ticketing site such as https://hellotickets.com to ensure that you get official tickets. Even if one can use the team’s website, third party options tend to offer a better booking platform. 

But where should you sit? The best seats in the house are behind home plate, but these tickets can be extremely expensive and hard to come by. Three potential seats can offer up a great experience on your first visit to a ballpark. The first one is sitting along one of the baselines on the lower deck. Here you can see the at-bats without too much issue and it’s easier to follow quick plays.

These tickets tend to cost a little bit more than some other options but the added view can many times be worth it. Otherwise the second deck behind home plate can be an excellent option. This offers a really cool birds-eye view and if you’re lucky you can even snag a foul ball that goes up and behind the batter.  

Getting to the game 

If you’re driving to the game, arriving as early as possible is best. Sure, four hours before the first pitch might be a bit excessive but getting there as early as you feel comfortable with can help you secure a good parking spot, making getting out of the stadium a lot easier. The traffic can be somewhat insane on game days and it’s usually best to take public transport when that is available. 

Arriving early 

By arriving to the ballpark well ahead of the game you can find your seats without being in a massive rush to sit down before the first pitch is thrown. Arriving to the ballpark a couple of hours before the first pitch also enables you to watch the warm ups and batting practice.

Warmups and batting practice is one of the best opportunities that fans are presented with where one can truly start to understand how strong and skilled professional hitters are. It will also allow you to check out everything that the ballpark has to offer in terms of food, and many stadiums in the MLB also have areas filled with memorabilia that can be extremely cool to check out. If you’re looking to score a ball to take home as a souvenir, arriving early is the best way to do it.

Take the opportunity to score some ballpark food 

One of the many highlights of going to a baseball game is without a question the food that’s on offer. There is usually a ton of variety on offer at baseball games, from classic hot dogs to more local specialities. Although these foods tend not to be the most healthy options in the world, they can taste incredible and many of these dishes are only available at the ballpark itself. Nothing helps you get in the mood for baseball as something to drink coupled with a filling ballpark snack.