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Never been to Fenway, but would love to go to see a game. I live in CT and mapquest puts the travel time as 2 hr 14 min. How much of a head start do I need?
Is there a preferable time to see a game? Haven't been to any ballpark in about 20 yrs, but I remember liking the 7pm start best.
Does the park have good food? Should I get food there, or an outside bar/restauraunt? Any recs?
Parking - does the stadium have a parking lot? Looking at this pic:
I dont see a parking lot. Well, not a real one, anyway I see a small one to the bottom right, that holds maybe 100 cars? Where does everyone park? LOL
How much of a “head start” you need depends entirely on the time of day. If Maps says 2:14, I’d probably leave at least 3.5 hours before the game to give you enough time to park (or take the train - more on that below), walk around the neighborhood, and explore the park a bit before 1st pitch.
There’s parking near the stadium - several lots and garages within a few hundred yards. Parking there will cost you $50 or more and you will have to deal with the crush of traffic coming and going before and after the game. Some people are fine paying for this convenience, but I personally think you’re better off parking at the Riverside or Quincy Adams MBTA stations and taking the train into town for less than $5 round trip. Most fans do this, and it’ll save you the hassle of parking near the park. Alternatively, parking at a garage a little further away, it’s cheaper and less of a hassle. For example, the Prudential Center Garage is $20 for Red Sox games and an easy 10 minute walk. You won’t have to contend with the crush of fans in the streets or the cars lined up trying to leave the lots and garages at Fenway Park.
Food at Fenway is overpriced and generally mediocre. That said, I still enjoy the Italian Sausages in the park. There are a bunch of good options outside the park - a good choice for quick options is Timeout Market, a few blocks away. Lots of vendors serving some quality stuff. On the pricier end, Eventide is great for seafood. There are a bunch of pubs and bars nearby to grab a burger if you want simple - you can just walk around and see what looks good (many have lines and crowds before games). There are also a number of food carts outside the park that are solid too.
Came in from CT to see a Sox game three weeks ago ish
Drove into Quincy MA.
Stayed at Hotel walking distance to the MBTA
Took the Red Line and transferred T Park St to the Green Ljne and got off at Kenmore
Walked 10 minutes to Fenway area
Ate at a local restaurant, had a few beers, then went into stadium.
Sox won in 10th inning and took T back
Fenway area is very unique. Tons of great restaurants, bars and nightlife in/around the area. For ALL ages. I saw many 70 year olds getting down and low and having a good time. Fenway has good food imho.
10/10 reccomend. Have fun. And just do it.
I wish it was that easy to see a Yankees game, but it isnt… its a ****show and the Bronx is still awful lmao. So I definitely go out of my way for Fenway or Citi
The stadium does not have an official parking lot but there are many very close by. Expect to pay $50ish but check out parking apps for any discounts. You can also park at one of the lots along the green line D train to save some money and take the train in. Not worth it in my opinion but is an option.
Gamedays have a carnivalesque atmosphere. People get there very early and just hang out in the Fenway neighborhood - get a drink, some appetizers or a meal, a coffee or tea, walk around the area, etc. Lots happening on gamedays and people come in just to watch the game at local bars too. Get there a few hrs early to be assured an easy spot in one of the lots and to have time to visit the shops at the stadium and see the area. The neighborhood starts bumpin at 5ish for an evening game so I suggest to get there by 4 if not earlier.
I'd recommend getting up there really early. Give yourself time to sit down and have a meal at one of the local establishments. You can take pictures and really take in the area. It will be your first time up there. No need to feel rushed and miss out on all the area has to offer.
Never been to Fenway, but would love to go to see a game. I live in CT and mapquest puts the travel time as 2 hr 14 min. How much of a head start do I need?
Is there a preferable time to see a game? Haven't been to any ballpark in about 20 yrs, but I remember liking the 7pm start best.
Does the park have good food? Should I get food there, or an outside bar/restauraunt? Any recs?
Parking - does the stadium have a parking lot? Looking at this pic:
I dont see a parking lot. Well, not a real one, anyway I see a small one to the bottom right, that holds maybe 100 cars? Where does everyone park? LOL
Thanks in advance.
Are you interested in pre-game ceremonies? You'll want to arrive at Fenway about 30 minutes prior? If not, 5 mins is fine. This time is for arrival at the ballpark, not GPS navigation telling you you're there.
Now, since you're driving in, I strongly suggest you do not drive all the way in. There's very limited parking and you'll likely end up dropping $60 to park in a gas station, plus deal with gridlock traffic in both directions. Go to Riverside and take the Green Line in, or if you must drive in, park at the Prudential and walk over. Walking from the Pru adds about 20 minutes, add another 10 if you're a very leisurely walker.
Add that up and I'd add about 90-120 minutes to your 2.25 hour drive and call it 4 hours. That gives you time to park, find dinner, walk to Fenway, and get situated.
The food is meh there. It's Aramark concession stand stuff sitting under a heating lamp (though you can occasionally find decent things in an EMC Club suite). Eat before you go inside, there's lots of options within a mile and along Boylston (if you walk in from the Pru). There's a CVS on the corner of Boylston/Ipswich right in front of Fenway -- stop in and get a bottle of water for $3 and take it in with you. Water that's half the size costs twice as much once you're through the gate.
I prefer afternoon weekday games, but evenings are also fine. If you don't care who you see and want to save money, try to aim for Mon-Thu evenings against non-headline teams. Baltimore's a great option for cheap tickets.
I myself am looking into taking in a game at Fenway the last weekend of this month (August), as part of my larger weekend stay in [greater] Boston. I only got to see the outside of the park the last time; thus time I plan to be all up in there!
With that said, after doing some fare checking, I'm looking at flying into PVD, since it's cheaper, and I know TF Green has a commuter line that runs into the South Station. My question for any of you know is this: what potential cheaper hotel sits may exist along that commuter line between Providence and Boston? I'm not trying to pay dang near $300/night for 3 nights, but also don't know what exists between the two ends.
My other alternative is to say at the American Inn & Suites across from Patriot Place. I saw it the last time I was up there, and I've stayed in AIs before--not exactly five star, but far from horrible. That said, from what I've been able to dig up, there's a rail line that runs from somewhere near Patriot Place into a station I think somewhere near Roxbury? (I don't have the map right in front of me at the moment.) I don't think that line runs all the way into the city, though I can transfer to another (as long as it ain't the Orange Line; last I knew that one is getting shut down for the rest of the month for emergency maintenance.)
Any tips/recommendations/hidden secrets would be greatly appreciated! (And if any of you know of any potential hotel spots in/near the Providence end, or in Providence itself, still accessible by rail, please let me know that too!)
I myself am looking into taking in a game at Fenway the last weekend of this month (August), as part of my larger weekend stay in [greater] Boston. I only got to see the outside of the park the last time; thus time I plan to be all up in there!
With that said, after doing some fare checking, I'm looking at flying into PVD, since it's cheaper, and I know TF Green has a commuter line that runs into the South Station. My question for any of you know is this: what potential cheaper hotel sits may exist along that commuter line between Providence and Boston? I'm not trying to pay dang near $300/night for 3 nights, but also don't know what exists between the two ends.
My other alternative is to say at the American Inn & Suites across from Patriot Place. I saw it the last time I was up there, and I've stayed in AIs before--not exactly five star, but far from horrible. That said, from what I've been able to dig up, there's a rail line that runs from somewhere near Patriot Place into a station I think somewhere near Roxbury? (I don't have the map right in front of me at the moment.) I don't think that line runs all the way into the city, though I can transfer to another (as long as it ain't the Orange Line; last I knew that one is getting shut down for the rest of the month for emergency maintenance.)
Any tips/recommendations/hidden secrets would be greatly appreciated! (And if any of you know of any potential hotel spots in/near the Providence end, or in Providence itself, still accessible by rail, please let me know that too!)
Have you considered using Express Deals on Priceline? For the most part it's ideal for Central Boston since most of the neighborhoods are safe, compact (the hotels are all fairly close to each other), and conveniently located close to transit. For example, if you bought an Express Deal" for a 3-star hotel in the Financial District, you're guaranteed at least a 3-star level of quality and there's no chance you end up in a bad location. In addition to the Financial District, you should feel comfortable booking an Express Deal in the Seaport, North End, Beacon Hill - Boston Common, Downtown Boston - Harborfront, Beacon Hill - West End, Kendall Square, etc. South End would be OK for 3.5 stars and higher (you'll most likely end up at Ink Block or along Stuart or Kneeland St), but I wouldn't do a 3-star in the South End as it could land you in the Hampton Inn at Mass/Cass which is not a place I'd want to stay. But generally, Express Deals are a great way to save a few bucks and stay in Central Boston for the price of an inferior suburban hotel. There aren't many places in Central Boston where you'd be tied to the Orange Line for a Fenway commute. Through most of Central Boston (from North Station through the MFA/Northeastern area), the Orange Line parallels the Green Line and stops are within walking distance of each other (sometimes a mere block or two).
If you're going to stay between Boston and Providence, there are some options close to the train in the Foxboro/Mansfield and Norwood (near the Route 128 MBTA station specifically) areas but I don't know that you'd be happy there without a car as there's very little within walking distance and limited transit options. To my knowledge the Foxboro/Patriot Place train only runs during Patriots games. It likely isn't an option for you. I'd choose Providence over an in between location without a car.
There are some good options in Providence - anything downtown will be within walking distance of the station and there's plenty to do in that area. The Hilton, Residence Inn, Courtyard By Marriott, and Graduate, Homewood Suites, and a few others are well located and should be less than $300/night. Again, Express Deals for Downtown Providence for anything above 3 stars would be fine and likely save you some money. If you find yourself priced out of Boston, I think Providence might be the best bet.
Finally, you could look at more budget options along the Red or Green lines. There are a couple of hotels near the Riverside MBTA station that are often reasonably priced. Getting to Riverside from TF Green isn't the easiest, but you could take the MBTA Commuter rail from Green to Route 128 Station and Uber/Lyft from there to the hotels/Riverside (about 15 minutes). OR, you could continue onto Back Bay station and then walk a block over to the Copley Green Line station and take the Green Line out to Riverside/hotels - significantly longer than the Uber option, but cheaper. There are a couple of affordable options in Quincy along the Red Line (Best Western, Holiday Inn Express, Howard Johnson, Marriott Boston Quincy) that would give you easy transit access to Boston and aren't completely disconnected from bars, restaurants, etc. Like Riverside, you could Uber from 128 Station to Quincy Adams in 15 minutes. OR you could take the train all the way to South Station and take the Red Line from there to whichever Quincy stop is closest to your hotel. Again, Uber is quicker, T is cheaper.
If you are coming from CT using Highways 84 to 90, I would suggest you take the T in from Riverside. The Riverside T stop is less than a mile just south of Route 90/Mass Pike off the Grove street exit of Rte 95. The Green Line D train has a Fenway Station that lets you off just a block from the park. It would be a far cheaper and less hassle option. Plan for the T ride to take about 20-30 minutes with all the stops. No need to worry about finding the park as you just follow all the other people walking there. The only down side will be the trip back as the trains will be crowded as everyone will be leaving at the same time.
Parking M-F $6 Weekends $3
The lot has 935 spaces.
Cost of each T Subway ride $2.40
Last edited by MMS02760; 08-07-2022 at 10:11 AM..
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I see a small one to the bottom right, that holds maybe 100 cars? Where does everyone park? LOL
