The Rockies were unfortunately out of town when we visited Denver in 2011 so we took a tour of Coors Field. Being mile high with views of the Rocky Mountains, this elevates Coors Field to an impressive level over other parks. We’d love to go back to see a home run-filled game in this batter-friendly ballpark.

Design

Coors Field is the highest ballpark in the MLB at 5,200 ft above sea level. It also has the largest outfield since designers extended the outfield fences knowing that the elevation would carry the ball more. Despite that, it is still a hitter-friendly park, most noted for high numbers of home runs. The stadium is constructed primarily of red brick (similar to architecture in Denver and Busch Stadium). A bronze statue, called The Player, stands out front as a tribute to Branch Rickey.

From the upper levels, there’s a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains behind left field. Very fitting since the team is called the Colorado Rockies!

They have a decent sized scoreboard with their Rockies mountain logo and a baseball clock mounted above it. Interestingly, Coors Field was the first major league park with an underground heating system (makes sense with the cold weather in Colorado).

Behind the center field wall along the batters eye is a landscape decoration that reflects the typical environment (waterfall, fountains, and pine trees) of the Rocky Mountains.

Getting around during the tour seemed fine; although, with the elevation going from lower to upper decks can be a challenge for people not used to the atmosphere (like us).

Location

The stadium is located in the Lower Downtown (LODO) neighborhood of Denver. It’s near to quite a few breweries and parks. It’s also close enough to the mountains, that you can get a view from the stadium. Parking on a non-game day was pretty easy, and the surrounding area seemed pretty safe.

Concessions

Since we just did a tour, we didn’t get to try out all the concessions. There are lots of breweries in Denver, and they even have a microbrewery/restaurant called the Blue Moon Brewing Co. at the Sandlot. They serve Rocky Mountain Oysters, for those that dare to try them. We did see this Todd Helton Burger Shack concession stand. They serve huge onion rings and his signature burger – a mix of brisket, sirloin and shoulder smothered in “secret” sauce and white American cheese.

Amenities

They do have a special seating area in the center field bleacher section called “The Rockpile”, which offers the cheapest seats in the house (supposedly only $1).

On the tour, they didn’t take us through any specialty suites, which was a little surprising. We didn’t get to check out the team stores since they were closed. The Rockies don’t have their own museum, but there is a National Ballpark Museum nearby that you can visit.

Culture

Since we did a tour, we unfortunately didn’t get to experience the ballpark culture or in-game experience.

One tidbit about the mascot that is really interesting is that during construction, workers discovered dinosaur fossils throughout the grounds, including a triceratops. This is why Dinger, the Rockies’ mascot, is a triceratops.

Summary & Scoring

Date Visited: September 23, 2011 (tour only)
Game Played: n/a
Design:  – Highest ballpark with largest outfield in MLB with reputation as hitter-friendly park
Location: – LODO Denver in close proximity to breweries, parks, and mountains
Concessions: – Blue Moon Brewing Co. Microbrewery, Blue Mountain Oysters, and Helton Burger Shack
Amenities: – The “Rockpile” cheap bleacher seats and special 1-mile high purple seats
Culture:  – Didn’t get to experience this, but expect pretty fun with high scoring games due to lots of homers
Overall:  – HR-friendly park with high elevations and lovely views of the Rockies located in LODO district