Busch Stadium

Spending the afternoon at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, is great fun. But a tour of the facility provides a great look at the proud history of the National League baseball team and at the behind-the-scenes dynamics of running the ballpark.

The 46,000-seat downtown stadium opened in 2006, overlapping the grounds of the previous Busch Stadium. The third ballpark to bear the name Busch Stadium was designed with a retro look, recalling famed ballparks of yore. It boasts a beautiful view of the St. Louis skyline and of the landmark Gateway Arch.

Public tours are offered daily, more frequently during the baseball season, which runs April through September. During a tour, you’ll see the Cardinal Dugout, the Press Box, the elegant Cardinals Club, the spacious Redbird Club, one of the stadium’s party rooms and other hidden aspects of the ballpark. You’ll also learn something about the proud St. Louis Cardinals franchise, which dates back to 1882 when they were the St. Louis Brown Stockings in the old American Association. (They joined the National League in 1892, and they’ve been known as the Cardinals ever since.)

During the season, tours start at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. During the off-season, the daily tours are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Tour tickets cost $6 for those aged 4–15, $8 for senior citizens aged 60 and older or members of the military and $10 for other adults. Children 3 and younger are free, but there can be only  three such youngsters in any group. Groups of 25 or more pay $7 for adult tickets and $5 for children, but they must book at least 14 days in advance. You can buy them at the Gate 5 ticket windows, No. 19 and No. 20 on Clark Street (the north side of Busch Stadium) but only on the day of the tour. The ticket windows open 30 minutes before the start of that day’s first tour.

HelloSaintLouis Tip: There are no tours when the Cardinals play an afternoon game at home or host certain special events or on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

- by Bill Wolfe, Saint Louis Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Bill Wolfe

Bill Wolfe is an experienced journalist with a broad background in writing, editing and photography. He has worked as staff writer at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., and the Atlanta Journal & Constitution in Atlanta, Ga., covering beats ranging from consumer news to religion and business.