Exploring Dodger Stadium and Its Rich Baseball History
In terms of sports venues, few are more iconic in the United States than Dodger Stadium. The third oldest baseball park in use today, Dodger Stadium baseball history is significant over the past 65+ years. On a list of historic baseball stadiums, Dodger Stadium is near the top.
If you’re a baseball fan, you are likely familiar with the team and its rich history. With that background, you will thoroughly enjoy a guided tour. But honestly, even if you’re not a huge baseball fan, this tour has a lot to offer.
The Los Angeles Dodgers moved to Los Angeles for the start of the 1958 season from their home in Brooklyn, New York. During their Brooklyn days, the team was known as “lovable losers” or simply “dem bums.” But their move to California, specifically Los Angeles, made them the team of Hollywood stars and celebrities. The move to Los Angeles also happened at a time when the team suddenly became very good, which is a trend that continues today. The Dodgers spent the first three years in LA playing at another iconic venue, the Los Angeles Coliseum, before moving into Dodger Stadium in 1961.
Exploring Dodger Stadium Baseball History
The Dodger Stadium tour gives a nice overview of the team’s history, which dates all the way back to 1890, though most of the time is spent on the team’s time in LA since 1958.
The tour takes you behind the scenes at the stadium as well as to places where access is limited. We especially appreciated the views and Dodger history viewed from those press boxes. The stadium view that the press gets to enjoy is spectacular, to say the least. From that vantage point, you get a full view of the playing field and stadium, along with the surrounding beautiful Southern California scenery.
That view from the press box is reminiscent of the same view you get from the TV cameras. You can almost picture Dodger Stadium famous moments like Sandy Koufax pitching a perfect game in 1965 or Kirk Gibson’s home run to win game one of the 1988 World Series.
Stadium Tour Access
On a visit to Dodger Stadium, your small tour group will spend about 75 minutes seeing all levels of the stadium. That includes time in the trophy area, which is filled with photos, trophies, and plaques to commemorate Dodger greats from the past.
This baseball franchise is one of the most successful in Major League Baseball. You’ll see this on display with a chance to see their World Series trophies; they have won seven since moving to Los Angeles. They have also won a record number of National League pennants. Individual players rank among the best to ever play, and you’ll see on display all the MVP and Cy Young trophies earned by Dodger players.
One of the reasons we did the tour was to see and learn more about Dodger legend Jackie Robinson. Robinson was the first African American to play in the modern Major Leagues, breaking the color barrier in 1947 for the then Brooklyn Dodgers. Though he never played in Los Angeles, Robinson is still closely associated with the Dodger franchise and baseball history. In fact, we happened to do our tour of Dodger Stadium on April 15, which is designated each year as Jackie Robinson Day throughout baseball.
Our tour did not take us into the team locker room, which would have been nice. That might happen during the off-season, but we were there on a game day. However, we were given access to the field, albeit in a very contained area. It still made for a great photo opportunity and a chance to see the stadium from an entirely different perspective.
Tour Planning Details
Tour Dodger Stadium if you get the chance. Stadium tours take place Monday through Saturday, starting at 10 AM each day, and go until 1 PM on game days and 3 PM on non-game days. The tours start near the gift shop, near Lot P. Our tour was just under $50 per person. The Dodgers offer a variety of different tours, some of which are quite expensive should you wish to indulge in the VIP tour. Our guides talked about recent past tours running into former and current players on the tours. That was not our experience; at least no one we knew showed up during our visit.
Like any good tour, you wind up back at the Dodger Team Store with a chance to buy a wide variety of Dodger merchandise. If you go on the tour, you do save 10% at the gift shop, so save your purchases until after the tour.
A visit to Dodger Stadium for a baseball fan is like visiting a special spot, a cathedral of sorts. If you have the opportunity, you should take advantage even if you’re not a huge Dodger fan. The tour guides offer a glimpse into the history of the entire sport, not just the Dodgers. Because of our interest in Robinson and that it was Jackie Robinson Day, we also heard additional stories about his life and his teammates. It made for a very special tour.
We try to work in baseball into many of our trips. Check out some of our other baseball trips, tours, and attractions to help plan your getaway.
