The writers over at the magazine Stadium Journey love Camden Yards, and rightfully so. This week, for the third year in a row, they ranked Oriole Park at Camden Yards as the top stadium experience in North America.
They attributed their decision in part to the 25-year-old facility’s trend-setting role in baseball. “If Baltimore had built a standard, boring facility, baseball may not look and feel the way it does now,” they wrote. But thanks to the success of Camden Yards, they say, other cities followed suit and built their own fan-friendly stadiums instead of drab, multi-purpose facilities designed to host multiple sports throughout the year.
Back in October, the publication ranked Camden Yards number one among all MLB stadiums for a couple additional reasons. In addition to its retro feel, they noted the regular upgrades in concessions, the franchise’s fan-friendly events and the fact that the park was built in a way that was non-disruptive to the downtown area.
The number two spot in the 2016 rankings went to Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Fla., while numbers three, four and five went (respectively) to the St. Louis Cardinals’ Busch Park, Daytona International Speedway and the Winnipeg Jets’ MTS Center.
It’s noteworthy that M&T Bank Stadium wasn’t far behind Camden Yards. The Ravens’ home field clocked in at number 14, thanks to its fans, recent renovations and color scheme.
Two stadiums in the top 15? Not bad for a ranking based on staff reviews of 761 stadiums around North America.
