Gameday
Gameday at and around Oracle Park is packed with things to do. Whether you are traveling alone, with friends, or with little ones, there’s a little something for everyone. Below are some of our favorite gameday activities for before, during, and after the game.
Outside the stadium: before and after the game
The area around Oracle Park is chalk-full of classic and cutting edge places to eat and drink, views to behold, and pregame activities to get you in the gameday mood. Read on for what to do prior to arriving at the stadium.
Momo’s
Directly across the street from Oracle Park, you’ll see a gigantic heart-shaped martini olive beckoning you into one of the most lively pregame scenes around the stadium. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and you don’t need to like martinis to enjoy it. They’ve got beer, wine, and a full food menu.
Candlestick Park Sports Bar (“The Stick”)
The Stick is a sports bar just across the way from Oracle Park. It’s super divey, but a main gathering place for folks before and after the game. They serve up classic pub fare as well, including wings with sauce options like mango habanero. Mmmm.
Underdog Cantina
This has become an extremely popular place for pre-game festivities. In this taqueria meets sports bar, you can chow down on things like the San Francisco burrito while sipping on their “Top-Shelf” margarita, or sharing a pitcher of beer with your cronies. It’s directly across from the ballpark, but bear in mind that it closes at 9 or 10, so you’ll definitely want to experience it before a night game or convene there after a day game.
Lucky Strike
Lucky Strike is not unique to San Francisco, with bowling alleys located all over the country. That being said, its proximity to Oracle Park makes it a natural pre and post game option. It’s also a good option if you’re traveling as a family and want to keep the kids occupied.
Hidive
The Hidive opened nearly 20 years ago in a building that’s been there since 1935. You can sit outside and take in gorgeous views of the Bay and Bay Bridge, or you can indulge in some people watching. It’s got a very classic feel and you can usually find a seat just outside.
The Alchemist
Looking for some craft cocktails before the game instead of the usual beer and nachos? The Alchemist is the place. You can sip on creative cocktails such as Low Countries, which features cucumber bitters and sugar snap peas, but they also make a mean gin martini if you’re into the classics. The decor sort of always feels like Halloween, and with a team whose colors are black and orange, it seems like Kismet.
The Flytrap
If you want a wild taste of San Francisco history with creative takes on cocktails, the Flytrap is an awesome spot for a drink or standout appetizers before the game (their fried brussel sprouts are otherworldly). The Flytrap is one of San Francisco’s oldest restaurants and is decorated in kooky but tasteful decor, warm lighting, and both indoor and outdoor seating options. It’s about a 15-minute walk from here to the ballpark, so you can get your blood moving before those chillier night games.
The Embarcadero
If you choose to start your gameday activities at the Ferry Building, you’ll be on track to partake in one of my favorite pregame activities, which is a walk along the Embarcadero to the ballpark. The Embarcadero runs along the Bay, and has numerous restaurants, lookout points, and places to simply sit and enjoy the breeze off the water. You’ll see joggers, roller bladers, bikers, locals dodging groups posing for photo ops, and tourists staring across the sea with their mouths agape. You’ll also see tons of folks making their pilgrimage to Oracle Park, high-fiving, hooting and hollering, and cheersing their “discreet” paper bags.
The Ferry Building
Another awesome spot to check out is the Ferry Building. It is full of specialty food stalls, fine and casual dining, some of the best coffee in SF, artisan goods, and all sorts of other vendors. It is only about a mile from the park. It’s particularly good if you’re with a family or group due to the large range of delicacies and plentiful seating options. It’s a great place to fuel up before the game and take in the buzz of Downtown San Francisco.
TSI TIP: if you want to do a little shopping at the Ferry Building before a game, bags are allowed into Oracle Park as long as they are smaller than 16x16x8, and it’s not a backpack. You are also allowed to bring food into the ballpark, just in case you find anything good to eat and want to bring it in with you.
A fun ride to the ballpark: Pedicabs
While I can’t vouch for the safety on this one, a ride down the Embarcadero to Oracle Park via pedicab is a quirky alternative to the aforementioned stroll. There are a number of different companies operating pedicabs in the city, so make sure to read reviews carefully. They usually fit 2-3 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids.
Entering the park
There aren’t any big tricks for getting into Oracle Park. The main entrances are at 2nd and King Street (the Second Street Gate), the north side of the Lefty O’Doul Bridge off 3rd Street (O’Doul Gate), and 3rd and King Street (Willie Mays Gate). There’s also an entrance on the bay side where the ferries dock (The Marina Gate). That entrance will usually have fewer fans because it’s not directly on the main street along the ballpark, so if the lines on King Street are unusually long, take a stroll to the back side of the park and you’ll probably get in quicker.
Map courtesy of Google Earth, altered to show stadium entrances
Oracle Park does have a Clear line for fans who have Clear loaded onto their phone. If the lines to get into the ballpark aren’t very long, then it won’t save you much time. But, if you’re trying to get in with either the early gates-opening crowd, or closer to gametime with the masses, this is something that could save you serious time.
TSI Insider Tip: you don’t need to purchase a Clear membership to use it at sports stadiums. You just need to download the app and create an account, and that’s sufficient for you to use the Clear line at Oracle Park (you would need a paid membership to use Clear at airports).
The lines generally move pretty quickly, but if you have your heart set on catching the national anthem, get there at least twenty minutes before start time.
What to do inside Oracle Park
The Public House
It wouldn’t be a proper insider’s guide without tipping you off to the Public House. This bar is connected to the stadium and has a secret entrance directly into the park. It’s a super social scene so it’s particularly fun if you’re traveling alone and care to make a few friends (as long as you’re not a Dodgers fan). You don’t need a ticket to get into The Public House, but you do need a ticket if you want to enter the park through their secret entrance. Also bear in mind that you will miss any game day promo/giveaways if you go this route since you won’t be entering through the main gates.
The Fan Lot
The Fan Lot really is worth a visit, particularly if you have kids. While I’m personally pretty bitter that you need to be under 14 years old to ride the Coca-Cola Slide, I suppose some people might see this as reasonable (who though? Nobody I want to hang out with). Next to the Coca-Cola Slide is the world’s largest baseball glove, which makes for an excellent photo-op if you snap a shot from the benches in the seating area below. Don’t miss the bobblehead display, autograph-rubbing station, or the Toyota Fan Zone for the real little ones. The Fan Lot opens at the same time the gates do, so you can get your ya-yas out before the game starts.
Kayaking at McCovey Cove
This is truly one of the most unique offerings of Oracle Park. If you stand along the edge of the stadium, behind the Arcade/right outfield, you can peer over and see kayaks of various sizes paddling through the water. Sometimes they are decorated or waving flags, other times, the serenity of their rowers and simplicity of the oblong vessels seem out of place for a raucous game. You’ll see the occasional sailboat or party boat go by as well.
For an even MORE unique experience, you can go ahead and rent one of those kayaks yourself. If you rent one from City Kayak at Pier 40, you are only a ten-minute paddle from McCovey Cove. A single kayak will run you $79 for an extended “McCovey Cove Experience”, while a three-hour double kayak costs $126 (as of June 2024). You can check out kayak rental details here.
Willie Mays Statue
Standing 9-feet tall, the Willie Mays Statue stands at the main entrance to the ballpark. While a lot of folks see it as a photo-op, I see it as an opportunity to pay homage to one of the true greats. Sculpted in bronze by William Behrends, I find it hard not to smile every time I am greeted by Mays’ likeness upon entering the stadium. Don’t miss the other statues along the park’s perimeter, which include Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, and Willie McCovey (although this one has been temporarily removed to preemptively protect it from environmental damage, so I hear!).
Bullpen Boardwalk
Located underneath the center field bleachers, the Bullpen Boardwalk is a shaded space with games and interactive activities. Unlike the Coca-Cola slide that breaks the hearts and dreams of anybody over 13, this kid-friendly area allows adults to play too. It features classic arcade games like skee ball and pop-a-shot, as well as one of its main attractions: Strike Zone, where you can see how fast your pitch is.
Unless you have kids, it’s not likely somewhere you’d spend a lot of time, but if you dig games, it’s a nice breather to stretch your legs, challenge a friend, or work on your changeup.
The Garden
The Garden is a 4,320 square foot edible garden on the bottom level of Oracle Park. It is located under the scoreboard and behind the centerfield wall. If you visit Hearth Table or Garden Table (two Bon Appetit bistros housed inside the park), you can enjoy some of the garden’s fresh bounty and lovingly tended berries, greens, and even avocados. What’s more, the Garden is part of a larger culinary education program that partners with various nonprofits to arrange field trips where children can learn more about gardening and healthy eating, and participate in cooking classes. Visiting it is free and available to all game-goers. Very cool.
What to look for during the game
Lou Seal
Lou Seal is our beloved mascot, known for signature hip thrusts, T-shirt tosses, generous photo-ops, and an enigmatic personality. Lou has been a central part of Giants fandom since 1996 and will show up a number of times throughout the game, usually in the lower levels closer to the field. Unlike the Coca-Cola Slide that kills dreams, Lou is thrilled to pose for photos and high-five adults and children alike.
DJ Umami
DJ Umami, Oracle Park’s resident DJ, is a Bay Area Native who routinely captivates the crowd through her infectious energy and knack for spinning exactly the right track at exactly the right time. Somehow, she makes keeping a crowd of 30,000+ people perpetually amped seem effortless. Look for her here and there between innings on the video board and listen for her throughout the game.
Splash Hits
When a homerun ball lands in McCovey Cove, we call it a splash hit. It’s one of the rarer sights you can catch at Oracle Park. If you happen to be kayak-gazing, as mentioned a few paragraphs ago, you might be able to catch the crowd of sea-stationed fans eagerly waiting to catch these coveted hits.
Hall of Bobbleheads
Where the Level 1 Concourse meets the outdoor food court, you’ll see an entrance to Peet’s Coffee. Once inside, you will encounter the “Hall of Bobbleheads,” an interactive experience that is awesomely bizarre. Here, fans have their pictures taken to be instantly transformed into a virtual bobblehead that is displayed on a video wall known as the Bobblehead Wall of Fame. Participants will also have their virtual bobblehead selves sent to them via email. Wild.
Food court behind the bleachers
The food court behind the bleachers is a fantastic spot for quintessential SF eats like Crazy Crab’z (shout out to the Dungeness Crab Sandwich) and Pier 44 Chowder House. There are also numerous bars with seating in case you are looking for a more social setting before or during the game.
View from Upper Deck (Right Field)
If you are looking for one of the best photo ops of the Bay, the view from the upper deck on the right field side is breathtaking (I recommend sections 302-313). You can take in the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island on your left, just beyond the glow of the Coca-Cola Slide. For night games, you can also catch the moon rising to the right and, if you’re lucky, you may be able to capture Karl, what we affectionately call our fog, rolling in off the Bay.
Baseball artifacts on the Club Level concourse
If you’re a fan of baseball history, club level tickets may be worth it just for the artifacts and memorabilia housed on the concourse. In addition to life-size Peanuts characters in Giants regalia, you’ll find display cases filled with everything from a ticket from the last game the NY Giants played at the Polo Fields in 1957 before they moved west to the empty bottle of Silver Oak wine the team uncorked after winning their 107th game of the season in 2021.
Bottom Line
You’ll definitely want to give yourself ample time before, during, and after the game to explore Oracle Park and its surrounding area. Pre-game establishments offer a taste of San Francisco’s unique and eclectic food and beverage culture, and the very scenery of the city itself is worth an early arrival time. Once you’re in the park, keep an eye out for the setting, art, and rituals that make Oracle Park truly one-of-a-kind.
