Gameday
To be completely honest, the immediate area surrounding Angel Stadium isn’t particularly noteworthy, and, for that matter, there aren’t a ton of things to see inside the park either.
Having said that, there are a couple of local breweries directly across the street that are worth a visit before or after the game, and there’s definitely a few things worth checking out in the ballpark as well.
What to do before the game
TSI’s Pick for best outdoor pregame: Golden Road Brewing
Golden Road is located directly across the street from Angel Stadium (a 10-minute walk from door to door, and half of that is just getting up the block to the nearest crossing light) and is definitely worth visiting to enjoy some food and local beer. It offers plenty of space, so even when it’s crowded, you can find somewhere to hang out. There’s a huge biergarten with yard games and picnic benches, as well as indoor seating. The earliest they close is 11pm so if you are looking for a nightcap before heading home, this is a good option.
TSI TIP: you can park in Golden Road’s parking lot for $20, but if you validate your ticket with a food or drink purchase, they’ll credit you $5 back. And if you happen to drink too much at the game and need to rideshare back to your hotel, you can leave your car there overnight and pick it up in the morning — they have a no-tow overnight policy specifically for this reason.
TSI’s Pick for best pregame and parking deal: Karl Strauss Brewing
Karl Strauss, another local brewery, is also located across the street from the stadium. They have a full menu and plenty of beers, including an option to make-your-own flight. On gamedays they close at 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends, and also have gameday specials from 3-6pm on Monday-Thursday: $10 apps and $6 Karl Strauss beers, so this is a great place to fuel up before a game. Like Golden Road, it’s a 10-15 minute walk to the ballpark gates, most of which is just getting to the next traffic light so you can cross the street.
TSI TIP: you can park at Karl Strauss for $20, but if you spend at least that much at the brewery, they’ll credit your parking fee back. Which means instead of paying for parking, you can buy a couple of beers. And you can also leave your car there overnight if you need to and pick it up in the morning — like Golden Road, they have a no-tow overnight policy to encourage people to not drive while intoxicated.
Noble Ale Works
Noble Ale Works is a microbrewery about a mile from the stadium. It’s in an industrial area, so the walk isn’t very interesting but the area is safe and if you don’t mind walking to save $20 on parking then you can save a few bucks by having a pregame beer (and there are $5 pints after the game as well). It’s not fancy, but the beers are good and the staff is friendly. There is no food made at the brewery but they occasionally will have food trucks.
TSI TIP: Try the Pina Colada Seltzer – you will not regret it!
What to do inside the park
On the way in: take a selfie in front of The Big A
The Big A, located in the parking lot of Angel Stadium, is a landmark in Orange County. Originally installed in 1966 inside the stadium to hold up the scoreboard, it was relocated to the parking lot in 1979 when the stadium underwent renovations. The halo at the top lights up every time the Angels win.
Brewery X
Brewery X is located on the club level, all the way in right field. If you want to watch the game from here, you can either purchase a patio table or the railing seats outside of the bar (see the seating chapter for information). But if you just want a pregame spot to hang out and eat/drink, there are first come, first get tables inside of the restaurant, standing hi-tops, and also a bar area (none of which have a clear view of the field).
Aside from the beer, we think that Brewery X has some of the better food in the ballpark, so if you’d like to pregame inside of the stadium, this is a good spot.
Coors Light Chill Zone
The Coors Light Chill Zone is both a patio and a bar located behind right field. The patio has tables with seats and are available on a first come, first get basis, but only the rail seats have a clear view of the field, so if you want to watch the game from here, we recommend getting there early to snag them. They also have tables inside the Coors Light Chill Zone but you can’t see the game from there.
Modelo Patio
The Modelo Patio is behind outfield sections 241-244 and is a good place to hang out while watching the game. You won’t be able to see some of left field from here, but if you want to hang out and be social while still being able to see the action in the infield, this is one of your better SRO spots.
Batting Practice
If you arrive when the gates open, you should be able to see at least part of the visiting team’s batting practice. But if you want to see the Angels BP, you’ll need to sign up for an expensive tour (see below).
Tours
The Angels offer two different types of gameday tours: the Pregame Tour and the VIP Pregame Tour. Both will include seeing the World Series and MVP Trophy cases, a photo op behind the centerfield rocks, seeing the seat where the famous home run hit by Scott Spiezio landed in the 2002 World Series Game 6, and visiting the left field bullpen. The big difference between the two tours is price, plus the VIP Tour includes being able to see batting practice. But that will definitely cost you: the standard tour is $50-75, while the VIP tour is $150-200. Regardless of which tour you choose, you need to purchase a separate game ticket in advance: the tours do not include game admission.
In our opinion the stadium tours are not necessary, especially at this fairly high price point, since you can experience most of the tour on your own by walking through the stadium before the game. Tours at other ballparks tend to show you much better stuff, and usually at a lower price (often $20-$40). The standard tour really doesn’t get you anything special, and the VIP Tour is, in our opinion, just way too expensive to watch batting practice.
Unfortunately Angel Stadium just doesn’t have a ton to see, so the fact that the Angels are charging such a high price is puzzling to us.
First Game Certificate
The Angels don’t print out first game certificates in the ballpark, but you can fill out your own here.
Saturday Night Fireworks
Every Saturday night game has a fireworks show immediately following the game. The fireworks are set off from behind the fountain in the outfield, so if you happen to be seated in the outfield during the game, the staff will ask you to relocate for the show.
Bottled Water
Fans are allowed to bring factory-sealed, clear plastic bottles of water, no larger than one liter (as well as sealed drink boxes/Capri Sun for kids). There are two gas stations on the corner of Katella Ave and State College Blvd (across the street from stadium) where you can purchase water on your way to the game.
Mascot Photos
The Angels don’t have an actual mascot – just the rally monkey they adopted in 2000. But since the rally monkey isn’t an actual monkey that resides at the stadium, you won’t need to put “mascot picture” on your list of things to do.
Angels Baseball History Display Cases
There are various display cases that exhibit Angel memorabilia around the ballpark. The 2002 World Series display case is located next to the main team store. There is also a display case that is located on the second level near the Don Julio Club entrance that showcases different players jerseys as well as trophies and other memorabilia. As you’re wandering around the park, you’ll catch some of these things, but again — we think it’s better to go discover these on your own rather than purchase the expensive tour.
Photo Ops
- Outfield Water Fountain – in the outfield near the Coors Light Chill Zone is the water fountain that is a well known landmark in the stadium.
- Mural in the 3rd Base side courtyard
- Mike Trout Bobblehead statue – behind Section 221
Team Stores
Aside from the typical team stores that you’d find at any ballpark, on the 4th level of the stadium near section 404 there is a team outlet store where everything is 50% off. If you are sitting in the 400 or 500 section it’s worth checking out, but if you’re sitting in the lower levels or outfield, it may not be worth the trek to the top level. The outlet store has some good finds but can also be hit or miss on their selection.
Best things for kids to do
Sadly, the Angels don’t have any sort of kids’ playground. The only thing of note for kids to do is to run the bases after select Sunday afternoon games. It’s for kids 3-13. The line starts to form during the 8th inning in the Gate 5 courtyard but feel free to watch the whole game and then head over to line up.
Things to eat
Angel Stadium can sort of sneak up on you in terms of its food. Three of our favorite options are:
- The helmet nachos. For many years these were a secret in the ballpark, only available from an outfield stand that essentially was a giant storage closet. But they proved to be so popular that the Angels now sell them throughout the stadium. And they’re still delicious.
- La Rotisserie / Crafty Mac (Sections 111-113): you can build your own meal, whether that’s a salad, hoagie, rice bowl, or mac & cheese bowl by piling on your own meats, vegetables, and sauces. Not only is the food really fresh, but the portions are HUGE.
- Cathy’s Cookies (food truck on the main level, and upstairs location when open): this is one that the locals absolutely love. They bake the cookies right there on their truck, and sell them in sleeves of 14 ($18), a bucket of 36 ($28) or how about a cookie sundae with two scoops of ice cream and five cookies on top? That’s our favorite – even with the $18 price.
Bottom Line
As we said, there just isn’t a ton to do/see at Angel Stadium. The good news is that you can pretty much do the entire gameday experience in one game. If you show up when the gates open, you’ll certainly be able to see everything and still be at your seat in time for first pitch.
