Busch Stadium Overview
Cardinals Nation is the heart of St. Louis, both in location and in reputation. It’s definitely a baseball town, which will be evident from your first glimpse of Busch Stadium. The red brick facade is lined with statues of Cardinals legends – all-time baseball greats like Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, and broadcaster Jack Buck – which serve as a proud reminder of the team’s long and successful history.
The third of its name, the current Busch Stadium was built to offer the best of St. Louis – a successful baseball team, a breathtaking view of the Arch, and all the Budweiser you could ever want. With so much to see, such as the recently-expanded Ballpark Village which features a phenomenal Hall of Fame and Museum, a visit to Busch Stadium should be on every baseball fan’s bucket list.
Our five-part guide to Busch Stadium will help you plan the perfect trip to experience baseball in St. Louis. The guide includes:
- Travel: How to get to St. Louis
- Lodging: Where to stay
- Local Transit: How to get to the ballpark and around town
- Seating: Where to sit, including our premium and seating reviews, and ticketing tips
- Gameday: What to do before/during/after the game
We hope you enjoy our Busch Stadium insider guide. Please be sure to sign up for our free newsletter to keep informed about events, schedules, onsales, ticket deals, and everything else you need to know to plan the best fan experiences.
Why you should visit Busch Stadium
Cardinals Nation Culture
Be a part of “baseball heaven” with iconic Cardinals figures: the Budweiser Clydesdales and Fredbird.
Rich Baseball History
Cardinals legends and 11 WS championships are highlighted throughout the ballpark & museum.
The Arch
The Arch hovers majestically beyond center field and the pattern is often cut into the outfield grass.
Ballpark Village
An amazing baseball-themed entertainment district built for the fans right next to the stadium.
Elevated Foods
Load up your hot dogs with bacon or your nachos with pulled pork and queso. We’ve got options here!
How many games should you see?
With a local reputation of being “baseball heaven,” there’s so much to see and do in and around Busch Stadium. To really do it justice, catching three games at Busch should be your goal. If you’re visiting over a weekend, you can grab a lower level baseline seat for Friday, catch a game in the upper deck behind home plate with a view of the Gateway Arch on Saturday, and get a surprisingly affordable all-you-can-eat/drink ticket on Sunday.
Plus, three games will give you time to fully explore Ballpark Village, including the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, not to mention check out some of St. Louis’ sights, like the Arch, the Zoo, some of our great breweries, and surely there will be some toasted ravioli to discover along the way. Plus, we have our own type of pizza! (Really … we do!)
When should you go to Busch Stadium?
Missouri has cold winters and hot, humid summers, so the sweet spot for Cardinals baseball is late April to early May or early September, when the weather will be mild and school being in session will lead to smaller crowds and cheaper tickets. For the absolute best Busch Stadium experience, nothing beats Opening Day – an unofficial holiday in St. Louis, steeped in traditions like the Budweiser Clydesdales and red jacket Cardinals Hall of Famers parading around the field.
Be aware that certain teams like the Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Royals are high demand games and will be more difficult to get a good deal on a ticket, especially on a weekend. But the good thing about Busch is that some of the cheapest seats offer some of the best views, as we’ll discuss in the Seating section of this guide.
If you’re a planner and won’t be visiting for a couple of months, sign up for the Cardinals’ newsletter – they often send out great deals for all-inclusive tickets. If you like to wing it, fear not – there are always plenty of tickets available, whether direct from the Cardinals or on the secondary resale market. Worst case, if the game you want to go to is in super high demand, you should be able to snag a Standing Room Only ticket, and there are some great views to be had with those.
Where Busch Stadium is located
Busch Stadium is in the heart of downtown St. Louis, strategically positioned to frame the Gateway Arch between its foul poles. Busch Stadium and its Ballpark Village are a short walk from Gateway Arch National Park and the Mississippi River to the east and the Enterprise Center (home of the St. Louis Blues hockey team), CITYPARK (home of the St. Louis CITY SC soccer team), Union Station, and the St. Louis Aquarium to the west.
It’s easily accessible via a 20-minute drive or 35-minute MetroLink ride from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, which lies northwest of downtown, or less than a mile walk/ride from the St. Louis Amtrak station in downtown. With plenty of reasonably priced hotels within walking distance of the ballpark, there’s no reason to rent a car or stay anywhere except downtown. To experience a game like a local, head just south of the stadium to check out Paddy O’s, Broadway Oyster Bar, or the bars around Soulard, many of which offer free shuttle service to the ballpark with the purchase of a drink.
About your Busch Stadium Insiders
We are Scott and Sarah, Missouri natives and lifelong Cardinals fans. Sarah’s earliest memories go back to watching Cards games with her grandpa on his black and white TV in his little tool shed. Scott got hooked while watching the McGwire/Sosa home run race in the summer of ‘98. We were a match made in “baseball heaven” because we met at Busch II in 2005 on those long-winding, romantic ramps; got engaged at Busch III by Scott’s family brick in 2008; and had a Cardinals-themed wedding in 2009.
Together, we’ve experienced some of the most remarkable Cardinals history of the last two decades, including being at the first game ever at Busch III, 2006 World Series Game 4 victory over the Tigers, 2011 World Series Game 6 with Freese’s come-from-behind hits (in our opinion, the greatest baseball game of all time), Waino and Molina breaking the record for career starts together, and Pujols and Molina’s last at-bats. We love being a part of Cardinals Nation and are excited to bring that joy to all baseball fans!
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