Nationals Park Overview
Go ahead and ask any of your baseball friends to list their favorite ballparks. Unless they’re from DC, it’s unlikely that any of them will mention Nationals Park. But why shouldn’t they?
Opened in 2008, Nats Park once sat in an underdeveloped part of D.C. The Navy Yard neighborhood was once home to the country’s largest naval shipbuilding facility but had little in the way of neighborhood charm. Flash forward 14 years, and Nats Park checks so many of our boxes for “excellent ballpark” that we think it really needs to show up on more fans’ radar screens. What was once an overlooked area is now a thriving, young neighborhood with an impressive restaurant and bar scene. The ballpark is easily accessible by public transit, the tickets are affordable, and there are interesting seating options that make a multi-day visit to the park almost a requirement.
Our five-part guide to Nationals Park will help you plan the perfect trip to see baseball in southwest DC. We’ll cover:
- Travel: Getting to DC
- Lodging: Where you should stay in DC
- Local Transit: How you should get around DC
- Ticketing/Seating/Premium: Where to sit, how to buy, and whether to opt for premium seating
- Gameday: What to do before/during/after the game
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Why you should visit Nationals Park
Neighborhood Vibes
Surrounded by food and attractions, Navy Yard has become a fun neighborhood to catch a game.
Solid Eats
The quality and variety of the food options make for good eating throughout the ballpark.
Seating Choices
Affordable tickets, plus fun social areas like the Budweiser Patio and Michelob Ultra Deck.
DC Summers
DC in summer is fantastic (if not a little sweaty).
Presidents Race
Maybe Teddy will win the President’s race while you’re there!
How many Nationals games should you see?
We think that Nats Park is a solid two-game ballpark. You could do a game from the general bowl on one day, and then a game from the Budweiser Patio or Michelob Ultra Deck on the second day. If you feel like sticking around for a third game, you could grab a ticket in the PNC Diamond Club and treat yourself to a day of premium seating. Plus, there’s enough to do around the ballpark to warrant at least two games in DC.
When should you go to Nationals Park?
In a nutshell – anytime. Sure, a night game in April or even early May might be sweater weather, but a day game in either month is likely to be absolutely beautiful. Everyone knows DC summers can be ridiculously humid, but that’s no reason to stay away. If you don’t love the sun beating down on you on a 95-degree summer day, then we’ll tell you where to find seats in the shade so you can keep cool. There’s no bad time to be in DC between opening day and the end of September.
As for opponents, you’re in the Northeast corridor, so you can expect plenty of visiting fans coming down for a weekend series versus Baltimore, Philadelphia, the Mets, Yankees, and Boston. Atlanta has become a great rivalry as well, so Braves fans turn out too. Despite the influx of visitors from neighboring states, getting tickets to the Nats is rarely a problem. For the more popular opponents, you may be better off purchasing tickets directly from the team when they go on sale rather than waiting on the secondary market, but if you’re not fussy about where you’re sitting, there are usually tickets available for a reasonable price. (But note: with the Soto signing, you can expect the Friday and Saturday games in late April against the Mets to be very high-demand events).
Where Nationals Park is located
Nationals Park is located in Southwest DC in the Navy Yard neighborhood, just off the Anacostia River, one block away from the Navy Yard metro station. The area is one of the fastest growing in the city, and is home to a vibrant residential neighborhood as well as office buildings, bars, and restaurants. It’s a great place to pregame, and there are certainly enough bars and restaurants to choose from, including some right on the river.
There are also a handful of mid-range-plus hotels in the area, and while they aren’t necessarily cheap on game days, they usually don’t break the bank. Plus, given how close it is to the metro system, there are plenty of hotel options that are closer to some of DC’s tourist attractions, while still being just a 20-minute ride away from the park.
Even better, if you’re flying into DC’s Reagan Airport (DCA), it’s usually just a quick 30-minute subway ride to the airport, and rarely more than 20 minutes away by car (even with traffic). For those traveling to DC via Dulles Airport (IAD) or Baltimore Washington Airport (BWI), you’ll have a longer commute to the stadium, but we’ll cover that in the transit chapter.
About your Nationals Park Stadium Insider
My name is Mike, and I’m the founder of The Stadium Insiders.
Although my home ballpark is Wrigley Field, my close roots to DC have found me roaming the concourse of Nats Park 40-or-so times in the last 15 years.
I’ve been fortunate to have seen games from every club and every seating level, during the regular season and during the playoffs, and even during the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby as well.
My favorite seating area is the 200-Level club – it’s an elevated view, the club has some unique food items, and during a sweltering DC night, it’s a good place to grab some drinks before the game and escape for some air conditioning for an inning or two during the game. My favorite food? That’s the arepa, located at (of all random/misleading places) the gluten-free food cart behind centerfield – it’s fantastic! Nats Park is a really fun ballpark, and I hope this guide will help you better plan your visit.
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