Gaslamp Ball's Guide to Petco Park

via sandiego.padres.mlb.com

Occasionally we'll get questions from fans visiting Petco Park for the first time asking us about the "must see" spots inside the ball park.  Here is a list that we have compiled that fans can use for sightseeing or possibly a scavenger hunt.

1. The "Park at the Park" is a large grass area located beyond centerfield.  On the left field side is a wiffle ball field for young children.  On the right is a knoll where fans desperately try to watch the game from 700 ft away.  Don't worry. There is a large screen on the back of the batter's eye showing the television broadcast. The Park is great for parents with young children who get restless during games.  Kids can play catch, run around and even play on a jungle gym.  Watch your step though, the Park is open to the public during the day and used as a dog park.  Pro Tip: Bring a towel/blanket to sit on.
2. The Tony Gwynn Statue located in Tony Gwynn Plaza located just behind the knoll in the Park at the Park.  The statue was built to commemorate Tony Gwynn's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.  "Mr. Padre" is surrounded by bricks purchased by fans inscribed with a message to Gwynn. Pro Tip: Don't climb, touch or stare longingly at the statue, security will yell at you.
3. The Never Ending Wheel Chair Ramp behind right field along the first base line.  A modern day marvel, the stunning wheel chair ramp is the only way to ascend or decend the park's levels when in right field.  With many false summits, you'll feel that your epic journey may never end and that you'll perish due to old age.  Fans speak of the feeling that they are walking in place and the crippling fear that they will never reach their destination or see their loved ones ever again.  Pro Tip:  Avoid right field at all costs.  Towards Centerfield their is an elevator that can be used to some degree of success if crowds are small.
4. There is a Field Level Viewing Area on the left field line that can only be reached through The Padres Team Store.  You can pretend you are a 4th outfielder while standing on warning track dirt with only a chain link fence separating you from the playing field.  Once a great place to watch the game, last year the area was cut in half by a large advertisement. Pro Tip: A great place to heckle Left Fielders and stick your fingers through a chain link fence.
5. The Western Metal Supply Building is the historic building located  beyond the Left Field line.  The WMS building houses the Hall of Fame Bar and Grill, premium seats and museum artifacts (i.e. old jerseys, broken glass bottles and other old garbage found while building the ballpark).  The very top of the building is almost always reserved for corporate events.  Pro Tip: If you get to the Bar early you can enjoy a nice view of the game for the first 3 innings or last 6 innings on third floor patio.
6. The Toyota Terrace is a level where the elite gather to eat fine foods, be waited on in their seats and act snooty towards ordinary fans.  Only those with Toyota Terrace tickets are allowed entry to this exclusive level and it's expensive dining.  Pro Tip: Visit the PCL Hall of Fame near Club 19.
7. Replicas of the National Baseball Hall of Fame plaques are located beneath the batter's eye.  Bronze plaques like those in Cooperstown for every Padre in the HoF reside here.  Fans are not allowed entry into this area.  Pro Tip: Make powerful friends who can get you into this secured area.
   
8. At the corner of section 230 you can watch Padres pitchers warm up in the Bullpen.  Pro Tip: Don't yell at the players or you'll be asked to leave.
9. Anywhere on the upper deck along the first base line you will be treated to panoramic views of the Coronado Bridge, the San Diego Bay and on clear days the Coronado Islands and even Tijuana.  Pro Tip:  Don't look at the unsightly warehouses, train tracks and homeless villages to the South.
10. There is a Aircraft Carrier Model located at the ground level of the Never Ending Wheel Chair Ramp.  Pro Tip:  There are real Aircraft Carriers in the San Diego Harbor.