A Quick Guide to Kauffman Stadium

Aug 23, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; The moon shines over Kauffman Stadium during a game between the Washington Nationals and the Kansas City Royals. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome welcome! With Kansas City coming off a winning season in 2013, it makes sense to reintroduce people/fans to Kauffman Stadium. Other than the 83^rd All-Star Game a couple years ago. the K has largely been an afterthought.

Hopefully, you get a chance to check out our fine city which includes going to the Power & Light District downtown and check out the college basketball experience. See the Plaza and Westport in addition to checking out any of the fine places to eat.

Here’s a quick primer on Kauffman Stadium. Gone is the grass that used to be around the fountains in the outfield. After renovations, outfield seating had been expanded to include more great seats.

If you want familiarize yourself with the franchise’s history (which I strongly suggest that you do) visit the Royals Hall of Fame located in leftfield. After the tour in rightfield we’ve got Rivals, a sportsbar that you can cool down with food and drinks.

Mike McCarthy is the silky smooth voice of Kauffman Stadium and you’ll be hearing him all night long. Before hearing anything you’ll probably notice crown vision in centerfield, aka the big crown video board. It’s one of the biggest video boards in the country and can be seen no matter where you are (unless you’re in the outfield experience somewhere which is a tad harder).

Between innings, we’ve got a few things that might not be done in other ballparks so they might be KC-centric. Our in-game race features the hot dog derby where three contestants start from the RF bullpen and end in front of the Royals/AL dugout dressed as Ketchup, Mustard and Relish.

Over the last five seasons or so, more teams have added in-stadium cheerleaders if you will and we’re no different. We call our ladies the K Crew and they will hopefully be leading you to root on the Royals, sing the 7^th inning stretch plus will be around the stadium should you have any questions.

Sluggerrr will be another friendly face as he plays host to his young friends over the weekend. We like our lion and consider him the king of the jungle when it comes to others in MLB, so be on the lookout for him being active from interacting or shooting off t-shirts/hot dogs.

A second in-game feature occurs after the top of the sixth inning when Garth Brooks “Friends in Low Places” plays, featuring a video of Brooks in a Royals jersey. Many KC fans will sway and sing along. If you don’t know the words they are displayed on screen. Honestly, the song might be a bit tired but many seem to still enjoy it when it plays at the stadium. (STATUS UPDATE, the Royals are actually taking suggestions for a new song to potentially replace this)

I highly suggest that during the game you take advantage of the concourses and walk around the stadium to check out the view from behind the fountains in the outfield. The K is known for its outfield fountain display and you should check out the view if you’ve never been to our beautiful stadium.

While walking around, you’ll notice that we’ve got a little bit of everything in terms of food selection. Of course the stadium had the ballpark essentials and being KC we’ve got BBQ covered. However, if you want other options we’ve got that covered with out of market food. May we suggest that you enjoy a local brew of Boulevard from right here in Kansas City.

Another food option is the .390 Bar & Grill located on the lodge level of the K which is an AC option should you decide to get out of the heat. 390 is a celebrated number for us as our HOFer George Brett came close to Ted Williams .400 batting average. One last thing to experience in the stadium is the outfield experience which has several kid friendly things, such as the little K, carousal, face painting and a few other options.

Following the game, another tradition features the song “Kansas City”. When the Royals win at Kauffman Stadium (which hasn’t been as often as we want), you’ll hear the Beatles Kansas City playing the team off. On the flipside, after a loss Wilbert Harrison’s slower version is played.

I think that covers pretty much everything that a first-time visitor will be experiencing at Kauffman Stadium. We hope that you like the experience and find our fans to be courteous and welcoming. Hopefully, we’ll see you back in October soon (one of these years) for a playoff series against our Boys in Blue.