Kansas City Royals: Comparing Kauffman Stadium to Newest MLB Park

Tailgating vs. Dining

This category is intrinsically tied to the previous one. Stadium location will obviously impact how fans are able to spend their pregame time.

For Kansas City Royals fans, that involves tailgating in the parking lot or touring the stadium—checking out the Royals Hall of Fame, official team stores and other amenities. (More on those later.) While tailgating is clearly not as big a part of preparing for baseball games as it is for football, the ability to bring your own—cheap—adult beverages as compared to buying a $10 one inside is appealing.

Fans heading to SunTrust Park are more likely to spend their pregame time at one of the many bars or restaurants in The Battery Atlanta. There might be some tailgating going on in parking lots, but the remote nature of those lots hurts the experience.

Official parking is expensive—roughly $20—at both stadiums. However, the location of SunTrust Park allowed us to eat at a restaurant that was not in The Battery Atlanta, keep our car parked there (They give you a parking pass as long as you spend a certain amount there, which was under $15 for us.) and walked 10 to 15 minutes to the stadium.

Advantage: Push. This one is more of a personal preference. I love the convenience of cheap eating places around the stadium. (There is a Steak and Shake, for instance, right across the street from The Battery Atlanta.) Most Kansas City Royals fans would probably prefer the tailgating.