Tropicana Field Game Day Guide
Tampa Bay Rays · St. Petersburg, FL
Know Before You Go
Essential details checked against official venue information.
- Bag policy
Each fan may bring one single-compartment clear bag up to 12 x 12 x 6 inches and/or one non-clear fanny pack or clutch up to 5 x 7 inches.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- Backpacks, non-transparent bags, and oversized bags are prohibited, with exceptions for diaper bags accompanying a young child and medical-device bags.
- Bag storage
Tropicana Field does not store prohibited items, including noncompliant bags.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- Guests must return prohibited items to their vehicle or discard them.
- Gate opening
Gates open 90 minutes before first pitch Monday through Friday and two hours before first pitch on Opening Day and Saturdays and Sundays.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- Mobile tickets
Tropicana Field accepts digital tickets presented in the MLB Ballpark app or Apple Wallet.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- Screenshots, printed tickets, and copied barcodes shown in third-party apps are not accepted.
- Guests without a smartphone or with a dead device should ask a Box Office associate for help.
- Re-entry
Tropicana Field has a no-re-entry policy at every gate.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- A guest whose service animal needs a relief area should contact a staff member for an escort to a convenient area outside the ballpark.
- Prohibited items
Tropicana Field prohibits weapons, fireworks, hard-sided coolers, outside alcohol, glass and metal containers, drones, lasers, and noncompliant bags.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- The list also includes projectiles, aerosol cans, radio-controlled devices, speakers, bats, wheeled recreational devices, selfie sticks, camera lenses 12 inches or longer, and most loud noisemakers; review the official list before arrival.
- First aid
First Aid is between Gates 3 and 4 on the 100 Level behind home plate.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- The clinic is staffed by the St. Petersburg Fire/Rescue Medical Team.
- Nursing and lactation
A private nursing and pumping room is behind home plate inside the Orlando Health Fan Care Clinic.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- The room has a keypad privacy lock, is sanitized after each use, and can be opened with code 33705.
- Family restrooms
Every Tropicana Field level has accessible restrooms, all-gender restrooms, and changing stations.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- All-gender restrooms are on the 100 Level near Sections 102-104, 114-116, and 121-123; in the DEX Home Plate Club, Republic Bank Draft Room, and Left Field Meeting Room; and on the 300 Level near Sections 309-311 and 310-312.
- Tickets for children
A child needs a game ticket beginning on their second birthday.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- Guest services
Guest Services is at Gates 1, 3, and 4 and on the MaintenX SkyDeck.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- For help during a game, contact a Fan Host or text 727-594-0860 with the issue and location.
- Questions before or after a visit can be emailed to CustomerService@RaysBaseball.com.
- Service animals
Service animals trained to perform tasks for guests with disabilities are welcome at Tropicana Field.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
- Contact a staff member if the animal needs a relief area outside the ballpark.
- Smoking and vaping
Tropicana Field is smoke-free, and tobacco, e-cigarettes, vapes, and chewing tobacco are prohibited throughout the property.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Rays games
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Tropicana Field, hour by hour.
Arrive in downtown St. Pete
Drive or rideshare to the Tropicana Field area. Park in the official lots or find street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Pregame in the EDGE District
3 Daughters Brewing, Cage Brewing, and Green Bench Brewing are within walking distance. The Central Avenue brewery scene is the pregame move.
Enter Tropicana Field
Walk through the main gates. The climate-controlled dome is an immediate relief from the Florida heat. Explore the Rays Touch Tank behind center field.
Watch batting practice
Head to the lower level outfield sections. The catwalks and ceiling rings above the field are unique to the Trop, balls that hit them are in play.
Find your seat
The Trop is smaller than most MLB parks, navigate easily to your section. Check out the Rays Tank where live cownose rays swim during the game.
Play ball
Nine innings of baseball under the dome. The AstroTurf surface plays fast. Expect sharp grounders and high bounces. Watch for balls hitting the catwalks.
Stand up and stretch
Grab a final Cuban sandwich or frozen mojito. The indoor atmosphere stays comfortable regardless of the Florida weather outside.
Head to Central Avenue or the waterfront
Downtown St. Pete's restaurant and bar scene on Central Avenue is a 10-minute walk. The waterfront parks along Tampa Bay are beautiful at sunset.
Tips & Fan Reports
Beach Drive and downtown St. Pete have a great dining scene that's better than the arena food. Eat before the game.
The catwalks above the field are unique to the Trop. Balls that hit them are in play. It's happened in key game situations.
Tropicana Field is an indoor dome - no weather concerns but no natural atmosphere either. AC is aggressive, bring a layer.
The Rays Touch Tank behind center field has live cownose rays you can feed and touch. Free for all ticketholders.
Rays tickets are among the cheapest in MLB. The Trop may not be glamorous but it's an affordable baseball experience.
Weather
Tropicana Field is indoor, so these are the conditions for the parking lot and the walk in, not the seats.
Across the MLB season the warmest month is July, with an average high of 91°F, and the coldest is April, when the average low is 66°F. August is the wettest month at 9.3 inches and May the driest at 2.5 inches.
That April low ranks 29th coldest of the 30 MLB venues, and August here ranks 2nd wettest.
April
2.6 inchesMay
2.5 inchesJune
7.2 inchesJuly
8.3 inchesAugust
9.3 inchesSeptember
7.5 inchesOctober
2.5 inchesTampa Bay Rays Clear Bag Policy
Most venues require a clear bag. Get an approved one before you travel.
Shop on AmazonAffiliate link — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It never affects our prices or rankings. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How We Checked This Page
Every section below names the source it was read from and the day it was read. Where we could not reach a published figure, the page says so rather than presenting an estimate as a checked fact.
- Game day timeline
Gate opening time checked against the venue's own gate-opening policy: Gates open 90 minutes before first pitch Monday through Friday and two hours before first pitch on Opening Day and Saturdays and Sundays.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Rays Tropicana Field, accessibility, dietary, sensory, and mobile-ticket guidance reviewed for entry, family, payment, food, parking, and accessibility rules.