Rogers Centre Tour

The Rogers Stadium, home of the Toronto Blue Jays and a whole host of other sports teams offers a wonderful tour of bits and pieces you wouldn’t usually get to see game day. And if you’re lucky you’ll get a really enthusiastic and endearing guide who’ll make the whole thing that little extra special.

It’s more of a “tour experience” rather than just a “tour” they’ll explain. Of course there are the usual exhibits upon entering. A potted history followed by the stadium’s greatest moments. Wait at the roped off area for the real good stuff to begin.

A short walk later brings you to various sections of astro and field turf laid out, alongside a box of dirt. That box of dirt along is the same as all of the other dirt on major league baseball fields across North America. Where is it made? New Jersey.

That’s just one of the facts you’ll learn over the course of the tour. And the engaging way the guide retells makes you remember.

Did you know that the family that won the competition to name the stadium have two seats for life for all events regardless of it being sports or not?

Yet there’s not just facts thrown at you. There’s physical substance on the tour too. For as the tour progresses you’ll find yourself passing through a number of seating and viewing areas.

The view is from the sky boxes are stunning. These lovely plush hospitality boxes complete with luxurious bathrooms are where the big cats watch.

You’ll also get to sit where the press does it duty from, reporting to viewers and listeners across the world. It’s not hard to imagine this bustling section with a game on and tension rising. Simply electric.

Sometimes however, tours can be irregular. There are not many in the winter. And if it’s game day certain parts of the tour can be restricted too. Field access depends on this, especially if practise is going on. It’s ok to be on the field if they’re practising football for example but baseball is a lot more patrolled.

Some light-hearted facts to finish up:

- The stadium roof has four pieces to it and takes only fifteen minutes to open or close.
- The largest attendances at the stadium have been for Wrestlemania.
- The hotel rooms facing onto the field cost upwards of $600 for the days that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Soxs are in town.

The Rogers Stadium Tour is well worth doing then and for $13 it’s not too expensive. A double thumbs up, especially if you’re lucky enough to get that enthusiastic and endearing guide.