Five Comerica Park Tips For Newbies

If you’re a newbie visiting Comerica Park in Detroit for the first time, there are a few things you should know. It’s a great ballpark fielding a team with a lot of history, and it’s got lots to offer for a great ballgame experience.

Visiting Comerica Park, Tip #1: Buy tickets at the box office (or nearby StubHub). The Tigers box office is very easy to get to on non-game days, and if you’re not too far away the small parking fee is well worth what you’ll save in online fees buying at the website.

The Tigers draw fairly well even in bad times, but they don’t often sell out, so you should even be able to go on game days. If there’s nothing at the counter, you can try the StubHub office just a short walk away from the ballpark. Try to avoid the scalpers…Detroit is tough on that.

Visiting Comerica Park, Tip #2: Try the Club seats. The name is a misnomer since they don’t actually offer access to clubs…they should be called the “No Club” seats…but they’re fairly affordable as such seats go, and they’re wider and offer a nice view of the action. You won’t have too many people walking in front of you here either.

Comerica has some cool seating areas like the Tiger Den seats and the affordable Kaline’s Corner, but in my opinion the club sections offer the best bang for the buck.

Visiting Comerica Park, Tip #3: Use a shuttle from McShane’s, Harry’s or Z’s Villa. Those are just three good ones. There’s also the Hard Rock Café, Fishbone’s, Bookie’s, etc. Quite a few establishments will give you a ride to the game, and there’s something for every taste.

I like McShane’s because it’s across the street from where Tiger Stadium once stood (it’s literally at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, which is cool and historic), Harry’s is good because it’s close and parking is free, and Z’s Villa is well known for some of the best pizza in Detroit.

If you plan on having a separate meal or to pre-game a little bit, look into one of these shuttles. Could save you a few bucks on food and parking. But if you’re eating at the ballpark…

Visiting Comerica Park, Tip #4: Have a sit down meal. There are plenty of great food choices at Comerica, like the Late Night Dog or the street tacos, but Comerica also has several sit down eateries, and the selection is much better.

The Corner Tap Room is probably the most popular; there is Tiger memorabilia and a lot of memories of Tiger Stadium to go with your Detroit Coney dog. The Beer Hall is a dark restaurant with wooden picnic tables and a party atmosphere, and the Brushfire Grill is an outdoor area with burgers, dogs and BBQ grilled pulled chicken and pork, and more picnic tables to sit and enjoy your meal.

There’s also the Miller Lite Pitcher’s Pub upstairs in center field; not much of a view here but less crowded, and a pretty interesting baseball-themed menu. Incidentally, vegetarian and gluten-free choices are also more plentiful at the sit down joints.

Visiting Comerica Park, Tip #5: Take the kids. Sundays are great because the rides are free and there’s face painting and other delights, but other days are less crowded, and it’s not a big deal to pay a few bucks to get the kid on a less crowded merry-go-round or Ferris wheel.

It will probably be the first time your kid has ever gotten on a carousel with tigers instead of horses, and they’ll love the Ferris wheel with the baseball-shaped cars. If need be, you can get a frozen daiquiri nearby.

There you go; five tips for newbies visiting Comerica Park for the first time. Don’t forget the great photo-ops too, like the big Tiger statue at the impressive front gate. And it you’re into that post game party, be sure to stop at Elwood’s or Cheli’s. Great view of fireworks from the roof of Cheli’s on Friday nights.

Kurt Smith is the author of the Comerica Park E-Guide, an amazingly informative fan’s guide to everything about Comerica Park, from picking a seat to deciding what to eat. You can subscribe to Kurt’s e-mail newsletter for much more helpful stuff about Comerica Park and many other MLB ballparks.

This article was originally published (with pictures!) on the Ballpark E-Guides website.