Seeing a baseball game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, is a remarkable experience, but taking a tour of the iconic stadium is something truly special. In the summer of 2024, I had the pleasure of taking my nephew on a Wrigley Field tour just before we headed to the Rolling Stones concert at Soldier Field. We spent a couple of hours exploring the historic venue with a knowledgeable tour guide, walking through the “Friendly Confines” in Wrigleyville, just north of downtown Chicago.
During the tour, we had the opportunity to sit in various sections of the stadium, including the press box, and even step out onto the field itself. One of the highlights was standing on the warning track in right field, right next to the famous ivy that’s been part of the stadium for decades. From there, we had an incredible view of the entire field and the surrounding area.
We also learned about the history of the venue, including fascinating details like the hand-operated scoreboard. It is still changed manually during every game, the installation of the stadium’s lights, and the addition of the ivy. One of the coolest moments was seeing the press box, directly behind home plate on the second level. I’ve been in the press boxes of several stadiums, including Great American Ballpark. I’ve photographed Reds games so I get access. Wrigley’s press box felt different. It provided an amazing panoramic view of the city and stadium. It really shows how compact yet expansive the ballpark feels.
We also had a blast in the dugout, sitting on the bench. We checked out where the players store their bats and gloves. One of my favorite photos is the last one you’ll see, which captures a shot of the camera on the warning track, looking out toward the historic center field scoreboard.
I highly recommend taking this tour if you have a couple of hours to spare while in Wrigleyville. You can purchase tickets on MLB.com and use the MLB Ballpark app for access to the stadium on non-game days. We went on a beautiful summer day, and it was absolutely perfect.
I don’t care for sports at all. I’ll go to a game if someone else wants to. I much prefer photographing an empty stadium. While it may hold 40000 people for a game, there were 20 people on our tour. I was able to get photographs that none of the 40000 fans are able to.