Ed Smith Stadium

Parking
There is a small paved/grass lot behind left field, but the large grass field across from the ballpark on 12th Street is where most fans end up. Neither option is wallet friendly. In the past you could save more than a few bucks by parking in a field that belonged to a private business on Euclid Avenue, but in 2011 the county told them they couldn't undercut the official lot price. Still, you're better off parking in the unofficial field, which offers far quicker entry and exiting than the equally overpriced official parking lots that are east and north of the stadium.
 Cost: $12

Stadium Information
Ed Smith Stadium was in need of an extreme makeover and fortunately it got one, to the tune of $31.2 million, between the end of the Grapefruit League season in 2010 and the beginning of spring training in 2011. In an eight month period all that was bland about the stadium was enhanced, and many of the amenities it had always lacked were added. So the winter home of the Orioles now feels homey, which is what the team anticipated when Sarasota County officials were able to lure them to town from Fort Lauderdale by promising to fully fund the upgrades to the two decades-old stadium, a process that was scheduled to begin in April 2010 but was held up for two months due to a lawsuit filed by a pair of citizens groups who believed that open meeting and public records laws were not adhered to when a deal was struck between the county and Orioles in the summer of 2009. A judge ruled against the disgruntled citizens on July 8, 2010, and since then Sarasota's stadium's facade has been redone in a Mediterranean style, a second-story concourse was built on top of the street level one, the bullpens were moved, all seats were replaced (and more were added) in the grandstand and a new pavilion section was added in left field. The seat additions and construction of three first base-side suites increased the capacity of the place by a thousand folks, so 8,500 can now fit into a stadium that was quite uninspiring and increasingly weather-beaten during the Cincinnati Reds' tenure in it from 1998 to 2009. Having signed a 30-year lease with Sarasota County, who owns the refurbished stadium after the City of Sarasota owned the original, the Orioles are town for a much longer haul than the Reds were at the stadium that has always been named after Ed Smith, a long-time member and president of the Sarasota Sports Committee who passed away during spring training in 2006.

Fast Facts

Practice Fields

Types of Seating
All of the green seats in the grandstand were originally in Baltimore's Camden Yards and have cup holders, unlike the weathered and original blue seats they replaced. Included among the 7,428 actual seats in the stadium are the countertop and drink rail seats that are found in the new for 2011 pavilion in left field.

Notes about the seating

Sections and rows

Tickets

Seats under cover and in the shade
A roof is overhead the upper rows (9 & up) of every reserved section except 201, 212-214 and 225. At the start of afternoon games the sun is behind the first base side of the grandstand and rows that are shaded are: 7 & up in sections 203-211 and 9 & up in sections 215-223. As the afternoon progresses all Reserved Grandstand seats on the first base side of the stadium become shaded while there is no change in shaded seats on the stadium's third base side.

VIP seating
Three suites along the first base line can hold 20 people apiece and each is themed after the Orioles' world championship teams, hence the names Suite 66, Suite 70 and Suite 83. A bigger suite is found next to the press box. It has a capacity of 40 and is named for its location (Home Plate Suite). The third base side of the ballpark is home to the aptly named Third Base Lounge, which is fronted by stadium seating and has an indoor gathering space with a full service bar. Within the grandstand, the front rows of seats in the five sections between the dugouts are sold as Premium Infield Box. The Bullpen Perches are available for pre-game picnics. Each area can hold parties of 20 to 200 fans and traditional ballpark menu items are served to the groups that book the picnic places that are found alongside and above the bullpens down the outfield lines.

Game Day
Gates open 2 hours before game time.

Food, drink and bag policy

Getting autographs
The Orioles' clubhouse is behind right field and players will usually sign for fans on their way to it following the game in the same first baseline box sections (101-106) where they sign before games. The visiting team's bus is parked behind the left-center field wall and if you're lucky a couple of players will sign on their way to it following the game, although they are more likely to sign for fans before the game in the sections closest to their dugout and bullpen.

Unique ballpark fare
Great grub abounds on the grounds of Ed Smith Stadium. At the sit down Café 54 that's aside the home plate entrance a few sandwiches, wraps and paninis are served. The stand behind the Left Field Pavilion is where to go to get a bison burger, pit beef or skirt steak sandwich, and a brat w/kraut. Grills at the 1st Base Patio cook up the old standbys. There, and everywhere else, Baltimore's very own Esskay hot dogs are featured. Another regional delicacy, the crab cake sandwich, further compliments Sarasota's impressive concession fare and can be found at many of the Birdland Concessions spread along the main concourse. On the third base side of that concourse are a couple of draft beer dispensaries that serve up the likes of Woodchuck Amber Cider, Stella Artois and #9, an ale from the Magic Hat Brewing Company. Budweiser products are on tap on the first base side of the stadium. Throughout the stadium, all soft drinks that are poured are from the Coca-Cola family.

2024 Orioles Spring Training Schedule (only home games at Ed Smith Stadium are listed)

February/March
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
						24 Red Sox 1:05 Tickets
25	26 Rays 1:05 Tickets	27 Tigers 1:05 Tickets	28	29 Pirates 1:05 Tickets	1	2 Yankees 1:05 Tickets
3	4 Twins 1:05 Tickets	5	6 Pirates 6:05 Tickets	7	8 Tigers 6:05 Tickets	9
10 Blue Jays 1:05 Tickets	11	12 Rays 1:05 Tickets	13 Braves 6:05 Tickets	14	15	16 Red Sox 1:05 Tickets
17 Braves 1:05 Tickets	18	19	20 Phillies 6:05 Tickets	21	22 Pirates 6:05 Tickets	23 Blue Jays 6:05 Tickets

* Single game tickets went on sale Tuesday, December 12. Links in calendar are to TicketNetwork inventory.
See the full 2024 Orioles Spring Training schedule

Ballpark Area Info
The immediate area around the stadium contains mostly a mix of residential and commercial enterprises. Downtown Sarasota is on the waterfront and only about two miles away from Ed Smith Stadium. That's where the prestigious Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and the noted Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium are found. Both places of cultural distinction contribute to Sarasota's reputation as a First Class city, one that can legitimately lay claim to being the Grapefruit League's finest destination. Home to many celebrities, great beaches and beautiful scenery, there's plenty to do and plenty to enjoy, all a short drive from the stadium.

Travelers' notes

Hotels close to Ed Smith Stadium			Become a featured advertiser
Distance	Hotel	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
1.8 miles	Homewood Suites	3470 Fruitville Rd	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-365-7300
2.3	Hotel Indigo	1223 Blvd of the Arts	Sarasota, FL 34236	941-202-1457
2.4	La Quinta Inn	1803 N Tamiami Trl	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-366-5128
3.6	Super 8	4309 N Tamiami Trl	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-549-8840
3.8	Flamingo Inn	4703 N Tamiami Trl	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-355-5135
4.5	Sleep Inn	900 University Pkwy	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-359-8558
4.5	Courtyard by Marriott	850 University Pkwy	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-355-3337
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Restaurants close to Ed Smith Stadium
Distance	Restaurant	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
0.1 miles	El Patio Latino Peruvian	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-955-5093
0.1	Maria's Chicken	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-955-1818
0.1	Subway	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-954-8794
0.1	Domino's Pizza	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-365-4900
0.1	Uncle Wen's	1100 N Tuttle Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-365-0434
0.1	Gus 12 St. Cafe	2594 12th St	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-952-1172
0.45	Cedars Bar & Grill	2385 12th St	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-953-5531
0.55	La Sabrosita	3070 17th St	Sarasota, FL 34234	941-366-3330
0.6	KFC	925 N Lime Ave	Sarasota, FL 34237	941-955-3898
0.7	Marianna's Cafe	3232 17th St	Sarasota, FL 34235	941-366-5523
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Airports close to Ed Smith Stadium
Distance	Airport		Airport Code
3.3 miles	Sarasota Bradenton International		SRQ
39.9	St. Petersburg-Clearwater International		PIE
43.6	Tampa International		TPA
71.7	Southwest Florida International (Fort Myers)		RSW

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