Monument Park at Camden Yards

Once you get into Camden Yards, the first place you should head is the Monument Park located in center field.

These statues were constructed throughout the 2012 season and helped bring back the love of Baltimore baseball. People wanted to come to the games to see their favorite Oriole legends, as well as their statues.

Alex Arditti poses with the statue of Cal Ripken Jr. in Monument Park at Camden Yards. (Photo by TU student Eric Arditti)

Once you step into the park, you will notice the six Oriole greats immortalized forever.  The statues are bigger than life size and look amazingly real.

Click here to look through pictures, see video and read about all the players who have been made into statues.

The six Oriole legends are Frank Robinson, the late Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr., and Brooks Robinson.

There were six games during the 2012 season where fans were treated to pregame ceremonies.

The order of the players unveiling their statues was based on the order of when they got their jerseys retired.

For each statue reveal, the fans that arrived early were lucky enough to see all 6 legends unveil their own statue, listen to a speech about that player, and watch a video about their career. It was amazing to see these living legends right in front of our eyes.

The first 10,000 people who entered the stadium on each day when the legend was unveiling their statue were lucky enough to receive a replica miniature statue. These six games were all sold out and were awesome experiences for everyone at the stadium. The fans packed the yard!

If you didn’t get a chance to attend one of the games, or visit the park during a game, don’t worry. You can enter that part of Camden Yards anytime for free and visit the monuments.

So go ahead, eat lunch at one of the picnic tables surrounded by Cal Ripken Jr. fielding a grounder, or Earl Weaver yelling at the umpire. For Oriole fans, these statues must be seen. It’s a no brainer.

Babe Ruth Museum

Babe Ruth Museum

Another place to check out before you attend an Orioles game is the Babe Ruth Museum.

Located in the same building as the Sports Legends Museum, The Babe Ruth Museum is home to some great information and artifacts from the Babe.

Here is a list of the exhibits you can check out once you enter the museum. Be sure to look at all the exhibits and take an extra hard look at the bats, gloves, clothes, and other items Ruth used to use. The museum even has a Hymnbook, and all his old equipment that he used to use when he was in high school in Baltimore.

The Babe Ruth Museum also includes directions of how to get to Babe Ruth’s actual birth house, located not too far from Camden Yards. You can walk inside the house, see the Babe’s birth certificate and even take a peek into the bedroom where he was born. Talk about a historic house.

 

In February of 2013, the museum added a new high tech film projection system.  Click here to read an article from The Examiner about this new video system and what it adds to the Babe Ruth Museum experience.  This projection system will show different movies about the Babe, as well as the Star Spangled Banner.  It is definitely a must see attraction at the museum.

Even though he’s been dead for almost 65 years, Ruth is still a huge attraction, you can read about it here

Babe Ruth Museum/Sports Legend Museum. (Photo taken by TU student Eric Arditti)

in this blog from last year  stating that one of Ruth’s uniforms was sold in an auction for over $4 million.

This is a great place to visit if you have time to kill. If you are in the Sports Legends Museum, there’s a good chance you are already planning on visiting this great place.

Located just feet from Camden Yards, there is no reason not to visit if you have some time before the game starts. Just like with the Sports Legends museum, you can get a discount to visit the museum if you bring in a ticket from a recent game. The museum is already cheap, but why not make it a little cheaper?

The museum is a great place to bring kids, or a date if you’re looking for something to do in the city.

So stop in to the Babe Ruth Museum, check out some of the exhibits, and maybe take a stroll to his birth house.

Memorial Stadium War Memorial

One of the most overlooked Baltimore baseball attractions in Baltimore is the Memorial Stadium Memorial behind Camden Yards.  This plaza was constructed in honor of the old home of the Orioles and Colts. 

Located behind Camden Yards, it is well hidden, but should be seen by everyone. You can often mistake it for something else when you walk by it. 

This replica part of the wall that used to be the backdrop for Memorial Stadium reads “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”

An urn, containing dirt and grass from United States Military cemeteries, that was displayed in the wall at Memorial Stadium has been on display next to the Memorial Stadium memorial.

Camden Yards also placed a plaque, which the urn sits on that serves as a memorial to Memorial Stadium. 

The old stadium not only helped support the troops during both world wars, it also helped shaped the city of Baltimore.  Without this stadium, baseball in Baltimore would not be the same.

Pictures of Memorial stadium, the ballpark as it used to be, pictures of it being torn down, the memorials at Camden Yards, and what the park looks like now can be seen at this fantastic website. 

The recreation of the wall, as well as the urn, is in remembrance of the exterior wall behind home plate, which faced 33^rd street in Baltimore.  The wall is a memorial to the soldiers lost during the two world wars. 

One of my earlier blogs focused on the Sports Legends Museum, you can find more artifacts from Memorial Stadium inside the museum. Some of the artifacts include the first brick laid for the stadium, original plaques and seating from the stadium as well. 

The war memorial is a very touching site that falls under the radar for most people. If you haven’t checked it out in the past, I highly recommend it before you head into the game. It’s the least you can do to pay respects for the fallen soldiers. 

Sports Legends Museum

The next part of my adventures takes us to the Sports Legends Museum. Located just a few feet from the Camden Yards, the Sports Legends Museum is a great attraction.
The building itself has a ton of history as well. It used to be a terminal for the B&O railroad before it was the Sports Legends Museum. So the history starts before you even step through the doors.

This 22,000 square foot building has been named one of the best Sports Museums in the country.

Inside, you will find many exhibits and tributes to Maryland’s greatest athletes. The exhibits change throughout the year so you should head back every few months to see any new and exciting exhibits.

Each exhibit focuses on something different that has something to do with the state of Maryland. Exhibits range The Negro Leagues, to the Baltimore Blast soccer team. Here you will find all sorts of neat tidbits and information. You also will be able to see game used equipment, artifacts, plaques, and personal mementos from Maryland’s greatest athletes.

It is a very cheap getaway too, costing you $8 for adults, seniors $6, and $4 for children ages 3-12 and is open everyday of the year except Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Years Day.

The Examiner posted a great blog about the Sports Legends Museum; you must check it out if you plan on visiting.

This is a great place to take your family or friends if you have some time to kill before an Orioles game. It being located so close to the park (literally 50 feet) you can visit the museum, leave before the national anthem and make it to your seats before first pitch. In some cases, the Orioles offer discounted tickets if you present your ticket from the museum.

The Sports Legends Museum shares the building with another museum, the Babe Ruth Museum. Here they have a whole wing of the building dedicated to one of the most famous ball players in history. Here they have different memorabilia, game used equirpment, and more exhibits about the sultan of swat.

If you find yourself in downtown Baltimore and need to kill some time, The Maryland Sports Legends museum is a great place for you to do that. Stop by and see some of Maryland’s greatest athletes. You can also check out their website here to find out more information.

Camden Yards

Camden Yards, in Baltimore, Md,  home to the Baltimore Orioles and is one of the most gorgeous ballparks out there. Whether it is the great food choices, to the sites of the city you can see from the upper deck, there is no doubt in my mind that Camden Yards is the best ballpark out there.  

The first thing you can do when you get to Camden is check out Eutaw Street. The stretch of street that runs outside center field and right field, Eutaw Street runs parallel to the B&O Warehouse.  The warehouse, originally built in the 1900s, now houses offices for the Baltimore Orioles.  The lower levels of the warehouse are home to a team store, and a restaurant owned by former Oriole Great Rick Dempsey.  As long as the Empire State building is tall, the Warehouse is definitely a site that should be seen while visiting Camden Yards.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards as seen from Eutaw Street (Photo taken by Eric Arditti)

 

While you are strolling along Eutaw Street, take a look down and be on the look out for home run plaques.  The Orioles place a ball onto Eutaw Street every time a ball is hit out there. It is a neat way of marking where the balls are hit.  Check out this Baltimore Sun Website where they show you all the balls that have been hit onto Eutaw Street.

Another new neat feature about Camden Yards is Statue Park.  The Orioles placed statues of six of their greatest players.  The statues are life like and are awesome to look at.  Definitely check them out if you get a chance. 

The food choices at Camden Yards are what make the park so awesome. You have your choice of typical baseball foods (hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, soda, beer), and then you have the new wave of ballpark food.  Crab dip fries (waffle fries with crab dip poured over top), bacon on a stick, chicken grilled overtop of a beer can (to soak up all the beer), and even a crab mac and cheese hot dog. No matter what food you chose, you couldn’t go wrong.  Each one has its own great taste and you will never forget the time you had it.   

One last thing to check out at Camden Yards is….The Game! Stay and watch your Baltimore Orioles as they look to make it to the playoffs two years in a row. Enjoy watching the crab shuffle on the big screen, and get ready to yell “O” during the star spangled banner!