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Tropicana Field

Nearly a decade after its completion Tampa Bay finally was awarded a baseball team to play at Tropicana Field in 1998. Wanting to attract a major league baseball team to the area, construction began on a dome stadium in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area on November 22, 1986. A dome stadium was chosen because of the rain that the area receives throughout the year. Originally named the Florida Sun coast Dome, the stadium opened on March 3, 1990. Once the stadium opened officials began trying to lure several teams to the area. However this was unsuccessful. Although the stadium did not have a baseball team it was used for basketball, hockey and many other events. Finally in 1995 Major League Baseball awarded the area a franchise. The team called the Tampa Bay Devil Rays would begin playing at the dome in 1998.

In 1996 the stadium was renamed Tropicana Field after Tropicana Juice purchased the naming rights. Part of the $85 million renovations included wider concourses, installation of Astroturf, clubhouses, dugouts, additional luxury suites, restrooms, elevators, escalators and administrative offices. The seating capacity was reduced from 48,000 to 45,000.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays played their first game on March 31, 1998 when fans filled Tropicana Field to see professional baseball for the first time. Fans enter the main entrance of Tropicana Field through a giant rotunda reminiscent of Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. Once inside the stadium, visitors find themselves in a place called Centerfield Street. Here are a microbrewery, a cigar bar, a wine cellar and various entertainment venues.

An area of seats above the lower level in left field is a place called the Beach. This is a section with beach decor and tropical foliage. Tropicana Field's outfield wall has many nooks and crannies that provide interesting plays off the wall. Beyond the centerfield wall is the Batter’s Eye Restaurant. The main scoreboard is located beyond the right centerfield seats. After the 1999 season, the Astroturf was removed and replaced by Field Turf, a plastic grass. Although an outdoor ballpark would be preferred by any fan, the air conditioned Tropicana Field is a welcome relief from the heat and humidity of the area.

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