nationals park guide
Nationals Park is one of the newer stadiums in all of baseball, and plays home to the Washington Nationals. (In the past I said "home to the pathetic Washington Nationals" but had to correct that with their more recent successes). Everybody knows that this is a welcome change from old RFK stadium, which was pretty rough. Although D.C. is an infamously expensive city, you can go watch the Nats for a pretty reasonable price. Let’s start with free parking at Nationals Park.
Nationals Park Parking
In 2009 the Nationals ran a free shuttle called the Nats Express, which I raved about. In 2010 that service was discontinued for an unknown reason. This puts a dent in my case for driving to the ballpark, although you can still find cheap parking; even in official lots. If you live in the area, the metro may be your best option. The Nats have added a cool tool that lets you see all the different options in an interactive planner - see it here.
The only affordable parking officially operated by the Nationals is lot HH. It will set you back $5, but you will be a good 10 minute walk to the stadium. Lot HH is now known as Pacific Parking. If you park in the team lots around the ballpark, the price shoots up to around $40 – which is outrageous. You may want to buy your parking pass online beforehand. You can do this through the Nationals website, and I like when teams offer this because you get a little piece of mind in knowing that you are going to a particular lot, and there will be room for your car. You can sometimes find deals on these parking passes via StubHub or eBay for less than face value. It’s worth a look before you pay full price. You should also think about Park Whiz if you'd like to prepay for a reserved spot (discussed more momentarily)
If you are not from the area, the metro subway system is another affordable way to get to Nationals Park. If you are convenient to a Metro Station you can get dropped off at the Navy Yard stop on the Green line which is about a half a block from Nationals Park. The metro will be crowded, but you may prefer this to fighting traffic in your car – depending on where you are coming from. Here is a trip planner if you aren’t familiar with taking the metro to a Nationals game.
I would say this, with the new Nationals Park, the team is as prepared as they can be for commuter traffic. You may get a sense that driving to a Nationals game can be a nightmare, but I think many fans have been pleasantly surprised how hassle free driving to the ballpark has been so far.
Another solid option for Nats parking is using Park Whiz. This site lets you pre-pay for a space in various garages/lots so you don't have to stress about where to park. It is a pretty cool concept and you can find some cheap deals for sure. It is especially helpful when you are going to a game that is supposed to be a big crowd.
Choose your date below to find spots available for that game and leave your parking worries behind!
The only affordable parking officially operated by the Nationals is lot HH. It will set you back $5, but you will be a good 10 minute walk to the stadium. Lot HH is now known as Pacific Parking. If you park in the team lots around the ballpark, the price shoots up to around $40 – which is outrageous. You may want to buy your parking pass online beforehand. You can do this through the Nationals website, and I like when teams offer this because you get a little piece of mind in knowing that you are going to a particular lot, and there will be room for your car. You can sometimes find deals on these parking passes via StubHub or eBay for less than face value. It’s worth a look before you pay full price. You should also think about Park Whiz if you'd like to prepay for a reserved spot (discussed more momentarily)
If you are not from the area, the metro subway system is another affordable way to get to Nationals Park. If you are convenient to a Metro Station you can get dropped off at the Navy Yard stop on the Green line which is about a half a block from Nationals Park. The metro will be crowded, but you may prefer this to fighting traffic in your car – depending on where you are coming from. Here is a trip planner if you aren’t familiar with taking the metro to a Nationals game.
I would say this, with the new Nationals Park, the team is as prepared as they can be for commuter traffic. You may get a sense that driving to a Nationals game can be a nightmare, but I think many fans have been pleasantly surprised how hassle free driving to the ballpark has been so far.
Another solid option for Nats parking is using Park Whiz. This site lets you pre-pay for a space in various garages/lots so you don't have to stress about where to park. It is a pretty cool concept and you can find some cheap deals for sure. It is especially helpful when you are going to a game that is supposed to be a big crowd.
Choose your date below to find spots available for that game and leave your parking worries behind!
Nationals Tickets
The Nats have unfortunately jumped on the tiered pricing bandwagon. That means there are value games, regular games, and premium games; most ticket prices go up the better the competition.
Ticket prices in general at Nationals Park are very reasonable. I am comparing that to other big cities like New York and Boston which are famously expensive places to see a game. I guess the quality of the team has been a factor up until recently.
A great value ticket at Nationals Park is upper RF Terrace 222. I love these for a few reasons. You are down the first baseline, with an excellent view of the entire field. Secondly, these tickets are much closer to the field than the upper deck tickets down the left field line, but they have a lower price. In my opinion you can’t go wrong in this section.
The cheapest seats are outer left field upper deck seats. The seats aren’t terrible, but I think you will be much happier shelling out an extra few bucks for something like the seats I mentioned above.
Planning ahead is also a good idea for getting cheap tickets to Nationals Park. As I mentioned earlier, most ticket sections go up for premium games. If you aren’t too concerned with who the opponent is, you just want to see a game, you should look for a value game. You can splurge for better tickets and pay a cheaper price.
Stubhub is the official marketplace for MLB tickets, and they protect you against fraudulent tickets. If you want to buy on Stubhub, you are usually better off if you can wait until close to game time. For baseball, you usually print your tickets at home after you buy. This means you can often buy tickets up until a couple hours before game time. From the seller perspective, Stubhub encourages sellers to reduce their price incrementally as the event gets closer so they aren't stuck with the tickets. So when you are looking at a game that starts in just a few hours, it is likely you are going to find some great value.
Another great place to buy tickets is from Score Big. Let's face it, most ticket broker sites are the same but this one is actually different. It is kind of like the Priceline of sports tickets. Essentially you can search events in your area, and make an offer on tickets and get an instant answer on whether your bid is accepted.
Here are a couple of screenshots of how it works. You can select a quantity, and then it gives you different tiers. It gives you an approximate discount percentage, and shows on the seat map which sections your tickets could possibly be in.
Next you enter in a price, again it gives you an idea how how likely that is to be accepted. I made the comparison to Priceline, and it is true, you have to put in payment details prior to making an official offer. But if you are going to the game, what a great way to save money on tickets!
Here are some upcoming Nats games, see what discounts are available:
Ticket prices in general at Nationals Park are very reasonable. I am comparing that to other big cities like New York and Boston which are famously expensive places to see a game. I guess the quality of the team has been a factor up until recently.
A great value ticket at Nationals Park is upper RF Terrace 222. I love these for a few reasons. You are down the first baseline, with an excellent view of the entire field. Secondly, these tickets are much closer to the field than the upper deck tickets down the left field line, but they have a lower price. In my opinion you can’t go wrong in this section.
The cheapest seats are outer left field upper deck seats. The seats aren’t terrible, but I think you will be much happier shelling out an extra few bucks for something like the seats I mentioned above.
Planning ahead is also a good idea for getting cheap tickets to Nationals Park. As I mentioned earlier, most ticket sections go up for premium games. If you aren’t too concerned with who the opponent is, you just want to see a game, you should look for a value game. You can splurge for better tickets and pay a cheaper price.
Stubhub is the official marketplace for MLB tickets, and they protect you against fraudulent tickets. If you want to buy on Stubhub, you are usually better off if you can wait until close to game time. For baseball, you usually print your tickets at home after you buy. This means you can often buy tickets up until a couple hours before game time. From the seller perspective, Stubhub encourages sellers to reduce their price incrementally as the event gets closer so they aren't stuck with the tickets. So when you are looking at a game that starts in just a few hours, it is likely you are going to find some great value.
Another great place to buy tickets is from Score Big. Let's face it, most ticket broker sites are the same but this one is actually different. It is kind of like the Priceline of sports tickets. Essentially you can search events in your area, and make an offer on tickets and get an instant answer on whether your bid is accepted.
Here are a couple of screenshots of how it works. You can select a quantity, and then it gives you different tiers. It gives you an approximate discount percentage, and shows on the seat map which sections your tickets could possibly be in.
Next you enter in a price, again it gives you an idea how how likely that is to be accepted. I made the comparison to Priceline, and it is true, you have to put in payment details prior to making an official offer. But if you are going to the game, what a great way to save money on tickets!
Here are some upcoming Nats games, see what discounts are available:
Food at Nationals Park
A great way to save money at Nationals Park is by taking your own snacks and food with you. You can take them in a soft sided cooler no bigger that 16x16x8. You can also take sealed plastic bottles of water with you into Nationals Park. The size limit on this is one liter or less.
Another option that I consistently recommend is Restaurant.com Here you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of Nationals Park (20003) to see what restaurants are nearby.
Nationals Park also boast great concession variety. The prices are typically outrageous, but they have some local favorites like Ben’s chili for you to enjoy. There is also a cool stand that highlights some Major League favorites from other stadiums. This is near section 117 and offers great selections.
Nationals Park is also a certified Green stadium, which really makes me feel better about seeing a game there. I can hardly watch the Reds from the upper deck in Cincinnati due to the pollution.
Another option that I consistently recommend is Restaurant.com Here you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of Nationals Park (20003) to see what restaurants are nearby.
Nationals Park also boast great concession variety. The prices are typically outrageous, but they have some local favorites like Ben’s chili for you to enjoy. There is also a cool stand that highlights some Major League favorites from other stadiums. This is near section 117 and offers great selections.
Nationals Park is also a certified Green stadium, which really makes me feel better about seeing a game there. I can hardly watch the Reds from the upper deck in Cincinnati due to the pollution.
free stuff at the nats game
- Nationals Park offers a FREE bike valet located inside of the entrance to Garage C, on First Street SE near N Street SE. The valet accepts bikes 2 1/2 hours before game time and will close one hour after the completion of the game.
- Every time the Nationals score six or more runs in a home game, guests may bring their ticket stub or season plan holder card to any local Hard Times Cafe - excluding Nationals Park location - within two days of the game date for a FREE order of wings.
- The GEICO Presidents Race takes place during the middle of the 4th inning and features George Washington, Tom Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Bill Taft. After their race, the Presidents appear in their photo station in the Family Fun Area to pose for free photos with fans.