oakland coliseum guide - AKA O.CO Coliseum
Oakland Coliseum held its fist sporting event in 1966. For more information like that, go to the Oakland Coliseum page. From what I can gather, real A's fans seem to hold this stadium in high regard. It's strange what an emotional connection to your team can do to your feel for a ballpark. One man's trash is another man's treasure might be a nice fit here.
parking at oakland coliseum
Parking is really a non-issue if you take the BART to the Oakland Coliseum. If you are not familiar the BART refers to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. They have a stop that drops you off at the Coliseum. Its probably going to run you about $5 round trip depending on where you are coming from, but when you compare it to traffic and $15 to park; I think we have a winner. If you do go that route you might want to avoid the scalpers and other peddlers from all walks of life that may hound you when you get off to go to the game.
Parking for Free
If you drive to a game you can park at the BART Station near the stadium for free. I hear differing opinions on the safety of it, but I have talked to some who have parked there for years without incident.
Here is more information about free parking at Oakland Coliseum. If you are looking for a nice mile long walk before the game, I know others who have parked at the Walmart on Edgewater DR. and walked to the Coliseum. For me that is a little ridiculous, but to each his own. (I am saving my best free parking spot for last).
If you are from out of town I think you need to consider the convenience of a BART station relative to where you are staying. If you are planning on driving to the game, I would save my $15 and park at the BART station.
Many times if you park in the main stadium lot, you are going to wait forever in traffic after the game. I just wanted to throw in one last reason to not pay $15 to park there. Click here for more information on that particular BART station. Another good free parking spot at "O.CO" coliseum is on the street by Denny's (pictured below). This will put you easy walking distance from the stadium.
Parking for Free
If you drive to a game you can park at the BART Station near the stadium for free. I hear differing opinions on the safety of it, but I have talked to some who have parked there for years without incident.
Here is more information about free parking at Oakland Coliseum. If you are looking for a nice mile long walk before the game, I know others who have parked at the Walmart on Edgewater DR. and walked to the Coliseum. For me that is a little ridiculous, but to each his own. (I am saving my best free parking spot for last).
If you are from out of town I think you need to consider the convenience of a BART station relative to where you are staying. If you are planning on driving to the game, I would save my $15 and park at the BART station.
Many times if you park in the main stadium lot, you are going to wait forever in traffic after the game. I just wanted to throw in one last reason to not pay $15 to park there. Click here for more information on that particular BART station. Another good free parking spot at "O.CO" coliseum is on the street by Denny's (pictured below). This will put you easy walking distance from the stadium.
food
First of all, if you are going to eat at the stadium, please choose the garlic fries. If you are sticking to a tight budget, please take your own food to the stadium. Oakland Coliseum has a very liberal policy on bringing food into the ballpark which is you can basically bring anything. You are allowed to bring a soft cooler even, with sealed plastic bottles of non-alcoholic drinks and snacks. So why not run through a drive-thru and pick up dinner for you and a date for about $10 bucks on the way to the ballpark? Then you park at the BART station for free, and you are well on your way to a cheap night at Oakland Coliseum. If you are getting dinner at the game you might want to take a friend to the concession stand with you, as the concourses at Oakland Coliseum are not known for being extra spacious. Its nice if you can put food in one hand and use a stiff-arm with the other.
If you want to eat a little better before or after the game and not spend a lot; may I recommend restaurant.com This is such an amazing way to experience different Restaurants for dirt cheap. When you click on that link, just type in the zip code of Oakland Coliseum (94621) and you will have tons of dining options. Typically on this site you can buy a $25 gift certificate for $10, but I never pay that much. I do a little google search for "restaurant.com coupon codes" and find discounts for 60 - 80% off. Yes, I have bought many o $25 certificates for $2. "The Catch" is usually you have to spend at least $35 at the place, which is easy to do. But still, if you are a bargain seeker you can get a high quality meal for what you usually pay for fast food. Now that is value.
Another affordable place for cheap food and ice cream near Oakland Coliseum is Chubby Freeze. The kids will love it!
tickets
Sticking with the cheap theme here; you can't go wrong with the bleachers at Oakland Coliseum. The real fans are known to hang out in the bleachers so it can provide an exciting environment to watch a game. The other nice thing is, there are normal seats in the "bleachers". When I think bleachers, I think sitting on a metal seat with no back, but here you can sit close to the field in a stadium style seat for $9. Are you kidding me? I personally love sitting in the outfield in stadiums where you can sit right behind the wall. If you brought dinner with you, and parked for free at the BART, and now you just bought 2 seats for $18; you are having a good night. The A's now do dynamic pricing, so these prices will fluctuate. Read on to learn more about Score Big, which is where I buy most of my tickets.
If you want to eat a little better before or after the game and not spend a lot; may I recommend restaurant.com This is such an amazing way to experience different Restaurants for dirt cheap. When you click on that link, just type in the zip code of Oakland Coliseum (94621) and you will have tons of dining options. Typically on this site you can buy a $25 gift certificate for $10, but I never pay that much. I do a little google search for "restaurant.com coupon codes" and find discounts for 60 - 80% off. Yes, I have bought many o $25 certificates for $2. "The Catch" is usually you have to spend at least $35 at the place, which is easy to do. But still, if you are a bargain seeker you can get a high quality meal for what you usually pay for fast food. Now that is value.
Another affordable place for cheap food and ice cream near Oakland Coliseum is Chubby Freeze. The kids will love it!
tickets
Sticking with the cheap theme here; you can't go wrong with the bleachers at Oakland Coliseum. The real fans are known to hang out in the bleachers so it can provide an exciting environment to watch a game. The other nice thing is, there are normal seats in the "bleachers". When I think bleachers, I think sitting on a metal seat with no back, but here you can sit close to the field in a stadium style seat for $9. Are you kidding me? I personally love sitting in the outfield in stadiums where you can sit right behind the wall. If you brought dinner with you, and parked for free at the BART, and now you just bought 2 seats for $18; you are having a good night. The A's now do dynamic pricing, so these prices will fluctuate. Read on to learn more about Score Big, which is where I buy most of my tickets.
If you decide to spend some of your well saved money on better seats, you want to be smart about it. If you are taking kids to the game you might want to go with the infield seats on the second deck. The Oakland Coliseum seating is a little more exaggerated on the second level so your short people can see over the adults in front of them. If you shoot for somewhere in the 214 - 220 sections, you are going to have one of the best views in the ballpark for around $30 a ticket. If you sit in that area, please sit at least 8 or 9 rows up to avoid missing the game because of vendors and fans who can't stay put. Its tempting to get a lower row, but you will regret it.
Another free tip from my contact with the A's is to always bring a blanket to a night game. The closer you sit to the concourses, the more windy it will be, but I guess its better safe than sorry when it comes to being too cold to enjoy the game. Generally speaking with dynamic pricing, you should try to get out to mid-week games. The A's do promotions like free parking Tuesday, $2 Wednesday, etc. and you'll find some nice values on these days.
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 free tip from my contact with the A's is to always bring a blanket to a night game. The closer you sit to the concourses, the more windy it will be, but I guess its better safe than sorry when it comes to being too cold to enjoy the game. Generally speaking with dynamic pricing, you should try to get out to mid-week games. The A's do promotions like free parking Tuesday, $2 Wednesday, etc. and you'll find some nice values on these days.
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 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!
lodging near oakland coliseum
First of all I must say that I am not an expert on the surrounding area of Oakland Coliseum, so I am open for suggestion on some of this. There are always a good concentration of hotels by the airport and Oakland is no exception. You have a choice of about 6 hotels within a mile of the stadium, which in turn is within walking distance. If you are in the area for the main purpose of watching baseball, I think this is a sensible option. If you are not really particular about your hotel, I would recommend using Hotwire. I have so many success stories of getting a great deal with them. Most people are scared off because you don't know the name of your hotel until after you book. Read my ballpark roadtrip guide to figure how to know your Hotwire hotel before you go.
The next thing I'll recommend isn't a hotel at all, it is AirBNB. If you aren't familiar, this is a site rising in popularity that allows people to host you and turn their own place into a Bed and Breakfast. It is a great way to meet people and even better to stay at some really cool places for way less than you would pay at a hotel. Imagine staying at this place (pictured) in Oakland for $70 a night... I've done AirBNB myself and think it is definitely worth checking out. So check it out.
|
free stuff at oakland a's games
- Young fans may obtain a free Oakland A's wristband with their name and seat location written on it for identification purposes. Children may also purchase an Oakland A's ID card with lanyard with their name, emergency contact number and seat location written on it. Oakland A's ID wristbands and ID cards are available each game at the Kids ID Booth at Section 120 in the A's Fan Center until the end of the 2nd Inning.
- To encourage guests to drink responsibly, anyone who has a valid driver's license and is of legal drinking age (21 years old) is eligible for the Designated Driver Program, which entitles them to a complimentary soda. Designated Driver booths are located at Section 120, in the A's Fan Center, and at Section 216, beginning when the gates open, through the end of the second inning.