Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Check out these five awesome features inside Marlins Park during the 2017 All-Star Game

(Rob Foldy)

The Marlins may play in a retractable dome, but the stadium feels as bright as any open-air ballpark. With large, open windows beyond the outfield wall and a brighter shade of green than anywhere else in the Majors, Marlins Park never feels like you're hanging out in an aircraft hangar.
But there is so much more to the stadium than just a light, airy feeling. Here are five spots to check out if you're in town for the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, or any other time: 
1. The Home Run Sculpture
Sure, you may think you understand the towering, glittering, neon sculpture, but you never can truly comprehend it until you see it in person. It's enormous. It's silly. It's unique. And, just like the rest of the stadium, it's fun. 

What you likely haven't seen on a broadcast is the backside of the device. Spoiler alert: It's also great. 

2. The art
Want to get some high culture in while at the ballpark and don't think the home run sculpture is enough? You're in luck. A private art dealer in his other life, owner Jeffrey Loria has also hidden some amazing pieces throughout the stadium. There's a Roy Lichtenstein piece called "Baseball Manager," Niki de Saint Phalle's "Baseball" and even a Joan Miro piece. 

You don't even need to enter the park to see it. There's an installation from Daniel Arsham that is a tribute to the Orange Bowl -- the site's previous stadium -- and a colorful walkway made by Carlos Cruz-Diez. 
3. The bobblehead museum
One bobblehead is a prize ... 600-odd of them is an even larger prize. (Until after dark, when all those bobbling heads and wide open eyes torment your soul.) 
Head to the concourse behind home plate, and you will be greeted by a scientific wonder: constantly bobbling heads, representing every team and style possible. Get lost in the thousands of searching, bobbling eyes for all eternity. 

4. The actual fish
Naturally, if a team is going to be named after a fish, the stadium itself should have a fish tank too, right? Located behind home plate are two 450-gallon fish tanks stocked with a bevy of colorful tropical fish. It fits right in with the rest of the decor of the stadium -- even if, occasionally, a foul ball manages to make its way through the protective layer. 

5. The Cuban Sandwich
Feel like you need to eat a hot dog at a stadium? Well, if you un-tubed the frankfurter and flattened the bread, you'd be pretty close to a Cuban sandwich. 
When you're in Miami, how can you possibly say no to that? Head to Section 27 and you'll find the Taste of Miami, where some local restaurant faves have set up shop. It's also where you can get ham, pork, swiss cheese, yellow mustard and pickle all put between soft-and-sweet Cuban-bread for the sandwich of your dreams. It's the fitting cap (or start) to the entire trip. 

BarberJordan
beephero
AP_702417634020
NYC