Explore Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays
Welcome to Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Located on the edge of downtown St. Petersburg, the dome affectionately known as “The Trop” has been the home of the Rays since their inaugural season as the Devil Rays in 1998. Don’t forget to pet the rays while you’re here.
Tampa Bay Rays
Established: 1998
American League East
Ballpark: Tropicana Field
Originally named the Florida Suncoast Dome, Tropicana Field officially opened to the public on March 3, 1990, having been built for the cost of $138 million. It was renamed the ThunderDome in 1993, when the National Hockey League’s expansion Tampa Bay Lightning began to call the dome home.
After years of unsuccessful attempts to bring a Major League Baseball team to the Tampa Bay area, the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks were officially welcomed into the league in March 1995. A month later, the Devil Rays and the City of St. Petersburg came to a 30-year use agreement for the team to play its home games at the ThunderDome.
The ballpark was officially rebranded as Tropicana Field in October 1996, part of a naming rights agreement between the club and Bradenton’s Tropicana Dole Beverages. The Trop was closed beginning that month for a 17-month, $85 million transformation into a fully functional baseball stadium.
Originally built for baseball, The Trop has hosted many other sporting events, from hockey, basketball and motorcycle racing to football, gymnastics and figure skating. The Trop also played host to the 1999 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four featuring Duke, Ohio State, Michigan State and champion Connecticut. The Trop set a ballpark attendance record on Jan. 27, 2024, when a crowd of 48,044 was on hand for the WWE Royal Rumble, surpassing the previous record of 47,150 that packed the park for an August 1990 New Kids on the Block concert.
In October 2024, The Trop became the symbol of the devastation the Tampa Bay area experienced during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Most of the roof panels were ripped off the building, and many parts of the interior and exterior were affected, requiring significant repairs by the city and creating opportunities for additional upgrades by the team’s new ownership group.
The Rays spent the 2025 season playing their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, but repairs were completed ahead of the 2026 season, with three years remaining on the club’s original use agreement with St. Petersburg.
Tropicana Field
Ballpark location (via Google Maps)
Rays’ schedule
Rays’ roster
1 Tropicana Drive
St. Petersburg, FL 33705
Capacity: 25,025 (since 2019, with upper deck closed)
Dimensions: left field, 315 feet; center field, 404 feet; right field, 322 feet
Park factors (2024)
100 = league average
Runs: 92 | Homers: 98 | Hits: 96
Unique Characteristics
Tropicana Field is, to put it kindly, quirky. Start with the fact that the concrete structure has the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof. That fixed white roof is tilted at a 6.5-degree angle, dropping from 225 feet above second base to 85 feet at the center field wall.
Then there are the catwalks, the four rings located above the playing surface that occasionally come into play. Any fair ball that hits the lower two catwalks (C and D) is a home run. A fair ball that hits one of the top two catwalks (A and B) is in play. Any fair ball that stays on one of the top two is a ground-rule double. A foul ball that hits one of the catwalks is a dead ball.
There are two golden seats, one white seat and one seat memorialized with a plaque inside The Trop. The golden seat in Section 148 is where the Devil Rays’ first home run (hit by Hall of Famer Wade Boggs) was hit, and the golden seat in Section 144 marks where Boggs’ 3,000th hit (also a homer) landed. The white seat is where Dan Johnson hit his two-out, game-tying homer in Game 162 of the 2011 season. The memorialized seat is just above the right-field walkway and will always remain empty in remembrance of prisoners of war and those missing in action.
The Trop features a Shaw Sports Turf playing surface and all-dirt basepaths in the infield. There’s a cut-out section of the fence in left field, which was designed so one Rays Hall of Famer (Carl Crawford) could rob home runs but wound up contributing to arguably the most iconic for another: Evan Longoria’s walk-off home run to end Game 162 in 2011. After the 2013 season, the Rays added 360-degree pedestrian circulation around the lower seating bowl.
And, yes, there’s the ray tank. Tropicana Field is the world’s only professional sports facility that is also home to live rays. The 10,000-gallon Rays Touch Tank, located just behind the right-center field wall, opened in 2006. There, thanks to a partnership with The Florida Aquarium, you can find -- and pet! -- a number of cownose rays during games.
Concessions
There are three main areas you’ll want to visit in pursuit of food and drinks at Tropicana Field, which in 2019 became the first cash-free sports venue in North America. There’s the First Base Food Hall, the Third Base Food Hall and the Budweiser Porch in center field.
The Porch is an open-air patio with great views, food and drinks. There’s also The Shortstop at the Budweiser Porch, which features a checkout-free experience. The food halls are full of unique dining options, including many local favorites. And if you’re looking for fun for the whole family, check out Ballpark & Rec, a completely renovated indoor/outdoor space behind the Budweiser Porch featuring cocktails, craft beer and all sorts of games.
The Rays also announced a bevy of changes to their premium seating areas before the 2026 season, including some interesting spins on their usual dining offerings. The DEX Imaging Home Plate Club, for instance, now offers a speakeasy (with craft cocktails and a lounge) as well as a specialty candy room for fans of all ages.
Mascots
The Rays are well-equipped with fan-friendly mascots. Their primary mascot is Raymond, a “fun-loving fuzz ball” officially classified as a Seadog. Then, there’s DJ Kitty, the designated disc jockey with all kinds of merch. Finally, there’s Stinger, a cow-nosed stingray and flappy boy who joined Raymond’s crew in 2013.
Local attractions/ Food and drink
Have you considered a trip to the beach? Pinellas County has some of the best to offer, from St. Pete Beach to Clearwater Beach. (Stop by Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill, too, while you’re at it.) That’s a short trip west from The Trop, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Never a bad place to catch a sunset.
Closer to Tropicana Field, you can visit The Dali Museum on the waterfront and perhaps sneak in a visit to the nearby St. Pete Pier. If you’re looking for somewhere to hang out before or after a game, you’ll have plenty of choices near Central Avenue downtown. Two places you can’t go wrong? Green Bench Brewing Company and, of course, Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill. Ferg’s is an institution for Rays fans looking for a place to gather pre- or postgame.
If you want to head across the bay, there’s plenty to do in Tampa. There’s no shortage of places that offer Cuban sandwiches, but the West Tampa Sandwich Shop and the Arco Iris Cafe are local favorites. And if you're craving something sweet or savory, Alessi Bakery is the place to go -- satisfying customers since 1912.
The downtown/Riverwalk areas are also abundant with everything from fine dining to quick bites. Ulele restaurant offers native Floridian fare, with barbacoa grilling and house-brewed beers. Looking for a quick bite and a biergarten on the waterfront? Check out Sparkman Wharf’s Lighthaus Beer Garden and dining garden.
Armature Works is a trendy option for anyone in search of unique experiences, innovative eateries and some nightlife. It can best be described as "a food court for adults.” And if you make your way over to Harbour Island, Jackson's Bistro is a can't-miss experience.