Everything you need to know ahead of your visit to Oracle Park
Oracle Park is a beautiful gem of a ballpark located in the South of Market area of San Francisco. If you’re visiting the San Francisco Giants’ home for the first time, or simply want a refresher about the park’s attractions, here’s a guide to your trip to the former Pacific Bell, SBC, and AT&T Park, now sponsored by software giant Oracle.
Getting There
Driving to Oracle Park is not a fun experience. There’s a few official lots, though they’ve shrunk in size thanks to the team’s construction projects at Mission Rock, which is a great place to get food or drinks before or after the game. However, it’s easy to take an N Judah train from Embarcardero BART to the ballpark, or a T Third train from south of the ballpark. If you do have to drive, the team recommends reserving spots in advance at the variety of parking lots in the South of Market area. It’s a nice area to walk through, so we would recommend saving a little money and parking further away if possible. You can also reach the ballpark by ferry.
Statues
You can’t miss the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays, outside the ballpark’s main entrance at 3rd and King Streets. It’s called Willie Mays Plaza, after all. But that’s not the only Giants great preserved in statue form. You can see Juan Marichal by the start of the boardwalk south of the ballpark, depicted with his foot higher than his head in his signature high-legged windup.
Spitballer Gaylord Perry’s nine-foot statue is at 2nd and King Streets, and it does not actually have Vaseline on the fingers. Willie McCovey’s statue is located opposite the ball park, fittingly on the side of McCovey Cove. There are also two LEGO statues, of three-time champs Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, which are in the Bullpen Boardwalk section.
McCovey Cove
Especially during day games, the body of water behind the right field wall is full of people in all manner of watercraft, from inflatable rafts to yachts to kayaks. Unfortunately, it’s also the home of “McCovey Cove Dave,” a 69-year-old man who zips around in a kayak trying to scoop up as many Splash Hits as possible wearing a jacket with his own name on it. He picked up a grand slam last season and demanded a discounted parking spot in exchange for returning it. Steer clear of Dave!
Coca Cola Slide
While the 80-foot Coke bottle in left field never has delivered on its promise to shower the bleachers in bubbles after a Giants home run, the advertisement has become a beloved feature of the ballpark. It’s surrounded by a play area for children and sits next to a giant oversized baseball glove.
There’s a 60-foot slide inside the bottle called “The Guzzler,” which has certainly caused some injuries over the years, mainly to adults. Manager Bob Melvin used to slide down head-first when his teams visited, until the team locked up the slide.
Apparel
There are two primary rules for dressing for Oracle Park:
- Don’t wear Los Angeles Dodgers gear.
- Don’t believe the weather reports. There’s a reason that blanket sales are always brisk at the park, because San Francisco weather can change very quickly. There’s a reason that you see tourists decked out in ugly sweatshirts with cable cars or the Golden Gate Bridge at Fisherman’s Wharf in July: People think summer is warm in SF, when the warmest month is actually September. So bring a hat, bring a jacket, and bring a blanket, but also dress in layers and bring sunscreen. Oracle Park will punish you for assuming anything at all about the weather.
Regarding novelty hats, the Giants no longer have a player with an animal nickname, so the trend of panda hats (for Pablo Sandoval) and giraffe hats (Brandon Belt) has slowed. Belt was also responsible for fans wearing captain’s hats, which served a dual purpose when Klay Thompson was still playing for the Golden State Warriors. Perhaps the team can figure out what adorable animal Rafael Devers most resembles to goose their hat sales.
The 415
Oracle Park has a club located 415 feet from home plate in the right field stands, and 415 is also the area code for San Francisco. Becoming a member costs $199, but that also gives members $199 in ticket credits to sit there, where games can be as cheap as $5 for the Miami Marlins, or as high as $37 for the Dodgers. If you enjoy sitting in the bleachers, the 415 has a lot of appeal, especially with its own dedicated entrance, access to specialty beers at cheaper prices, and a terrace where you can watch the visiting team’s relievers warm up in their bullpen from behind the glass, often with a DJ’s accompaniment. You’re not supposed to be able to resell 415 tickets, but a cursory glance at StubHub shows you can buy seats there as non-club members.
Food
There are a few definitive Oracle Park special when it comes to food, beyond the standard hot dog fare. Perhaps the most iconic is the Gilroy Garlic Fries, an item that’s become more common at other sporting venues but originated in SF. There’s the Cha Cha Bowl, named after the late, great Orlando Cepeda, which has rice, black beans, salsa, and your choice of grilled chicken or pork carnitas. Orlando’s Caribbean BBQ, located by the giant Coca-Cola bottle, also sells jerk chicken, nachos, and fish tacos.
Mission Street Taqueria will sell you nachos in a plastic baseball helmet, which makes any food taste better. The Ghiradelli ice cream sundae is the best dessert in the park. If you like Filipino food, the Lumpia Company has very tasty food and a fast-moving line. David Chang’s “fuku” has a variety of spicy friend chicken items, including meatless ones. Rah Rah Ramen offers roasted pork and vegetarian options, though soup isn’t the easiest food to eat in your seat. Tony’s Pizza is quite solid, but one of the tastiest and most unique options is Crazy Crab’z signature Dungeness crab-and-sourdough sandwich. Trust us, the sandwich is much better than the stand’s spelling and punctuation.
The Garden
Are you going to a major league baseball game to check out an organic garden? If you’re already in the Bay Area, the answer is a strong “maybe.” The Garden is located behind the center field wall and features aeroponic towers and vegetables, many of which are available in the bar and bistros. It’s excellent for vegetarians and is mostly gluten-free.
Lou Seal
The SF Giants’ mascot doesn’t exactly look like a seal. He’s more of a rotund, rodent-like creature whose signature move is bumping his oversized belly against people. Lou Seal wears a backwards cap, oversized glasses, and is beloved by children of all some ages.
Journey
They’re probably going to play “Lights” or “Don’t Stop Believing” by Bay Area band Journey, and fans are going to sing along. Deal with it, and try not to think about Tony Soprano.
Public House
The bar at Willie Mays Plaza is a nice place to get a pre-game snack or a beer, which you can bring with you to your seat. The real appeal is that the Public House has its own entrance to the park, which can save some time spent waiting in lines — without a beer to sip.
Gotham Club
Behind the right field wall is a “secret” speakeasy-type bar called the Gotham Club. There’s a game room, big windows with views of the harbor, and views of the field through the right field scoreboard. You can also watch through small holes in the “portwalk” sections outside the stadium in right field, an area that also features the Giants’ History Walk, a group of 28 plaques that show important moments in the ballpark’s history.