Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, located in Arlington, Texas, is home to the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team. Opened in 1994, the more than $190 million project on the 270-acre park features many modern amenities and comfortable seating for 49,115 fans. Nine parking lots are available on the park grounds, with each named for a different historical figure from the era of the Republic of Texas in the 1830s and `40s.
Situated inside the park, the Legends of the Game Baseball Museum is a 17,000-square foot exhibit featuring more than 1,000 baseball artifacts from the 19th Century through present day. The museum boasts the largest collection ever on loan from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Behind the right field home run porch, the educational center includes a 225-seat auditorium and theater for presentations. Some of the exhibits in the museum focus on women in baseball, the league dedicated to African American players in the sport's early days, as well as the history of the Texas Rangers. Children can enjoy interactive exhibits that highlight the fundamentals of the game. Science and math, as they relates to the sport, are featured.
The park offers a variety of activities for children, including a 7,000-square foot Children's Learning Center, with numerous interactive exhibits, and the Dr. Pepper Youth Ballpark, which is a natural grass facility with 650 seats designed as a mini Rangers Ballpark. Visitors to the museum and learning center will be amazed by the history and interactive exhibits on baseball.
Guests also can see the Walk of Fame; a brick walkway on the north and west perimeters of Rangers Ballpark that highlights the careers of outstanding baseball players for each year from 1972 to 2000. Each year is represented by its own panel, which is comprised of 2,600 bricks.
A 4-story, 35,000-square foot office building that extends from left center to right center fields houses retail shops, ticket windows, leased commercial office space and the Rangers' executive offices. Each level is made up of floor-to-ceiling glass, with balconies following the length of the structure on the top three levels.
The past is important to the Rangers; therefore two very important men to the team's history are honored in Vandergriff Plaza at the site. Full-size bronze statues of former Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff and Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryan were dedicated in 1997. Noted sculpture Toby Mendez of Washington County, Maryland created the lifelike works of art to honor the men. Located in the Vandergriff Plaza on the main concourse of the building is the Coca-Cola Sports Park, featuring interactive games, activities and special events for families.
The seating in the ballpark brings fans into the action of the game. The distance from the seats to the field is one of the closest out of all the major league baseball parks. Guests to the stadium will experience the game as never before. The stadium prides itself on this feature. The stadium also has a retractable roof. The feature allows guest to the stadium to enjoy the game in complete comfort and still manages to give that open-air feel.
Rangers Ballpark offers tour of the stadium on non game days and hosts many events for children. Families and baseball fans alike will enjoy the museum and interactive facilities that the park has to offer. Watching a game or just visiting the Legends of the Game Baseball Museum and Learning Center, the Rangers Park has something for everyone.
