The Rogers Centre, in the heart of downtown Toronto, has some nice views with the dome open and features a fun social area across the entire outfield. The Outfield District is definitely the highlight of this stadium with unique social areas on 3 levels. The view of CN Tower looming over right field is beautiful. The poutine hotdog was a unique experience. The Round House Park train area around the stadium has a lot of fun venues.

Design

Architecture and Layout

The retractable roof was open during our visit. It gives a space vibe when open, especially at night when the CN Tower is lit.

The lights are LED but the design looks retro. They block some of the 500 level seats.

The outfield fence is very odd with changing heights and shapes, making it a bit distracting.

The dome allows for ample seating but limits airflow to the exterior. We found walking around in the concourses/ramps to be extremely stuffy and smelly.

The exterior is plain and largely unremarkable, with the most eye-catching thing being a statue (or group of statues) called “The Audience.” I heard one person remark that they didn’t even realize that this was a stadium based on its facade – they thought it was an office building.

Skyline View

The CN Tower prominently looms on the first base side. The other visible buildings were mostly glass windowed businesses/apartments with many under construction.

Design Depiction of Team and City History

Flags hang above center field video board for notable championships and retired numbers.

Blue Jays Level of Excellence on the 500 level displays the names of notable players.

Player banners are displayed on the exterior and a few current player photos along the concourse.

There was very little along the concourse of historical events.

Functionality Including Ease of Getting Around and Accessing Main Area

The concourses on all the levels were pretty narrow and crowded. There were some sections on the 500 level that made you feel like you were in a prison. There were ramps and elevators to get to the upper levels. The ramps were fully enclosed and concrete, so pretty gloomy overall, but they are color-coded so you know what part of the park you’re in.

Scoreboard Visibility and Style

The scoreboard is located right in the middle of centerfield, and it’s one of the highlights of the ballpark. It’s vibrant and has large, very readable font size. There are minimal ads, which is nice. There are two small stat boards on either side which are a good addition. The pitch break – horizontal and vertical movement – is on a side scoreboard, and the first time we’ve seen this stat on a ballpark scoreboard.

Location

Vicinity to Fun Activities, Restaurants and Venues

It’s located right in downtown Toronto. Fans recommended Front Street, Kelly’s Landing, Jack Astors, Loose Moose, Moxies, Sneaky Dees (Emo Night), Steam Whistle, Amsterdam Brewhouse, Rec Room, and street meat food trucks. We stopped in at the Rec Room and Steam Whistle within the Round House Park train area. Both were very hopping. We also had fun climbing aboard a few trains.

Ease to Reach

Our Airbnb we stayed at was fortunately within walking distance. Driving in Toronto was rough, and the drivers were horrible. We drove in from Buffalo and traffic was pretty heavy for most of the 2+ hour commute on a Friday afternoon. Be sure to scope out your travel plans in advance and give yourself plenty of time to allow for traffic.

Parking Availability and Cost

Parking in Toronto is very difficult. We fortunately stayed at an Airbnb that included parking in a garage and were able to walk. Parking rates seemed to average around $40 near the ballpark.

Safety of Surrounding Area

We didn’t run into any safety issues while waking around the area.

Concessions

Food Quality and Originality

Blue Jays fans recommended the poutine hotdog, which seemed like the thing to try at a Canadian ballpark. Scott said it tasted like Thanksgiving, lol. It was definitely a uniquely Canadian experience.

We also tried the Oreo churro from Park Social. It was a chocolate churro topped with crushed Oreos and frosting, and was delectable.

Blue Jays fans recommended trying the Westjet jerk chicken and brisket nachos. We would have loved to try these but unfortunately were too full.

Beverage Quality and Variety

The ‘OK Blue Jays’ Rum Punch cocktail in a keepsake cup was pretty and quite refreshing; it wasn’t as sweet as a typical rum punch.

The local Mill St. Brewery Blue Wave tasted like a Kona Big Wave – light and a little hoppy.

Overall Value for the Money

There were multiple Dugout Deals concessions with cheap eats and drinks. https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/tickets/dugout-deal-menu

Amenities

Available Suites and Special Areas Included

The Outfield District was highly recommended by fans. There are hangout areas on the 100, 200, and 500 levels. The Westjet Flight Deck on 200 had a DJ, shuffle boards, and arcade games (including TMNT pinball), and was very lively. The Kids Play area on 200 had a free Marvel comic photo booth which was really fun. The Party Social on 500 had Xbox Series X consoles with MLB The Show (with the current game teams), Connect 4, cornhole, and swings. The Corona Rooftop patio bar on 500 had a live band and was hopping. The Stop and Catch Bar on 100 looked to have reasonably priced and appetizing food but wasn’t very popular. Several of the standup areas in the Outfield District were unfortunately closed off for private events.

Roger’s Landing was pretty busy.

The Score/Bet was a hitting competition.

Suites are on the 300/400 levels, which we assume we can’t access without tickets.

Family Friendly Activities

See above for Park Social and Westjet, which included kid friendly activities. There was a lot set up outside of the stadium for pre-game kids activities, such as toys and bounce houses.

Restroom Quantity and Quality

The restrooms were pretty typical. I did like that they were color-coded red for women and blue for men.

Seating Comfort (including leg space and ease to reach)

500 level seats are very steep with limited leg room. There’s a bar in front of each row which limits visibility. Scott only lasted here for 3 innings before his legs cramped. The 500 and 200 level seats didn’t have cup holders. In 200 the overhangs and audio aren’t great.

Team Store and Museum Inclusion and Quality

There was a long line to get into the team store as they limit entry. There were small storefronts throughout the stadium.

Culture

Overall Atmosphere (including music, sound and fan activities)

The sound system was very loud on the upper levels but not great inside the concrete insulated 200 level areas.

There was a different spin on the cap dance, where it was more of a memory match game.

They played “OK Blue Jays” before “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch.

Fan Enthusiasm and Friendliness

The stands were pretty full and a lot of cheering during great plays, especially during the 2 home runs. Not a lot of fans left in the late innings, despite the Blue Jays being down. Fans started the wave several times. They were all pretty friendly, and Scott didn’t get taunted in his Cleveland Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn jersey.

Integration of Franchise History in Game and Design

We didn’t notice a lot integrated into the game. Although we were walking around a lot and may have missed some stuff on the video board.

Mascot Involvement

The mascot is Ace, and we unfortunately didn’t see him during the game. Only saw him on the video board during the 7th inning stretch. We were walking around a lot so it’s possible we just missed him.

Celebration of Monumental Moments

Blue lights flash during home runs, which wasn’t very impressive. We didn’t notice much else.

Summary & Scoring

Date Visited: August 25, 2023
Game Played: Blue Jays 2, Guardians 5 – Boxscore
Design: – Dome with a retractable roof and looming view of CN Tower. Concourses left much to be desired.
Location: – In the heart of downtown Toronto, but that’s not necessarily a good thing if getting there is a nightmare. Nice surrounding area including the Round House Park train area with Rec Room and Steam Whistle.
Concessions: – Unique but mediocre poutine hotdog. Oreo churros were delicious. Loaded nachos looked good.
Amenities: – The Outfield District is a fun place to hang out, with social areas on 3 levels. Upper tier seats were extremely steep and uncomfortable, so splurge for 100- or 200-level seats.
Culture: – Lively fans but the team could do more to build the culture.
Overall: – The Rogers Centre, in the heart of downtown Toronto, has some nice views with the dome open and features a fun social area across the entire outfield. Other than that, there’s not much to get excited about.