Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:333 West 35th Street
Chicago, Illinois
Our Sports Superfan Says:
While it may not have the history or reputation of its cross town counterpart, Wrigley Field, US Cellular Field is Chicago's venue for American League baseball, and is not a bad place to watch a game.
As the home of Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox since 1991, US Cellular Field (originally known as New Comiskey Park) has been almost constantly renovated in the last decade. The reason for this is that it was the first baseball-only stadium built after 1970, but was the last built before the recent new wave of modern ballparks. However, with the millions of dollars poured in over the years, US Cellular has almost caught up with the newer stadiums.
The greatest moment in the stadium's history came in 2005, when the White Sox won their first World Series since 1917, sweeping the Houston Astros in the championship round. In the playoffs that year, the White Sox lost only one game. US Cellular also hosted playoff games in 2000, as well as the 2003 All-Star Game. In 2004, it made history as the "home" of the Florida Marlins for two games, when they couldn't go to Miami because of Hurricane Ivan.
Currently, US Cellular Field holds 40,615 seats, and features a number of interesting quirks, mostly brought in by famous showman and former White Sox owner Bill Veeck and old Comiskey Park – the team's prior home. Most notable of these is the scoreboard which lights up and "explodes", with fireworks, colors, and sound. Also, out in the outfield, are what is called the Sox Showers, where fans can get a misty cooling off on those hot summer game days.
Two movies have been filmed at the field, as the park's non-unique look came in handy. It stood in for Yankee Stadium in "Little Big League" and for Dodger Stadium in "Rookie of the Year."
Tours of US Cellular Field are available for groups of 10 or more on Tuesday and Friday at 10:30 a.m. on game days, and at 10:30 and 1 p.m. on non-game days, with advance reservations required. The park, located on the south side of Chicago, in the Armour Square neighborhood, is accessible via mass transit on the CTA Red Line at the Sox/35th Street stop.