Busch Stadium

Address:250 Stadium Plaza
St. Louis, Missouri

A beautiful venue, with one of the best fan bases in baseball, Busch Stadium is a must-visit for a sports fan in the Midwest. The third stadium to bear this name, the current home of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball opened in 2006, saw a World Series title in its opening season, and has garnered great praise from fans and team alike.

The first Busch Stadium was originally called Sportsman's Park, but was renamed in 1953. The team moved out in 1966 to a new Busch Stadium, adjacent to the current facility. In fact, the new Busch shares land with the old, with construction on this incarnation only able to be half completed until the previous version was torn down after the 2005 season.

In its relatively short history, Busch has already seen baseball's crowning event. After the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres and New York Mets in the National League playoffs, they were underdogs in the 2006 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. But after splitting the first pair of games in Detroit, the Cardinals returned home and swept the next three games, winning their 10th championship in franchise history, and the first in the inaugural season of their new home. By doing that, the Cardinals became the first team since the 1923 Yankees, and only the third in the history of baseball, to wrap up their first year in a ballpark with a World Title. Having already hosted the Fall Classic, the stadium is scheduled to host the Midsummer Classic, baseball's All-Star Game, in 2009.

Busch Stadium's configuration offers some spectacular views of the St. Louis skyline beyond the outfield walls, including a view of the famous Gateway Arch. The Cardinals are also constructing a "Ballpark Village," a commercial area, and a Cardinals hall of fame, to be located just outside Busch in the grounds formerly occupied by the previous Busch Stadium. Tours of the park are available daily, with schedules depending on the time of year and time of game. Private group tours are also available.

Located in downtown St. Louis, just a couple of blocks west of the Mississippi River, Busch Stadium is accessible via mass transit on the Metrolink light rail system at the Busch Stadium stop.