Nationals Park Review

Last updated on October 16th, 2023 at 02:59 pm

Getting to the Game (4 out of 5)

My hotel was a four-minute walk to Nationals Park, so it was simple to get to the venue. However, the stadium sits very close to downtown DC, making getting to the stadium pretty straightforward, unlike FedEx Field, where the Washington Football team plays. From what I saw, driving in and out of the stadium seemed pretty easy, especially after the game.

 

Check out Nationals Park Parking to save money on your next visit! Below is a video of my experience at the game.

 

 

The Neighborhood (4 out of 5)

The area around Nationals Park is way different from when the park opened up in 2008. Tons of condos surround this stadium which is both a good and bad thing. The good thing is that this area is entirely modern and new, but the bad is that you can see that there are zoning signs all around the stadium to demolish neighborhoods. I guess that you will see more condos in the area in the upcoming years. While condos and restaurants are nice additions to the ballpark experience, I couldn’t help but think about the gentrification that was taking place.

 

However, the area directly behind the left-field is beautiful. You will find a few bars and restaurants to check out, which I look for when coming to a ballpark. There is an almost community feel outside the stadium since you will see some Washington Nationals flags and banners hanging from people’s homes.

 

 

The Park (5 out of 5)

Nationals Park is gorgeous. My favorite area is left field due to all of the standing room sections. Even the worst seat in the upper deck in the corner was not bad at all. 

 

My only minor complaint about the ballpark was home plate is blocked off for regular fans. I have the same problem with Citi Field and Citizens Bank Park, where they both have an exclusive club directly behind home plate. However, that was my only complaint of the venue.

 

Food (3.5 out of 5)

Nationals Park food at the game was a little better than average. I got a burger, dip and dots, and hot chicken at the game. I was running around the stadium to do this review, so I was so hungry. The game wasn’t crowded at all, so it was easy ordering food at the vendors at any time.

 

For a stadium this beautiful, I was a little surprised at the lack of exciting food options to eat. I sat in the club behind home plate in the second deck, and that area only had staple foods like burgers, pizza, hot dogs, and more. There was a sushi station in one place, but that was the only interesting thing.

 

The Atmosphere (4 out of 5)

For a game with 16k fans, I was surprised at how much fun the atmosphere was. Sure, I thought the “N-A-T-S, NATS, NATS, NATS WHOOOO” chant was corny, but the fans were really into this game, which is surprising since the Nationals in 2021 are awful. Even walking around the ballpark had a good amount of life and noise, but that could have been because people brought their dogs to the game.

The ushers at Nationals Park were also great. For example, I asked for a water around the seventh inning, and the staff gave it to me for free and tried to give me free food. I ate so much at the game that I couldn’t eat anymore, but what a lovely gesture!

However, one usher out in left field told three boys to leave because they did not have tickets there, which was odd. The game wasn’t close to being sold out, and there were plenty of seats in the bleachers, so that was weird. I wasn’t supposed to be there either, but I think I would be OK since my seats were in a club, and I wanted to catch the game at a different angle.

 

Repeat Value (5 out of 5)

In summary, Nationals Park was a blast to visit. The stadium is beautiful, it’s easy to drive to, the food is above average, and the atmosphere was great. As the game got into the ninth inning, I didn’t want to leave, even though the game was close to four hours at that point, and it was raining. Everything about the game and the night was perfect, so I highly recommend going back.

 

Final Verdict (4.25 out of 5)