Unspecified/General

Famous for the ivy that covers its outfield walls and the hand-turned scoreboard above the bleachers, Wrigley Field is the historic home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team and one of the most cherished ballparks in America. Opened in 1914, it is the second-oldest major-league ballpark still in use, a beloved relic of an earlier age tucked into a residential neighbourhood on the city's North Side. The park predates its association with the Cubs, having been built for a team in a rival league before the Cubs moved in. It later took the name of the chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley, who owned the club, and over the decades it has retained the intimate, old-fashioned charm that newer stadiums struggle to replicate, with its brick walls, manually operated scoreboard and surrounding rooftops where fans watch from neighbouring buildings. Its quirks are part of its legend. The thick ivy on the outfield walls, planted in the 1930s, can swallow a ball in play; the wind off nearby Lake Michigan can turn a routine fly into a home run or knock one down; and the park was famously among the last in the majors to install lights, playing only day games until 1988. The neighbourhood around it, nicknamed Wrigleyville, throbs with bars and energy on game days. A designated landmark, the ballpark was carefully renovated in recent years while preserving its historic character. For visitors a Cubs game at Wrigley is a quintessential summer experience, with tickets sold by game and guided tours offered on non-game days. The park sits in the lively Wrigleyville neighbourhood, served directly by an elevated train station, and its blend of baseball, history and street-level festivity makes it a destination beyond the sport itself. The ivy-clad walls, the rooftop bleachers on neighbouring buildings and the wind blowing off the lake give the park a character no modern stadium can manufacture, and its decades as a daytime-only ballpark added to its old-fashioned romance. Today a Cubs game remains as much a social occasion as a sporting one, with the surrounding Wrigleyville streets spilling over with fans, making a visit a celebration of the game's deep roots in the city.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 1060 West Addison Street, Chicago, IL, United States

Website: https://www.mlb.com/cubs/ballpark

Capacity: 41649

Opening Date: 23/04/1914