Susie

Would an 8yr old English boy like to see a match at the SkyDome if we can get tickets while we are on holiday there?

Paul

In baseball it is called a game. Check http://www.bluejays.com to determine whether there is a baseball game during our visit. Or if he enjoys soccer maybe http://www.lynxsoccer.com/site.html if their schedule and yours permit. <BR> <BR>If anything it would be a unique experience that might never be repeated. Besides the Skydome is supposed to be something especially when it is closing. <BR> <BR>Have fun. I hope I will when I go there next week for my first major League ball games at 41 years of age.

Brian Kilgore

I was there a few weeks ago with a group of 6 - 7 year olds, boys and girls, and most were not very interested in the game. One mother was in her 30, raised in Holland but had lived in Canada for about ten years, and never seen a baseball game. It turns out, I learned as I tried to explain it to her, to be a very complicated game. <BR> <BR>You would be better off with an eight year old at the Ontario Science Centre, the Royal Ontario Museum, Centerville on toronto Island, and manyother places. <BR> <BR>But the child might like the SkyDome tour, which costs less and takes less time than a game, and is very interesting, even for kids. <BR> <BR>BAK

bennie

Just went to Skydome for the first time last week as a visitor to TO. I was struck by the difference in the experience of seeing baseball in this facility vs. my beloved Fenway Park in Boston. <BR> <BR>Fenway is very old (100 years). The seats are old and uncomfortable, the place has a bad odor, your choices of food are very limited, they don't sell beer in the stands, you can't park near the place and the bathrooms are disgusting. But it has a distinct "buzz" or excitement about each and every game. Its as much about people watching before and during the game. The local fans are knowlegible and passionate. The vendors are as much entertainment as the players on the field (have a bag of peanuts thrown at you from 2 sections away and you'll know what I mean). The Boston Red Sox are a great team with a storied past. You feel like you are really experiencing baseball. <BR> <BR>In contrast, SkyDome is new, clean, the seats are comfortable, the scoreboard is big and bright, there is plenty of selection for food, they serve beer in the stands. Very modern. But very antiseptic. The fans are dull and often sit in complete silence or clap politely when a run is scored. The scoreboard is filled with messages asking the fans to make noise. The fans are more interested in "KissCam" or the girls in skimpy outfits shooting t-shirts from a cannon than the game. They need sound effects to let the fans know when a strike is thrown or a foul ball hit. I love baseball and I was bored. <BR> <BR>I agree with Brian - take the tour and skip the game. Take the 8yr (if you get the chance)to Fenway Park or Wrigley Field in Chicago or Yankee Stadium in New York or Jacobs Field in Cleveland. These are parks where real baseball exists. <BR> <BR>But if you do decide to go, you won't have any trouble getting seats. The Blue Jays are not fairing well this season and the park is never sold out. Try to get the best seats you can (third base line, level 100 first 20 rows). You'll be in the thick of things and close to the action on the field. It will keep it more interesting for you. Avoid seats in the 200 or 300 level - it puts you too far from the action. The Blue Jays have an excellent website to check out.

Alexa

I have a 9 year old son, and we recently returned from a trip to Toronto. We went to all 4 Blue Jays vs. Red Sox games. <BR> <BR>Unless your 8 year old REALLY knows and loves baseball, he'll probably be bored. I agree with the other posters here, though, take the SkyDome tour! It is a lot of fun, and both of you will enjoy it. <BR> <BR>Another fun activity for children is a narrated Harbour tour. <BR> <BR>Bennie, once again you've hit the nail on the head! I'm also from Mass. (I believe we were at one of the same games!), and found SkyDome completely lacking in atmosphere. <BR> <BR>I think the special effects guys are a little too trigger-happy. Why the constant barrage of sound effects, and gimmicks? I felt like I was being treated like a 3 year-old with severe Attention Deficit Disorder!! <BR> <BR>You know something is wrong when the JumboTron has to plead with the crowd to: "Make Some Noise!" or my personal favorite "Make Some SERIOUS Noise!" <BR> <BR>Yes, SkyDome is beautiful and an engineering masterpiece (except for that hideous artificial turf), but it is completely lacking in atmosphere. <BR> <BR>Of course some of that may be because they can't give those tickets away these days (which they were literally doing the weekend I was there). It's a shame at how empty that place is. <BR> <BR>I disagree with you on the Fenway concessions, though. There's some pretty good food there--especially from OUTSIDE the park (those great sausage/peppers/onions guys!). Did you try any of the food at SkyDome? Everything I had there was nasty, nasty, nasty!

bennie

AlexA - Its a good thing there were lots of Red Sox fans at the game or there would have been no noise at all. We were there on July 2 when they won 16-4. <BR> <BR> Now that I think about it - we didn't like the food at SkyDome. The popcorn was too salty, and the hotdog buns had seeds on them (just my 8yr old hated this). <BR> <BR>I'm not a big saugage fan so I don't get the stuff outside Fenway - though it is a ritual for everyone else I know. Once you are inside you really are limited to hot dogs, beer, peanuts and sports bars. You could be adventurous and try Kowloon's Chinese food or the Legal Seafood chowder but I always thought of that stuff as for the tourists and novices. Its not Fenway unless you've had a)a saugage pepper and onions from outside or b) a hot dog inside. <BR> <BR>Do you think there is anyway the new park (if and when it is built) can avoid being the SkyDome? I'm afraid it will be like going from Boston Garden to the Fleet Center. Hopefully they will learn from that mistake. <BR> <BR>But the trip to Toronto was a huge hit with the family. Besides the ballgame we went to Niagara Falls, CN Tower, ROM, Canada's Wonderland (great park) and the TO Islands. Lots for a family to do. Great exchange rate. Reasonable drive from Mass. Highly recommend the trip to any Massachusetts/New England family looking for something besides the usual Disney trip or even a trip to the Cape or NH mountains.

Fairfax

It is really interesting to see the postings about the skydome. I am flying up from Baltimore the first weekend in August to watch the O's play the Blue Jays. Tickets in Baltimore are scarce since Cal announced his retirement, and I needed a weekend away, so I thought a roadtrip to watch an O's game would be cool. <BR> <BR>The B&B where I am staying told me that I could get top seats at Skydome for less than $20 USD and probably even better deals from the scalpers outside. (are there scalping rules?) <BR> <BR>Anyway, I can hardly wait to take this trip. I only wish that the O's were doing better (especially after the literal trainwreck that derailed them last week!). <BR>

Alex

I don't know what the Ontario rules on scalping are, but they must be pretty loose. You will see lots of scalpers, and they are not even the slightest bit discrete. However, they're "polite," not pushy at all. <BR> <BR>When I was there, the scalpers were selling tickets BELOW ticket price in a desperate attempt to unload them. As long as the Jays don't go on an incredible winning streak, I suspect that will not change. <BR> <BR>Don't worry about getting tickets. You will be able to get very good seats for a bargain price, either at the window or from a scalper. SkyDome doesn't sell out. One of the games that I attended only had about 34,000 people there, and that was their biggest crowd attendance since OPENING DAY!! <BR> <BR>Hope you have a great time, although you will soon see that SkyDome pales to REAL baseball parks. Especially since you're coming from one of the best in the land--Camden Yards!