Is going to a Red Sox game worth it if you’re not a baseball fan?
 

I’ll be in Boston for just two days (August 17th through the 18th) while on a road trip. I’m planning to just get a taste of the city with a hop on hop off trolley tour, but I also noticed there’s a Red Sox game at 7 pm on the 17th that I’m kinda interested in. But, I’ve never been to a baseball game (I know they can be a little long) and I’m unsure if I wanna pay the price for an experience that isn’t actually up my alley. Especially since I could use that time to get to know Boston more. I’m not a sports person I just like the excitement of big crowds. Have non-sports fans enjoy a Red Sox game as a tourist? Should I go or no?

My advice would be to go to a sports bar that has good food and big screen TV's. When you tire of the game, finish your food and drink and go onward with your plans.

Fenway is worth the experience -- the street scene before the game is a carnival. But tickets can be a little pricey. We went in September and it was packed. Many games sell out -- we got tix on StubHub. The subway stops nearby -- not too hard to get to the game but pretty crowded afterward. There's so much else to see in Boston, though -- the history, the waterfront....

I would strongly recommend taking the tour of the park earlier in the day. It's quite interesting. Even my grandson, who is a huge Yankee fan and a huge hater of the Red Sox, thought the tour was great.

Red Sox
 

I've been a Sox fan for decades, and the experience of walking up the tunnel to the field is always a thrill. And since it's a night game, you won't be missing opportunities to sightsee. But, if you are not a baseball fan, you might want to just go over to Fenway before the game, enjoy the party atmosphere, eat the street food and watch the game from a bar.

just a few of the things you might want to see/do during your short visit....walk the Freedom Trail, take a Duck Boat tour, visit Fanuel Hall and the North End (little italy), walk through Boston Common, walk the waterfront, visit the exellent Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum and perhaps the Science Museum.

If you've never seen a major league ball park I would go for the experience. Just get a cheap seat if that is possible--most parks have left field/etc. seats. The scene and the beauty of a baseball diamond is worth it, IMO.
Not a baseball fan AT ALL but still remember this experience and the Boston venue is iconic.

I'm not a baseball fan, but I go to SF Giants games occasionally. It's always a fun time. I spend more time watching the crowd than the game.

"If you've never seen a major league ball park I would go for the experience. Just get a cheap seat if that is possible--most parks have left field/etc. seats"

Uh, right.

The "left field" seats in Fenway are among the most expensive because they are probably the most unique in baseball - they're atop the Green Mawnsta (in English, Monster), which is the 37+ foot high left field wall in Fenway. It is a baseball icon and the most well-known stadium feature in the game (deal with it, Cubs fans).

Fenway is tiny - it seats around 35,000 (they'll squeeze more in for big games, like whenever the greatest, most successful, and most iconic franchise in North American sports comes to play). It is green. It is old. It has rats that usually stay away during the games. It has a bunch of obstructed view seats in the infield because engineering practices in the 1910s did not conceive of overhanging balconies without large steel beams holding them up. And because the RedSawx will likely win 90+ games this year, it will often sell out or get real close, therefore the "cheap seats" won't be cheap.

Whatever else the old dump filled with the mentally questionable who cheer on the Red Sawx is, it's definitely an experience.

I would do it. The street outside the park has the best street party in baseball. The field and the stadium are beautiful and, as Gretchen says, iconic. I will be there this Sunday when it will be about 38 degrees and drizzle...lovely. August should be much nicer.
Get inexpensive seats and leave a little early if you want.
Here is the scene outside the park before the game:

Sorry - here you go.

Us, it won't let me post the link, sorry.

The 'problem' to me is your lack of time. I went to my 1st ever baseball game last summer here in Seattle and thought it was a hoot.

BUT if I was a tourist in a new-to-me city and only had 2 days to see things... no most definitely it would not make my list!

I would definitely go, but I'm a huge "want to get to all the stadiums before I die" baseball fan. Fenway - before, during and after the game - is the iconic baseball-in-america experience. It's the evening, so what would you be missing - eat at the game instead of in a restaurant.

I agree with Howard...if not a fan, take the tour.

((H))

This is an unanswerable question. What is worth it for one person may not be worth it for another. If I had two days in Boston, it would not be worth it to me to go to a Red Sox game. But then I have been to ballgames before so it wouldn't be a first time experience. Baseball games are long and, if you're not a fan of the sport, they can be pretty boring. If you stay for the entire game, that is your entire night. That being said, there is no requirement that you stay for the entire game if you get bored or had enough.

Thanks for the endorsement, maitaitom. I cannot overstate how great the tour is!

...and you can check out the view from The Green Monster.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a13d87f211.jpg

It would depend heavily on the price to me, and what else I could do with the money.

however, for what it’s worth, I think it’s a fun slice of Americana IF you won’t miss the money or the time. I am not a sports fan, but baseball is one of the few sports I enjoy for the crowd experience, especially if you’re going with family or friends.

Don't eat the lobster roll there.. I am a Phillies fan and love going to Fenway. Best park ever.

Game time is 7 pm. What other activities do you have planned that are doable at that time? If it was a midday game, I'd think twice but by 7 pm aren't most attractions closed for the day? So you are left to either walk around or go to dinner, or go to a baseball game.

Cheapest ticket available for that date is a $30 upper bleacher seat. I would not even bother sitting in your seat, just walk around the ballpark and soak in the atmosphere.