If you are a sports fan then Long Island has some great stadium tours available for you. If you are a baseball fan then the Yankee Stadium and the the Mets’ Citi Stadium are both stadiums that you will want to put on your tour schedule. If you are a tennis fan you will want to take a stop by the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center where the US Open is held each year.
The new Yankee Stadium was completed in 2009. They offer a Classic Tour that lasts for about an hour. In this tour you get to visit the New Your Yankees Museum, the dugout and Monument Park. During off season or when the team is on the road you can also visit the clubhouse/batting cage area.
For an additional fee you can add lunch to the tour at nearby places like the Hard Rock Café. If you are looking for a special treat you can take a Twighlight Tour complete with steak dinner. If you have a larger group, group discounts are available.
Yankee Stadium seats approximately 51,000 fans and includes 56 suites within the ball park. Monument Park features plaques and monuments dedicated to distinguished Yankees as well as Yankees’ retired numbers. You will also want to see the “ball wall” that contains many autographed balls from famous players including one by Babe Ruth.
Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets, isn’t technically on Long Island but is very close by. Citi Field replaced Shea Stadium in 2009 as the new home of the Mets. It has all the modern amenities that you would come to expect from a new professional ball park.
With a seating capacity of 42,000 it is slightly smaller than Yankee Stadium. The rotunda at the entrance is named after Jackie Robinson he Brooklyn Dodgers legend and has images defining his values. There is also an 8 foot sculpture of Robinson’s number 42.
While you are at Citi field you will want to hop across the street and visit the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The facility boasts 22 courts inside the facility with and additional 11 in the adjoining park. Home to the US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament each year Arthur Ashe Stadium within the complex is one of the largest capacity tennis stadia in the world. It has 22,547 seats and 90 luxury suites.
There are many smaller stadiums located throughout Long Island. Make sure to plan some stadium tours into your schedule when you are visiting Long Island.
