No matter how good or bad our teams are (and they certainly can run the gamut between those extremes!), Cleveland is undeniably a die-hard sports town.
Cleveland has three professional sports teams, one of which is the Cleveland Guardians baseball team.
Cleveland has had a professional baseball team since 1901. The Guardians play in the American League (AL), and have won six AL pennants and two World Series titles (the World Series titles in 1920 and 1948).
The Guardians have gone through several name changes and played at 3 different stadiums throughout their history, currently playing at Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland at the iconic intersection of Carnegie and Ontario.
Whether you’re a lifelong Cleveland fan, a casual baseball watcher, or a visitor from out-of-town, there are plenty of things you should know about going to see a Cleveland Guardians game in person at Progressive Field.
This guide will cover everything to keep in mind if you want to come cheer on the Guards!
- Why go to a Cleveland Guardians game?
- Where to sit at Progressive Field
- Food and drinks at Progressive Field
- New Guardians mural
- What can I bring to a Cleveland Guardians game?
- Parking at Progressive Field
- Special events and ballpark days
- Are Guardians games good for kids?
- Pre-game and post-game logistics
- Hotels near Progressive Field
Why go to a Cleveland Guardians game?
Cleveland’s baseball team has a long tradition in this city; we’ve had a professional baseball team for more than a century, and that team has had several firsts in the MLB (like the first African American to play in the AL in Larry Doby, and the first Black manager in Frank Robinson in 1975).
And while the Guardians franchise only has two World Series wins under its belt, the team has made it to the World Series several times – most recently in 2016, when they lost in Game 7 to the Chicago Cubs.
After the Cubs’ World Series win in 2016, the Cleveland Guardians are now in the longest World Series win drought out of any team in the MLB – but that doesn’t mean they’re not good!
Going to see a baseball game in person is so different from watching it on TV. The excitement of being in Progressive Field just hits different, and it’s worth doing at least once or twice a season.
Where to sit at Progressive Field
Did you know that Progressive Field is actually the smallest ballpark in the MLB? Though it’s all relative, of course, since the stadium still has a capacity of 34,830.
When it comes to buying tickets for a Guardians game, you can purchase season tickets, a Six Pack with tickets to six games, or single game tickets.
There are premium seating options including suites, lounges, boxes, and club seats. These are obviously the most expensive seating options, running anywhere from $175 to $350+ per ticket.
In the regular seating areas, field-level seats are the next-most most expensive, but they offer the best views and the most comfort. You can expect to pay anywhere from $45-$100 for these seats.
If you’re looking to save money, sitting in the upper level or bleacher seats is more affordable. These seats can be as low as $10 to $15. But keep in mind that these seats may be exposed directly to the sun during daytime games, and that the bleacher seats don’t have seatbacks.
If you’re interested in attending many games at Progressive Field and don’t mind standing, you can also purchase the Guardians Ballpark Pass for $59 a month, which gets you standing room access to every regular season home game (that means you could conceivably go to 81 games for about $350!).
Standing Room Only tickets mean you’ll be watching the game from designated areas that include The Corner Bar, the left field and right field drink rails, the Home Run Porch, Heritage Plaza, and the new Terrace Garden and Terrace Hall in left field. (The official SRO sections are 107, 108, 117-125, 175-179, Terrace Garden, Terrace Hall and the Homerun Porch.)
And if you want to go to a game on a budget? Then you want to know about the District Ticket! This $20 ticket gets you Standing Room Only access to the game, plus one 12 oz domestic beer (for those age 21 and over) or bottled water/Pepsi product. A pretty good deal, honestly!
Which sections have netting?
If you’re looking to avoid a view obstructed by safety netting, you’ll want to avoid the following sections at Progressive Field: sections 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, and 174.
Food and drinks at Progressive Field
Enjoying food and drinks is half the fun at a baseball game, and Progressive Field has plenty of options to choose from. The stadium prides itself on offering food and drink options from lots of local vendors, including more than a dozen Cleveland-area restaurants and breweries.
Some of my favorite spots you can find in the Right Field District and Infield District of Progressive Field include:
- Happy Dog*: (Sections 169 and 107) Classic hot dogs with a twist
- STEAK*: (Section 159) Serving up steak sandwiches, beef tallow popcorn, and more
- 5 Star Bratwurst: (Section 150) Serving up tasty brats; try the Jackhammer this year
- Barrio*: (Multiple locations) Mouth-watering street tacos
- Fry Box*: (Section 119) Try the Good Company Spicy Thai Fries
- Ohio City Burrito*: (Section 163) Tasty burritos and other Mexican fare
- Momocho*: (Section 148) Tacos, quesadillas, and delicious nachos
- Dante’s Inferno*: (Section 128) Hand-crafted pizzas
- Sweet Moses*: (Section 446) Homemade ice cream and other sweets
There’s also a Gluten Free Stand in section 164!
And new for 2026 are two grab-and-go marketplaces (the Arcade Market in section 138, and The Landing between sections 162 and 164), which will have a broad selection of food and drinks that you can (hopefully) grab quickly.
The Terrace Hall (new in 2025) is basically a fancy beer hall with indoor and outdoor spaces to watch the game (with the Blue Moon Terrace Garden rooftop patio upstairs), plus local craft beers and some food specials.
There are also several different bar areas at Progressive Field:
- The Corner Bar: This 2-story bar in the Right Field District has 40 beers on tap, and even an open-air fire pit on the roofdeck.
- Fat Head’s Beer Garden*: Enjoy a craft beer and some pub grub at this outdoor beer garden inside the stadium near third base. (Fat Head’s is the official craft beer of the Cleveland Guardians.)
- The Brew Kettle*: Another place to grab a beer and some food during the game.
- La Cave du Vin*: Over by The Corner, Progressive Field now has a wine bar!
* Denotes a locally-owned spot!
And note: As of 2025, Progressive Field is a fully cashless venue. Accepted payment methods inside the ballpark are credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Guards Mobile Wallet.
Good to know: You ARE allowed to bring your own food and (non-alcoholic) drinks into Progressive Field, too! As long as you’re not sitting in a suite or other premium seating area, you can bring your own food and avoid the stadium concessions altogether. (No cans, glass, or insulated drink containers allowed though – basically you can bring in bottled water or juice boxes.)
New Guardians mural
New at Progressive Field for 2026 is a fun, interactive mural by local artist Lisa Quine. The mural allows you to “be” a Guardian of Traffic at either end of the mural; it’s so fun!
The mural is located near section 170 (not far from the Left Field Gate), and will likely be a popular photo stop this season.
What can I bring to a Cleveland Guardians game?
Speaking of things you can/can’t bring to a Guardians game, let’s talk about bag policies, and things you can/can’t bring.
The MLB does not have bag/item rules that are ss strict as, say, the NFL!
Progressive Field bag policy
For a Guardians baseball game, you can bring any bag as long as it does not exceed measurements of 16″x16″x8″ – which usually covers all purses, most tote bags, and even some small backpacks. Bags DO NOT have to be clear for Guardians games.
Your bag can be a cooler bag as long as it’s soft-sided and within the size limits. (But note it cannot be filled with canned drinks.)
Permitted and prohibited items
A few things you CAN bring to the game with you include:
- Food – literally any kind of food as long as you aren’t sitting in a suite or club
- Clear, plastic, factory sealed water bottles 20oz or less (one per person)
- Blankets
- Cameras and video cameras for personal use only
- Strollers
- Umbrellas (personal-sized, and they can only be used during rain delays when the field is covered by tarp – not during game play)
- Banners/signs as long as they don’t interfere with game play/other fans’ view and don’t contain any sticks or obscene messages
- Baseball mitts
- Binoculars
A few things you CANNOT BRING to Progressive Field include:
- Firearms and knives
- Outside alcohol of any kind
- Drugs, tobacco products (no smoking), and vapes
- Cans, glass, or insulated drink containers (no Stanleys, sorry!)
- Hard-sided coolers
- Tripods, selfie-sticks, monopods, and camera lenses larger than 100mm
- Aerosol cans (including spray-on sun screen)
- Face paint and headdresses that reference or appropriate American Indian culture
- Inflatable objects like beach balls
- Objects like brooms, nets, etc.
- Noise-making items like cow bells, air horns, whistles, etc.
- Laser pointers
- Skateboards or roller blades
- Pets of any kind (service animals are allowed)
Parking at Progressive Field
Reserved parking at Progressive Field in the Great Day Improvements Garage is very limited. It may be available as an add-on when purchasing your ticket, but don’t count on being able to park at the stadium itself.
Progressive Field is in downtown Cleveland, though, and there are many garages and surface lots within a block or two. These garages/lots fill up quickly on game days, and the “special event pricing” sometimes gets crazy! (Garage prices above $40 or even $60 are not uncommon, especially for popular games.)
You might have better luck reserving parking nearby using SpotHero. It’s a good idea to reserve your parking in advance to save up to 50% off drive-up prices.
If you’d prefer to use public transportation and skip downtown parking altogether, you can take the Red, Blue, or Green RTA light rail lines to Tower City Center and walk about five minutes to Progressive Field. Day passes for the RTA cost just $5, and most stations outside of downtown offer free parking! (Buy tickets right in the Transit app on your phone.)
Special events and ballpark days
Throughout the season, there are a number of special events and ballpark days that occur at Progressive Field that can enhance your gameday experience.
Some of these special events include:
- Dollar Dog Nights: Enjoy $1 hot dogs while supplies last; 2026 dates include May 29, June 12, 26 and 27; July 3, 17 and 31; August 14 and 28; September 19.
- Phantom Fireworks shows: An evening fireworks spectacular over Progressive Field; planned for May 15 and 29; June 12 and 26; July 3, 4, 17, and 31; August 1, 14, 15 and 28; September 19.
- Free Shirt Friday: Select Friday games, usually limited to the first 10,000 fans.
- $2 Pregame in the District: Enjoy discounted drinks before the game (most Fridays and Saturdays).
- Kids Fun Day: Exciting activities for the Guardians’ littlest fans, usually on select Sundays.
- Bark in the Park: Dog-friendly days; April 27, May 26, June 29, September 14
You can find a full schedule of events on the Guardian website.
The Guardians are also doing several “Theme Nights” throughout the season, where special tickets will include limited-edition promotional items and experiences (think: college nights, Star Wars night, etc.). You MUST purchase special Theme Night tickets in order to get the special promo items. More info here.
Are Guardians games good for kids?
Along with planned Kids Fun Days at the ballpark, and the chance to meet Slider and watch the hot dog races at every game, Progressive Field also offers special options for families with kids.
You can get kids game tickets (12 and under) for regular season games starting at $15 with the purchase of an adult ticket (max of 2 kids tickets per adult). These tickets are for the dedicated Family Deck, which is an area specially designed for families.
The Family Deck is home to the Kids Clubhouse, with interactive activities, play areas (including a two-story slide!), photo ops, and more.
(Family Value Packs of tickets are also available for Sunday-Thursday games. More info here.)
Parents and young children can also visit Fan Services (Section 153 in the Main Concourse and Section 550 of the Upper Concourse) to get a free ID wristband for games that will list the child’s name and seat location in case you get separated at all!
Pre-game and post-game logistics
Before the game
All gates open 1 hour prior to game time for Sunday through Thursday games, 1.5 hours prior to game time for Friday and Saturday games in April, May, and September, and 2 hours prior to first pitch for Friday and Saturday games from May 30-August 30.
If you want to have time to eat some food and browse the team shop before the game begins, it’s a good idea to arrive at least 20 minutes before the entrance time. This will give you time to park, walk to your entrance, and get through the ticket control and bag check, which can sometimes have long lines.
Progressive Field has the following entrances:
- Progressive Field Left Field Gate
- Progressive Field Right Field Gate
- Progressive Field Infield Gate
- Progressive Field Gate A
- Progressive Field Gate B
- Progressive Field Gate C
- Progressive Field Gate D
Depending on your seat, you’ll enter at one of these gates.
After the game
When it comes to post-game logistics, how long it takes to leave Progressive Field and how bad traffic will be if you’re driving can vary depending on the weather, game outcome, planned events, etc.
For a major losing game where people started to leave early, it won’t be difficult to get out of Progressive Field. But for close games or winning games, there may be a lot of congestion at the end of the game. Prepare for an extra 30 to 45 minutes when leaving.
If you’re looking for bars near Progressive Field where you can celebrate after the game, these are some popular nearby bars you can walk to that stay open late:
- The Clevelander Bar & Grill
- Thirsty Parrot
- Wild Eagle Saloon
- City Tap Cleveland
- Flannery’s Pub
Hotels near Progressive Field
If you’re coming from out of town or want to spend the night in Downtown Cleveland after a game, there are many hotels to choose from near Progressive Field.
Some of the best hotels near Progressive Field are:
- Hilton Garden Inn Cleveland Downtown
- Kimpton Schofield Hotel
- Metropolitan at the 9
- Residence Inn Cleveland Downtown
- Roost Cleveland (apartment-style hotel)
- Fidelity Hotel
- Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade
Each of these hotels is within a couple of blocks of Progressive Field so you can walk to and from the game in just a few minutes.
Will you be going to any Cleveland Guardians games this year?
Amanda was born and raised in northeast Ohio, and has always been a fangirl of her home state. Now, she’s sharing her love of the Cleveland area, highlighting all the best things to do, see, and eat in the CLE. She’s been running Cleveland Traveler since January 2019.
Please tell me the easiest and safest means of purchasing Guardian’s home game tickets at Progressive Field. It’s a nightmare trying to order tickets through Ticketmaster or StubHub. Any suggestions? Thanks. Paul
The easiest way might be to get the Ballpark app on your phone; you can buy tickets for individual MLB games right in the app once they go on sale (right now, none of the 2025 home games are on sale yet). Other than that, you could try the MLB website – though if I remember correctly, they eventually just route you through Ticketmaster, since that’s what the MLB uses to sell tickets.
Great tips in this post! I especially love the suggestion about arriving early to explore Progressive Field. Can’t wait for the next game!
My husband and I are following the Dodgers for 2 years and Cleveland is our first stop. We are celebrating our 49th anniversary this year and 50th next year. My husband is a Dodgers fan I am both Dodgers and Diamondback. Our home is Az.
Any advice about where to eat while there? And what to see. We love history of Cities we visit. Thanks
Feel free to have a poke around my site, as I have lots of articles! For history, you might like the Cleveland History Center, and I always highly recommend the Cleveland Museum of Art (which is free!). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is also very popular.
As for food, you can literally find anything in Cleveland! If you want to stick to downtown, E. 4th St has a bunch of good options (my faves are Cordelia for more upscale, Mabel’s BBQ for less fancy). Otherwise, I’d say head to Ohio City (visit West Side Market) or Tremont for lots of good restaurants.