The Bay Area’s sports scene isn’t just about the Giants; it includes several major professional franchises. Check the local newspapers’ sports sections and team websites for daily listings of local events. Along with each teams’ website, www.tickets.com and www.stubhub.com are two good places to hunt for tickets.
AT&T Park -- If you’re a baseball fan, you’ll definitely want to schedule a visit to magnificent AT&T Park—home of the San Francisco Giants—which has been hailed by the media as one of the finest ballparks in America. From April through October, an often sellout crowd of 40,800 fans packs the $319-million ballpark; which has prime views of San Francisco Bay. Regular tickets can be expensive and hard to come by; bleacher seats and standing-room tickets are cheaper options. If you can’t get bleacher seats, you can always join the "knothole gang" at the Portwalk (located behind right field) to catch a free glimpse of the game through cutout portholes into the ballpark. In the spirit of sharing, Portwalk peekers are encouraged to take in only an inning or two before giving way to fellow fans.
One guaranteed way to get into the ballpark is to take a guided tour, going behind the scenes to see the press box, the dugout, the visitor’s clubhouse, a luxury suite, and more. All tours run daily (except most game days) at 10:30am and 12:30pm. Ticket prices are $22 adults, $17 seniors 55+, $12 for kids ages 3 to 12, and free for active military (with ID). To buy tickets online, log on to sfgiants.com, click on “AT&T Park” on the top banner, and then select “AT&T Park Tours.”
Major League Baseball
San Francisco’s National League team, the Giants (sfgiants.com) play at beautiful AT&T Park in the southeast corner of SoMa; buses 10, 30, 45, or 47 run there, as well as the N streetcar. The American League’s Oakland Athletics (athletics.mlb.com) play across the bay in Oakland at the Coliseum, reached via the Hegenberger Road exit from I-880. The stadium holds over 50,000 spectators and is accessible through BART’s Coliseum station.
Pro Basketball
For now, the Golden State Warriors (nba.com/warriors) play at the ORACLE Arena, a 19,200-seat facility at 7000 Coliseum Way in Oakland. In 2019 they plan to move to the Chase Center, currently under construction, which is located along the waterfront in the Mission Bay neighborhood close to AT&T Park. The season runs November through April, and most games start at 7:30pm.
Pro Football
The San Francisco 49ers (sf49ers.com) moved to their new Levis Stadium in Santa Clara in 2014, which is a bit of a nightmare to get to, not to mention park at (and at ridiculous prices to boot). Still, the August through December football season brings the fans south. Tickets are generally sold out, but are available at higher prices through ticket agents beforehand. For now, the 49ers’ arch enemies, the Oakland Raiders (raiders.com), play at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, off the I-880 freeway (Nimitz Freeway). But they’re slated to move to a brand new home and stadium in Vegas by 2020.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
