Visit Dates: July 25, 2018; April 13, 2025

What a difference seven years can make!  That was the thought constantly swirling through my head when I revisited Progressive Field in April of 2025, with my first trip coming in 2018.  In the past few offseasons, the Cleveland Guardians organization overhauled many aspects to get it back in the conversation of higher tier MLB stadiums.  When it opened as Jacobs Field in 1994, it was the very first retro-modern ballpark; like Camden Yards (retro-classic) two years before, it had the asymmetrical fences and a reduced upper deck with stepped tiers, but the exterior facade was steel rather than masonry.  The Jake was a huge hit with fans in those early years, selling out all 42,865 seats for 455 consecutive regular season games from 1995 to 2001.  The combination of the bells and whistles of a new stadium, one of the best teams in baseball during that stretch, and the Browns relocation/suspension of operations from 1996-1998 made this ballpark the place to be.

Whether you still call it Jacobs Field or The Jake like most Clevelanders or you stick with the proper Progressive Field, I think it’s easy to understand why the city fell in love with it.  Losing a beloved sports franchise is devastating for any community, but this ballpark and the fantastic teams it ushered in gave Cleveland fans something to root for when they needed it most.  I think the backdrop here with the city skyline is underrated amongst the baseball community, and this cohesiveness with the downtown and the fact that it’s within walking distance to countless hotels, restaurants, and bars proves that you don’t need a dedicated ballpark district to generate higher attendance.  I’ve enjoyed the energy in Cleveland when the Guardians are playing, whether it was a chilly Sunday afternoon or a weekday day game.  Knowing how much the fans care about their team, I was incredibly optimistic when I made my first trip to a game at Progressive.

Despite being an easy two hour drive from my home in Pittsburgh, I had never been to “The Mistake on the Lake” until July 25, 2018, when I joined my aunt and uncle to see our Pirates take on the (then) Indians.  Even though I had a lot of excitement going in, I was underwhelmed by the stadium.  Admittedly, I didn’t do a good enough job that day of wandering around on my own to take in all the nuances of the ballpark, but at that time, I was convinced that I would never make much progress towards my stadium chase.  My sole focus in the moment was to watch the game, especially since we had made the trip specifically so we could see our hometown team.  I regret not making more of an effort to take a couple laps, but I’m not sure it would’ve changed my overall opinion all that much.  And that’s because, at that point in time, Progressive Field featured my absolute least favorite feature across all 30 ballparks, an abomination and eyesore so hideous that I couldn’t help but base much of my opinion off of it.

That, of course, was the shipping containers in the upper deck in right field.  I truly don’t understand what the team was thinking with these.  With declining attendance, they felt that stripping out ten sections of seats and replacing them with these towering platforms were the way to attract fans to this area, touting them as a group hangout, standing-room space.  But the green and off-white color scheme mixed with advertisements, pennants, and retired numbers made them stand out to the point of distraction.  And rarely was anyone using them!  I just can’t fathom making such an ugly, boneheaded addition to an otherwise visually interesting ballpark, and yet they kept these shipping containers around for nearly a decade.  These lasted in the upper deck from the start of 2015 until Opening Day 2024, when they were mercifully replaced with the Pennant District, which I’ll discuss later.  It felt a little wrong to me that I was placing The Jake so low on my ballpark rankings specifically for this one feature when I otherwise didn’t find much fault with the stadium, but I truly despised them that much.  I don’t mean to be so negative, but I can’t think of any feature in any stadium I’ve disliked more than this.

So after a lackluster first visit to Cleveland where I did a poor job of taking in the full stadium experience, I knew I had to make it back up for another game.  Since Martha had never been there herself, I figured the renovations that took place over the past couple seasons provided us with a good excuse to check it out.  And I’m so happy we did.

Before we entered the ballpark through the left field gate, we took a lap around the outside to take it all in.  As I said previously, I thought it was well-integrated with its surroundings.  I loved that it shares a patio with Rocket Arena out in left, has a spacious entry into Heritage Plaza out in right-center, and that the Hope Memorial Bridge and its Guardians of Traffic sculptures for which the team was renamed is directly across from the home plate gate.  Upon entering, it was obvious that some serious facelifts had been completed, some of which had just opened prior to our visit in early 2025.

Terrace Hall, which we accessed via an escalator close to our entry point, was the newest offering at Progressive Field, and it also served as our first stop on our journey.  And just like that, it quickly became one of my favorite ballpark features I’ve experienced!  As part of the larger, three-level Terrace District, this food and beer hall was like nothing I’d ever seen at a baseball stadium before.  The interior space had kiosks to order food and drinks, which you would then pick up at various counters around the room.  There were large picnic tables to sit at, which were big enough to hold multiple groups should it become busy and you needed to share a table.  On either side of the bar were doors that led to a covered outdoor patio with more picnic tables, as well as chairs along a railing overlooking left field.  These seats, which are first-come, first-serve, were extremely popular, with fans rushing in to claim them almost immediately.  To eat, we shared chicken bacon ranch french fries and a corned beef egg roll, both of which were delicious.  The Terrace Hall was a phenomenal start to our visit, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a unique pre-game experience in Cleveland.  Honestly, if you can get to the seats along the rail fast enough, this would be an awesome spot to spend the entire game.  And if the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can easily slip back inside.

On the lower level of the Terrace District is the KeyBank North Coast Social, which replaced the previously enclosed Terrace Club with open-air box seating, heated couches and chairs, and an indoor lounge.  These 20 boxes are meant for groups of 5-12 people, and they definitely came across as rather luxurious for baseball standards.  Meanwhile, the third floor of the Terrace District is home to the Terrace Garden, a rooftop patio with concession and drink offerings that overlooks left field and beyond.  I felt that this entire corner of the stadium, from top to bottom, was so impressive.  It goes to show that you don’t have to completely rebuild a ballpark from the ground up in order for it to compete with the most modern amenities.  The Guardians listened to their fans and introduced a space that is fresh, inviting, and fun while still highlighting the game on the field, rather than distracting from it.  I would love to see this entire concept implemented at more venues in the future.

The remainder of the upper deck concourse is, for the most part, pretty standard.  Which is to say that it’s rather barebones.  On both trips I’ve made here, the concession stands further down the foul lines remained closed due to lack of crowds, which isn’t uncommon for other ballparks either.  Still, just like on a city street, it feels a lot less inviting when you’re walking around and so many things are shuttered around you.  However, the seats up on this level are actually worthwhile, keeping you relatively close to the action with great sightlines of the city in the background.  I think it was a nice touch to add the red “C” to the upper deck behind home plate when they switched all the seats from green to blue.

Our long national nightmare is over.  As previously mentioned, the upper deck in right field received a major facelift in 2024, reopening as the Pennant District.  Ripping out much of the seating, this area has been transformed into an open-air terrace space dedicated to group outings.  There is an all-you-can-eat buffet, high top tables, more of the picnic tables, and regular stadium chairs.  While I think the awnings both here and in the Terrace Garden are not super seamless with the rest of the stadium (even though they’re more or less the same look as the upper deck roofs) and that the open concept takes some getting used to, I appreciate that these two spaces share similar design elements as they bookend the upper deck.  Even if no one were to use the Pennant District, it would still represent a significant improvement over what once occupied that space.  Although, literally anything would’ve sufficed.

I think the lower level of Progressive Field is well executed.  The concourses are huge, with plenty of space to move around and feel comfortable.  You can still see the field as you walk along the baselines, and some of the large concession options are even located directly behind the seats (rather than having to walk across the concourse) so you can watch the game a lot more easily while you wait in line.  Of the stadiums we’ve visited so far, this felt pretty unique to Cleveland.

One day, I’d love to sit in their Dugout Suites, which are located on field level between the two dugouts.  I’m sure they cost an arm and a leg, but ever since I saw them on television when I was a kid, I knew I wanted to check out that view.  Anyways, that’s probably not in the cards.  Continuing along the lower level, there are food/drink standing-room rails directly behind home plate and in both outfield corners, which were a nice touch as well.  Once again, this emphasizes their desire to create plenty of social spaces for people to hang out while taking in the game.

The 2015 renovations that introduced the shipping crates weren’t entirely negative.  At that point, most of right field was redone, shrinking some of the capacity, shifting the bullpens, and introducing the Corner Bar, a two-story climate controlled space.  The Kids Clubhouse was expanded at that point as well.  While we didn’t take advantage of either of these offerings, I’ve heard nothing but positive things about both, as well as the larger Family District.

When Martha and I visited Progressive in 2025, I decided to get us seats in the front row in left center.  We were seated above the “Little Green Monster”, a 19-foot high wall that stretches the entirety of left field.  Sometimes, outfield seating can be a little hit or miss to me since I feel a bit far from the action at times, but I loved this view.  We had a great vantage point for the Hot Dog Derby and caught a ball thrown to us by Guardians outfielder Angel Martinez.  The seats out in left are bleachers, so if that would bother you, I wouldn’t recommend sitting here.  Plus you have to crane your neck to see the scoreboard behind you and you lose out on the city skyline.  The concourse under these stands was a bit dreary as well compared to the rest of the park.

I’ve always appreciated the use of trees for the batter’s eye, and in my opinion, this is one of the best in the majors.  I know that this is a pretty minor thing to be passionate about, but it’s really sharp and helps center field visually pop.  The tiered bullpens are awesome as well, providing fans with one of the more intimate experiences in baseball.  I thought it was especially cool that there are three rows of seats out in right center directly in front of the bullpen, giving those fans opportunities to turn and face the pitchers warming up when not watching the action on the field.  I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight Heritage Plaza and Heritage Park, a beautiful, multi-level space dedicated to preserving the legacy of Cleveland’s former stars.  In the center of the circular space is a statue of hall of famer Frank Robinson, who became the first Black manager in MLB history with the Indians in 1974.

Much to their credit, the Guardians have continually reinvested back into this ballpark time and time again.  They haven’t been afraid to innovate.  When crowds got smaller, they were willing to take out seats, create more social areas, and focus on the fan experience.  And when that initial renovation wasn’t a slam dunk in some aspects, they were willing to adapt again.  What we have today is a much smaller ballpark with a capacity of only 34,820, but it’s perfect for Cleveland.  The Jacobs Field name lives on in the vernacular for so many fans, not because they dislike change, but because the initial years of the ballpark brought on so many fond memories that they wish to preserve forever.

With these added changes, new fans have even more reasons to fall in love with Progressive Field.  I recognize that some people just go to games to hang out, not because they plan on watching, and there are so many great spaces to do that!  But if you are truly there for the baseball, then you’ll have an equally fun time.  I’m not sure I would go as far to call these a top ten stadium, but with all the recent renovations, I think it might be close.  Here’s hoping that The Jake continues to live on for decades.  I’m so glad I made this trip up to Cleveland to re-evaluate, and I’m sure there are plenty more visits in my future.

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Thank you for reading the 12th entry in our MLB Stadium Tour series on Small World Travel Blog.  Please consider subscribing for more content like this!  Do you think the newest renovations at Progressive Field were well-executed, or does more need to be done?  What are your thoughts on ballparks that have started to place more emphasis on social spaces within the stadium?  Let us know in the comments, along with which ballpark you would like us to review next!