Kauffman Stadium – Home of the Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals offer three different versions of their Kauffman Stadium ballpark tour. The schedule will vary now that we’re into the offseason but there is the basic, All-Star (90 minutes), and MVP (2 hours) tours.

The outfield features statues of Ewing and Muriel Kauffman, second baseman Frank White, manager Dick Howser, and Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett. The only way to see the statues is either on the tour or at a game. All of them are inside the stadium.

George Brett statue.
George Brett statue. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

My tour in particular was treated to a special treat because George Brett and Alex Gordon were driving golf balls from just behind home plate. It was because of a Royals Charities auction but we got in a good view from the Diamond Club. Gordon has a club while Brett is the one with a white hat and shorts just in front of the first-base side Royals logo.

Depending on the time, I highly recommend the MVP tour. If the Royals Hall of Fame piques your interest, consider nothing less than the All-Star tour.

Alex Gordon and George Brett
Alex Gordon and George Brett. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

From there we went up to the 400 level and took in a full view of what Kauffman Stadium has to offer. They have one of the more interesting video boards but that’s just because crowns are all over Kansas City.

Kauffman Stadium from the view level.
Kauffman Stadium from the view level. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

If you look closely at left field, you can see the retired numbers.

Kansas City Royals retired numbers.
Kansas City Royals retired numbers. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

We got to take in a view of what now is being called Geha Field at Arrowhead opposite the K at the Truman Sports Complex. The two stadiums share a parking lot and except for one time, they never play home games on the same date. The Kansas City infrastructure has a lot of room for improvement to it’s really impossible for both teams to play at home. Other cities have rapid transit that stop at or nearby the stadium but it’s something that is sorely lacking in Kansas City.

If you had attended a game prior to 2009, the stadium would have looked very different. They expanded the view level to where it goes out further. In short, we wouldn’t have been able to walk in some of the areas that we did because they didn’t extend that far out over 15 years ago.

Following the view level, we walked into the Joe McGuff Press Box. It’s very spacious and also serves as a lunch spot for Royals staffers.

View of Kauffman Stadium from the Joe McGuff Press Box.
View of Kauffman Stadium from the Joe McGuff Press Box. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

On the far end is where the guy managing the pitch clock sits.

An area of the Joe McGuff Press Box.
An area of the Joe McGuff Press Box. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

Ford Frick Award winner Denny Matthews calls games from this broadcast booth.

Radio broadcast booth.
Radio broadcast booth. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

The home clubhouses are almost always off limits so we got to go into the visitor’s clubhouse.

Visitor's Clubhouse
Visitor’s Clubhouse. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

We went into the interview room where I had some news to break.

Kauffman Stadium Interview Room
Interview Room. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

When did Dugout Suites start becoming a thing?

Dugout Suites
Dugout Suites. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

Is it really a ballpark tour without taking a photo in the dugout?

Danielle Solzman stands in the Kansas City Royals dugout at Kauffman Stadium.
Danielle Solzman stands in the Kansas City Royals dugout at Kauffman Stadium. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

We stopped inside the Triple Crown Suite which is adorned with names and photos of Triple Crown winners through the years. We subsequently took in a view from one of the suites. It’s just slightly higher than the Diamond Club view. While we didn’t go in, we did get a sneak peak at the owner’s suite.

George Brett Lounge
George Brett Lounge. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

We walked by the George Brett Lounge on the way to Craft and Draft. After that, it was off to the Royals Hall of Fame. In all honesty, it’s best to take in their Hall of Fame and museum during a ballgame. Time is very limited on tours and we were already running late.

A George Brett display at the Royals Hall of Fame.
A George Brett display at the Royals Hall of Fame. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.
A George Brett display at the Royals Hall of Fame.
A George Brett display at the Royals Hall of Fame. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

It’s nice to see that they’ve honored the late Buck O’Neil.

Buck O'Neil bust at the Royals Hall of Fame.
Buck O’Neil bust at the Royals Hall of Fame. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

We took in the view from the fountains while visiting the outfield.

View of Kauffman Stadium from the outfield.
View of Kauffman Stadium from the outfield. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.
Water Spectacular.
Water Spectacular. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

The outfield features statues of Ewing and Muriel Kauffman, second baseman Frank White, manager Dick Howser, and Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett. The only way to see the statues is either on the tour or at a game. All of them are inside the stadium.

George Brett statue.
George Brett statue. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

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Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.

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