- Location: Houston, Texas
- Address: 501 Crawford Street Houston, Texas 77002
- Capacity: 40,950
- Parking: Surface lots around Minute Maid Park are available
- Year Opened: November 1, 1997
- Occupants: Houston Astros
- Rules: No outside beverages or food; Designated smoking areas are provided.
The Houston Astros began their lives as an expansion team in 1960 and were initially dubbed the Houston Colt .45s. While the team's domed stadium was being built, owner Judge Roy Hofheinz commissioned the construction of a one-tier ballpark called Colt Stadium. The building proved to be one of the worst places to play in Major League Baseball, with temperatures regularly climbing into the mid-100s and constantly swarmed with mosquitoes. In 1965, the team changed their name to the Astros and became the first professional baseball team to play indoors at the Astrodome. The domed stadium would be a fixture in the Houston community for decades before the Astros moved into their current home, Minute Maid Park, in 2000.
After going through a few name changes, the Astros finally settled on the moniker Minute Maid Park in 2002 and the new ballpark was a boon for the downtown Houston area. Following the trend of building stadiums in an urban area, Minute Maid Park spawned plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops that have made the area a hotbed of activity on game days. The new ballpark also featured a retractable roof, one of the first of its kind in any professional sport. The $65 million roof can open and close in under 25 minutes and only uses $5 worth of energy to operate each time. With a built-in air conditioning system, Minute Maid Park can adjust to changing weather conditions to ensure a pleasurable fan experience.
Getting to Minute Maid Park is a stress-free experience whether a fan is driving or taking public transportation. Union Station is built into the ballpark, so attendees coming from all corners of Houston can reach the stadium by riding the rails. The Astros made public transportation a priority from the get-go, and this is seen in one of the park's most noticeable features, a replica of a 19th-century locomotive located on a track above left field. This pays homage to Houston's rich railroad history and was designed by the same company that constructed the ballpark's massive retractable roof.
Minute Maid Park Tickets
Minute Maid is a popular venue in Houston and the home stadium of the Houston Astros. Minute Maid Park has been the home venue for the Astros in the regular season, as well as, Astros playoff games including Astros World Series games. Minute Maid is also a popular concert venue and hosts a variety of other Houston events throughout the calendar year.