America’s best baseball stadiums

Every seat in PNC Park is a good one. Even the highest seat in this two-level ballpark (the only one in the MLB) is just 88 feet from the field. On game days, the Roberto Clemente Bridge closes to traffic, so that you can walk across it and take the adjoining riverwalk to the stadium.

In 2009, Citi Field opened with improved sightlines, a sunlit rotunda honoring Brooklyn slugger Jackie Robinson and gourmet ballpark food, including lobster rolls from James Beard Award-winning chef Dave Pasternack; ribs from Danny Meyer’s Blue Smoke; and Meat the Mets, a Creole chicken, pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage and jalapeno pizza by Two Boots. Wash it down with one of more than 60 beers, including local brews, and top off your meal with gourmet Coolhaus ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

In Miami, Marlins Park has two 450-gallon tanks featuring nearly 100 tropical fish, a South Beach party outpost complete with animal-print-body-painted dancers and celeb DJs spinning at each game and, of course, a pool. For more info on the Marlins, go to miami.marlins.mlb.com.

In Baltimore, Camden Yards is constructed over an old railroad station and what was once a cafe owned by Babe Ruth’s father. The stadium is largely credited with starting the leaguewide trend toward parks built with an eye toward integrating neighborhoods and serving regional cuisine. For more info on the Orioles, go to baltimore.orioles.mlb.com.

In 2000, AT&T Park in San Francisco won an award for best waterfront ballpark. Fans can also cheer about the wine list sourced from nearby vineyards. Just outside the stadium, fans can fish out long balls that splash into McCovey Cove just outside the stadium. Others scope out park attractions like the Coca-Cola Fan Lot, with its 26-foot-high-by-30-foot-wide baseball glove; four twisty slides; and Little Giants Park, a kid-size replica. No tickets? Head to the south side right field wall for a free glimpse of the action through one of the four portholes.

The park is over 100 years old with its original architecture, a hand-operated scoreboard and the red-painted seat in the right-field bleachers that marks Fenway’s longest measurable homer (hit by Ted Williams in 1946).

Kids score big at Comerica Park thanks to its 50-foot Ferris wheel and the tiger-clad carousel at the base of the food court; on Sundays, kids 14 and younger ride for free. Adults can enjoy the 1940s-style Cigar Bar of the Tiger Club, stocked with 20 cigar varieties and a baby grand. All ages will appreciate the Bellagio-like liquid fireworks — a synchronized light and music fountain that shoots water up 150 feet in the air through more than 900 nozzles to celebrate each home run. For more info on the Tigers, go to detroit.tigers.mlb.com.

The new Yankee Stadium honors pinstripe legends. Stop by Monument Park, relocated from the original ballpark across the street, to pay homage to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle. And treat yourself to Torrisi’s meatball Parm sandwich in the Great Hall between Gates 4 and 6.

Tailgating parties here rival those prior to NFL games. Come early because the line to the lot starts hours before the game. By the time you’re inside, you may be ready for round two: helpings of the stadium’s bratwursts, Polish sausages, chorizo and bacon-wrapped hot dogs. Rally for your favorite link in the Famous Racing Sausages sprinting extravaganza on the field. For more info on the Brewers, go to milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com.

Wrigley Field is built on holy ground — a former seminary, to be precise. The original scoreboard is still hand-operated, and the iconic ivy on the outfield wall grows so thick that balls can get lost in the foliage. Bill Murray and Ozzy Osbourne are among those who’ve seized the microphone for unconventional takes on “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” And of course, Wrigleyville is the place for excitement before and after games. For more info on the Cubs, go to chicago.cubs.mlb.com.

Come early for happy hour at the newly opened ‘Pen at Safeco Field, where you can get your fill of $5 beers and star chef Ethan Stowell’s oyster po’boys. Then settle into the stadium, which offers sunset views of the Puget Sound and Seattle skyline. Baseball-inspired works by Pacific Northwestern artists are on display, including a chandelier made from 1,000 resin baseball bats, located above the home-plate entryway. The 12-by-9-foot abstract bronze catcher’s mitt is a popular photo-op, as is the team mascot, the Mariner Moose, which can be found in the main concourse’s Moose Den.

You can’t go wrong with the seating at Petco Park, which has some of the best sightlines in baseball. You can even take a trolley to the stadium. Join families and couples for a picnic on the grassy area beyond the outfield wall before Sunday home games. Or time your visit for a Friday, when there are theme parties like ‘80s Night, Ultimate Cookout and Beerfest near the whiffle ball field. For more info on the Padres, go to sandiego.padres.mlb.com.

Thanks in part to a $250 million renovation finished in 2009, the sixth-oldest stadium in the majors now offers one of the sport’s best game-day experiences. The 84-foot-by-104-foot high-definition LED display screen is one of the world’s biggest and most unique: Together with the massive golden crown atop it, the screen forms the shape of the Royals logo. Waterfalls flow constantly behind the fence in right field, where powerful fountains create a majestic backdrop between innings and before and after games.