Petco Park Standard Pregame Tour Review: Is It Worth It?
If you're looking to make your Padres game day experience even more memorable, the Petco Park Standard Pregame Tour is one of the best upgrades available. This 90-minute experience gives fans early access to the ballpark, a behind-the-scenes tour of Petco Park, and the chance to watch Padres batting practice before most fans enter the stadium.
I’ve taken the Daily Tour on a non-game day, and wanted to see how it compares to Standard Pregame Tour, including how much the tours overlap and what makes each unique.
Below, I share my full review of the Standard Pregame Tour, including what to know before booking, what’s included on the tour, and if it’s worth the extra cost.
petco park standard pregame tour review
The Standard Pregame Tour is a game-day experience that combines a guided stadium tour with batting practice viewing.
Unlike the standard non-game-day tour (see my Daily Tour Review of that tour for more info), you'll be visiting while the stadium is actively preparing for first pitch. That means you get to experience the excitement of game day while also learning about the history of the Padres and Petco Park.
quick facts
The Petco Park Standard Pregame Tour lasts about 90 minutes and combines a guided tour of the ballpark with exclusive early access before a Padres game. You get to explore areas of the stadium (some of which are quite exclusive) while learning about Petco Park's history, as well as fun facts about the Padres and city of San Diego.
Following the tour, you are escorted to a designated viewing area to watch Padres batting practice, although this part is not guaranteed and subject to change.
A few more things to know before booking:
A separate game ticket is required and is not included with the tour purchase.
You need to buy your game ticket ahead of time and have it ready to go at the time of check-in; they scan both your game and tour ticket prior to the tour starting.
You will receive early access to Petco Park before the general public enters; not every food vendor is open, so it’s ideally to explore Gallagher Square.
Tours typically begin at the Gaslamp Gate (next to the Team Store).
Wear comfortable walking shoes, as you'll be moving throughout various areas of the stadium (including up ramps and down staircases).
booking tips and check-in process
I recommend booking your Pregame Tour ticket ahead of time as they tend to sell out. You also need to buy a game ticket and because of how often Petco Park sells out, I recommend buying your game ticket ahead of time, too. Both tickets are scanned at the beginning of tour, so have them ready to go.
Arrive at the Gaslamp Gate (next to the Team Store) about 15 minutes prior to the tour start time so that you can check-in and get through security. Arriving early gives you a chance to explore the Padres Hall of Fame, something I didn’t get to see on the non-game day tour.
Keep in mind that when the tour ends, you are allowed to stay in the stadium before the game starts (they call it early access, but most of the food stands don’t open until 90 minutes before first pitch). I brought my jacket with me (night games can be cold) so I wouldn’t have to go back to the car between the tour and game start. You have the time to do so if needed, but it seemed inconvenient to me.
Our tour had 18 people on it, which felt like a good size. Any more and it may have been a little crowded, though the tour guide does wear a mic so everyone can hear. I will say, our guide had us all fit in one elevator to start the tour, and that was a tight squeeze! Haha.
what we saw during the tour
The Standard Pregame Tour provided lots of information about the history of Petco Park as well as the Padres and San Diego in general. Some of the areas we explored include:
Western Metal Supply Building (rooftop seats and walked through the Budweiser loft)
One of the VIP suites
Outside concourse area, going into the architecture and design of Petco Park
Hat wall (Section 104), which features mini replica caps for all CIF San Diego and Imperial County high schools, plus screens to look up who from that team has made it pro.
Terrace VIP tables directly below the Press Box (Don Orsillo waved hi haha)
Breitbard Hall of Fame
Dedication tiles outside of the Hall of Fame
Inside one of the Western Metal Supply suites - this isn’t guaranteed, but our tour guide rushed us a little to make time for it.
Outfield for batting practice
behind-the-scenes areas
Two of the main sections we saw during the Standard Pregame Tour that were not part of my Daily Tour experience were the Terrace VIP section and inside one of the Western Metal Supply suites.
Both of these had incredible views and are areas you don’t often get to see or explore (unless you buy tickets to sit there), so that was one of the more exclusive aspects of the tour.
As true with all Petco Park tours, game-day tours can vary depending on ballpark operations and availability. Even though we could see staff setting up for the game, we still saw quite a bit of Petco!
watching padres batting practice
Batting practice is arguably the main reason most people book the Standard Pregame tour.
After the behind-the-scenes aspect of our tour finished, we were led to the outfield viewing area to watch Padres batting practice and a few pregame warm-ups. There were about 40 season ticket holders with us but in a different, closed-off section. This happens about 6-10 times a season, according to what my tour guide said.
Watching batting practice is not guaranteed, and I think that the experience varies widely depending on who the Padres are playing that day and how they’re doing overall. I took the tour during a slump when the Padres weren’t really hitting well or winning, so they seemed very locked in and focused during practice. You were very much watching them practice; they were not there to entertain or socialize like they sometimes do during spring training, for example.
We sat in the sun during practice, so make sure to wear sunscreen and bring a hat/ sunglasses!
can you get baseballs or autographs?
Maybe, but nothing is guaranteed. The kids on our tour brought their gloves and a few caught balls, but they were toss-ups from staff/ assistants, not hit balls.
Again, the Padres were focused on prepping for the game so they didn’t walk over at any point.
what makes the pregame tour different from the regular daily tour?
Part of why I booked both the Pregame Tour as well as the non-game day Daily Tour was to see how they compared to each other, and whether the Pregame tour was worth the extra $78.50. Here’s how they compare:
standard daily tour
Pros:
More behind-the-scenes access, including ultra-exclusive areas like the Press Box, Home Plate Club, and Visitor Dugout.
Doesn't require a game ticket
Fairly priced ($42.50)
Cheaper than the Standard Pregame Tour and a better value overall
Entertaining and informative
10% off the Padres Team Store after the tour
Cons:
Don’t watch batting practice
Have to return later for the game, and you won’t get early access to the stadium on a game day
standard pregame tour
Pros:
Batting practice viewing
Early ballpark access
Get to watch the game afterward
More of a game-day atmosphere
10% off the Padres Team Store after the tour
Cons:
Some areas may be unavailable due to game-day operations
Honestly, my tour guide was not the best (more on that below)
Expensive ($121)
Definitely felt a little overpriced, especially compared to how thorough the Daily Tour was
Choosing which tour you want to take depends on what you want to see. If you’re all about pregame prep and watching batting practice, opt for the Standard Pregame Tour. If you want to learn about Petco Park and see exclusive areas like the Press Box, the Daily Tour was much better.
is the standard pregame tour worth it?
The main selling point of the Standard Pregame Tour is the option to watch batting practice, though it isn’t guaranteed. I also think the vibe of the practice depends on how the Padres are doing, to be honest. As far as the behind-the-scenes and guided tour aspect, that really depends on your tour guide. I loved my Daily Tour experience; the guide was friendly, informative, and we also got to see a lot more of the stadium than we did on the Pregame Tour (like the Home Plate Club and inside the Press Box section).
My tour guide for the Standard Pregame Tour was just okay. She was fun and shared great stories, but as she warned us, she walks fast and talks fast and that made the tour feel rushed and disjointed. She would get herself to Location A and start talking, instead of waiting for the whole group to get there. Obviously it is the responsibility of the guests on the tour to keep up, but because I took both the Pregame and Daily Tours, I could see where information was glazed over or skipped, and the quality of the tour was overall not as good as the Daily Tour.
Part of why our tour guide rushed us was to be able to show us inside one of the Western Metal Supply suites, and we were able to hang out and take in the view for a few minutes. But overall, the pacing wasn’t amazing and I didn’t find the tour to be worth $121.50.
yes, if you:
Want to maximize your game-day experience
Are visiting Petco Park for the first time
Want to watch batting practice
maybe it skip if you:
Have already taken another Petco Park tour
Want a true behind-the-scenes tour
Want to see exclusive areas like the Press Box and visitor dugout
Prefer spending the extra money on food, drinks, or upgraded seats
Don’t want a long day (check in for tour was at 2:45 and the game ended around 9:30).
tips for taking the petco park standard pregame tour
Arrive early. Factor in time for parking, walking to the stadium, and getting checked-in.
Bring your game ticket, as that is scanned at the beginning of the Pregame Tour.
Wear comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. We were in the hot sun for batting practice, so I brought a jacket for the game since the temperature cools down once the sun sets.
Bring a glove if you want, for batting practice.
Have your camera ready. Some of the best, crowd-free stadium photo opportunities happen during the tour.
The Petco Park Standard Pregame Tour is one of the easiest ways to elevate a Padres game experience and make it an all-day event. Between the behind-the-scenes access, learning more about the ballpark, and watching batting practice before the crowds arrive, it offers an experience most fans never get to see.
If you are unsure if you should book it, I recommend it if you want to see batting practice or if it’s your first visit to Petco Park. However, if you are on a budget and don’t really care about Petco Park history, you may prefer to put that money towards upgraded seats, food, and drinks.
