Explore Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros
Welcome to Daikin Park, where baseball is played in air-conditioned comfort throughout the summer, the locomotive above left field is always on time and where the Astros have enjoyed one of baseball’s best homefield advantages in recent years.
Houston Astros
Established: 1962 (as the Colt .45s before becoming the Astros in 1965)
Division Name: American League West
Ballpark: Daikin Park (opened 2000)
Daikin Park
Ballpark location (via Google Maps)
Astros schedule
Astros roster
501 Crawford Street
Houston, TX 77002
Capacity: 41,592
Dimensions: Left field, 315 feet; center field, 399 feet; right field, 326 feet
Park factors (2024)
100 = league average
Runs: 106 | Homers: 116 | Hits: 102
The Astros left one of the most iconic and historic stadiums in baseball history -- the Astrodome, which was known to locals as the Eighth Wonder of the World -- after the 1999 season and moved to Daikin Park, a retractable-roof stadium that brought baseball to downtown Houston.
For the first time since the Astros became the first team to install an artificial playing surface inside the Astrodome in 1966 -- aka AstroTurf -- Major League Baseball was played on grass at Daikin Park. And the retractable roof, which is a wall of 50,000 square feet of glass that reveals the Houston skyline even when closed, meant the Astros could continue playing indoors.
Daikin Park, which opened as Enron Field in 2000 before eventually being christened Minute Maid Park from 2002-24, was built alongside Union Station, a former train station which opened in 1911 and remained active until 1974. The ballpark helped revitalize a forgotten building in a part of downtown Houston that had been neglected for decades.
Even as it approaches its 25th birthday, Daikin Park remains one of baseball’s best and most interesting ballparks and continues to glimmer in the Houston skyline.
Features
To keep the spirit of the original use of Union Station, which now houses the Astros team offices, a 19th century locomotive (circa 1860) and linked coal tender was installed on a track above the field. Weighing close to 50,000 pounds, the track runs 800 feet along the west side of the ballpark and remains one of Daikin Park’s most distinguishable features.
Another feature called Tal’s Hill, a sloped incline that was in play in center field, was removed after the 2016 season -- the year before the Astros captured their first World Series title. That season ushered in the Golden Era of Astros baseball, which included a World Series clinch at home against the Phillies in 2022.
The best seats in the house aren’t always the ones closest to home plate. The Crawford Boxes, named for the street that runs parallel to Daikin Park behind the seats, provide a unique vantage. The 315-foot distance down the left-field line is the shortest in baseball, meaning you could spill beer on the left fielder if you -- or he -- isn’t careful.
The seats are only 19 feet above the playing surface. The manual scoreboard was inspired by the Green Monster in Boston, though fans couldn’t sit atop the Green Monster in Fenway until the Crawford Boxes were already a popular seat at Daikin Park.
Concessions
Where to start? Walking around the stands at Daikin Park is like taking a culinary trip around the south, with no shortage of TexMex, Creole, seafood and barbecue choices. You can get loaded baked potatoes, chopped beef and turkey sandwiches, quesadillas and tacos, as well as sausage, loaded mac and cheese and pizza. Of course, there’s plenty of traditional ballpark fare like hot dogs, nachos, pretzels and cotton candy.
Among the name-brand restaurants within the ballpark are Killen’s BBQ (section 434), Pluckers Wing Bar (section 156), Shake Shack (Section 157) and Taqueria Arandas (sections 154, 42). There’s no shortage of bars, either, including St. Arnold’s Bar (section 104), El Tiempo Margarita Bar (section 156), Karbach Bar (section 405) and Hornitos Tequila Bar.
Mascot
Since his reincarnation in 2012 as the official mascot of the Astros, Orbit has become one of the most popular mascots in baseball. In fact, Orbit was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2024. With his quirky personality, vibrant green fur, and boundless energy, Orbit’s shenanigans involving unsuspecting fans and opposing players sets him apart from his peers.
Through the years, Orbit has had some light-hearted follies with Mike Trout, Chris Archer, Francisco Lindor and Adrian Beltre, while entertaining fans throughout the ballpark along the way. Orbit has starred in an ESPN commercial and was Major League Baseball’s Mascot of the Year in 2023.
Where to stay
Headed to the stadium and looking for a hotel nearby? Considering Daikin Park is in downtown Houston -- the fourth-largest city in the country – there are tons of options at different price ranges. The Westin on Texas Avenue is right across the street from Minute Maid Park and is as close as you can get. A few blocks away is the Marriott Marquis, which features a Texas-shaped lazy river on the roof and Biggio’s Sports Bar – named after Astros legend Craig Biggio.
Even the hotels that aren’t in downtown can be easily accessed from the ballpark by taking the Metro light rail, which has a stop outside the ballpark. From there, you’re a few stops away from the Rice University/Medical Center area, which has dozens of hotels.
Local attractions
Houston features world class museums, a thriving theater scene and restaurants, but is probably best known for being home to Johnson Space Center. Space Center Houston, an interactive exploration center that includes tours of Mission Control and retired space vehicles, is a can’t-miss attraction. So is The Galleria shopping mall, which is Texas’ largest shopping center and fourth-largest in the country.
The Museum District is home to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Natural Science and the Children’s Museum Houston. The downtown Aquarium has a restaurant and child-centric games and rides, such as a Ferris wheel and shark train ride.
Memorial Park is the one of the largest urban parks in the country and boasts walking and hiking trails, as well as one of the few municipal golf courses that hosts a PGA event with the Texas Children’s Houston Open (there are 36 golf courses in Houston, including nine public, eight municipal, and 19 private courses. There are also another 21 golf courses within 20 miles of Houston, including seven public, three municipal, and 11 private courses). Hermann Park sits near the world largest medical center and features the Houston Zoo. Not far from there is Rice Village, an area filled with shops and dining that sits next to Rice University.
If you venture out of downtown, the Kemah Boardwalk -- think a smaller version of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf -- features rides and restaurants. Fifty miles south of Houston is the island city of Galveston, which has beaches, tons of good restaurants, historic homes and boasts the historic downtown Strand district.
Food and drink
As one of the most diverse cities in the world, it’s no wonder Houston was once dubbed as the dining-out capital of the United States. Whatever kind of food your heart desires, the city of Houston can deliver (no pun intended).
Let’s start with barbecue, because this is Texas, after all. If you ask 10 different Houstonians for their recommendations for the best barbecue in Houston, you’re likely to get 10 different answers. Most will tell you to start with The Pit Room, Pinkerton’s Barbecue or Truth BBQ, all of which are within the city limits. You can’t go wrong with local chains such as Pappas Bar-B-Q and Goode Co. Barbecue, either.
Seafood is another hot topic of debate, and for good reason. There is great saltwater fishing all around Houston, which brings gulf shrimp and oysters, redfish, speckled trout, black drum and flounder. On the expensive end, there’s Willie G’s Seafood and Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, but you don’t have to break the bank to get good fish. Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and Landry’s Seafood House are popular local chains that are more affordable, along with Goode Company Seafood.
Head south to Galveston for some terrific on-the-water options in Gaido’s and Katie’s Seafood House.
When it comes to TexMex, this is where people get defensive about their food. Houston is loaded with great Mexican food, from the countless food trucks and taquerias to high-end options like Xochi, Caracol and Hugo’s. There’s tons of good local chains like El Tiempo Cantina, Chuy’s Tex-Mex, Lupe Tortilla and Pappasito’s, but no trip to Houston is complete without a trip to the original Ninfa’s on Navigation Blvd.
For burgers, try Stanton’s City Bites, Trill Burgers and Rodeo Goat in the city limits and The Spot in League City and Galveston, but good burgers are all around. Then there’s top-notch cajun/creole with Zydeco Louisiana Diner, Josephine’s, Ragin Cajun and BB’s Tex-Orleans.
Looking for many options in one place, check out Finn Hall, which has a solid variety of vendors, and Lyric Market, which includes a 7,500-square-foot deck, a communal plaza, a street-side patio, and a private event space on its outdoor rooftop terrace.
There are some terrific breweries in and around Houston, too, including Saint Arnold, Karbach, Spindletap, Eureka Heights Brew Co., True Anomaly Brewing Company and Galveston Bay Brewing.