There are a couple hotels located very close to the Sports Complex that houses Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium, including the Drury Inn...but the best -- especially for families -- is The Holiday Inn Coco Key Resort, which is so close to Kauffman Stadium you can see the hotel from the inside the ballpark (and vice versa). The hotel has an indoor water park located on the premises, as well as a full service restaurant and bar, and offers a convenient shuttle to and from the game (free for guests). Although pricing for all hotels over All-Star weekend is elevated, using this link you can
get $20 off with 3 night booking
. But don't just take our word for it, there are plenty of reviews of this hotel (and others) on
Hotels.com
.
View of Sports Complex from Holiday Inn
The Holiday Inn sits beyond Right-Center Field
The best view, by far, will be in the first couple rows around home plate and the dugouts...
"Dugout Box" seats. The American League will be in the 1st base dugout (usually occupied by the Royals), and the National League will occupy the 3rd base dugout. Although these tickets are relatively affordable and available for Royals games, they will be very expensive for the All-Star Game.
Dugout Box 131 - Best Seating
If these seats are too rich for you, don't worry - most seats at Kauffman Stadium offer a great view. Field Box
Sections 216-239 (on the first level) offer a great view (as shown below) at a more reasonable price. For All-Star Sunday events (Futures game, Celebrity Softball), you may want to pick sections on the 3rd base/left field side to avoid the sun as much as possible - Sections 216-225. For the All-Star Game, we've seen tickets for about $1000 each so far, but we expect this to drop as the game draws near.
Section 216 - Great View at moderate price!
There are 2 ways you can consider "value" for the All-Star Game. First, getting a great view for a fraction of price you would expect to pay. In this sense,
Field Plaza Sections 212-215 and 240-243 fit the bill, as these sections are adjacent to the Field Box sections described above. The Field Plaza sections offer as nearly as great a view, but at about 30% off the price you'd pay for the Field Box.
Some may think of "value" as "cheapest seats". Fair enough. If you're looking to get into the All-Star game for the minimum possible price, you will either need to get Standing Room Only or be sitting in the upper bowl, Hyvee Outfield Sections
401-407 or 433-439. Standing Room only tickets are going for just under $300, and get you in this beautiful ballpark and allow you to to walk around the wide concourse, see the fountains up close, and visit the many beer stands. If you must have a seat, the view from Hyvee Outfield Sections is adequate, with the lowest price tickets running about $350 each on
Vivid Seats
. Although the picture below is outdated a bit, it gives you a feel for the perspective in these sections.
Kauffman Stadium - Section 403 Seating View
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As you'd expect, outfield seats are the most popular for the Home Run Derby, as everyone is trying to get that free souvenir. With the large concourses around the outfield at "the K", we expect many people to hang out up there just in case someone REALLY gets a hold of one. Anything can happen in the Derby, and Kauffman Stadium did host 4 of the top 50 longest homeruns in 2011 (only Coors Field and Chase Field surrendered more), but note that the concourses are a good 500 feet away from the plate, and most of the best-hit homers during the derby will travel no more than 450 ft (with most falling in under 400 ft). Still, the concourses will provide a great vantage point to the Derby - just be sure to get there early and don't expect to leave with a ball.
Sounds obvious, but those with actual tickets in the outfield sections will have the best chance at getting a ball. Most outfield box tickets will go for around $1000 or more, but we have found some in Section 148 (right by the Right Field foul pole for as little as $600 on
Ticket Network
.
We recommmend looking for tickets in right field, rather than left field, as there are more seats in
Right Field Outfield Box sections 148-152 and 248-252. Outfield Box Sections 101-103 in Left Field are quite small and the fountains around this area are big...meaning the fountains will probably catch a number of balls that would otherwise be available to fans.
The ideal seats would be in Section 152, which is right above the National League bullpen. In addition to offering an opportunity for balls tossed up to fans from the bullpen, Section 152 is an end section that could allow quick access to the large aisle and staircase just towards centerfield.
