Fenway Park

Fenway opened in April 1912, days before the Titanic sank, and is the oldest park still in Major League use. Its shape comes from the street grid: the lot was awkward and Lansdowne Street forced a very short left field, so a high wall was built instead of a fence - the Green Monster, about eleven and a third metres, which turns easy home runs into wall-ball singles and hard-hit doubles into outs. It was not green until 1947. A single red seat in the right field bleachers marks where a Ted Williams home run landed in 1946, measured at 502 feet. Pesky's Pole down the right field line is at 302 feet, the shortest such distance in the majors. Tours run year round.

What you actually see

• The Green Monster - about eleven metres, built because the lot was short.
• A single red seat - marking a 1946 Ted Williams home run.
• Pesky's Pole - the shortest right field line in the majors.
• A park in use since 1912 - the oldest in the league.

When to go

April to September for games; tours run year round. An hour, or an evening.

Honest expectations

Game tickets are expensive and hard to get for popular opponents. Many seats have obstructed views from the old steel columns. Seats are narrow - the park predates modern dimensions. Tours do not run on some game days.

Nearby

The Museum of Fine Arts is south; the Charles River is north.