Getting to Progressive Field

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Progressive Field sits in the Gateway District of downtown Cleveland, and for a visitor the train is the easy answer. Cleveland’s rail system, the Rapid, runs three lines into Tower City downtown, and from Tower City an enclosed walkway takes you past Rocket Arena to Ontario Street, next to the ballpark. One of those lines connects straight to the airport, so a fan flying in can reach the ballpark without ever renting a car. Rideshare covers whoever isn’t near a station. A small group splitting one car can just drive; downtown garages and surface lots sit a short walk from the park.

The Rapid

RTA is the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, the agency that runs the region’s buses and trains. Its rail service is called the Rapid, and three lines feed downtown: the Red Line, the Blue Line, and the Green Line all stop at Tower City Center. From the Tower City station, an enclosed walkway runs past Rocket Arena, the arena that shares the Gateway block, and comes out on Ontario Street next to the ballpark. The Guardians call it a 5-minute walk. The walkway is open only during Progressive Field and Rocket Arena events. The Guardians’ A-Z guide gives sample opening times, so plan on getting there with time to spare.

The Red Line is the one to know if you’re flying in. It runs from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to Tower City with no transfer, and at Tower City you pick up the walkway. The Red Line also keeps going east past Tower City, and the Blue and Green Lines run out to the east side, so a fan staying on the east side can ride straight in.

Fares are simple. A single ride is as low as $2.50, and an all-day pass is as low as $5.00, which covers a round trip and any other rides you take that day. You can pay with a credit or debit card at the ticket machines at Red Line stations, or buy a mobile ticket ahead of time, which you have to scan at the fare validator when you board. RTA has free parking at many Rapid stations and Park-N-Ride lots, which makes a park-and-ride from the suburbs one of the cheaper ways into a game.

Rideshare

After the game, walk a couple of blocks away from the gates before you request your ride, so you and your driver are not stuck in the crowd leaving the ballpark.

Driving and parking

Driving makes sense for a group riding together. The Guardians sell parking passes for the Great Day Improvements Garage at 650 East Huron Road, which sits between the ballpark and Rocket Arena. The passes come only as mobile passes in the MLB Ballpark app, and let you in as early as 3 hours before first pitch. Without a pass, license-plate readers log your car on the way in and bill you on the way out, after you register by scanning a QR code on the garage signs or at app.metropolis.io. Surface lots along Carnegie Avenue and Ontario Street run roughly $5 to $20 on a normal date, though a premium game or a downtown event the same night pushes them higher. ParkMobile, a parking-reservation app, lets you lock in a spot before you leave instead of circling downtown on arrival.

If you’d rather have the spot settled before game day, SpotHero lets you reserve and prepay a downtown Cleveland lot ahead of time, so you drive straight to a guaranteed space instead of hunting for one. Booking early also tends to beat the drive-up rate on a busier date.

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Getting here from the airport

Downtown Cleveland is one train ride from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), and we recommend taking that train in. The RTA Red Line goes from the airport to Tower City - Public Square with no transfer, and RTA says the ride takes less than 30 minutes. From Tower City, the Guardians say it is a 5-minute walk to the ballpark through RTA’s enclosed walkway. You can find more about the walkway in our Rapid section above.

RTA’s Airport Station is on the lower level of the terminal. A one-way RTA fare is as low as $2.50, an all-day pass is as low as $5, and children under 6 ride free.

Heading back after a night game. On RTA’s regular Red Line schedule, the last train toward the airport leaves Tower City at 12:42 am every day of the week and gets to the airport at 1:09 am. That is well after a typical night game ends. RTA has also posted at least one special schedule with an earlier last train, so check the times for your game date before you rely on that train.

Rideshare and taxi. At Cleveland Hopkins, you can meet a rideshare on either the upper roadway, at Departures, or the lower roadway, at Arrivals. Taxis pick up only at the taxi entrance at the south end of Baggage Claim, by carousel 11.

If your group is renting one car at the airport, you can find more about the Great Day Improvements Garage and the surface lots in our Driving and parking section above.

Luggage

The Guardians list no luggage storage or bag check at Progressive Field.

The Guardians allow diaper bags, medical bags, clutches, and small bags up to 16 by 16 by 8 inches, and large bags are on their list of prohibited items. Most suitcases are bigger than that limit, so ask your hotel to hold yours before you head to the game.

Gates and gate times

The Guardians’ concourse map shows three gates: the Infield Gate behind home plate, the Larry Doby Way Gate on Eagle Avenue behind the left field bleachers, which other Guardians guides call the Left Field Gate, and the Right Field Gate. The walkway from Tower City comes out on Ontario Street, and from there, or from wherever you parked, use the gate closest to you.

Gates open 1 to 2 hours before first pitch during the regular season, depending on the day and the month. You can find more about the full gate schedule in our First-Timer Guide section.

Know Progressive Field better than we do? Tell us what we got wrong, or where we should be sending people instead.

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