Family Fun
If you are bringing out the whole family to Petco Park for a Padres game, there are other things to do aside from take in the baseball game. In the outfield, the Padres have something called "Park at the Park", which is a 2.7 acre grassy field where parents can watch the game and kids can roam free. This area includes a playground and wiffle-ball diamond for children to amuse themselves with. Kids under 36 inches get in free, and admission to this area starts at $10 dollars.
History and Overview
Petco Park is located in downtown San Diego at 19 tony Gwynn Drive, and is home to the San Diego Padres. Petco Park opened for the 2004 season, and replaced the old Jack Murphy/Qualcomm Stadium. Petco Park has a capacity of 42,524 for Padres games.
Field Dimensions
The field dimensions of Petco Park are as follows (all measurements from home plate): 334ft to Left-Field, 367ft to Left-Center, 396ft to Center, 382ft to Right-Center, and 322ft to Right-Field foul pole. Petco Park has always been known as a pitcher friendly ballpark, and even though they moved in the fences in 2012, the park still favors pitchers.
Seats in Shade
If you are looking to sit in the shade at a San Diego Padres game, you want to stick to 3rd base side. The last few rows in the field level sections will likely fall under the overhang of the above section, and many of the club level tickets in the 200 level are under cover as well. The last place you want to sit if you are trying to avoid the sun, is in the outfield, where you will want to pack extra sun screen.