The Barkyard at Petco Park (San Diego, CA)

I’m glad I was born and raised in LA, and if you ask me, one of the selling points of LA living is proximity to San Diego. Sure, the drive can be horrific (that’s why the Surfliner train is a good alternative), but being able to get to paradise in a mere 2 or 5 hours (depending on traffic) is an underrated perk of living in LA. I grew up going to San Diego for family trips, and every time I visit as an adult I’m like, why don’t I come here more often? The city has perfect weather, breweries, dog-friendly patios and rooftops, and burritos with fries inside.

All these elements combine in their baseball stadium, Petco Park. In a small section of center-left field called the Barkyard, 6 private, dog-friendly boxes accommodate 4 people and 2 canines each. Many stadiums have an annual Bark in the Park/Pups in the Park (I enjoy going to that, too), but the Barkyard is open for every single Padres home game.

Access to the Barkyard doesn’t come easy. For one, your pet has to be pre-approved before you can buy tickets- you must fill out an online application where you verify information about your dog and provide vaccination records. More notably, the prospect of bringing the dog along to a baseball game is appealing to many in a dog-friendly town such as San Diego, so there’s a waitlist, and a few people we spoke to said that they purchased multiple games a year or more in advance. It’s definitely meant for local Padres fans who can enjoy the experience more readily, not necessarily LA interlopers like ourselves.

However! We’ve now been a couple of times, most recently on Good Friday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. We are Dodgers fans for life but predictably, those Padres-Dodgers matchups are a hot commodity and we weren’t able to score tickets. I think the key is to not give a hoot about which team the Padres are playing and just get whatever tickets you can, for the experience.

Other than the novelty of having a box to yourself and being with your dog, one major draw of the experience is in-seat concessions from none other than Carnitas Snack Shack. You can order from a limited menu of food offerings, as well as beers/cocktails, and a server will deliver right to your box.

The food menu- carnitas tacos, queso fries, burgers, and sandwiches.

The Barkyard’s drink menu is simple and gets the job done.

They also have cute mascots that come by during the game.

Since it’s a long drive, we have to stay overnight and this time stayed at the Hotel Indigo, just a couple of blocks from the stadium. I loved this hotel! The room was nice, and the facility has a 9th floor rooftop lounge and dog run. It was so convenient to take the dog out without ever having to leave the hotel.

See ya soon, San Diego. No current trips to SD planned, but I never stay away for long.