Sports Travel

Wrigley Field: baseball's most beloved ballpark

The ivy, the rooftop seats, day games, and the Friendly Confines. How to plan a Cubs weekend in Chicago.

By the Dayfari editors · 2026-09-28 · Chicago, USA

Wrigley Field is the second-oldest ballpark in the majors and the most romantic: ivy on the outfield walls, the manual scoreboard, the rooftops across the street, and day games (the lights only arrived in 1988). Cubs fans waited 108 years for a championship; the gratitude still hangs in the air.

Wrigleyville on a summer game day is baseball's best neighborhood scene. This is the ballpark pilgrimage that pairs perfectly with a Chicago weekend.

Tickets and the rooftops

Wrigley is small and beloved, so weekend games sell out fast. Weekday day games are the sweet spot: the classic Wrigley experience (baseball in the sunshine, the ivy glowing) at the best prices. The bleachers are the party; the infield boxes are for watching the game.

Photo: COD Newsroom · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The rooftop seats across the street are a Chicago institution: all-you-can-eat, great views into the park, pricier than most seats inside. Check the Cubs' Dayfari page for the schedule and ticket links when planning.

Game day in Wrigleyville

Take the Red Line to Addison; the train empties straight into Wrigleyville. The bars on Clark Street (Murphy's Bleachers, the Cubby Bear) are packed hours before first pitch; the whole neighborhood is a pre-game party in summer.

Photo: Jblesage · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Inside: get there for batting practice, walk the concourse, and note the quirks (the trough urinals are a landmark in their own right). The seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley is a civic ritual; the whole park sings, and the guest conductors are a tradition.

The Chicago weekend

Summer in Chicago is the city's reward for surviving winter: the lakefront, the festivals, the patios. The architecture boat tour, Millennium Park, and the Art Institute fill the non-baseball hours.

Check our Chicago pages for what's on around your game. A Friday concert plus a Saturday day game at Wrigley is the ideal Chicago weekend shape. And if the timing works, the White Sox across town double your baseball options.