What is the seating capacity of Nationals Park?

Nationals Park seats 41,339 for MLB games. The ballpark opened in 2008 at a final construction cost of $693 million and was designed by Populous (then HOK Sport) and Devrouax & Purnell. The original capacity was 41,888; minor renovations have adjusted it slightly.

Where is Nationals Park located?

Nationals Park is at 1500 South Capitol Street SE in Washington, D.C. 20003. It sits in the Navy Yard-Capitol Riverfront neighborhood along the Anacostia River, about 1.2 miles south of the U.S. Capitol.

How do I get to Nationals Park by Metro?

Take the Green Line to Navy Yard-Ballpark station. The station exit is one block from the center field gate. On game days, Metro typically runs extended hours. Fares range from $2 to $6 depending on distance and time of day.

Is there parking at Nationals Park?

GEICO Garage (Garage B) is adjacent to the stadium near the center field entrance, typically $30-$50 on game days. There are 14 Nationals-sanctioned lots/garages total, ranging from $20-$49 during the regular season. Pre-purchase via the MLB Ballpark app is recommended.

Is Nationals Park cashless?

Yes. The stadium is fully cashless and accepts credit/debit cards, mobile pay, and eCASH through the MLB Ballpark app. No cash is accepted at any concession stand, retail location, or parking lot.

Has Nationals Park hosted a World Series?

Yes. Nationals Park hosted Games 3, 4, and 5 of the 2019 World Series, the first World Series games in Washington, D.C. since 1933. The Nationals won the franchise's first championship, and D.C.'s first World Series title since 1924, defeating the Houston Astros in seven games.

Nationals Park, Washington DC: Capacity & Visitor Guide

Q: How far is the airport from Nationals Park?

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is just 5 miles south, about 15 minutes by car, one of the closest airport-to-ballpark distances in MLB. Rideshare runs $15-$25. Dulles (IAD) is 29 miles west (~40 min); BWI is 33 miles northeast (~45 min).

About Nationals Park

In Washington’s Navy Yard, a ballpark on the bank of the Anacostia River gave the capital back its baseball. Nationals Park seats 41,339, its playing field dug 24 feet below street level into ground that had been a contaminated industrial site before the Nationals arrived. In 2019 it hosted the World Series. The first October baseball in the capital in 86 years.

The ballpark opened on March 30, 2008, replacing Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium as the Nationals’ home. Its final construction cost reached $693 million, over the $611 million the D.C. Council had capped in bonds, because land acquisition and environmental cleanup fell outside that cap. Designed by Populous (then HOK Sport) with the local firm Devrouax & Purnell, it became the first major professional sports venue in America to earn LEED Silver certification, with a green roof, a stormwater management system, and energy-efficient lighting.

The name “Nationals Park” was meant to be a placeholder until a sponsor signed. More than 17 years later, none has. One of the few MLB ballparks without a corporate name, and nobody in Washington seems to mind.

The Navy Yard has transformed around the stadium. The Yards Park, The Wharf, and dozens of restaurants and bars turned a onetime industrial waterfront into one of the liveliest game-day neighborhoods in baseball.

Getting to Nationals Park

Public Transit

Nationals Park has one of the best Metro connections of any ballpark in America, the station is one block from the gate.

→ Via Metro Green Line: Navy Yard-Ballpark station is one block from the center field entrance. Trains run every 6–12 minutes. Metro fare ranges from $2 to $6 depending on distance and time of day.

→ Via D.C. Circulator / Metrobus: The Circulator ($1) and Metrobus ($2) serve the Navy Yard area. Multiple stops are within a 5-minute walk of the ballpark.

Metro runs extended hours on game nights. A free bike valet operates near First Street SE and Potomac Avenue SE for cyclists, a popular option from Capitol Hill and the waterfront.

Driving + Parking

The ballpark address is 1500 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. I-295 and I-395 are the primary approaches.

→ From Baltimore (~40 mi): I-295 South / BW Parkway to South Capitol Street. About 50 minutes.

→ From Richmond (~110 mi): I-95 North to I-395 to South Capitol Street. About 1 hour 50 minutes.

→ From Philadelphia (~140 mi): I-95 South to I-295 South. About 2 hours 30 minutes.

GEICO Garage (Garage B) is adjacent to the stadium, typically $30–$50 on game days. There are 14 Nationals-sanctioned lots and garages total, ranging from $20–$49 during the regular season. Pre-purchase via the MLB Ballpark app, spots sell out for popular games.

Rideshare

Uber and Lyft serve the ballpark. Avoid South Capitol Street for pickups, it’s congested after games. Walk a few blocks north toward M Street SE for a faster, cheaper ride. Post-game taxi stand on the north side of M Street SE between South Capitol and Half Streets.

From the Airport

→ Ronald Reagan National (DCA): Just 5 miles south, about 15 minutes by car, one of the closest airport-to-ballpark distances in MLB. Rideshare runs $15–$25. You can also take the Metro Blue/Yellow Line to L’Enfant Plaza and transfer to the Green Line (about 25 minutes total).

→ Washington Dulles International (IAD): 29 miles west, about 40 minutes by car. Silver Line Metro + Green Line transfer takes about 75 minutes. Rideshare runs $55–$75.

→ Baltimore/Washington International (BWI): 33 miles northeast, about 45 minutes by car. Rideshare runs $60–$80.

Construction & Design

Building a ballpark here meant cleaning the ground first. The parcel along the Anacostia was a contaminated industrial tract, and work began by hauling away more than 300,000 cubic yards of tainted soil in roughly 34,000 truckloads before a single seat went in. The excavation crew averaged 5,000 cubic yards a day and finished three months ahead of schedule.

Populous, then HOK Sport, designed the park with the local Washington firm Devrouax & Purnell, and it broke ground on May 4, 2006. The build moved fast. Roughly 23 months from groundbreaking to opening day, one of the quicker turnarounds for a modern ballpark. The final bill came to $693 million, above the $611 million the D.C. Council had capped in bonds, because land and cleanup costs sat outside that cap.

The design leans modern, not retro. Glass and steel instead of the brick nostalgia of the 1990s ballparks. From the upper deck on the first-base side, the U.S. Capitol dome and the Washington Monument sit in view beyond the outfield. And the sustainability was not decorative: LEED Silver, the first ever for a major American pro sports venue, earned with a 6,300-square-foot green roof and a stormwater system that filters runoff before it reaches the river the park sits beside.

History of Nationals Park

Nationals Park was built to give Washington, D.C. a proper home for the franchise that had arrived from Montreal in 2005. The project broke ground on May 4, 2006, on a former industrial site along the Anacostia River that required removing more than 300,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil; the final construction cost reached $693 million.

First Game (March 30, 2008): President George W. Bush threw the ceremonial first pitch, and Ryan Zimmerman hit a walk-off home run to beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2, a Hollywood debut for a ballpark that would define the neighborhood around it.

First LEED-Certified Pro Stadium (2008): Nationals Park became the first major professional sports venue in the U.S. to earn LEED Silver certification, setting a new standard for sustainable stadium design with its green roof and stormwater management system.

2018 MLB All-Star Game (July 17, 2018): The first All-Star Game in Washington since 1969, bringing national attention to the transformed Navy Yard neighbourhood and the ballpark’s place among the best venues in the sport.

2019 World Series (October 2019): The Nationals hosted Games 3, 4, and 5, the first World Series games in Washington since 1933. The Nats won the franchise’s first championship, defeating Houston in seven games and bringing D.C. its first World Series title since 1924. The road team won every game in the series, one of the strangest statistical quirks in World Series history.

The Racing Presidents: In the middle of the fourth inning of every home game, four oversized mascots, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt, sprint around the warning track. The Presidents Race debuted in 2006 and moved here with the team in 2008, and for more than six years Teddy lost every single race, a running joke that grew into a national story until he finally broke through on the last day of the 2012 season. Add the 2018 All-Star Game, the 2015 NHL Winter Classic, and a 2008 Mass led by Pope Benedict XVI, and Nationals Park has become as much a Washington civic stage as a baseball field.

From Ryan Zimmerman’s walk-off on opening night to the 2019 championship to the Capitol dome visible beyond the outfield, Nationals Park is where baseball returned to Washington, a ballpark that transformed a neighborhood, earned the first green certification in pro sports, and still doesn’t have a corporate sponsor in its name.

Sources & Further Reading

Ballparks of Baseball, Nationals Park: ballparksofbaseball.com. Capacity, the design team, and dimensions.
Washington Nationals official ballpark guide: mlb.com/nationals/ballpark. Tickets, transit, and visitor information.
Wikipedia, Nationals Park: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationals_Park. Construction cost, LEED certification, and the 2019 World Series.
Events DC, Nationals Park: eventsdc.com/venue/nationals-park. Ownership and the naming history.