Tropicana Field is the smallest MLB stadium by seating capacity when obstructed-view rows in the uppermost sections are covered with tarps as they are for most Rays games.

In October 1996, Tropicana Products, a fruit juice company then based in nearby Bradenton, signed a 30-year naming rights deal.

[20] Ultimately, city officials decided that a stadium with a fixed permanent dome was necessary for a prospective LB team to be viable in the area, due to its hot, humid summers and frequent thunderstorms.

[24][25] However, the sale and move were blocked by National League owners, who voted against the deal in November 1992[26] under pressure from San Francisco officials and the then-owner of the Florida Marlins, Blockbuster Video Chairman H. Wayne Huizenga.

[29] Because of the large capacity of what was basically a park built for baseball, several NHL and AFL attendance records were set during the Lightning and Storm's tenures there.

The first regular-season baseball game took place at the park on March 31, 1998, when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays faced the Detroit Tigers, losing 11–6.

Although Tropicana was purchased by PepsiCo in 1998, the company refrained from making any changes to the park’s naming rights, as the brand is popular among the local fanbase.

The 2007 renovation also added built-in HDTV capabilities to the stadium, with Fox Sports Florida and WXPX airing at least a quarter of the schedule in HD in 2007 and accommodating the new video board's 16x9 aspect ratio.

[38] On June 24, 2013, in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, three Rays players – James Loney, Wil Myers, and Sam Fuld – hit consecutive home runs, a first at Tropicana Field.

[48] For the 2019 season, Tropicana Field closed its upper decks, as part of efforts and renovations to "create a more intimate, entertaining and appealing experience for our fans".

[52][53] On October 9, 2024, while Hurricane Milton impacted the Tampa Bay region, strong winds tore through Tropicana Field's fiberglass roof.

Gerdes stated “We look forward to cooperating to attempt to achieve the mutual goal of making Tropicana Field suitable for Major League Baseball games by opening day of the 2026 season.

[63] The primary 100-level concourse is at street level, with elevators, escalators, and stairs separating the outfield and infield sections, since the ground is at different grades on either side.

Behind the stadium's batter's eye is a center field common area, known as the Porch, which provides fans with open seating and standing room to watch games.

In addition, only five players hit home runs into the tank playing for opposing teams: Behind center field on the stadium's ground level near the main rotunda entrance is a two-story, full-service restaurant and recreational area called BallPark & Rec, opened in 2018.

[79] This restaurant took over the location previously occupied by Everglades Brewhouse, which served several craft beers in addition to having a full liquor bar and opened two hours before first pitch.

A "Fan vs. Food" challenge at Everglades was introduced in 2014, which consists of eating a 4-pound (1.8 kg) burger and a pound of French fries in under 30 minutes to win two future Rays game tickets and a T-shirt.

[81] Current and former concessions include the Taco Bus, the Wine Cellar, The Carvery, Pipo's, Papa John's Pizza, Fish Shack, Everglades BBQ, a full service liquor bar, Bay Grill and the Craft Beer Corner featuring many local craft brewery's including Big Storm Brewing, Cigar City, Green Bench, Sea Dog and 3 Daughters.

A new 7,000-square-foot (650 m2) upstairs wing was opened in 2007, which now houses the exhibits on Ted Williams's careers with the Boston Red Sox and with the United States Marine Corps[88][89] during World War II and the Korean War, as well as the monuments to the members of the Hitters Hall of Fame complete with memorabilia, with donated authentic memorabilia wherever possible and many of Williams's own personal mementos from his career and post-playing life.

[93] Tropicana Field, then known as the ThunderDome, holds the record for the highest attendance for a Stanley Cup playoffs game, set on April 23, 1996, with 28,183 fans.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Cars raced at the Suncoast Dome on February 7–9, 1992 as a part of Florida Speedweeks with several tracks hosting events during the month.

[citation needed] Many well-known artists have held concerts at the venue, including Eric Clapton (twice), David Bowie, Janet Jackson (twice), Steely Dan, AC/DC (twice), Guns N' Roses, Billy Joel (twice), Robert Plant, Rush (twice), R.E.M., the Eagles, Depeche Mode, Rod Stewart, Kiss, and Van Halen (twice), among others.

Participating artists have included The Beach Boys, Los Lobos, LL Cool J, Sister Hazel, Kacey Musgraves, The Jacksons, REO Speedwagon, ZZ Top, Weezer, Kenny Loggins, Avril Lavigne, Joan Jett, and The Wiggles, among many others, totaling over 80 shows in all.

As the 2021 MLB season approached, on March 24, 2021, WWE announced that the ThunderDome would be relocated to the Yuengling Center in Tampa, beginning with the April 12 episode of Raw, the night after WrestleMania 37.

In the late 1800s, St. Petersburg began a large recruitment initiative to attract people to help build the city's infrastructures and fill lower-income service jobs.

A group of Pinellas County business people offered a plan to the council that entailed building a baseball stadium, in hopes of attracting a major league team to the area.

On July 17, 2011, against the Red Sox, Rays batter Sean Rodriguez hit a high foul popup that shattered a lightbulb on a catwalk.

After a quick cleaning delay in which the Tropicana Field public address system played the theme to The Natural (a 1984 film that prominently features a hit baseball striking and shattering a stadium light fixture), the game resumed.

Another ceiling-related incident came in June 2018, when New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier's 9th-inning fly ball bounced off a speaker hanging from the B ring and was caught by Rays shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria for an out.

The current Rays' Stuart Sternberg-led ownership group has invested several million dollars over the past decade to make the venue more fan friendly.