Fenway Park is as close as Boston comes to a shared living room. Opened in 1912 and still home to the Boston Red Sox, it is the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball and a shrine for fans from around New England and beyond. On game days, the entire neighborhood seems to tilt toward the stadium; streets fill with people in team jerseys, the smell of grilled sausages hangs in the air and vendors call out their offerings in the distinctive local accent.

Part of Fenway’s mystique lies in its physical quirks. Unlike modern stadiums built to standard designs on large tracts of land, Fenway had to fit into an existing street grid. The result is an irregular outfield with odd angles and corners, each of which has taken on a character of its own. The most famous feature is the Green Monster, a towering left-field wall more than 37 feet high. What would be an easy home run in other parks can bounce off that wall here and drop back into play, turning even routine fly balls into heart-stopping moments.

Other details add to the sense of continuity with baseball’s past. The manually operated scoreboard at the base of the Green Monster is still updated by hand from within. Wooden seats in some sections creak with age. Sightlines and stands bear the traces of incremental renovations rather than a complete tear-down and rebuild, which gives the entire park a feeling of authenticity that is hard to manufacture.

The game-day experience at Fenway is both spectacle and ritual. As you walk through the concourses, you pass concession stands selling Fenway Franks, popcorn, peanuts and more elaborate modern fare. Stepping into the stands for the first time, you get that classic view of the emerald field framed by the asymmetrical stands and modest skyline beyond. Fans stand for the national anthem, erupt at a big strikeout or home run and belt out “Sweet Caroline” together in the middle of the eighth inning. Even visitors who know little about baseball often find themselves swept up in the collective mood.

If you cannot be in town for a game, a Fenway Park tour is the next best thing. Guided tours run frequently and take you into areas closed to most ticket holders, such as the seats atop the Green Monster, the press box and sections of the park that function as a small museum of Red Sox history. Guides share stories of legendary players, dramatic playoff runs and the park’s evolution across more than a century of use.

The neighborhood around Fenway has its own appeal. Sports bars, music venues, student apartments and newer residential developments cluster nearby. Before or after your time in the park, you can explore Lansdowne Street’s nightlife, walk toward Kenmore Square or head across the nearby overpass to the Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for a very different kind of Boston day.

ExploreBoston.com tip: If seeing a game is important to you, check schedules and ticket options as early as possible, especially for weekend and summer dates. Upper bleacher seats and standing-room tickets can be more budget-friendly while still delivering the atmosphere. On non-game days, or if tickets are out of reach, book a ballpark tour and pair it with museum visits in the Fenway area. ExploreBoston.com’s Fenway guide breaks down seating sections, nearby dining and pre-game neighborhood walks so you can tailor your experience to your interests and budget.