Rose Bowl opens public tours

Today, the Rose Bowl begins running the first formalized tour in its 90-year history. Fans will be able to walk onto the field, through the locker rooms, and learn a little bit more about one of the country’s most iconic stadiums.

General manager Darryl Dunn said the goal is to create a museum-like experience: “You go in, you have some fun, you learn a little bit. Maybe you appreciate it a little more.”

Walk-up tours cost $17.50 for adults and $14.50 for children, available at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. They will be led on Saturday and Sundays until 4th of July, when tours will increase to every Thursday through Sunday. You can find additional information at rosebowlstadium.com or 626-275-2714.

During the abbreviated version of the tour given to media this week, I found the 1922 locker room to be the most interesting part. The room itself isn’t all that special, but still gave off a certain aura simply by virtue of being very old. (The tour guide did bring up “Five-Yard Fogerty” and the invention of the high five, but the story’s origins seem dubious. Former Dodger Glenn Burke is commonly credited for the gesture.)

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