The Tampa Bay Rays are going all out and opening a unique attraction to get fans excited for their ‘forever home’.Grand plans are in place to build a $2.3 billion ballpark in Hillsborough County, 20 miles away from their current home, Tropicana Field.The Rays are moving 20 miles away from their current home Tropicana FieldTampa Bay Rays / PopulousA site on the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College has been selected for the Rays to build their new stadium and surrounding mixed-use development. The city council and the MLB franchise went back and forth for months, but finally secured approval for $876 million in public funds. With groundbreaking set to take place in October, the Rays also announced the opening of a new multi-purpose experience center.Rays to open 15,000 square foot experience centerLocated at 1111 North Westshore Boulevard, the Experience Center will span nearly 15,000 square feet.One-third will be open to the public, offering retail, family-friendly experiences, Rays memorabilia, and exhibits highlighting their new home.Fans will also be able to explore digital previews of the ballpark and new campus, and create personalized baseball cards.Visitors can see different seating viewpoints, hospitality and premium offerings, and group areas.The rest of the space will be an appointment-only tour designed for season ticket holders, premium clients and prospective sponsors.The Rays have partnered with Advent, a experiental design and technology company that opened a similar center for the Las Vegas A’s, to design the center.Construction is set to begin this month with a targeted opening date of ‘early 2027’, according to the Rays website.The experience stadium will be 15,000 square foot with one-third open to the publicAdventThe Experience Center is set to open in ‘early 2027’ according to the RaysAdventThe Rays have promised fans the best ballpark experience in MLBTampa Bay Rays / Populous“The Rays Ballpark Experience Center, when it opens in a few months in Westshore, will be what ‘Forever is Now’ is all about,” Rays CEO Ken Babby said. “Rays fans, sitting anywhere from general to premium seating, will no longer have to imagine their experience in our new ballpark. “One visit to the experience centre will make it all real and serve as a reminder of why we love baseball, and especially our team. “The experience centre will also preview the new mixed-use district with engagement with hotel, office, and retail-related experiences.“As important, our sponsors and marketing partners will see how their investment in the ballpark will deliver an entirely new level of energy and connection with Rays fans and their target audiences, which are often the same. “The experience centre will illustrate how signage, activation, client engagement, and opportunities that may have been difficult to imagine not long ago will be possible when the Forever Home opens in 2029.”Babby promised the experience center will be ‘one-of-a-kind’ and make Rays fans excited for the futureGetty“When we sat down with Ken Babby and his team to discuss the Forever Home project, we were blown away by the team’s energy and vision,” said Advent CEO John Roberson. “Tampa Bay fans have a lot to look forward to, and we are thrilled to help them get a taste of what that experience will be like when they visit the Center.”