Despite baseball's unofficial theme song, peanuts and crackerjacks were replacements for the original, mid-1850s snacks of heavily salted licorice and wooden chewin' slabs. Glean more memorable tidbits of knowledge with today’s Jeopardy-worthy Groupon. For $4, you get a ticket (a $9 value for adults) to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Houston Astros stomping grounds, Minute Maid Park. This Groupon is not valid on holidays.

Offered Monday through Saturday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m., Minute Maid Park tours provide an insider’s guide to a great American ballpark in a fact-filled approximately one-hour stroll. Reflecting Houston’s historical relationship with railroads, the park’s most distinct feature is a full-sized locomotive that runs along 800 feet of track in left field and is regularly held up by a tatterdemalion gang of thieving cowboys. Incorporating red brick masonry, a lush natural grass surface, and a retractable roof, “The Juice Box” boasts a 40,976-person capacity for baseball games and is a also a prime locale for recreating Braveheart battle scenes. Visitors will be led by a pleasantly colloquial tour guide that usually provides illuminating access to areas such as the broadcasting booth, press boxes, the dugouts, luxury suites, and lightsaber training areas–all of which are much more interesting than the Alamo’s basement.

Obtaining unparalleled access to one’s favorite ballpark doesn’t have to entail digging a tunnel directly to the pitcher’s mound or pocketing the structure after blasting it with supervillain shrink ray. Peruse minute Maid Park with behind-the-scenes access normally reserved for janitors and bat boys with today’s stadium browsing Groupon.

Walk up tours will not take place on August 11, September 1, and September 15 due to day games.

Reviews

Zagat gives Minute Maid Park an extraordinary to perfection rating for its appeal. More than 60 Yelpers and multiple Citysearchers give it an average of four stars:

• “There’s not a bad seat in the house” at the Astros’ home field, a “state-of-the-art” “showpiece” Downtown sporting a retractable roof that’s an “unbelievable modern marvel – Zagat
• This is a great ballpark, loved the train along left field. – Edward D., Yelp
• A Must-See in Houston, especially for any baseball fan! The baseball seats at the home plate entrance not only come in handy but are great for picture-taking! – tiffjones, Citysearch