Not all of the outfield action at Kauffman Stadium is going to involve David DeJesus, Coco Crisp and Jose Guillen. Nope, this year the fans are going to be covering a lot of ground in "The Outfield Experience."

It all takes place in the newly developed area along the rim of Kauffman Stadium behind where the Royals' outfielders will be on patrol.

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Fans can do everything from ride a carousel to swing a bat to munch on barbecue.

"It's all brand-new. As a matter of fact, you weren't even able to get back there in past years. Now you can walk all around the back -- around the Crown Vision and from foul pole to foul pole," said Bob Rice, Royals vice president of ballpark operations and development.

And that area will open to ticket holders before the other gates to Kauffman Stadium, which has been renovated over the last two years at a cost of $250 million. The Grand Re-Opening will be on April 10, when the Royals begin their home schedule against the New York Yankees.

Plans are for "The Outfield Experience" to open one hour prior to the stadium gates for all games. The stadium gates open 1 1/2 hours before games on Sunday through Thursday and two hours before games on Friday and Saturday. The area will remain open during the game.

"You can come down early and get something to eat or drink, play on the Little K, the batting cages, the pitching tunnel, the carousel. You have a little kids' playground, five-hole miniature golf. You've got the barbecue area, the Hall of Fame and the Rivals restaurant," Rice said.

Not to mention the crack of bats from batting practice down on the field.

It's quite an extravaganza the Royals have planned out there, complementing the extensive changes in other areas of the stadium.

Fans can saunter around from foul pole to foul pole along the walkway and crane their necks to see the new crown atop the huge scoreboard which was installed last year. Along the way will be the statues of George Brett and Frank White, which are being moved from the outside of the stadium. New statues, yet to be announced, will join them.

The six championship flags that used to fly above the grassy slope in left field now will flap atop the new Royals Hall of Fame in that same area. The Hall, featuring Royals and Kansas City greats and interactive displays, is not scheduled to open until after the All-Star break in July.

"It's all brand-new. As a matter of fact, you weren't even able to get back there in past years. Now you can walk all around the back -- around the Crown Vision and from foul pole to foul pole."

-- Bob Rice, Royals VP of ballpark operations and development

But it will be worth waiting for.

This is the 40th anniversary of the Royals' first season, 1969, and the team's history will be covered in rich detail. But the 7,000-foot facility will delve into other aspects of Kansas City's baseball history.

"Baseball came in to Kansas City in 1884, and we had the Cowboys, Blues, Blue Stockings, Packers, Monarchs and A's as well as the Royals," said Curt Nelson, director of the Royals Hall of Fame.

Here's another nugget: "Sixteen or 17 percent of the people in the National Hall of Fame have either played, coached or been an executive in Kansas City. There's a rich tradition of baseball in this town," Nelson said.

The Royals' story will include artifacts including the 1985 World Series championship trophy, displays featuring Brett's 3,000th hit baseball and bat and White's eight Gold Gloves, and a Royals Hall of Fame Gallery honoring the 23 members.

Interactive features will enable fans to design their own ballpark or make their own calls in a broadcasting booth.

That's coming at midseason. Meantime, what will be happening out there starting on Opening Day?

The Little K, the miniature ballpark, will be in a new location behind left field, where kids can bat and run the bases.

"The Little K is bigger than the old one," said Kevin Uhlich, senior vice president-business operations. "We expanded it so we could do a few more community things. We can do clinics, T-ball games, and it's going to be a synthetic turf, so we visualize using it a lot more than we did the old K."

In the interactive theme, there'll be a mound for speed pitching, a batting cage to take swings and a baserunning challenge against big leaguers' speeds.

An old-fashioned carousel features hand-carved characters with a baseball theme. Golfers can try the five-hole miniature course.

All of those attractions require tokens, sold in machines for $1 each.

No tokens are required in the MLB2K9 Game Lounge, which features games that include player-specific details like batting stances, pitching windups and swings.

There's also a kids' store with baseball gear and one of three concession stands, called "Sluggerrrs' Training Table," featuring a kids menu.

The new Rivals restaurant will be open with a full menu as well as the Royals All-Star Barbecue and a Sheridan's custard shop. There is a stage for entertainment plus flat-screen TVs and new restrooms.

The famous Kauffman Stadium water spectacular theme will also get a new addition.

"There's an interactive fountain that sits back here," Uhlich said. "It's a four-foot granite ball that's suspended on an eighth-inch of water, and kids can actually come up and spin the ball and they'll get water on their hands and flick it on people. Which won't be a lot of fun in April but, hopefully, as it warms up they'll find some fun in it."

Sounds like a busy experience in the outfield.