Louisville Slugger Field: Continuing the River City's Baseball Tradition
Baseball has been a fact of life in Louisville since 1876, when the Louisville Grays became a charter member of the National League, and the Louisville Slugger Field continues that fine American tradition, hosting the Louisville Bats, the Cincinnati Reds' AAA farm team, for their home games. Louisville Slugger Field, opened in 2000 in downtown Louisville, overlooks the Ohio River and seats 13,131 fans.
Louisville Slugger Field is sown with — what else? — Kentucky bluegrass. The Louisville Slugger Museum — for which the stadium is named — is just minutes away, and Waterfront Park is a block away.
With the distance from home plate to the backstop just 60 feet — just like Chicago's Wrigley Field — fans are delighted with the up-close view of the play. You can take a tour of Louisville Slugger Field for just a $1.
Slugger Field boasts an outfield seating berm for families, 32 private luxury suites (each costs $30,000 a year!), a children's play area — complete with a carousel — and two full-service restaurants (open year round) in addition to the concession stands. The latter all provide a clear view of the action on the field. The carousel costs a mere $1 per ride.
Louisville Slugger Field owes its distinctive look to an old train shed dating to 1889 that stood on the site and was incorporated into the $27.8 million new structure. The sides of the original Brinly-Hardy building survive in the baseball stadium.
Tickets begin at $6 for lawn seating, located just beyond the wall and left of center field. The most expensive tickets — reserved seats in the upper deck — cost an affordable $11. You can buy tickets by calling (800) 745-3000 or by visiting Slugger Field's ticket office in person. Children 3 to 12, senior citizens, active-duty members of the military with an ID and groups of 20 or more get $1 off per ticket. Call (502) 212–2287 and ask for group sales. Kids 2 and younger get in free.
No glass bottles or cans can be brought into Slugger Field, although one unopened clear-plastic bottle of water per customer is permitted. Neither coolers nor lawn chairs are permitted. Slugger Field is wheelchair accessible.
HelloLouisville tip: Season ticket holders get first crack at Slugger Field's 650-car parking lot, located east of the stadium. Other fans aren't allowed in until 15 minutes before the game begins. Two parking garages are nearby, and street parking in Louisville is always free on Sundays.
Posted on Nov 30, 2011 by Ivonne Rovira
