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The Essentials
Great location, great exterior and great interior … but what is the game-day experience like at Columbus’ new showplace?
First, if you’re driving to a Clippers game, you will find more than enough parking within two blocks of the park — assuming there’s no concert or hockey game going on across the street at the Nationwide Arena. And when the Clippers have the only event going on the in the Arena District, parking spaces cost either $3 or $4, depending on the lot. Not bad.
Note, though, that when there is a concert or hockey game, the lots will charge much more — as much as $15. Thankfully, Franklin County and Nationwide Realty Investors hammered out an agreement that allows baseball fans to secure parking passes for only $3 (plus a $1 service charge) for such dates, but they must be acquired in advance online.
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Ticket prices are a little on the steep side. Club and Loge tickets are not available for single-game purchase, but Box Seats are — for $12 in advance and $15 on the day of the game. These sections stretch from the on-deck circles to well past the ends of the dugouts. Reserved seats for $10 ($7 for 12 and under and 60 or over) extend to the foul poles. General admission covers both the bleachers in left field (in the foreground above left) and the berm, and costs $6 for adults and a wonderfully reasonable $3 for youths and seniors.
The prices for other expenditures are fairly reasonable. Programs are $2, but are on the small size, and adult T-shirts in the store are $16-20, with the majority at $16. This is lower than at Gwinnett County or Reno. The store (above right), in fact, feels a tad smaller than other new Triple-A parks, but it features an array of kids apparel and caps in addition to those for us big kids. I was a little disappointed, though, that no special lapel pins had been designed with the Huntington Park logo — but there were T-shirts with the design, and I bought one for $16.
And the food is on the same lofty quality level as the park’s design. Part of this might be attributable to the fact that the facility has its own executive chef, with the appropriate name of Mark Cheffins. Sodexo, the national firm that holds the contract for concessions, hired Chef Cheffins to oversee the varied menu items and catering services. They didn’t stop there, as local purveyors like City Barbeque, Donatos Pizza, Roosters and Bob Evans were brought in to operate their own stands.
While the variety of food items seems endless here, some caught my eye — and taste buds. There are delectable chicken items at the rooftop Roosters like the wings with seven different sauces (10 for $8) and the boneless wing sandwich ($5). Bargain-priced barbeque can be found in the right-field corner, where hickory-smoked brisket, chicken and pork sandwiches are only $5, and ribs are $7. At Donatos Dugout behind third base (below left), pizza is $7 and subs are $6. Notice the attractive old-time wording around Donatos’ stand. “Our graphics department worked really hard on signage around the park,” 360’s King told me. It appears to be painted on the brick with whitewash, giving it “a very nostalgic look,” he noted.
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This brings up the exquisite “look” of the park’s signage and informational/historical features all around the park. From the seemingly hand-drawn menu lettering to the timeline of the city’s past baseball parks (above right), Huntington Park is a visual treat. And although not “old” looking, the series of “The Speed of the Game” panels (below left) sponsored by Nationwide are very well done. Indeed, there is a lot to distract you from the game itself when you come here!
As mentioned, for the kids there is an area for inflatables in The Grove area in the left-field corner, but the most kid-friendly feature I’ve seen at a new park in a long time is the fountain behind the batter’s eye. I bet in hot weather, that area will be jammed with squealing youngsters!
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If you are trying to pay attention to the happenings on the field, you’ll find the scoreboard (above right) to be very helpful. There’s a high-resolution video screen showing the player who’s up at bat and his stats, and to the right a detailed amber-on-black message board with the game info, including the speed of the pitch and the batting team’s full line-up. Just above and below are additional message boards for ads and news blurbs, and near the top of the scoreboard are changeable ad signs. Impressive, indeed!
If you’re lucky enough to get to watch the game from the Loge or one of the luxury suites, you’ll be very impressed with the appointments on the upper level. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the surroundings are spartan even though there are corrugated-steel panels throughout to pay homage to the fact that this is somewhat of an industrial area (plus the look was used extensively inside Nationwide Arena). To the contrary, the upper level compares very favorably to the most opulent Club level I’ve ever seen in a Minor League facility — Memphis’ AutoZone Park.
One thing you won’t find on the upper level, though, is air conditioning. Instead, you’ll find huge “hangar doors” that can be raised like garage doors, and when open, there is tremendous airflow. Ralston noted that AC can be added to the upper level fairly easily one day, but the team wanted to see if the huge doors will be sufficient. “Baseball is played outdoors” he said, adding, “after all, there’s no air conditioning on a golf course.”
Summary
If you couldn’t tell it from all I’ve written and all of the photos I’ve provided, let me put it simply: I feel that Columbus’ Huntington Park is the most impressive new Minor League park I’ve visited in quite awhile.
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It was a decidedly gloomy day when I visited (which makes my photos a little drab), but this ballpark was like a ray of sunshine streaming through the clouds.
And speaking of sunshine, who says that there’s nothing new under the sun? The designers of Huntington Park have proven that you don’t have to employ the same old methods and features to create a ballpark. In fact, all of the outstanding innovations incorporated here felt like gleaming sunlight following a solid week of rain.
Architect Ralston points out that Huntington Park works for both ardent fans and for those that show up for the social aspects of attending a game. He sums it up this way: “Baseball is a casual game. Our thought is that you can really hang out here and enjoy being here. For the purist, on the other hand, you can pay attention to every pitch and the park works for that, too.”
So no matter which kind of fan you are, I urge you to plan a trip to Columbus. You’ll find the sun shining on your experience at Huntington Park, and you’ll see why it’s our Ballpark of the Year!