Bowling Green Ballpark
![]() Game Attended: 8-23-2013 vs. Western Michigan Whitecaps
Ballpark Capacity: 4,559 Mascots: Axle the Bear and Roscoe the Grease Monkey MLB Affiliate: Tampa Bay Rays Bowling Green Ballpark FeaturesBowling Green Ballpark made its debut on April 17, 2009. The stadium is located in downtown Bowling Green, KY. The 28 million dollar ballpark was built to attract locals to the downtown area. The 4,559 seat ballpark provides a home for the Bowling Green Hot Rods who had three previous homes across the country before landing in Bowling Green. The Hot Rods are a single A team playing in the Midwest League.
The ballpark has lower level seating that ranges from the right field line all the way down the left field line. The chair-back seats are dark green and each seat has a cup holder. Down the left field line near the foul pole sits a grass area that fans can sit in. The upper deck features the stadium club, the press box, and luxury suites. The Stadium Club is located directly behind home plate. The club provides a great view of the ball park for season ticket holders, while enjoy some food and drinks. With the Stadium Club located behind home plate, that pushes the press box to the end of the suites down the third baseline. This is different from most baseball stadiums. There are ten total suites, five on each side of the Stadium Club. The suites feature their own stadium seating, heating and air, refrigerator and TV. You can also find the Party Deck located here, across from first base. Beyond the fences you'll find another Yard Park (grass seating), Home Run Grill and both bullpens. The second grass seating area is located in left center. The Home Run Grill is designed for group outings of up to 200 people. This area has several picnic tables, providing great views of the field. The home team's pen is located in left field and the away teams in right. The ballpark dimensions are 318 to left, 400 to center, and 326 to right. The outfield wall is not very traditional with dimension varying due to the ballpark being built around surrounding roads. The wall in left is eight feet tall and the wall from center to right are 13 feet tall. On the left field wall you will see another scoreboard on the wall that shows advertisements, scores from around baseball and more. The open concourse allows you to see the game from anywhere in the stadium. Starting in right field where they have the kids play are with inflatables and place to pitch a ball to see how fast you can throw it. A little further heading toward home plate you'll see the "Body Shop" here you can find all the Bowling Green Hot Rod gear you could ever want. Under the second level you'll find bathrooms and concessions stands. If you're looking to grab a beer, check out Chuck's Garage. What's a baseball game without Ice Cream? You can't miss the building in left field with a sign saying ice cream on it. The scoreboard sits in left field. It features a 16 by 32 foot video board. The line score can be found here as well. The exterior of the ball park is primarily brick, with Bowling Green Ballpark on the wall displayed while arriving to the stadium. The main entrance takes you into a lobby and then dumps you off into the team shop before arriving to the field. |
Location: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Tickets: Bowling Green Hot Rods Tickets Team Site: BGHotrods.com Bowling Green Ballpark Seating Chart: |
What to do on Gamedays#1 Your first stop should be the National Corvette Museum located just off the interstate. The museum is located next to the Corvette factory which also gives tours.
#2 Next find parking. The best place to park is next to Bowling Green Ballpark in the parking garage. #3 Go grab a bite to eat at Mariah's. Mariah's is located in a historic house in downtown Bowling Green. They serve anything from steaks to pizza. #4 Explore downtown Bowling Green. A few attractions to see near the ballpark are Fountain Square and the Historic Railpark and Train Museum. #5 Go to Bowling Green Ballpark! |
Bowling Green Ballpark Photos
Bowling Green Hot Rods / Bowling Green Ballpark Overview
Bowling Green Ballpark: This is an ideal ballpark for it's time. Anytime I can see the field from anywhere in the ballpark is a big plus. The concourse handles the capacity of the ballpark well. The video board was easy to see from all parts of the stadium. The suites looked great from my view and included outdoor seating. The whole stadium was chair-back seating with cup holders which is great for the fans. Usually I like to see the team use team colors for their seats, but the green played well here. The bullpens were nice and add a different dynamic to the outfield. The outfield walls weren't over powered with advertising compared to some ballparks.
The main negatives about the ballpark are the netting that lines the lower level from section 104 to section 115. The concourse could use some sprucing up with more posters of the team and play more to the team's color scheme. Maybe, I missed it, but having the ballpark name featured inside the ballpark is always cool. The name on top of the scoreboard would be perfect. Several team themed named places on the concourse, but the concession stand with just an Ice Cream banner could use a new name.
Scoreboard: Overall the scoreboard fits most fans needs with a good size video board for minor league ball clubs. The video board provides you with player stats, name, and much more.
Atmosphere: I could feel a good local crowd in the state's third largest city. The stadium was about 75% full on my visit. You could tell the fans really enjoy coming down to the ballpark and are proud of it. The in game entertainment was the usual minor league fun.
Bowling Green: Located in southern Kentucky, Bowling Green is home to about 60,000 residents. The city has several attractions that are unique to the area including the National Corvette Museum, Lost River Cave, and Historic Railpark and Train Museum.
If you only have time to see one attraction, visit the Corvette Museum. The Corvette Museum is the only museum that is solely dedicated to one car. The Museum has many Corvettes displayed in its 110,000 square foot facility. My favorite part was the "Skydome". It's only $10 dollars for adults, $8 seniors, and $5 for youth. Corvette enthusiast can get in as early as 8 AM and closes at 5 PM.
Lost River Cave is located just south of Downtown Bowling Green. The Lost River Cave is the only underground boat ride. The tours run year around and are tours start at $15.95 for ages 12 and up, kid's ages 4-11 are $10.95 and three and under are free. Unfortunately on my visit the Cave flooded due to heavy rain.
The Historic Railpark and Train Museum is located in downtown Bowling Green near the ballpark. The museum was recommended, but I wasn't able to go. The Museum shows off several rail cars and plenty of history on the railroad. Admission for the museum are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $6 for children. The Museum hours of operation are 9 AM-5 PM Mon-Sat and Sun 1 PM-4 PM.
Downtown Bowling Green is on the upswing with the Ballpark being a focal point for the city. If you're looking to dine downtown, Mariah's is a must. Located on the corner of State and Eighth, Mariah's is a casual dining restaurant. The bread is very soft, add on the cinnamon butter and you can't go wrong. I went for the burger on my visit, which I would recommend. One place I suggest going to see downtown is Fountain Square, where the fountain is the focal point and is surrounded by several restaurants and shops.
Plenty of things to do in Bowling Green with Bowling Green University and many caves and Corvettes to see. You can make a weekend out of a trip to Bowling Green, but make sure to top it off with a trip to Bowling Green Ballpark.
X-Factor: Mariah's was fantastic and thanks to Hank Fuerst for letting me come up to the press box. He has a great call, give him a listen.
The main negatives about the ballpark are the netting that lines the lower level from section 104 to section 115. The concourse could use some sprucing up with more posters of the team and play more to the team's color scheme. Maybe, I missed it, but having the ballpark name featured inside the ballpark is always cool. The name on top of the scoreboard would be perfect. Several team themed named places on the concourse, but the concession stand with just an Ice Cream banner could use a new name.
Scoreboard: Overall the scoreboard fits most fans needs with a good size video board for minor league ball clubs. The video board provides you with player stats, name, and much more.
Atmosphere: I could feel a good local crowd in the state's third largest city. The stadium was about 75% full on my visit. You could tell the fans really enjoy coming down to the ballpark and are proud of it. The in game entertainment was the usual minor league fun.
Bowling Green: Located in southern Kentucky, Bowling Green is home to about 60,000 residents. The city has several attractions that are unique to the area including the National Corvette Museum, Lost River Cave, and Historic Railpark and Train Museum.
If you only have time to see one attraction, visit the Corvette Museum. The Corvette Museum is the only museum that is solely dedicated to one car. The Museum has many Corvettes displayed in its 110,000 square foot facility. My favorite part was the "Skydome". It's only $10 dollars for adults, $8 seniors, and $5 for youth. Corvette enthusiast can get in as early as 8 AM and closes at 5 PM.
Lost River Cave is located just south of Downtown Bowling Green. The Lost River Cave is the only underground boat ride. The tours run year around and are tours start at $15.95 for ages 12 and up, kid's ages 4-11 are $10.95 and three and under are free. Unfortunately on my visit the Cave flooded due to heavy rain.
The Historic Railpark and Train Museum is located in downtown Bowling Green near the ballpark. The museum was recommended, but I wasn't able to go. The Museum shows off several rail cars and plenty of history on the railroad. Admission for the museum are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $6 for children. The Museum hours of operation are 9 AM-5 PM Mon-Sat and Sun 1 PM-4 PM.
Downtown Bowling Green is on the upswing with the Ballpark being a focal point for the city. If you're looking to dine downtown, Mariah's is a must. Located on the corner of State and Eighth, Mariah's is a casual dining restaurant. The bread is very soft, add on the cinnamon butter and you can't go wrong. I went for the burger on my visit, which I would recommend. One place I suggest going to see downtown is Fountain Square, where the fountain is the focal point and is surrounded by several restaurants and shops.
Plenty of things to do in Bowling Green with Bowling Green University and many caves and Corvettes to see. You can make a weekend out of a trip to Bowling Green, but make sure to top it off with a trip to Bowling Green Ballpark.
X-Factor: Mariah's was fantastic and thanks to Hank Fuerst for letting me come up to the press box. He has a great call, give him a listen.
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