A trip to Frawley Stadium in Wilmington is one I had been planning on making for a couple of years, though it just never worked out. The goal had always been to see it on a weekend the Phillies were home.
On this cooler weekend in June, it was time to actually check the stadium out. It also worked out well as it became a four-game weekend with Camden (Riversharks), the Phillies, Wilmington and the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs on the way home.
A great place to watch a game.
Score.
Frawley Stadium isn’t too hard to find, which was nice. There was a lot of parking and we headed to the back of the lot to get a place we thought would be away from everybody. Alas, with things going on in nearby businesses (there was a prom or something, which brought many kids all dressed up to a nearby spot), so I wondered what it would be like to get out of the place after the game. It was a little tough to get out, but there’s some spots to walk around. Add to that a few geocaches within walking distance and soon enough we were able to get out without issue.
Anyway…
The outside of the stadium is nice enough and it was easy to grab my tickets. Up the stairs we went and we were soon inside the stadium. Immediately to our left was the team store and in I went to get my passport stamp. I chatted with a few of the workers, who were outgoing, friendly and knowledgeable.
The concourse does not wrap fully around the stadium, but there is plenty in the part where you could walk. There’s a lot of food options, but it was quite crowded. In some spots it was hard to squeeze past others. Still, there was ample space to kind of spread out when you needed it.
The seating wasn’t bad, but outside of the lower “box” seats, there was a lot of metal bench (with a back) seating. Despite having seats in the box area, we sat in the bleachers because there were people in our seats and it seemed a bunch of kids (maybe a group?) so instead of creating a scene only to be annoyed (people were standing in the area, kids running around etc.), we opted to sit in an “open” area.
Allow me the one thing that seemed to be a bit out of hand here — the ushers. And by out of hand, I mean not really doing the job. Maybe it was only in my area, so I can’t say this is everybody there. But the usher in our area was pretty clueless. He stood in the concourse between the box seats and the bleacher section, but didn’t worry about where. So he’d be in front of people (he was tall) and he’d talk to people and block the action. The worse part is he was clueless to this. Kids would go running all around and he’d do nothing. But the one inning when a kid was standing in the front row (when I say a kid — I mean like 5-6 years old), he went down to make sure to tell the tot he needed to be in his seat.
Say what?
But that was the only downer of the stadium. Everything else was pretty solid to me. The sight lines were good. You felt close to the game. The stadium is a pretty solid atmosphere. And they are creative, too.
On this day, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan was signing, so I decided to wait in line and have him sign my passport. That was pretty cool. And what I really liked was while I was in line (it took a little longer than I would have liked), I didn’t miss a moment of the action as the area was an open concourse.
Sweenie Dog.
The food choices were pretty solid here, too. One thing that I decided to try was their new … invention — the Sweenie Dog. And what is that, you may ask?
Take a hot dog, put it on a Krispy Kreme donut “bun,” throw some rasberry jam and some bacon on it and you have the Sweenie Dog. I first saw this on social media earlier in the year, so I took the chance — yes, even despite being diabetic (I checked my numbers before heading in and they were fine … and I really didn’t do much more the rest of the game, save a regular dog late). Allow me to say this — it was interesting. I didn’t finish all of the donut, but it was interesting. Sweet, savory … an interesting mix is the only way I can describe it. I’m glad I tried it … but not sure I would do it again!
Overall, this was a fun experience. It’s a good location for a game. Wilmington has one of the better logos I’ve seen and the baby blue is always a great color. I walked away with a hat as it was a perfect addition to the rotation. I’d highly encourage catching a game here if the chance arises.
Park Notes:
Frawley Stadium
Wilmington, Delaware
Home of the Wilmington Blue Rocks (A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals)
Visited on: June 5, 2015
Opponent: Frederick Keys (A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles)
Ratings (out of 10)
- Stadium: 8/10
- Concessions: 7.5/10
- Parking: 8/10
- Ambiance: 7.5/10
- Friendliness: 9/10
I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.
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