Baseball Travel: Tucson Electric Park, Tucson

Tucson Sidewinders / Tucson Electric Park

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Rating

Specifics

Address/Directions: 2500 E. Ajo Way, Tucson. Tucson Electric Park is south of downtown Tucson, a stone's throw away from I-10. If you're coming from the north, take the Ajo Way exit (which is also marked as the Kino Parkway. exit) and head east, following the signs.
Phone: 520/434-1021.
Web: http://tucsonsidewinders.com
Online ticket sales? No.
Online broadcasts? Yes.
Capacity: 11,000.
Year Built: 1998.
Last Visited: May 1999.
League: Pacific Coast League, AAA
Affiliation: Arizona Diamondbacks.

Description

There are many ghosts bouncing around Tucson Electric Park. There's the ghost of the Chicago White Sox, which plays spring-training games here. There's the ghost of the Arizona Diamondbacks, which also plays spring-training games here and the parent team of the Sidewinders. There are White Sox and Diamondbacks logos everywhere, the Sidewinders souvenir program is filled with information about the Diamondbacks (like game schedules, promotions, bus trips to the BOB originating from Tucson and television schedules) and at times it seems that the Sidewinders are an afterthought.

Which, in a way, they really are. Tourism dollars are why Tucson Electric Park was built, and tourists don't head for the city in a big way to see the Sidewinders (or the Toros before them) -- they head to spring training to see the White Sox and Diamondbacks. The Sidewinders are the lucky beneficiaries of spring-training dollars.

As are you, if you decide to take in a game here. If you're in the area, a visit to Tucson Electric Park is definitely recommended, because it's a gem of a minor-league ballpark, an example of a modern minor-league park done right. After parking in the adjoining parking lot, you enter TEP at ground level and look down to the action from a concourse level. The main grandstand area features theater-style seats, while there's two levels of bleachers down each line.

The outfield area is noteworthy in that there's not a single bleacher seat; instead, the designers wisely put in grassy areas on both sides of a concession area in dead-center field. It's a great area for families to throw down a blanket -- the kids can run around and play catch, while the adults get a great view of the action. The bullpens are in front of the center-field concession stand, and you can look down at them from the outfield grass. A sidewalk rings the entire playing field, so you can wander throughout the stadium through the course of a game.

If you go, spring for a grandstand seat or sit out in the outfield grass. Don't mess with the metal grandstands unless you must. There are club seats on the second level of the grandstand, but these are quite a ways from the action and are not recommended.

Concession Highlights

Two concession stands behind the main concourse serves standard ballpark fare -- hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, pop, and beer (Bud, Bud Light, MGD, Heineken, Leinenkugel Red, and Dos Equis). The center-field concession stand was closed during my early-season visit, but it's open when larger crowds are on hand.

The real action is in the freestanding concession stands in back of the seats. Here, you can find fresh lemonade, roasted corn and excellent Mexican food.

Smoking

You can smoke in the outer concourse or outfield grass.

For the Kids

There's a children's play area in back of first base.

Parking

Parking in the adjoining lot costs $2. You can park for free across Ajo Way in a city-owned lot, but you'll have quite a hike to the ticket gates.

Before the Game

You're square in the middle of the desert while in Tucson, and if you come from a less exotic clime -- as I do -- you should check out the desert's unique ecosystem. A good place to do so is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, located 14 miles west of Tucson on Speedway. This museum houses 1,300 different kinds of plants and 300 species of animals. If looking at how humans have exploited the land is more to your liking, check out the Asarco Mineral Discovery Center, located 15 miles south of downtown Tucson at I-19 and Pima Mine Road, built around a open-pit copper mine. If you're into kitsch, Biosphere 2 is 30 miles north of Tucson on Hwy. 77.

Where to Stay

TEP is relatively close to both downtown Tucson and the airport. Most of the larger chains are represented in both locations.

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