Summer in the United States is practically synonymous with backyard barbecues, fishing at the lake — and baseball. Definitely baseball. While Major League stadiums deliver major league talent and electrifying pennant races, seats can be expensive and far from the action.
That’s where minor league baseball comes in. What the minor league may lack in marquee names, it makes up for with fan experience. You feel close and connected to the game — and hot dogs don’t cost a fortune.
Most minor league parks are very kid and pet-friendly, making it a true summer outing for the whole family. Plus, most future Major League stars pass through the minors on the way to the majors, so you just might be watching the next Shohei Ohtani or Andrew McCutchen.
Here are some minor league teams you’ll want to check out this summer.
The Nashville Sounds play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. With a capacity of 10,000 people, First Horizon Park isn’t small by minor league standards, but it’s way more intimate than an MLB game. It has some of those classic minor league touches, like a giant guitar-shaped scoreboard in rightfield. And, being in Nashville, of course you can get your hands on some hot chicken.
The Dayton Dragons are the Cincinnati Reds’ High-A affiliate. With 6,831 stadium seats, Day Air Park seems downright cozy. After each game, children are invited onto the field to run the bases. But no mention of the Dragons would be complete without mentioning “the streak”: The team has completed 1,573 consecutive sold out game dates, the longest streak — by far — in the history of North American sports.
Located in bucolic and picturesque Riverside County, the Lake Elsinore Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (SD). The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, which opened in 1994; the park seats 7,866 occupants and is ringed by beautiful foothills. The Storm has offered classic, zany minor league promos through the years, including Charlie Sheen-co De Mayo, Donut Tread on Us Night (in response to the Ariana Grande donut controversy of 2015), and a nightly warning track race between a fan and an employee in a squirrel costume.
The Drillers, the Double-A affiliate of the 2024 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD), play in ONEOK Field in the heart of Tulsa. The ballpark has a cozy capacity of 7,833 seats, including a modern, spacious field-level seating bowl. Fans can hang on grassy hills beyond the outfield wall, including one that overlooks both teams’ bullpens, and there’s a bar located directly beneath the scoreboard.
The home of the Kansas City Royals (KC)’ Single-A team, the Quad City River Bandits, Modern Woodmen Park topped a USA Today (GCI) readers’ poll of the best minor league stadiums twice in a row. Overlooking the Mississippi River, the stadium features a full-sized Ferris Wheel in left field, plus views of the beautiful Centennial Bridge that connects Iowa and Illinois.
With a capacity of just over 6,000 people, you’ll get an intimate baseball experience here while watching the Biloxi Shuckers, the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers in the historic Southern League. Biloxi hadn’t been home to a pro baseball team for over a century years until the Shuckers relocated from Huntsville, Alabama in 2015. The stadium, located a stone’s throw from the Gulf of Mexico, was the site of the 2019 Southern League All-Star Game.
The home of the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox (CWS), the Charlotte Knights, offers stunning views of the downtown skyline. Kids can have pre-game catches on the field on Saturdays and run the bases after the game on Sundays. The stadium offers Thirsty Thursday drink specials and Bark in the Park for dog lovers. Plus, there’s a fireworks show after every Friday home game. It doesn’t get more Americana than that.
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