Top 12 Stadium Experiences in Virginia

Originally the Virginia Colony, the state of Virginia gained admission to the Union on June 25, 1788, becoming the tenth state in the United States of America. Today, Virginia is estimated to have just over eight million residents, making it the 12th most populated state in the country, just ahead of Washington and just behind New Jersey. Nicknamed the Old Dominion, Virginia is deep in historical significance from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville to the Pentagon in Arlington. Still, Virginia remains to this day the most populous state without a major professional sports franchise. Some argue this is because of the lack of a dominant city in the state and the proximity of the teams close by, in North Carolina and Washington D.C. Regardless, there are still several different stadiums where you could catch a good sports game in Virginia. We’re happy to give you today (on 12/12/12) the top 12 stadiums in the 12th most populated state in the US.

1. Bridgeforth Stadium - Home of the James Madison Dukes

   

   Seats in the reserved section are bench style with a back to them and are relatively comfortable. Student section and general admission seats do not come with backs, but you can bring your own stadium seat with you. There is a state-of-the-art scoreboard in the south end zone that offers live action during the game and displays up to date stats throughout the game. The quality of the scoreboard exceeds that of many FBS stadiums. During the game, the Duke Dog mascot can be seen throughout the stadium and the cheerleaders rotate around the field keeping the crowd pumped up.

2. Lane Stadium - Home of the Virginia Tech Hokies

   

   Hokie fans have a well-earned reputation of being among the best in their conference, if not the nation. Though some may find Lane Stadium a bit small for an "elite" program (it seats just over 66,000), the atmosphere is usually quite rowdy, particularly for prime-time games. Fans across the Commonwealth love their Hokies, and if you look around you on the drive along Interstate 81 or US 460, you will see Tech flags EVERYWHERE. Much like other states with two major schools, most Virginians grow up as Hokies or Cavaliers, and the two-plus decades of winning under Frank Beamer helped make that decision for many fans.

3. Norfolk Scope - Home of the Norfolk Admirals

   

   It's all been done before, but the Admirals' game experience feels canned enough that it's enjoyable - which won't make sense until you see a fan in a Rangers shirt and Admirals hat singing along to "Sweet Caroline," one of the arena's cameramen sporting his Devils jersey proudly, and home team sweaters with all variations of "Norfolk" and "Hampton Roads" colors and pro affiliate patches from two decades' worth of history.

4. E. Claiborne Robins Stadium - Home of the Richmond Spiders

   

   The majority of students sit in the south end zone - "The Web" - and keep a pretty energetic charge through the game. If you live or are going to be anywhere near Richmond, enjoy football, and have never taken in a game at Robins Stadium, make plans for next season to get to one. You'll be glad you did.

5. Constant Convocation Center - Home of the Old Dominion Monarchs

   

   Plain and simple, these folks get loud. When a player throws down a thunderous dunk to give the Monarchs an early lead, the place erupts, even against a schedule-filler opponent. Impressively, the luxury suites are almost full, too. Between the suit-and-tie crowd and a few kids' parties, it's always a good sign for a venue when the premium seats are in business for every game. "The Ted" scores a notch below the decades of fan tradition at arenas such as Duke's Cameron Indoor, Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse, or Kentucky's Rupp Arena, but not for lack of effort.

6. The Diamond - Home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels

   

   The Diamond won't 'wow' you, but if you are a fan of the game and don't need all the modern amenities of new stadiums, it's a good investment of three hours on a nice summer evening.

7. John Paul Jones Arena - Home of the Virginia Cavaliers

   

   The students, to their credit, are consistently loud, opinionated, and intelligent, hurling biting criticisms at opposing players en masse. Digging up dirt on opponents via Facebook and Twitter is a long-standing practice in the best (and nastiest) tradition of school spirit.

8. Calvin Falwell Field - Home of the Lynchburg Hillcats

   

   Overall, the staff is great. From the concession stands to the ushers, all of the staff are friendly and appear to enjoy their job. In-between inning activities are kept to a moderate level, and don't try to overpower the action on the field. The PA system at the stadium is clear and the volume level is just right. The left-field scoreboard gives you all the typical information along with season stats for the current batter. These are small details, but make a big difference to me in the stadium experience as a fan of the game.

9. LewisGale Field at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium - Home of the Salem Red Sox

   

   The stadium is located in the Taliferro Sports and Entertainment complex, which also houses a football field, civic center and the fairgrounds. Although the stadium has only been open for 17 years, minor league baseball has been played in Salem for almost 60 years and has seen many future major-leaguers play in their town; Orlando Cepeda, Moises Alou, Dave Parker, Art Howe and Tim Wakefield are a few of the stars that honed their craft in Salem.

10. Scott Stadium - Home of the Virginia Cavaliers

    

    Scott Stadium's setting is remarkable. The Cavaliers' recent poor play hasn't driven away too many of their fans, though capacity crowds are a thing of the past, and videos of "Cav Man" defeating the opposing team's mascot are an exciting touch before kickoff. Outside the stadium, the alumni show out well. There's no alcohol available inside the gates, which only serves to inspire greater consumption of an impressive variety of beverages in the parking lot, and the food spreads on display are top-notch.

11. Harbor Park - Home of the Norfolk Tides

    

    The ballpark is very, very family-oriented. Norfolk's drunken heckler/fighter/degenerate types gravitate to the hockey games further downtown. The on-field action is emphasized less by its quality than by the absence of distractions inside the park. In a way, it's nice to buy a ticket, grab some grub, take a seat, and watch the game. It's simple, if also a bit unremarkable.

12. American Legion Field - Home of the Danville Braves

    

    American Legion Field is located in Dan Daniel Memorial Park. If you're bringing your family to the game, it is a great place to come early and picnic and let the kids burn off some energy before going to the game. There are soccer fields, walking and biking trails and a skate park - a little something for everybody. Being located right off of the expressway, there is not much else close by.