Photos by Steve Bloom, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Wild Things Park 1 Washington Federal Way Washington, PA 15301
Year Opened: 2002 Capacity: 3,200
Major League Fun at Minor League Prices
Wild Things Park is the home of the Washington Wild Things of the Independent Frontier League. The franchise played in Canton, Ohio from 1997-2001 as the Crocodiles prior to being purchased and moved to Southwestern PA and was renamed to its current moniker.
Wild Things Park is a modern 3,200 seat facility located on a hill above Washington Crowne Centre right off Interstate 70 in Washington, PA and offers fans a very reasonably priced day out in a park with every seat close to the action. The facility features a synthetic turf field right that was installed before the 2010 season, visual photos of menu items, grassy areas, and easy access throughout the concourse. The ballpark once housed a hot tub in the left field corner, but that is no longer a feature of the experience.
The city of Washington’s population is near 14,000, but is only a 30 minutes away from Pittsburgh and Wheeling, West Virginia. Located adjacent to I-70 and near the Washington Crown Center shopping mall, the colorful ballpark offers various food options, between inning promotions, and even cookies and milk.
Food & Beverage 4
Wild Things Park offers a high quality concessions experience with a wide variety of traditional ballpark fare such as nachos, burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and ice cream. There are a wide variety of Pepsi products along with foreign, domestic and craft beers. The quantity and quality of the items make for a pleasant dining experience.
Lines move rapidly with very friendly service. Every concession stand in the park accepts credit cards.
Atmosphere 4
The Coal Tipple Bar is in the left field corner with a large assortment of beverages as well as tables to sit at and enjoy the game. There is a picnic area along the right field line as well where groups can enjoy the game together without losing any of the intimacy of the park. Behind the stands along the third base line is a playground as well as bouncey houses for the children that need a break from the game.
The ProGrass Synthetic Turf field is easily maintained and in immaculate condition. The video board in right field is large and easy to see from any location in the park. The digital scoreboard in center field is just as large and easy to see as well. Wild Thing, a hairy beast-type creature, is the mascot. Wild Thing is quite active interacting with the fans throughout the ball park.
No matter where you sit in Wild Things Park, you have a good view of the action. The seating bowl wraps around the field from the outfield corners into home plate. Box seats are $15, the higher up in the seating bowl Reserved seats are $12 and the General Admission seats are $8. The top several rows of the seating bowl near the press box and five private boxes are covered.
The team has fun contests in between innings for the fans, all of which get enthusiastic responses especially when Wild Thing is taking part. Additionally, the music played between innings and during player walk ups is very unobtrusive to the fan experience.
The atmosphere at this Frontier League park is a lot of fun. The size of the facility is conducive to player-fan interactions through the course of the game. After the game, the entire team goes into the right field concourse to sign autographs as fans leave the park.
Neighborhood 3
Wild Things Park is located just up the hill from a typical suburban shopping center in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Within a quarter mile of Wild Things Park are numerous well-known hotel and restaurant chains such as Comfort Inn and Red Roof Inn as well as McDonalds and Wendys. Within five miles of the park you can find any type of restaurant, such as Applebee's or Olive Garden.
In case of a rain out a movie theater is within walking distance of the ballpark. Within 15 minutes of the park along Interstate 79 you can find the Meadows Race Track and Casino as well as premium shopping deals at Tanger Outlets. For history buffs, there is the Trolley Museum right by the Meadows and Tanger Outlets.
Fans 3
The Washington Wild Things fans are a passionate group looking for a fun and more economical time compared to seeing the nearby Pirates at PNC Park. The Wild Things rank in the middle of the Frontier League attendance, averaging around 2,000 fans per game. Even small crowds at Wild Things Park can seem bigger based upon the rowdiness of the fans.
Access 4
Wild Things Park is quite accessible as it is just a hop, skip and a ju,mp off Interstate 70.
There is no public transportation to the field, so driving is a must to the ballpark. The closest airport to Wild Things Park is 45 minutes away in Pittsburgh.
Parking is $5 per car in a large lot behind the outfield with ample handicapped spaces.
The majority of the fans enter through the convenient right field entrance. There is another entrance behind home plate, but it is seldom used.
The concourse is underneath the seating bowl and does not have a view of the playing surface. The restrooms are all large and extremely clean with no lines.
Return on Investment 4
The ticket prices are average in price for any lower level professional baseball and provide a wide variety of amenities throughout the facility.
As is the case with other teams, depending on how many games a fan wants to attend, investing in a season ticket package can save several dollars per ticket per game. The team has no programs to distribute to fans.
Extras 3
There is a small team store behind right field with a variety of team merchandise to purchase. Throughout the concourse you will find tributes to former players who have made it to the Show as well as Frontier League Hall of Famers. The team employees from the ticket takers, ushers and concession workers are all very friendly and engaged with the fans.
The Wild Things do not broadcast the games on radio, however Kyle Dawson does play by play on the team’s video broadcasts on the team website. The background for Wild Things Park is not exciting compared to some other parks I have attended, but provides quite a scenic view of tree covered hills common to Pennsylvania.
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