5 Things I Love: NBT Bank Stadium (Part I)

I’ve been fortunate to attend minor league games at 60 different ballparks so far, but there’s no park on this list that I’ve visited more than NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse.

Beginning in 2010, I’ve averaged nearly one game a year at this park in Upstate New York.

NBT Bank Stadium (or Alliance Bank Stadium as it was called during my first two visits — remember that name?) is the closest affiliated ballpark to where I live. With light traffic and a quick border crossing, I can reach the park in about three hours. Its close proximity makes NBT Bank Stadium a place that’s often tempting to visit, but the truth is that I’d plan trips to this park even if it weren’t so close. It’s just a really nice place to watch some minor league action. Over the years, there have been a number of specific things in and around the park that I’ve come to really enjoy.

This is the fourth installment of my “Five Things I Love” series, which looks at five random things that I absolutely love about each ballpark I’ve visited. This is a series that celebrates the sometimes subtle things that make ballpark experiences enjoyable and memorable, and hopefully encourages you to think about your favorite features at each park you visit.

One thing that is different about this entry is that it’s part one of a two-part series. That’s because NBT Bank Stadium has gone through significant renovations since I was last there. I’m excited to see what changes have been implemented since my last visit, but because this park has played such a key role in my ballpark adventures to date, I feel that it’s only fair to look at the “old” version of the park before I check out the “new” version. I’m expecting to revisit in 2023, and will assess the park and see what new features crack my top-five list.

Here are five things I love about NBT Bank Stadium, home of the Syracuse Mets:

1. The Drive Up

I’m the type of baseball fan who gets progressively more excited as I drive toward any ballpark. Perhaps you can relate. When I think about visiting NBT Bank Stadium, one of the first happy thoughts that crosses my mind relates to the last couple of minutes before I drive into the stadium’s parking lot. I think part of that excitement is because I’ve started my season of baseball travel in Syracuse on multiple occasions, and there’s nothing more enthralling than the first trip of each spring. Exit I-81 onto Hiawatha Boulevard. Left on Park Street. Right on NBT Bank Parkway, passing the Syracuse Walsh Regional Transportation Center on my left. Left on Tex Simone Drive. Right over the railway tracks and into the parking lot. It’s a navigational sequence that I can see when I close my eyes and never stops being a thrill during my visits to Syracuse.

2. The Exterior Attractions

I love spending time outside a ballpark before I enter. At first glance, you might think that NBT Bank Stadium’s semi-remote location means there’s a shortage of things to do before the gates open, but I always find fun things to check out once I arrive. No visit is complete without backtracking to capture a photo of the park from the train platform just a short walk from the front gates. I also love following the path beyond the right field corner and being able to peek through the trees to see the field.

3. The Salt City Deck

Over the years, the Syracuse franchise has done a lot in the way of upgrading NBT Bank Stadium. I’ve seen various improvements during each visit, culminating with the addition of the Salt City Deck that I saw for the first time in 2018. It’s an expansive deck behind the right field fence that gives fans a unique vantage point at the park. Prior to its construction, this wasn’t an area that fans could visit. Groups now have the ability to book the entire deck for parties, but when it’s not booked, all fans are able to use this space. I have fond memories of spending a few innings in this area all by myself during a frigid April visit, and it’s definitely a spot I look forward to experiencing again.

4. The Upper Deck

Some of the games I’ve attended at NBT Bank Stadium have been sparsely attended, largely due to the fact that I’ve often visited early in the season when the weather is cold and not exactly conducive to playing baseball. (Some of my longtime blog readers might remember a game I attended in April of 2018 having blizzard conditions.) Anyway, the weather has often resulted in the park’s upper deck being nearly empty — except for me, of course. I’ve enjoyed the unique experience of having entire sections to myself on multiple occasions, getting a bird’s-eye view of the action and being able to snag some uncontested foul balls  — including three in one game in 2018.

5. The Rotunda

I’m always on the lookout for unique design features at the ballparks I visit. When I think of NBT Bank Stadium, the feature that immediately comes to mind is the rotunda to the left of the main gates. (I referred to it as a turret in my early blog posts about the place, but I believe that rotunda is the better term to use.) It’s one of the most noticeable parts of the park from the exterior, but it’s not merely cosmetic. It includes multiple levels of viewing areas that face the parking lot. When I’m looking for a quiet moment to fire off a tweet or return an email during the game, I often seek out the rotunda and stand against one of the railings.

What are your favorite things about NBT Bank Stadium?