Are you feeling a bit stuck about where to travel in 2024?
It’s time to start making some concrete plans before spring turns to summer and the season slips away. While many MLB ballparks are worth checking out in 2024, you might also like the idea of focusing on the minor leagues. After all, there are countless reasons that the minors are a good choice for traveling fans.
If you need a little inspiration when it comes to your trip planning, here are five minor league ballparks around the country that would love to welcome you in 2024.
Grainger Stadium | Down East Wood Ducks | Kinston, North Carolina
Grainger Stadium opened its gates for professional baseball in 1949 and has hosted minor league teams in most of the 70-plus summers since. Perhaps the most famous tenant was the Kinston Indians — a club that featured dozens of future Cleveland Indians. CC Sabathia spent time in Kinston in 1999 and 2000, Manny Ramirez suited up for the club in 1992, and Grady Sizemore wore a K-Indians uniform in 2002. In May of 2023, the Wood Ducks announced that they’d relocate to Spartanburg, SC, as early as the 2025 season, which means that 2024 may well be the last year of minor league baseball in Kinston.
Now is the time to check out this historic ballpark, which features an old-school vibe complemented by several modern-day amenities. Be sure to spend a few innings sipping a drink at the two-level Mother Earth Pavilion in the right-field corner, grab a photo of the Wood Ducks-themed water tower beyond left field, and dig into some Eastern Carolina barbecue dishes from the concession stand. The future of baseball in Kinston may be uncertain, but what isn’t uncertain is the satisfaction you’ll feel upon checking this impressive ballpark off your must-see list.
Smith’s Ballpark | Salt Lake Bees | Salt Lake City, Utah
Few ballparks in all of baseball offer the spectacular view from home plate that fans enjoy at Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City. From behind home plate and from numerous areas throughout the park, spectators get a clear view of the Wasatch Mountains. If you haven’t yet witnessed this view, the clock is ticking. The Bees announced in early 2023 that they’d be moving into a brand-new facility at the start of the 2025 season. The new park will be part of a major development in Daybreak, a community about 20 miles away from Smith’s Ballpark.
Ground has already been broken for the new park, and architectural renderings look promising. While the new, yet-to-be-named park might be in your travel plans in 2025 or afterward, you’ve got one more season to see the Bees play at Smith’s Ballpark. The Bees share their current home with the University of Utah Utes Div. I baseball team. Reports indicate that the Utes will play in a new park on their campus, rather than continuing to use Smith’s Ballpark or joining the Bees at their new facility. If you want to enjoy the mountainous view while you watch some Triple-A baseball, plan to attend a Bees game in ’24.
AdventHealth Stadium | Rome Emperors | Rome, Georgia
After playing for two decades as the Braves, the Atlanta affiliate in Rome, GA, rebranded in November of 2023 to the Emperors — and has released some sharp-looking logos and uniforms that fans will enjoy seeing in action in 2024. The Emperors will play at AdventHealth Stadium, and while it’s not a new facility, visiting a park after a rebrand always has an exciting feel. You can expect to see plenty of Emperors-themed signage around the park, as well as have an opportunity to pick up a cap, T-shirt, or jersey in the team shop.
AdventHealth Stadium went through a significant renovation in 2021, so there are several amenities that have a new feel. The red brick ballpark has numerous design features that fans can enjoy, including a new video board, wide concourses, large grass berms, and lots of barbecue items for sale. You can drive between Rome and Atlanta in less than two hours, making a one-day, two-city doubleheader that features games at AdventHealth Stadium and Truist Park a good possibility.
TD Bank Ballpark | Somerset Patriots | Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Over the years, lots of minor league clubs have lost their affiliation and joined independent leagues. It’s not as common to see an independent franchise gain affiliation, but that’s exactly what the Somerset Patriots accomplished prior to the 2021 MiLB season. The Patriots play in Bridgewater, NJ, which is less than 50 miles from New York City — which means the team’s affiliation with the Yankees makes a lot of sense. The team’s ballpark, which opened in 1999, is also an impressive facility that fits in nicely with its Double-A peers.
Lots of ballpark chasers focus on affiliated parks and ignore independent facilities. If this describes you, TD Bank Ballpark may be a place that you’ve yet to visit. But now that it’s within the MiLB ranks, it may be time to check it out. You’ll enjoy how this park feels much newer than its age, while also offering a throwback design for fans. Get there early for a game of catch on the sizable lawn in front of the main gates. Afterward, take a walk behind the left field fence to check out the enormous solar panels that provide power to the stadium. Then, enter to enjoy plenty of seating choices, wide concourses and cross-aisles, and numerous concession options.
Virginia Credit Union Stadium | Fredericksburg Nationals | Fredericksburg, Virginia
If you saw the Potomac Nationals play at Pfitzner Stadium, there’s a good chance you weren’t exactly eager to return. But let’s move on from what was often cited as one of the worst parks in affiliated baseball, shall we? After 2019, the “P-Nats” became the “FredNats” as the franchise relocated to Fredericksburg, VA, and moved into what is now called Virginia Credit Union Stadium. The ballpark opened in May of 2021, making it one of the newest facilities in the minor leagues. Its capacity of 5,000 places it roughly in the middle of Carolina League parks in size.
Virginia Credit Union Stadium offers numerous features for fans to enjoy, and there’s something special about visiting a ballpark before it starts to show signs of its age. Plan to spend some time on the elevated concourse beyond left field, the grass berm in left-center and, if you have children, the spacious play area in the right field corner. For fans who enjoy visiting multiple parks on the same trip, VCUS is less than two hours from Nationals Park. If you want to stick to the minor leagues, The Diamond in Richmond is a slightly shorter drive from Fredericksburg.
