Unless you’ve been to a long list of minor league ballparks, there’s a good chance that you haven’t been to one older than Kinston’s Grainger Stadium. This historic facility began hosting ballgames in 1949, and although there have been various stretches without affiliated baseball, the park has given fans in eastern North Carolina many years of action to enjoy.
Grainger Stadium is the second-oldest facility in the Carolina League; Bank of the James Stadium, home of the Lynchburg Hillcats, opened in 1940. Only a handful of parks throughout the entire minor leagues are older than Grainger. Over the last seven-plus decades, the ballpark has hosted teams with several MLB affiliations, including Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Washington, Atlanta, New York, Montreal, Toronto, and Cleveland. Since 2017, the franchise has been affiliated with the Texas Rangers.
Grainger Stadium has a throwback feel that many fans will appreciate. Even though the park has undergone many upgrades over the years to improve the fan experience, there’s still a vintage feel that sets the facility apart from most others in the Carolina League. When you enter through the home plate gates, you’ll find yourself in an open-air plaza space behind the home plate grandstand. There are some concession kiosks in this area, and you’ll find a patch of grass to your right that some fans use for playing catch.
Walking straight ahead takes you into the seating bowl, but you also have a choice of heading left or right. Walk left, and you’ll soon come across the Grainger Stadium team shop. It’s situated under the grandstand and is modest in size, but filled with an impressive selection of Wood Ducks apparel and accessories. If you walk to your right, you’ll find that the concourse becomes wider. A grass berm, some picnic tables, and the ballpark’s main concession stand are all in this area. Farther ahead, it’s impossible to miss the Mother Earth Pavilion, which is a two-level, 10,000-square-foot structure that has both covered and open-air seating, as well as a sizable bar that features numerous beers from Mother Earth Brewing — a brewery that is based in downtown Kinston. It’s got an extensive selection of seating choices, including barstools, picnic tables, restaurant-style chairs, and more. Not far from this area, you’ll find a modest children’s play area that is enclosed by netting to keep the users safe from foul balls.
During your visit, there are a handful of things you’ll want to notice. Most importantly, take a look at the water tower that is visible beyond the left field corner. It’s painted in a Wood Ducks theme, making it one of a very small number of water towers that honor minor league franchises. You’ll also want to look at the home bullpen in the left field corner, which is designed to mimic a duck-hunting blind — talk about being on brand!
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