In some stops throughout the minor leagues, you’re missing a bet if you don’t get to the park a couple of hours before the gates open because of all the sights in the area. Dutchess Stadium might be a fine place to take in a game, but the immediate area doesn’t have much to entice you to visit early. The Dutch’s concession menu is extensive, but if you want to get a bite to eat before the game, there are Chinese and pizza places in a complex just across Route 9D. Otherwise, the most notable spot in the immediate vicinity is the sprawling Fishkill Correctional Facility, which is just east of the park. It’s so close, in fact, that you’ll see the prison from Interstate 84.
If you’ve got time before the game, an area attraction worth visiting is Orange County Choppers, which is just seven miles away in Newburgh. The site of the long-running American Chopper TV show on TLC, the OCC headquarters has an enormous gift shop, dozens of bikes to check out and you can even watch the goings-on in the shop through a window. If you’re a fan of the show, give yourself time to visit OCC.