The best way to watch baseball: Reds stadium views
The Great American Ball Park is a tremendous arena, but where is the best vantage point to watch a game in the stadium?
While our sports teams may be in bit of a slump, downtown Cincinnati has a reputation of a city with a plethora of activities. From the flying pig marathon to rowdy Bengals football games, the city really does have a lot to offer.
Now that the heartbreaking college basketball season is over, Cincy sports fans attentions are now being drawn to America’s past time: the Cincinnati Reds.
Visiting the Great American Ball Park to watch the Reds is always a great time with family or friends, even despite the final score. The waft of syrupy kettle corn greets you as you make your way through the entrance, and the first view of the Ireland green clean cut grass hugging the infield can not be beat.
Not to mention wading past nacho stands serving literally helmets full of crunchy nachos with melted cheese, salsa, and peppers.
Now all of these smells and sights are fine and dandy as one enters the stadium, but the real question is…where is the best spot in the park to hunker down and watch the game? A few rows behind the dugout? Along the left field line? Up in a sky bar?
Well let’s weigh the pros and cons (including the prices or difficulty of attaining the seats) to discover the best way to watch a Reds game if you are planning a visit downtown.
Diamond Seats
When in the discussion of best seats in the house, the classic diamond seats simply can not be ignored. Sitting a few feet away
from the players at bat while watching a 98 mph fast ball sing your way is hard to beat in terms of best view of the game.
However, there are a few pitfalls which distance the diamond seats from the “most worth it” title, and they all revolve around the most glaring factor: the price.
Typical diamond sets can range from $200-300, not to mention any beverages or overpriced pizza or hot dogs you may want.
When I was in grade school my friend’s dad was generous enough to take us to a game with diamond seats and it was an excellent experience. Unfortunately though, with the combination of difficult transportation in and out of the seats and a huge net a few feet away from your face, diamond seats are not worth the price for a casual visit.
Infield Box
The infield box seats are also seats with a spectacular view of the game. Foul balls are frequently shot over towards these seats. Whether these hits are a good or bad component to the seats are falls in the judgement of the fan.
Just a side note, if you are worried about getting hit with a foul ball, you can relax considering a long net was recently installed along the nearside of the inside box seats to prevent black eyes or worse.
These enthralling seats range from $20-$30, which is not overpriced for how close the ticket holders are to the action. However, $40 can be a pretty steep price if one is looking for a group price to pitch to his friends.
On the other hand, if you are looking for nice seats to swipe for a date, these are a nice middle ground because of its great location and relatively low price compared to diamond seats.
Terrace Outfield
Terrace outfield seats take the cake for “most worth it” seats in my opinion. These outfield seats normally go for around $15
and give you the most bang for your buck.
First of all, the whole game is in perfect view. While some argue the seats are too far back, you would have to be nearly blind to think anything is too far away. The seats are staggered in a way which gives every fan the view as if he or she were standing in the outfield waiting for a pop up.
Speaking of pop ups (fly balls), the experience in the terrace outfield seats is that of a line judge.
When fast ball quickly becomes a flyer soaring through the air, you are left waiting for the ball to either fall into a players glove in front of you, sail your direction for a home run, or possibly hit the wall directly in front of you creating a frenzy on the field.
Bleachers
Bleacher seats are classic for a low budget visit with a big group of people. Most natives in Cincinnati have been to the classic Reds visit through grade school school that ends up in the bleachers.
These seats are usually priced around $5-$10 and have a nice relaxed environment. At the Great American Ball Park, there really is not a bad seat in the house, so do not stray from the bleacher seats because of its surprisingly low price.
Honorable Mentions: Sky Bar & Riverboat Deck
I have been lucky enough to watch Reds games from both the boat house and newly installed Sky Bar.
The boat house is a fantastic experience. Alongside the terrace outfield seats lays the bottom level of the boat house with the game available to watch through large clear windows leaning over the outfield.
While the window view of the boathouse is awesome and a privilege, the sounds and environment of the classic ball game feel is somewhat lost. The boat house seemed to be more of a business professional experience than the tradition peanuts and cracker jacks feel some would be looking for.
The new sky bar had an extremely similar feel, although the sky bar has a step up because of its height (as long as you do not mind the wind) and more comfortable seats.
I will warn you though, neither of these options are great for those scared of heights.
So get out and support the Reds even if they need to have more wins under their belt. The experience is always worth it.
