Ballpark Digest

The displays include a replica of the Palace of the Fans grandstand façade, the Reds’ World Series trophies, a salute to the Big Red Machine of the 1970s complete with life-size bronze statues, a tribute to Cincinnati’s Opening Day tradition of the Findlay Market parade and countless other relics of baseball’s most storied franchise. One of the more unique ways to view Reds memorabilia is in the Baseball Heaven section, set up to look like a rec room from the 1960 (shown above). Though Pete Rose hasn't been inducted yet into the Reds Hall of Fame, his accomplishments are noted: a special 30-foot-tall wall of 4,256 baseballs marks each of Rose’s record hit total, while visitors can also look outside the Hall to see a “Rose” garden marking the previous outfield spot of Riverfront Stadium where Pete’s record-breaking 4,192nd hit landed.) In addition, an interactive area also lets fans face a 90-mph fastball, pitch from a regulation mound and even scale an outfield wall to take a home run away from an unlucky batter. The tour of Reds history ends with a run through the Reds Hall of Fame Gallery. Membership in the Reds Hall of Fame runs the gamut from the likes of Noodles Hahn and Dummy Hoy from the turn of the century to recent inductees Ken Griffey and George Foster. This was the first hall of fame devoted to a single pro baseball team and well worth an early arrival to the ballpark.

Where to Sit
We sat in virtually every section of the ballpark: club, terrace, mezzanine and bleachers. (OK, we didn't peruse the really, really expensive Diamond Seats.) The best combination of view and price tag was the Mezzanine Infield area (sections 415-419): you're relatively close to the action and high enough to see all the action, with a midrange price tag of $19. We'd also recommend either left-field or right-field bleachers; both are inexpensive and ridiculously close to the action. The right-field Sun Deck/Moon Deck seems to have a strong community of regulars, which is always recommended, and the view of downtown Cincinnati is tremendous. In the left-field bleachers, you can't see the above-average scoreboard, though that's a plus for many baseball purists.

Concessions
There are 26 concession stands throughout the ballpark with a wide variety of options. Most of the offerings are ballpark staples, but there are two food items worth trying:

Big Red Smokies are the signature hot dog; basically, they're hot dogs burned to the point where they have a black crust. Now, some of us grew up on burnt hot dogs and find them tasty. Other people hate burnt foods of all sorts.

Montgomery Inn BBQ is served at several stands. Cincinnati isn't regarded as being a great BBQ city, but Montgomery Inn prepares some top-notch BBQ, and the surroundings are lovely.

Parking
Great American Ball Park shares some prime riverfront footage with US Bank Arena and Paul Brown Stadium, so there's plenty of surface parking and ramps within a close walk of the ballpark. You could also park on the Kentucky side of the river and walk across the Southgate Bridge to the ballpark.

For the Kids
Parents may not like it (you can't see the game while visiting), but there's a huge play area down the right-field line featuring before-game entertainment, games and other activities.