<---PREVIOUS PAGE: CONCESSIONS AND THE CLUB AREA

Interestingly, there may be more in the way of historical displays than advertising signage in Huntington Park, as the county and the team had the financial luxury of not being forced to jam sponsorships down everyone’s throats to pay for the bills. There’s no signage at all on the outfield wall save a Wendy’s sponsorship of the aforementioned right-field balconies. The scoreboard is huge, anchored with a major sponsorship from the Columbus Dispatch. That sponsorship, by the way, is handled in a unique fashion. The scoreboard is actually five display boards: a main videoboard, two ribbon text boards above and below that, and two small video boards at the top, one mocked up to look like a newspaper front page and the other like a TV screen. The newspaper mock displays headlines from the newspaper both past and present. Two smaller boards at each end of the grandstand give fans everywhere in the park access to the score and other game info.


Signage in the concourse is also handled in a unique way: they are printed on plastic and then adhered directly to the brick wall. The process allows the shape of the brick to come through on the ad surface, making it look like the ads were painted directly onto the brick. It’s the coolest thing.

Indeed, there are a lot of cool things at Huntington Park, which comes as close to perfection as we’ve seen in any ballpark. With an embedded sense of place, a firm grasp on the grand history of baseball and a commitment to the latest in fan comforts, Huntington Park represents the very finest in ballpark design and operations. While there are some new ballparks that come very close – as you’ll see when we write about Parkview Field tomorrow – there are none better.


Concessions
We’ve already described where the concessions are, but we’ve not discussed specifics. In general, there’s a wide assortment of offerings in the ballpark, including all the usual baseball fare. (Have a hot dog; they’re pretty tasty.) For folks who want something more substantial, there’s a full food menu in the left-field sports bar and in the club. In addition, the City Barbeque area down the right-field line offers ribs and pulled pork, chicken or beef sandwiches; at $5 they’re a ballpark bargain. The stand is located next to a large area featuring a slew of picnic tables; it’s a perfect place to sit down and enjoy a sandwich.

Beer lovers will want to head down the left-field line for the beer booth featuring Elevator Brewing microbews; most of the stands feature Bud products of some sort, but you won’t need to work too hard to find a stand featuring Labatt Blue. Tim Horton’s coffee is served throughout the park, but alas there didn’t seem to be any doughnuts available. For those with a sweet tooth, try some Velvet Ice Cream.

Parking
There’s plenty of parking in the area, constructed to serve the needs of Nationwide Arena and the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. The cost ranges from $3 to $10.


Before/After the Game
The proximity of Nationwide Arena means there’s a lot to do before and after the game. The bars and venues catering to NHL fans also are open to baseball fans as well.

Next to Nationwide Arena, on the other side of the arena from the ballpark, is an entertainment district of sorts. For Sunday afternoon games, a visit to the Starbucks would be in order; for a night game, some garlic fries and microbrews at Gordon Biersch is a must. There are plenty of other eateries in the general area.