This trip kicked off the baseball season as I made my down I-81 for a pair of contests in the state of Virginia. That interstate is usually filled with cars and it was no different on this Friday afternoon. Heavy congestion had me take a detour that brought me a different way up and over the Blue Ridge Mountains, giving me more appreciation of how scary elevation fog can be. Coming down on the other side led to Charlottesville, a splendid college town in the central part of the state. That school of course is the University of Virginia and I did my exploring of this amazing campus that Thomas Jefferson founded the following morning. First was a Friday Evening baseball game as the ‘Hoos were taking on Georgia Tech at Disharoon Park.
This part of campus was busy when I arrived with a track meet going on. Parking was tight, but findable and I’m glad I didn’t come the following day when there was also the Spring Football Game and Monster Trucks in the arena. Getting to the ballpark is odd because there is no traditional home plate entrance and you have to enter all the way by the Track stadium and walk pathways to reach the outfield. Disharoon Park is certainly a nice park as elevated first-level seating above the field provides comfortable viewpoints and a generally good setting. Suites are in an odd place behind the home plate concession, almost making it feel like those inside are staring at you as you walk by. While this ballpark is one of the better ones in the ACC, I couldn’t help but be turned off by several things: the decrepit bleachers in left-field, the aluminum (not concrete) seating base, the grainy video board and the constant barrage of music for 5-10 seconds after every single pitch. As for the game, what a shocker. The 10th-ranked Cavaliers got run-ruled by Georgia Tech. UVA came in averaging over 10 runs per game, yet it was not until the 8th inning that they brought someone across the plate. Even crazier was that they had 12 hits before that. GT jumped out to a 6-0 lead and when the ‘Hoos got a couple runs to make it 7-2, it felt like a rally was coming. That did not happen and the Jackets put another 6 on the board in the Top of the 8th. The final was 13-2.
The next morning was beautiful for a stroll and I did more than that on this day, exploring two cities by 4.2 miles on foot. I’ve seen some pretty campuses, but I’ve got to say that UVA’s might be the best from both an architectural and historical context. The Lawn and the surroundings including the famed Rotunda is stunning and inside is a little museum. I wanted to stay longer here and could’ve walked to The Corner for lunch, but I had to leave some time to check out the famed Downtown Mall. This expansive, pedestrian-only street in the city is popular and houses a good amount of things to see and do. There’s also at least a few standouts in the cast of characters that frequent the area (don’t worry, security is often out and about). I didn’t get a chance to see Monticello south of the city, but will get there when I come back sometime for UVA Football or Basketball. Lunch was at Petit Pois, a French place that was decent but nothing special. Really wanted to try the Duck Confit, but it wasn’t on the menu.
Next up on this busy day was a few hours to rest in the car by taking country roads to Fredericksburg. My image of this place was always tainted because of the frequent traffic on I-95 and the nearby conglomerate of big box stores along the Carl Silver Parkway. Seriously, it features every chain restaurant and retail store that you can think of, going on seemingly forever. Much to my surprise, Fredericksburg is much more than that and the downtown along the Rappahannock River, 3 miles to the east of I-95 is a fantastic place to visit. In fact, I liked it much more than Charlottesville as there is a lot to do and the shops / restaurants are better. I’m usually not one to stop in for shopping, but I wish I had more time in Caroline Square and the amazing amount of relics for purchase. FXBG (city nickname) also has many museums and both the Revolutionary and Civil War history in the area runs deep. The local “Fredericksburg Area Museum” is a great space to start for both quality and cost (free). I didn’t have time to visit local houses, but I did go see Kenmore and found myself at peace in the serene nearby neighborhood that included the Monument for George Washington’s Mother.
For dinner, I decided last minute to drive a slightly out of downtown to Allman’s, a local BBQ institution and boy am I glad I did. This is a food type that I often crave and I have to say this might be the best BBQ that I’ve tried. The pulled pork was so good and the sauces that went with it matched the quality of the meat. Service was super nice and authentic, while the prices were remarkably low (just $7.50 for the above). Highly recommend.
After that, it was back to the hullabaloo on the other side of I-95. The Fredericksburg Nationals and their ballpark arrived during the Covid year of 2020 and it took a few years for the organization to see normalcy in their operation. I found the stadium to be underwhelming and disappointing for something so young. Located at the end of all the stores and near some newly built housing developments, Virginia Credit Union Stadium has a boring introduction with basically a gray wall that is a mix of stone and brick. The side plaza is the main opening and at least they put more decorative pieces here. Inside, there is soooooo much foul ground space and it moves the seating bowl further from the diamond than you think it should be. The rows go up at a gentle incline and the sections around the stadium are shallow and spread out, not leading to the greatest of sight lines. The set-up of a double-decker club space around home plate means that the concourse goes all the way around this obstruction and leads to an ugly exclusion around the most important part of the park. At least, the outfield area was well done and the seating sections out here were executed better and a historical wall / kids section were highlights. I also liked the insets for concession stands, helping with flow and space through the concourse. The crowd was generally into the game and it was an absolutely perfect night weather-wise for baseball. They cheered and participated often, with sporadic “Wooooooo” calls taking place when a FredNats pitcher through a strike. The home side went on to win 5-2 and I was fortunate enough to capture a Grand Slam on camera (YouTube video coming soon).
The next morning, I spent more time than planned at the Fredericksburg National Military Park before heading home. The Visitors Center and Sunken Road was equally more interesting and more somber than I imagined going in. Being cloudy and chilly was an appropriate stage for walking the tragic road. Afterwards, it was time to head home, with the requisite traffic along the way. Given that I was passing by some cities and it was a Sunday Afternoon, I looked for a re-visit to a stadium and found the Harrisburg Senators playing. It was a rushed stop as they were in the 4th inning when I arrived, but I decided to walk around City Island and the stadium, retaking many pictures with a better camera 11 years after my original visit. FNB Field is still one of my favorite Eastern League stadiums and I’ll look to stop there again another time on a warmer day and not just on a whim. Overall, the trip was a success as I toured two cities that I’ve never really been to before and added Stadiums #258 and #259 to the completed list. Look for detailed reviews on those in the next week or two.
Stadium and Arena Visits 