May 18, 2017
Riverwalk Stadium (Capacity: 6,000)
Montgomery, AL
Montgomery Biscuits vs Jackson Generals
Final Score: 6 – 11
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The next destination during our vacation down South brought us to the state of Alabama and its capital, Montgomery. Located in the south-central part of the state along the Alabama River, this city of 200,000 has had a tumultuous history from being a center in the slave trade during the 1800s to playing a vital role in the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s and 60s. Despite the injustices and horrors that occurred, Montgomery has come to rightly honor that history and it has developed into a modern city that is both desirable to live and visit. Downtown revitalization, historical sites and renewed focus on the nearby river made this a great place that I really enjoyed touring. A big part of that revival was the development of a ballpark in 2004 that spurred additional development. That Double-A team arrived from Orlando and subsequently went on to win league titles in ’06 and ’07. I’ve seen plenty of ballparks do the train theme, but none have been more appropriate or effective than Riverwalk Stadium.
Prestige Ranking: 4 out of 5
Location
The ballpark is indeed right near the river and the nearby new development includes “The Alley”. This excellent entertainment district has really revitalized the area and become a trendy nightspot for those looking to eat and hangout. Before the game, we had some great BBQ at Dreamland, right at the beginning of the literal alley. Montgomery features so much for visitors and if ambitious, all of it could be done in a long walk. The State Capitol is a mile from the ballpark and it is within this complex that visitors can tour the historic building, along with the free State Museum. (one that I highly recommend). The First White House of the Confederacy is nearby too. Other historical sites worth seeing include the Rosa Parks Museum, the Dexter Ave Baptist Church and the Visitors Center in the grand Union Station. The closest attraction to the ballpark is Riverfront Park, which is nice, but not all that necessary to see.
Location Ranking: 10 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Montgomery’s location is a main reason why it became capital way back when and that rings true today with access from I-85, I-65 and US-80. Exit 172 from I-65 is the way to the stadium and after navigating a few quirky turns from the exit, it is quick to reach the downtown area near the ballpark. Multiple parking garages are available nearby and on-street parking is free after 6 PM.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Exterior
Wow! I’m so glad I walked from our hotel in the afternoon to check out this exterior as it utilizes a previously unused train shed for the outer framework. It is a low-rise, gray building and the team added beautiful old train station elements for their signage regarding tickets. Adjoining this building and extending at a hard angle down the third base side is a brick building that has an inscription dating it back to 1898. The combined elements make for perhaps the best and most unique exterior in all of minor league baseball. A marquee near the sidewalk welcomes fans with a ballpark logo and a promotional video screen.
Exterior Ranking: 10 out of 10
Concourse
The beauty continues inside, where the former train shed acts as an entrance and it has a distinct feel to a concourse at an old train station in the South. Multiple touches like the ceiling fans, benches, iron gates, brick outlines and stairways to upstairs offices make for a nostalgic entrance. Further in, the two buildings adjoin to frame a plaza of sorts that is partially outdoors. An acoustic band was playing in the corner and the set-up also included the team store. Going down the third-base side, a separate building was constructed to support the concessions, while the suites resting above led to a more traditional appearance. Food carts clustering the sides made this area a little tight. On the other side, the set-up was uniquely different in a good way as cut-outs in to the actual old train depot provided both cover and concessions (which were closed). At the end of this area was the Club Car Bar, a space just as good as the rest of the park. The walkway extended all the way around the outfield, going right to the edge of the railroad tracks on the other side of the fence. A large, spacious play area occupied the left corner.
Concourse Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Food
“Biscuits (of course)” is a great concession stand name and the savory/sweet accompaniments to these biscuits were welcomed. Tough decisions between what to have the biscuits with: Pimento Cheese or Chicken or Conecuh or Alaga Syrup. A good variety fills the remaining stands and Hickory’s BBQ in particular had several enticing options. Outside of that, there wasn’t any other local flavor in the offerings. Microbrews from the area can be found in the Club Car Bar.
Food Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Interior
The seating layout is less spectacular than the rest of the building as a bowl of sections gently curves around the infield, extending from shallow right to shallow left. At most, there are about 18 rows of green seats and it would have been nice if there was a sharper grade to the design. I did really like how the seats turned in towards home plate on the left side and this area also included a picnic section. The other group area in centerfield is a big one and it is preceded by a healthy amount of lawn space that eventually meets the right end seats. Looking in towards the outfield is a pleasant sight with the unique ballpark buildings holding the suites and the skyline of downtown Montgomery in the background. It’s too bad that the other direction is so bland and despite the stadium name, there is no view of the river. Trains in the distance provide noise, though not always pleasant thanks to their grinding screeches as they slow down.
Interior Ranking: 9 out of 14
Scoreboard
Sitting in left field and of average size is a board that is made better because it is all video. The layout isn’t crazy as the box score is at the bottom and the remainder of the area has the lineup and player picture/stats. Video displayed is a bit small, but clear. Several ads flank three of the sides, but the top does have team wordmarks and logos. Enhancing the digital displays is a crisp screen on the outfield wall, which features more statistical information. This is placed in the wrong spot however, as it would have been much more beneficial to be in right field, for those struggling to see on the third base side.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
The historical nature of the building provides a few decent markers and displays on the structures themselves and that is welcomed. Included, is a sign out front that denotes the site of a Confederate Military Prison. Biscuit banners are also nearby and these are on the light poles as they highlight famous players now in the Big Leagues. Division championship banners were confined to inside the team store, which gave me mixed feelings. They look good, but how many people see them? Also, Montgomery as a city does a great job displaying history, I would have liked to seen this (in a sports context) at the stadium.
Displays Ranking: 3 out of 6
Cost
Parking begins at $5, but there is a good chance to find free street parking and the area is safe to attempt that. Tickets are $11 and $13 for a seat and $9 for the grass. This is very similar to what I saw in Biloxi a few nights earlier and average for the league. A hot dog is $4, as are French Fries and that is around the same price as the Biscuit combos. A water costs $3 and nearly all beers stay under $7.
Cost Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Fan Support and Atmosphere
This is the one area that could use improvement and that may be on the way as new ownership has pledged to working on increasing the fanbase. Montgomery has an average attendance in the middle of the pack within the Southern League and the same is true come playoff-time. That playoff number came out to an average of 1,632 came out to the two games the Biscuits hosted last year. I attended this game on “Thirsty Thursday” and that means lots of Millennials enjoying drink specials. This led to a ridiculously inattentive crowd as there was one point where I counted half of a seating section looking at their phones. I know it’s impossible to judge after one game, but the rest of the crowd didn’t offer much. Examples include only a handful standing for “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” and the “Noise” graphic on the scoreboard prompting anything but. There were at least some fun things too: a cheesy fight song (Bring on The Biscuits) and a Biscuit Toss!
Fan Support Ranking: 4 out of 8
Atmosphere Ranking: 5.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
The Biscuits? Really? While I get that there are some good Biscuits in the south, this one is a little too wacky for my liking, especially since the whole ballpark has a train theme that could have been utilized for a nickname……Montgomery went nearly 25 years without a professional franchise as prior teams played here up until 1980. Most of the games were at Paterson Field, which still stands and it co-hosts the State High School Baseball Championships each year……For about 30 minutes, thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning was visible for about half of that time. It amazed me that play still went on despite the legitimate potential for a lightning strike……I was tricked into buying a game program from the year before! They stopped making them this season and the team store was selling these older ones for $3……The outfield wall features a funky curve near the right-field foul pole because of underground wiring from a nearby phone switch station…. I loved the “Montgomery 2004” insignia on the side of each chair at the beginning of a row.
Game
I’ve learned that I can’t stomach baseball games that take over 3 hours and this one was rough (coming in at 3:23). The Biscuits jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a home run by Cade Gotta. It was then a back and forth affair as each inning featured at least one run and the game was 4-4 going into the 6th. That was when Jackson blew it open with six runs as they had 10 come to the plate. The final was 11-6.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
