May 4, 2018
Durham Bulls Athletic Park (Capacity: 10,000)
Durham, NC
Durham Bulls vs Toledo Mud Hens
Final Score: 5 – 4
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The last stop on our week-long vacation in the Tar Heel State was in Durham for a trip to see one of the best ballpark experiences in Minor League Baseball. This continually growing city of 250,000 is the state’s 4th largest and is located in the central, Piedmont section. Built on a thriving tobacco industry, Durham has rebuilt itself, becoming a leading area for medicine (Duke Medical Center) and science/research/industry (Research Triangle Park). Bulls baseball goes back quite awhile with much of that time spent in the Carolina League. It was the release of the popular 1988 movie, “Bull Durham” that led to an explosion in popularity with the team and they outgrew Durham Athletic Park. In 1995, the larger and expandable Durham Bulls Athletic Park precipitated a move up to AAA and the International League a few years later. Since then, the Bulls have become one of baseball’s most successful teams by making 11 appearances in the Championship Series and taking home the Governor’s Cup 5 times. The DBAP itself is quite a ballpark as it has a major-league feel in a section of the city that is excellent.
Prestige Ranking: 4 out of 5
Location
Durham has done an amazing job revitalizing old tobacco plants and I spent some time around the city checking them out (including Brightleaf Square). The most notable one is the American Tobacco Complex, which is right next to the ballpark. This former giant of a company had a campus and all of the tobacco buildings within it have been redesigned into mixed-use space interspersed with man-made canals, waterfalls and floral landscaping. The area also includes the historic Lucky Strike smoke stack and water tower, which people can actually sit and relax under. Several restaurants are included within the Tobacco Complex and there are a few more places to eat adjacent to the ballpark, including Tobacco Road that features a patio with a view of the game. To reach the center of a revitalized downtown, it is just a short walk down Blackwell Street and fans can find more dining/entertainment there. For other things to do in the city, I recommend heading over to Duke University and seeing their historic campus and amazing gardens.
Location Ranking: 9.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
The best way to get to the area is the Durham Freeway (NC-147) as an exit leads right to the ballpark. Continue past that for the south parking deck in the American Tobacco Complex. You’re on the access road for a little while and use the middle lane. Despite my early arrival, the garage was quite full already and the Bulls’ website says this is the only parking structure for non-pass holders. Some people may have to search out a nearby smaller lot. This a must during weekday afternoon games as ballpark attendee parking in the Tobacco Complex isn’t allowed (though how would they know you’re not going to eat?). Durham has great highway access (I-85 and I-40) and arrival from the north includes I-85, but more driving thru city streets. Rush hour is busy in the Triangle and led to my delay by about 20 minutes, driving through the region. I was impressed though with the traffic flow out of the garage after the game as operators and police were very efficient in getting cars onto the Freeway.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6 out of 8
Exterior
Durham Bulls Athletic Park has multiple mixed-use buildings framing the stadium and that makes the ballpark blend in well with the adjoining space. These “Diamond View” complexes are somewhat new, having been built after DBAP. The actual exterior of the ballpark is the tall, brick portion that lines Blackwell Street and Jackie Robinson Dr. At the intersection, the building becomes curved, almost paying homage to the historic tower in front of the old DAP. This is a great section of the ballpark as it includes player pictures and logos in the windows, a classy ballpark name on the façade and an inviting entry plaza complete with two fountains.
Exterior Ranking: 9 out of 10
Concourse
Part of the concourse is enclosed underneath the seating bowl and I’m fine with that since it goes 360 degrees around the park, with the other half of it open-air. Framed by brick on one side and a wonderful tan and brown colored wall on the other, the interior space is plentiful and enjoyable to walk around as wall displays are abundant and concession signs eye-appealing. There is even a “beer garden” space to those that want to eat or drink down here. DBAP has plenty of stairs and another set needs to be climbed to reach the second part of the concourse, which runs atop the seating bowl and around the outfield. This winding walkway has it all: a large bar with plenty of seating, Wool E. World’s playground and Lowes Landing. Yes, baseball may seem a distraction here, but the landing has shuffleboard, a putting green, a giant Connect Four game and cornhole. The outfield has a city-feel to it with the buildings on the other side and railings along the undulating fence to watch.
Concourse Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Food
They have their own brewery! Bull Durham Beer Company can be seen from the inner concourse and of course their varieties of brew are available. Durham certainly is part of the craft beer explosion and I counted at least six different microbreweries available. For the food, most of the ballpark standards had offshoots (ex. 4 different kinds of hot dogs, 3 different burgers). I was relieved to see an Eastern-NC style BBQ stand, which featured traditional platters highlighted by the pulled pork. Other standouts include: Makus Empanadas, cakes from the Kupkake Fairy and a fresh fruit stand from the Durham Coop Market. Also, the team has two food trucks set up in the outfield on Friday games.
Food Ranking: 8 out of 8
Interior
A multitude of renovations has brought DBAP to its current state and it is terrific. Seating consists of a single-level bowl, split nearly in the middle by a walkway, that extends around most of the infield. Sightlines are decent with an adequately average pitch. Seats themselves are wide and comfortable and they come with a cupholder. Blue is the color of those seats and they match the team colors, which are also displayed in the continued tan and brown wall color around the park. A cantilevered roof covers many sections and this nice touch is made better by ceiling fans that circulate air in the often warm weather. Luxury areas can be found in the form of suites behind the bowl/under the roof and the PNC Club behind section 200. A whopping total of 9 deck, patio or picnic spaces fill any corner or extra partial seating section. Outfield seating consists of decent sections of chairbacks in right-field, while to the left of that is a grassy section called Homerun Hill. The scenery adds another nice element to the ballpark as the urban background is accentuated by the iconic Lucky Strike memorabilia towering over the corner. DBAP is a busy place with a lot going in the interior and it all comes together quite well. On top of the 32-foot high “Blue Monster” in left field is the famous “Hit Bull Win Steak” sign. This was created for the movie Bull Durham and the team kept it. This newer version features blinking red eyes, snorting smoke and a wagging tail after a Durham home run or victory. Awesome.
Interior Ranking: 12 out of 14
Scoreboard
There is no free standing scoreboard in the ballpark and that is completely fine as the huge screen on the Blue Monster works very well. The image is one of the sharpest I’ve seen in the minors. It gets a lot of use, though I just wish they used it for a few more replays. During the game, stats of both important and random nature are on the screen. To the right is a manual scoreboard. It’s cool but overplayed in my opinion and I could say the same for the wall. It didn’t need to be there, but at least the relatively new building with a restaurant right in the space beyond makes it seem like the Blue Monster needs to be there. The outfield wall is also utilized on the other side as that is outfitted with an elongated video display.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3.5 out of 4
Displays
The Bulls won both the IL and AAA Championships last year and there are a pair of small banners hanging from an opening on the exterior that recognize that feat. The outside also features four retired numbers and their names, plus Jackie Robinson and Crash Davis, the fictional player from Bull Durham. Also, near the entry plaza is a set of bricks that are centered by a descriptive stone that explains something about the team or ballpark. Inside, the walls of the concourse feature beautiful bronze artwork that include images of team legends. Even the bathrooms have info art. There’s more to explore as timelines and old images tell various stories. This is a club that does a great job of creating a ballpark ingrained with team culture.
Displays Ranking: 4 out of 6
Cost
Parking is $6 in the American Tobacco garage, or if you are comfortable with city driving, you can try and find a spot on the street for free during the evenings. A good chunk of the seats in the park are reasonably priced at $8 – $12 and this compares favorably with divisional compatriots. Online surcharges add a few bucks, as do if you wait until the day of the game. The only thing that is out of whack are the $24 “Field Level Premiums”. There doesn’t seem to be anything special with these seven sections that go around home plate (unless they come with food service that I didn’t know about it). They still don’t seem worth it given the little value of being that much closer. Food prices have a Major League feel as it is $8 for a burger, $5.50 for a hot dog (with chips) and a whopping $10 for one of the craft beers.
Cost Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Fan Support
The team has a great following and that was evident on this Friday Night game, which was “sold-out”. It wasn’t quite like all seats were taken, but it was still a great turnout (maybe 7000 or 8000). Star Wars Night likely had a hand in that. What was really noticeable was the amount of Durham Bulls gear people had on. It far outnumbered the amount of Duke/Carolina apparel. Paid attendance ranks in the middle of the International League and playoff attendance confirms that with a similar ranking. In nine playoff games over the last five seasons, the average crowd was 3,723. Here in 2018, I wouldn’t come close to saying that Durham is the most popular team in minor-league baseball like it was in the late 80s and 90s after the movie, but the team does fine for drawing fans. Speaking of the movie, there were a bunch of Crash Davis shirts in the crowd. The team really doesn’t go overboard referencing Bull Durham, which is nice. The only piece I saw was a cool video clip in the beginning as Susan Sarandon’s character explained some rules and how to behave in the park.
Fan Support Ranking: 6 out of 8
Atmosphere
The rest of the atmosphere featured the typical milling around of the crowd, interspersed with periodic cheers of the game. Nothing too unusual for this level. Scored runs were met with a decent amount of cheering. There was one exchange that I found interesting: the crowd booed their own pitcher when he couldn’t find the plate. They then gave him a sarcastic cheer after getting a strike. It was a key juncture in the game and an odd time to turn on him. Maybe they realized that after as they then seemingly carried him to two strikeouts with an applause that was a crescendo as he barely avoided conceding the tie game.
Atmosphere Ranking: 7.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Durham Athletic Park still stands and fans of the movie can go check it out as it is just south of downtown. Built in 1940, the DAP looks great and still has that iconic, circular ticket tower in front. North Carolina Central University plays here and I went to check out a game the next day, which was a memorable experience……The Bulls have been affiliated with Tampa Bay ever since they moved to the IL……The “Bull” origin likely comes from the Bull Durham Tobacco Company……I collect ticket stubs and occasionally my entry in is not in traditional stub form. I hopelessly ask “Fan Assistance” for an unused stub and often am met with a bewildered look. For the first time in my travels, I had success in Durham. Thank you to the attendant for not only accommodating the request but being kind and gracious in the process….The field is named after Jim Goodmon, President of the company that owns the team and facilitator for the ballpark and surrounding development.
Game
Durham got the scoring started by lighting up the Bull with a Justin Williams 2-run homer in the bottom of the second. A few innings later and Durham was up 4-0. Things got interesting in the 6th inning as Relief Pitcher Cody Hall gave up a pair of singles to the Mud Hens followed by a wild pitch and then three consecutive walks. Two of those brought in runs and the game got tied at 4. He finally was able to find the strike zone and got the final two outs. In the 7th, Durham used a line drive single to take the lead and that 5-4 advantage held up the rest of the way.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
