June 23, 2024
Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park (Capacity: 5,549)
Charleston, SC
Charleston RiverDogs vs Lynchburg Hillcats
Final Score: 5 – 7
.
Charleston is one of the most charming cities to visit in the United States, though it certainly wasn’t always that way. Located on a thumb-shaped peninsula between the Cooper and Ashley Rivers, this part of coastal South Carolina is known as the Lowcountry and the population of around 150,000 people makes it the largest city in the state (yet just 174th largest in the country). Charleston has been through both natural disasters and man-made disasters, namely the slave trade. Locals complain about the high expense, major traffic and frequent flooding, however the place is thriving as a tourist attraction. We spent 3 of our 7 days on our South Carolina vacation in this area. Many come to experience all of the history, beautiful sights and cuisine, which is highlighted by seafood that has a French flair. The historical aspect is best seen along downtown’s cobblestone streets which feature varied buildings that date back centuries. There are no modern skyscrapers here in “The Holy City”, making the scenery and walking more striking.
On-again / off-again professional baseball stints preceded this franchise’s debut in 1980. Since then, Charleston has always been at the Single-A level in Minor League Baseball. During the great restructure around the time of Covid, the team went to the Carolina League and after 40 years of playing, they won their first championship in 2021. Remarkably, the RiverDogs would also go on to win the ’22 and ’23 titles, the first time that’s ever been done in the Carolina League. They’ve been doing it as affiliates of the Tampa Bay Rays. The man responsible for Charleston’s development into such a great place to live and visit also led the way for the building of this ballpark. Joseph P. Riley Jr., the former mayor of 40 years in this city has his name on the stadium that opened in 1997.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
Much of the touring in Charleston comes from exploring the downtown area which features historic buildings, houses and museums about the city’s history. There’s also the famed City Market that is definitely worth a visit. Joseph P. Riley Park is on the Peninsula, but on the Westside, a couple miles from the historic district. This neighborhood near the Ashley River contains The Citadel, Brittlebank Park and marshland. It’s not the most majestic of location, especially given the vast parking lot space nearby for The Citadel’s football stadium. Plus you have the excitement of the Municipal Court and Police building around the corner. Walking distance restaurants are limited to a mixed-use building that features Domino’s, Jimmy John’s and a Japanese restaurant. If you want to venture outside the Peninsula, check out the various plantations in the area or Fort Sumter.
Location Ranking: 8 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Coming to Charleston will involve taking either I-26 from further inland or Highway 17 if travelling along the coast. There can be slowdowns coming into the city and when driving around town. Locals rightfully complain a lot about Charleston’s traffic and thankfully, “The Joe” is secluded enough to not be terribly impacted by it. You’ll still encounter stop and go driving, along with stoplights along Highway 17 before reaching either Lockwood Drive or Hagood Ave. There isn’t anybody to control traffic coming into the large surface parking lot kitty-corner to the ballpark. Expect a slow-go upon arrival as it took me 10 minutes to get to parking. That lot is sufficient to hold all the cars for the game, but quality is poor as it is unpaved and rows are questionably tight the further out you get. Try to back in to a spot as it will help big time after the game.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Exterior
Ballpark location forces the entrance to be in the left-field corner as half of the stadium just is not accessible being right next to marshland. This primary entranceway is pleasant with shade trees as people arrive and head to the entrance or box office. Older brick makes up the edifice and the primary opening is protected by a gate that has the ballpark name scripted within it. There is a side entrance as well and here, eggshell-colored walls split up the brick layout. That’s also the backdrop for a great ballpark sign.
Exterior Ranking: 5.5 out of 10
Concourse
An open plaza past the aforementioned entrance leads an outdoor area with brick on either side. The unfortunate part is that because it is behind the seating bowl, you can’t see the field at any point. Good news is that the area has plenty of displays for distraction and an even better view along the first base side as the ballpark butts up with the marsh near the Ashley River. Really unique. This area also has overhead protection. Inside the seating bowl, a middle walkway is there for speedier travels. One other note in the concourse, the bathrooms are older as sinks feature that unusual circular design where you have to step on a bottom pedal to operate the water.
Concourse Ranking: 3 out of 5
Food
Charleston is a great food city and some of that is represented well at The Joe. The “Seafood Snackle Box” is a highlight and there’s plenty of shrimp entrees to try, including a Shrimp and Grits Wrap. Hush Puppies or Boiled Peanuts are a suitable side snack. Further into the concourse, plenty of sausage and hot dog varieties can be had, including some truly crazy ones (the Sea Dog is a footlong fish stick with slaw, remoulade sauce and pickled okra). Fancy hot dogs are a lot of team’s thing, but Charleston may be one of the originators. Throw the “Carrot Dog” into the mix. Other food stands include Pizza, Asian Food and Ice Cream. Beer and cocktails are plentiful too and most recommended is the beer from Rusty Bull Brewing. This local product features a team-oriented beer called “Belly Itcher Ale”. A drink from Palmetto Brewing Company would also be a good choice.
Food Ranking: 7 out of 8
Interior
It would have been nice to not have another brick and green ballpark in a place like Charleston, which is otherwise so vibrant and colorful. The green seats and roof siding here is just so bleh for this city and team. Getting past that, the seating diagram features the usual structure around the diamond and sections go about halfway into the outfield (the last one turns inward a bit). The walkway splitting the bowl has about 1/3rd of the seats on the lower level and 2/3rds higher up. These uppers are inexplicably bleacher seats that I would have thought they change out after 25+ years. It’s tight on these aluminum sections because the backs to the bleachers cramp the space. Specialty seating at the top of the seating bowl is decent as clubs, party decks and suites are spread across the area (the structure goes up two levels right behind home plate). The Segra Club in particular is a highlight as outdoor seating combines with interior space featuring high-quality food and great marsh views (this space can also be used for weddings). Some of the overhang from Doby’s Deck provides cover/shade to upper 3rd base seats. Trees in the outfield are usually pleasant enough, but here they block a potential view of the River. At least there are some Palmetto trees mixed in, something I’d want to see being in South Carolina.
Interior Ranking: 6.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
It’s a decent scoreboard in right field as the black video display is of average size and features a welcome sign at the top. The in-game layout is good and they will show replays of game action, something often not done in the minors. A secondary smaller video screen in left is quite horizontal and there are many distorted panels on the picture. During the game, they turn in this into a line score, hence the length.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
There’s a lot of character at The Joe as there are a number of displays, plaques and other honors to check out. Most of them are on the walls around the concourse and you’ll find a few goodies like the oversized championship ring or the story about the 1955 Cannon Street YMCA Little League. Team honors are plentiful and they didn’t forget about The Citadel either as a sign denotes their achievements.
Displays Ranking: 5 out of 6
Cost
A RiverDogs event is moderately priced compared to the rest of the Carolina League and there’s enough variety in that if you pick your spot, it can be cheap. Parking is free on Sundays, but the rest of the time, the lot is a steep $10. Unlike many other places, the lower priced ticket option is plentiful and completely adequate for viewing. It’s just $10 – $12 for the upper 200s all around the stadium (the downfall is that it’s bleacher). For an individual chairback in the 100s, the cost is $18 – $20. It’s the same kind of deal with food as value deals can be found amongst the usually priced stadium food.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support
The RiverDogs are part of a tightly clustered 4-team group within the Carolina League that are annually at the top of the attendance rankings. This Sunday crowd wasn’t quite indicative of that, but a 50% capacity attendance isn’t anything to sneeze at. Playoffs show that there is certainly a level of care in Charleston as the team has drawn very well at the ballpark (1st in the league averaging the last five playoff years). That includes an attendance of 5,314 for the 2023 championship game.
Fan Support Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
General chatter made for a noisy ballgame that I saw, almost annoyingly so. They were still monitoring the game though, just at a casual interest. A strikeout by the RiverDogs led to a dozen or so politely clapping, while when the home side scored a run, the cheer was decent. Overall, it was a typical Minor League experience.
Atmosphere Ranking: 7.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Riley Park is also home to The Citadel. In fact, the city negotiated a land swap with the school so that they could build the ballpark in this area. In return, they gave The Citadel the old team stadium (College Park) to be used as a practice facility and they let the Bulldogs use the new ballpark for games. The skeleton of College Park still exists as the field remains in use……The RiverDogs nickname came during the 1994 season after previously playing as the “Royals” and the “Rainbows”…..On occasion, you may see local resident Bill Murray in the ballpark as he is a part of the Goldkang Group, owners of the team. He is the official “Director of Fun”……The RiverDogs have their own food truck and you’ll see it at Charleston events or you can cater your own with it……Charleston is known as The Holy City and the team will don that moniker several times through the season. In fact, the subsequent HC logo is on the field behind home plate.
Game
It’s not often that the number of runs is the same as hits, but that was the case here in spite of the high total (12). They came across the plate in a variety of ways as it was a back and forth affair. Most notable for me was Tommy Hawke possibly being the smallest guy I’ve seen hit a home run as the 5’8″ Hawke’s surprising 3-run shot put Lynchburg in front. Charleston answered and then the teams traded runs via wild pitch and sac fly to go to the 9th inning tied. The Hillcats were able to score 3 times as Hawke struck again, this time with an RBI double. Good game and it finished 7-5.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
