Opened: April 14, 2005
Capacity: 4,500
Affiliated with the Seattle Mariners
Appalachian Power Park
I visited here on my Cincinnati trip in 2014. It was a cold, damp night in April night so the crowd was sparse. This was the first time I had ever been in Charleston. Some of it reminded me of Harrisburg and the state capitol building is quite impressive. The park itself is like a smaller version of PNC Park in Pittsburgh what with the limestone.
How did I get there?
Arrived on I-64 coming from the New River Gorge. The stadium is right by the expressway and the ramp is right besides the stadium so it has easy access. I wound up parking in a strip mall next to the park for $3. There did not seem to be a lot of parking options here. A hospital is next door as well with a parking garage but I didn’t see whether or not it was open for game parking.
Ticket prices
Paid $6 for a general admission seat, which are the end sections down the line with benches rather than seats. Considering the sparse crowd upgrading after two innings was not an issue.
Finding my seat and amenities
I could have probably sat behind home plate if I wanted to but I started out in my seat or bench. I had the section to myself. The park had a few nice amenities with a restaurant and bar.
In game experience
They had the standard entertainment except for one thing: They had a beer chugging contest. With the crowd sparse they were looking for participants and I was asked but declined. I had many, many miles to go that night before I slept.
Getting out
Nice and easy. The highway is right by the park and the crowd was sparse so traffic was light.
Wrap
The big attraction for me here was that the Pirates were the team they were affiliated with. After the 2018 season that changed and while I won’t pass up on an opportunity to come back I just don’t have the incentive now to do so. I would like to see the place with a bigger and more intense crowd but Charleston is just a bit out of the way.