Opened: April 14, 2016
Capacity: 9,077
Affiliated with the New York Mets
Segra Park
How did I get there?
Arrived in Columbia for a Sunday day game from Camden via I-26. Made a few stops beforehand in town so I was all over town. Got to see more of it than anticipated since a train was stopped on the railroad tracks near one of the breweries and since it wasn’t moving I made a detour. The stadium does have an exit off of the expressway going into town and it is not hard to find. Parking was in an unpaved grass lot about 150 yards from the park and I did get a spot under a tree so my car was in the shade on a 90+ degree day. I didn’t pay anything to park but it looked like there were people collecting money but I came in the back way (followed the directions from Google to the stadium) so you got me.
The stadium is built in the remains of the old state hospital and is undergoing development to add more modern amenities. It should be nice when it’s done. It’s taken 10+ years to get moving in DC in the Navy Yard and it might be longer here.
Ticket prices
A bit pricey for this level at $16 but that might have been because I wanted to sit in the shade and the only guaranteed seats with shade were right behind home plate. It was 94 degrees out for this game but at least there was low humidity. Didn’t feel like baking in the sun. These were nice seats, even had in-seat service. Not used to that, I can go get my own stuff.
Finding my seat and amenities
Easy to find the seats with the standard layout. Usual stadium fare and some other local options. Once I grabbed an ice cream helmet and souvenir soda I didn’t really move but I did walk around the park before the game. There is a lifesize bobblehead of Tim Tebow in the outfield. The team also has their own firetruck which is used to help keep people cool.
In game experience
Usual in game experience with games on the field. Nothing stood out.
Getting out
Relatively easy to get out and I was on the expressway out of town in about 5 minutes. I did leave early as I wanted to hit something on the way out before it closed and I can imagine that a well attended game (like during Tebow-mania) could be a problem.
Wrap
This was a very nice park. Of course I’d like it to not be 94 degrees out to enjoy the game but this was a really nice park. This is the Deep South so not much can be done about the weather. A lot of the area around it is under construction so it will be interesting to come back in a few years and see how everything has developed.