New Britain Rock Cats

Great place to take the kids! Had a blast for only $ 8 per ticket.

We had a fantastic time last night. The fireworks were great. There were some roudy kids that were spitting and throwing popcorn at spectators but when my husband addressed it to their chaperones the behavior stopped.
The Rock Cats Staff were great. We enjoyed ourselves.

LOVE minor league baseball and the New Britain Rock Cats staff do a great job. The park, while a bit older, built on the 80’s, still gets the job done. Lots of activities for the kids and promotions nightly. The best seats in the stadium are a little pricier than most ($ 15 – 20) but there are still plenty of cheap seats. The players at this level are good and sign lots of autographs do the kids. Great time here!!! All that makes it so sad that they are leaving for Hartford (the Yard Goats?) for next season. Bummer.

Family four pack was a great deal. 4 tickets, 4 waters, 4 hot dogs, 4 popcorn for $ 40. Wow! Great entertainment for the kids. They do a great job here. I was really impressed and got to see a grandslam to boot. I will be back for sure.

Cheap tickets for a great family friendly venue. Reasonable food and beer prices. GREAT soft serve ice cream.

I’ve been to many Rock Cats games throughout the years. They are a great way to take the family out for a fun, affordable night.
There are so many activities throughout the game: t-​shirt contests, scooter contests, kids running the bases, the coveted «first pitch» throwing, school bands playing, etc.
There are always special «weeks» happening at the stadium. This past week was Military appreciation week, and the team wore special jerseys in honor of Military personnel. It’s nice that they honor different groups of people and their families.
My dad and I really enjoy going to games together, but this past weekend determined that it’s definitely a kids thing and next time we might try sitting up in the adult bar type area to avoid the kids (we sound like grumpy old people but we were swarmed by children ages 3 – 5 last time).
Pricing is anywhere from $ 5 (in the lot further away) — $ 10 for parking. Tickets range from $ 8−20ish depending on where you’d like to sit, and I believe even cheaper for children under a certain age.
My opinion about the recent announcement of the Rock Cats moving to Hartford: I see both sides of the move. Hartford definitely needs *something* but I’m not sold that the Rock Cats are it. The stadium currently is something special to New Britain– it is beautiful, clean, family oriented, and very affordable. I can’t imagine that the stadium in Hartford will be priced the same, therefore making it more out of reach for families to attend games. On the other side, I think building a new stadium in the proposed section of Hartford will help conjoin the Downtown area and the North End, to unite it as one larger area.
Also, a question my dad and I ponder frequently: What is a Rock Cat?

The AA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins (there is only one level above this level before the major league) They play against the minor league affiliates of the Mets, Red Sox, Yankees, and many other teams. Parking is like five or six bucks. Ticket prices are between 6 and 15 bucks. They run many great promotions so check the website to see what’s going on. 95+ percent of major league players spend time on the AA level on their way up the ladder and if you check the baseball america top 10 prospects list for each organization you can figure out who the highly rated kids are and get an autograph or two. I can’t imagine how anyone can rate the quality and value of a Rockcats game at less Than 5 stars. Friday nights feature post game fireworks, Tuesdays are dollar hot dogs, and there are many more promotions, check the website.

Cheaper than movies and you get coupons for Mooyah! Great family entertainment with a feel good attitude. My fiancé and I try to go at least once a year. Bring cash for parking and food!

I’ve been to this stadium twice. The first was a concert a few summers ago and I was impressed with the beer selection (as most concert venues have domestic/​big guy offerings like Bud and Bud Light). I went back for a game on a Saturday night and had a GREAT time. I was lucky enough to have been invited to hang out in a sky box (suite). It was a muggy night so being able to duck into the suite for some A/​C was nice! We had waitress service but it was wanky and particular (only certain items… long wait) so when I needed something I just headed out of the suite and towards the Sam Adams deck. Beers are $ 1 off before game time too!
If I went to a game in the future I would ditch the regular seats and plop myself up on the Sam Adams deck. It’s a great view and it’s nice to know you’re not stuck to your seat for the whole game.
Oh and the bonus of the night was the mascot (who my wife said «smelled») came up to the suite so all of the kids and big kids like myself could get a photo. And to my wife, it was August and that suit looked hotter than hades… if he/​she smelled, I’m not surprised.

These Cats rock! Always a great night out! Way cheaper than the big guys– great seats for $ 15. 2 beers & 2 pretzels for $ 19.50. Such a deal!

great trip for a family — a great afternoon/​night for a reasonable price. decent selection of food and beers as well.

not as good of a deal as it used to be. Parking went up $ 1 this year, with no improvements to the lot or the process. Food from the concessions are subpar, but if you spend the money and get food from the Sam Adams grill, it’s very good.
Games are hit or miss on entertainment value. Too slow to keep the kids attention. Every once in a while you can catch a MLB player on rehab from an injury.

I love minor league baseball, when the farthest seat in the grandstand feels closer than the front row in a major league ballpark. Add in the camp of the between-​innings activities (catching water balloons in buckets held to the head, a race between cold coffee, hot coffee, and a donut, and singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game led by three little kids), and you’ve got a cheerful evening, even if the home team loses (which I must confess they did last night).
I arrived early and parking was efficient and easy; if you’re later the nearby lots do fill up. The usual snack foods are plentiful, and the captive audience markup about as much as usual. A nice find was a couple of beef taps serving Long Trail brews; I had a nice IPA.
The amenities are all in place, but we know what it’s really about: watching the little girl outrun the adults wearing spray bottle costumes to win a prize. Play ball!

My job sponsored employee appreciation day at a Wild Cats game.
I must admit that I do not know much about baseball, but I’ll make any excuse for foot long hot dogs and beer!
We parked in the $ 4 lot and walked through some bushes and across a small bridge. Was a bit of a sketchy walk, but was well worth it to save $ 6 on parking and avoid the post-​game crowd.
When we arrived there were several staff members to help guide us to our section. I liked that the stadium wasn’t so small that it seemed like little league, but wasn’t so big so every seat seemed like a great one. Although we were 30 mind early the announcer kept us entertained. Before the game started we went for beer and hot dogs. We didn’t realize until later, but there are different concession stands/​booths thought the stadium that serve different things. After searching for my foot long hot dog at 3 stands only to learn that they are sold upstairs only I settled on a regular dog, fries and beer. Prices were decent for a stadium! $ 2.75 for a dog, $ 4.50 for fries and $ 6.25 for a tall bud light.
Seeing people in the stands with the delicious, chili and other cool toppings topped foot long made me disappointed as I looked down at my regular dog with only a choice of ketchup, mustard, and relish but the dog was good so I got over it!
Later I got some soft serve in a keepsake Rock Cats cap cup that was honestly the most delicious soft serve I’ve ever had! The keepsake cap and delicious ice cream at only $ 4.50 was a steal!
The mid-​inning entertainment was great! Lots of audience participation, give aways and great music! (Top 40)
We had to leave a couple of innings early and like I said I don’t really follow the game of baseball, but from my perspective it was a great experience!

Nice…
How can you have more fun in the city of New Britain for SIX BUCKS?!
Indeed, that’s the cheapest ticket price at New Britain Stadium, where there are no bad seats. If you really feel like splurging, you can sit behind home plate for $ 10−12…
That’s less than the cost of a movie ticket!
Instead of seeing the new Adam Sandler movie, guaranteed to be terrible, see some great baseball. I’m a big baseball guy, and in my opinion, the biggest entertainment gap is between A and AA. You could almost mistake AA for the majors if you try real hard :).
It’s New Britain’s best entertainment deal for sure. Cheap, fun, great for kids.

Baseball. Are you at the park? Are you with family and friends? Odds are that you’re having fun. I’d take a day at a minor league ball park over watching MLB on TV any day. And while Fenway is actually moderately affordable for the park of a major league sports team, I can’t say that being on Yawkey way was any more enjoyable.
Concession aren’t any more expensive than you’d expect to pay at a theater or a stadium, and the park itself is small enough that there is not a single bad seat in the house. So why don’t I save myself a lot of money and travel time and chill out with a Long Trail or Sam Adams (2 – 3 varieties of each, IIRC), and a dog and some nachos at New Britain Stadium?
Though I do get a little wistful when I look at the forlorn husk of Beehive field literally only yards away. Ah, memories.

This winter, I had a revelation. The total cost of my regular annual Yankee Stadium haul (that’s including tickets for myself and a guest, parking, gas, food and libations) is roughly equivalent to the amount of money Alex Rodriguez makes every time he blows a bubble and pops it in the batter’s box.
So this summer, I decided to support the small market. I sat in the first row on the third base side on the Rock Cats opening night, and had such a wonderful time that I went back another 25 times during the season!
Most years, the Cats field a team with a big-​name prospect or two, especially since the Big Club (Minnesota Twins) is highly dependent on their farm system for talent. Don’t discount the opposing team, either. You’ll see guys on big league 40-​man rosters playing in the Eastern League. If the names Bryce Harper, Gerrit Cole, Jesus Montero, or Julio Teheran mean anything to you, then the show on the field will likely be enough to keep you in your seats for the full 9-​inning duration.
For the non-​seamhead sect, the park is comfortable and the crowd is unusually energetic for minor league ball, especially on Friday nights for post-​game fireworks. Promotions between every half-​inning keep the kiddies amused, and virtually all seats in the house are fair game for foul ball-​catching.
As both a venue I visit alone to relax with live baseball, and as an entertainment arena to bring my guests to New England, I give the Rock Cats a resounding five star rating.

local baseball is fun and cheap.

Can be a lot of fun. Easy to get to; each team usually has one or two really good players; a hard hit ball to the shortstop and you don’t really know what is going to happen; about the price of a movie; good for kids (lots of diversions for them) and adults.
Unlike going to an MLB game you don’t have to plan ahead. If it is nice out just check the schedule, get some tickets online and head on over (my commute goes right by the stadium).
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July 2011 update: Went to a game with seven others (a diverse group) and everyone had a good time even though no one stayed to the end as it was a double header and most everyone arrived before the end of the first game.

I went to the movies with my 2 older kids the other day. It was 3D. And it cost me 54 bucks! 54 bucks!
A week later I went to see the Rockcats, and it cost about the same. There was great minor league baseball. Since it’s the Twins, you actually get to see these guys in the majors — I’ve seen Joe Mauer and Johan Santana in action.
They also have a ton to keep the little ones entertained. Even my girls that are not huge baseball fans. All sorts of guys dressed up in mascot costumes… always a favorite. And when we went, there was a guy who danced around with 4 puppets attached to him that looked like the Village People. Good times.
All that summer fun for less you would spend on a movie. Sure, the food prices have gone up over the past few years (3 bucks for a water?), but it’s still a better deal than you’ll get pretty much anywhere. Play ball!