Pluses: Parking is available at the park for 12,000 cars for a pretty average $12 per space; a special bus line for home games takes fans directly to the park; the stadium is adjacent to an interstate -- with a stadium-specific exit -- which makes for easy auto access.
Minuses: Fans must catch the special bus service from the downtown transit center; other local bus routes stop within walking distance of park.
The "scene" in the Miller Park neighborhood (i.e. the parking lot) has a decided football bent as it plays host to the majors' best tailgating action.
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Plenty of restrooms (29 men's, 28 women's) and a bevy of concessions (37 permanent, 48 portable); ample wheelchair-accessible seating (750-1,000 seats); team offers a number of in-game promotions, from free pizza to allowing kids the chance to take the PA mic for a few batters; interactive, baseball-themed games are available for kids in the left-field corner, in addition to a sports restaurant and a Wisconsin baseball hall of fame exhibit; on Fridays, a handful of Brewers players spend about 45 minutes signing autographs during batting practice.
The retractable-roofed Miller Park is a spectacle off Interstate 94: Its brick façade, with steel arches looming above, is almost surreal, as if it were built in Sim City rather than this industrial Midwestern town. The vibe is comfortable; walkup tickets are generally plentiful, fans linger in the parking lots beforehand and once inside, they're more forgiving of mediocrity than crowds in, say, New York or Philly. Sausages are a local delicacy -- and also the stars in the park's famous seventh-inning race -- but the bratwurst is for tourists. The Polish is the real treat at Miller Park's many concession stands. A few sausages with kraut and Secret Stadium Sauce, a couple of light amber Miller beverages, a nice seat in the sun, and who cares that the team's usually out of the playoff hunt by the All-Star break? -- Luke Winn
The 'hood here is merely an asphalt sea -- but it plays host to the greatest tailgating scene in all of Major League Baseball. College-aged Wisconsinites huddle around coolers and pledge their support for Miller products; adults kick back in lawn chairs, grilling meats and swigging MGDs, while their law-abiding kids play catch and have conversations like this one, which I can attest to overhearing in May:
Thirteen-year-old to his friend, while both excitedly observe a nearby tailgate party: "Dude, those guys are getting plastered."
Friend: "If you want to see plastered, just wait 'til I'm 21." -- Luke Winn
2005 Record: 64-67 (all statistics through Aug. 29) Players worth the price of admission: Carlos Lee (.264 average, 29 HRs, 97 RBIs), Ben Sheets (10-9, 3.33 ERA), Rickie Weeks (.247, 11 HRs, 11 SBs).
A casual atmosphere, good eats and cheap tickets -- what's not to like? Oh, yeah, a team that hasn't had a winning season since 1992 and has yet to make any noise in the National League Central since moving there in '98. But with a wealth of young talent rising up to the majors-- guys like Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Prince Fielder -- the Brewers are starting to show signs of playing the quality of ball Milwaukee fans, and this stadium, deserve.