Music and Sports Venues

The Reds continued to play at Cinergy Field while Great American Ball Park was being constructed. The new stadium was built on the other side of Cinergy Field and was so close that the old stadium had to be partially demolished to make room for construction. A large section of the stands in left and center field were removed and the wall was shortened by 5 feet. The two stadiums were 26 inches apart at the closest point during construction. Cinergy Field was imploded in 2002 when Great American Ball Park was nearing completion. The cost for construction of the new stadium was $290 million. It has a capacity of over 42,000 and has 63 suites, 4,235 club seats and 28 concession stands. Because of the location of the ball park between the former site of Cinergy Field and US Bank Arena the locals have nicknamed the stadium “The Wedge”. The original address of the stadium was 100 Main Street but was changed to 100 Joe Nuxhall Way when the former pitcher and longtime broadcaster for the Reds died in 2007.

The stadium has some unique features that are relevant to Cincinnati. There are two smokestacks known as “The Power Stacks” in right center field. They are replicas of the smokestacks on the old steamboats that cruised up and down the Ohio River in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The Power Stacks shoot flames when the Reds strike out a batter and launch fireworks after home runs and victories. There are seven bats on each stack which symbolize the number 14 of Pete Rose. The stadium also has a break in the stands in the outfield aligned with home plate and third base known as “The Gap”. The opening is 35 feet wide and provides views of the Cincinnati skyline from inside the stadium. The scoreboard measures over 217 feet wide and is made out of all LED screens. The old scoreboard was replaced in 2009 at a cost of $4 million. The new scoreboard is the same size as the old one but it is high definition quality. There is also an upscale restaurant on the third level of the stadium called the Riverfront Club. It features views of the Ohio River and the field.

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is located next to Great American Ball Park. The Hall of Fame opened in 2004 featuring 2 stories of exhibitions and over 15,000 square feet of displays. There are many items in the museum such as World Series trophies from 1975, 1976 and 1990. It also includes MVP trophies belonging to Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan among many other articles and exhibits. The Hall of Fame and Museum is opened year round.

Although the stadium was built for baseball there are other events that take place there. Many concerts have taken place in the stadium such as Beyonce and Jay Z, Paul McCartney, Backstreet Boys, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan to name a few. There have also been campaign rallies at the stadium. In 2004 President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush held a rally there.

If you are going to the stadium there are lots of options for getting there. Interstates I71 and I75 both run close to the stadium so access is fairly easy and there is parking near the stadium. There are underground parking garages between Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium. There are also shuttles that run from northern Kentucky and various places throughout Cincinnati. Take time to visit the stadium if you’re planning a trip to Cincinnati. Take in a Reds game or a concert and enjoy your afternoon or evening.

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