Overview: Ft Wayne, Indiana….sounds underwhelming, right? Ft Wayne just happened to be on the way home from our crazy baseball road trip of 2019, and I viewed it as just a pit stop that happened to have Minor League Baseball. It quickly became apparent that Ft Wayne, Indiana, houses one of the best kept secrets in baseball: Parkview Field.
Parkview Field is a 10 year old stadium. It has a really awesome backdrop, a full 360 degree concourse, and is fully integrated into the heart of its downtown. There are restaurants that have patios that back to the inside of the park. There are apartments, where you can watch baseball from your backdoor patio. (I’d love to rent one of those apartments if any are AirBnBs) There are hotels steps away from the park, some of which probably have a decent view of the field. There is an expansive center field area that looked like it stretched on for blocks. In right field, there was a parking garage, with additional seats that probably also offered great views.
The atmosphere was lively and friendly. There were a lot of people there. This is a Single A Team that is absolutely killing it. We saw the game from a lot of different angles and spots along the concourse and there wasn’t a bad place in the house. Parkview Field is a centerpiece. An absolute gem. One of the best kept secrets in baseball. It was so good, I actually inquired about housing costs.
Parking: We paid $5 to park, 2 blocks away from the park. There was a plethora of parking options, from parking lots to parking garages. The convention center is right next door, so parking is plentiful and easy to spot.
Kid Activities: Parkview Field has a Kid Zone on the concourse near the left field foul pole. It had 5 or 6 inflatable attractions: A slide, hitting, throwing, bounce house, etc. It also had a very price friendly Team Store. The prices were well below the Minor League average. Johnny Appleseed was available for photos on the concourse in the 6th inning.
Also- the basic Kids Club is free! https://www.milb.com/fort-wayne/events/tincaps-kids-club
Player Accessibility: Again, ideal. Both teams enter the field at the same spot: On the home plate side of third base dugout. No worries about intrusive netting here. We took up a spot at the corner of the dugout and focused only on the TinCaps. Nolan cleaned up, getting 21 autographs. The opposing team may be a little tougher, as they walk down the center aisle on their way out to the field, but it’s certainly not impossible.
Conclusion: This is the best Minor League Park we have visited to date. It’s apparent that the developers put a lot of thought into this park. It is going to be very tough to beat.
Ratings:
Parking ********** (10/10)
Kids Activities ********** (10/10)
Player accessibility ********** (10/10)
Atmosphere ********** (10/10)
#Baseballfamily: A Guide to Visiting Professional Ballparks with Kids 
This looks like a great place to take in a baseball game.
LikeLiked by 1 person