Overview: Modern Woodmen Park (MWP) was built in 1931. It has a brick facade, and is well known by Ballpark Chasers because of its unique backdrop. It has a full 360 degree concourse. MWP backs up directly to the Mississippi River, its so close, in fact, that the stadium does flood, as it did earlier this year (2019). The ballpark has views of Centennial Bridge in right field, the Mississippi River beyond the outfield wall, and a Ferris Wheel in left field. It is lit with an amazing LED light show throughout the evening.
Parking: We paid $2 to park in the stadium parking lot. There was plenty of available parking. There was a lot of parking lots along the river walk, its entirely possible that free parking is available. We gladly paid $2. One bit of advice, DO NOT park too close to the stadium on the first base side. There were a ton of foul balls that left the stadium on this side due to the unique layout of the park. I’ll bet one could go home with a bag full of baseballs if you stationed yourself outside the park on that side of the stadium.
Kid Activities: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. MWP had 2 separate kid zones. In the left field corner, there was a mini roller coaster, 2 level carousel, and a few other rides. In the right field corner, there was an area for smaller children that had a few bounce houses, a mini boat that goes back and forth, a ride that goes up and drops. Also, as mentioned above, a big Ferris wheel in left field. We purchased 2 wristbands for unlimited rides for $10/each! SOLD. They don’t cheat you on the length of the rides either. We made 10 rotations on the Ferris wheel TWICE. They also had zip lines, but they were closed that night. It was as much of a school picnic as it was a ballgame. There was also a video game lounge that had 10 or so Playstation and XBox systems set up for teenagers to play video games on. Needless to say, Nolan immediately claimed this ballpark as his new favorite.
Side note, they do not offer first game certificates as most parks do.
Player Accessibility: We decided to attempt the visitor side before entering the park, and we were glad that we did. The visitor team (1st base side) had an opening in the net on the outfield side of the dugout, which provided plenty of opportunity for autographs. Nolan ended up with 25 autographs, missing only 8 players total from the team. The home side is considerably more difficult. There is netting all the way down to the foul pole, with only a few small windows in which one could pass something through. Those windows are not set up next to the dugout, so a player would really have to go out of their way to stop and sign.
Atmosphere: MWP is part carnival, part baseball park. You will not be forgetting this ballpark. This is the most kid friendly minor league ballpark that we have seen. In fact, with all due respect to Cincinnati, it might just be the most kid friendly park in the United States.
Conclusion: I’m having a hard time deciding if MWP is the #1 or #2 minor league ballpark we have seen. The layout is so good here. It has the charm of an old ballpark with the excitement of a circus atmosphere. If you are chasing ballparks like us, this stadium is a Must See.
Ratings:
Parking: *********9/10
Kid Activities **********10/10
Player Accessibility****** 6/10
Atmosphere **********10/10
#Baseballfamily: A Guide to Visiting Professional Ballparks with Kids 