Blue Wahoos Stadium

Quick Facts

• Year Built: 2012

• Capacity: 5,038

• Primary Tenant: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins AA Affiliate)

• Date Visited: July 13th/17th, 2022

A team that has as great of a name as the 'Blue Wahoos' deserves a great ballpark to play in. Located near the bay in Downtown Pensacola, this park is in a great location. Does this ballpark deliver on all the things you would expect in a modern ballpark? Let's find out.

Outside the Ballpark

A good parking situation is an essential aspect to any ballpark. Thankfully, the Blue Wahoos have several parking lots within a ten minute walk from the ballpark. Most parking near the ballpark cost $3-$5, but the parking lot on Intendencia Street is free.

On the third base side of the ballpark, you can see the name, 'Blue Wahoos Stadium'. This park is one of several in which the field has a separate name from the ballpark, in this case, the name is Admiral Fetterman Field at Community Maritime Park. Community Maritime Park is actually the name of the area surrounding the ballpark, which I'll expand on later.

The Blue Wahoos ticket office is located in the home plate area outside the ballpark. There isn't much to say about it, since there isn't much to make it stand out against any other ticket office. There are two windows, which means that the lines to both offices can get long. The prices of each type of ticket are posted next to the box office windows, which I'll get into later.

The main gate of Blue Wahoos Stadium is located near home plate. There are no metal detectors or emptying of pockets at the gates, which means you can just scan your ticket and walk in. The whole ballpark is elevated above ground level, which means you have to walk up several stairs to get to the main concourse. The stadium is still wheelchair accessible, since there is a ramp leading up to the gate in right field, as well as an elevator near the main gate.

On the wall leading up to the concourse is this picture, which is very inviting and gives you a taste of what's in store for you at the top of the stairs.

Inside the Ballpark

At the top of the steps to get into the ballpark, you can find the guest services center. If you have any questions or concerns, this is the place you need to be. On top of that, you can pick up a team program and check out both teams' starting lineups for the night's game.

Food Options

There are four main concession stands (two down each baseline), which offer a diverse selection of typical ballpark food, but also offer items unique to each concession stand. There are also several small carts which serve various food and drinks; those can be found throughout the ballpark. You can find a full list of concession items here.

Seating Options

There are several types of seating in this ballpark, including some unique ones. Blue Wahoos Stadium holds 5,038 people, the lowest capacity of all Double-A ballparks. Does this mean fewer seating options? Let's find out.

Let's start off with the most prevalent type of seating in the ballpark, the box seats. The box seats range from sections 109-110. This may seem confusing, but the way the sections are numbered at this ballpark is quite odd. The sections down the first base line end in even numbers, but the sections down the third base line end in odd numbers. So, to clarify, section 109 is located just past third base, and section 110 is located just past first base. Tickets in these sections cost $15 ($17 if not bought in advance), and offer a great view for the price. The top two rows of each section are elevated slightly above concourse level.

Just past the box seats are the reserved seats. The seats themselves are the same as the box seats, and are located in sections 112-116 on the first base side, and sections 111-117 on the third base side. Tickets here cost $13 ($15 if not bought in advance), which isn't a bad price for these seats.

All box and reserved seats are this nice, dark blue color, which is fitting for the location. After all, it only makes sense to use blue seats in a stadium near the ocean. I'm always a fan of stadium seating that isn't the typical dark green that are all too common in baseball stadiums.

Down the first base line is the Winn-Dixie Party Deck, a large deck that holds two hundred people. Group tickets start at $36 per person ($38 per person) and includes hot dogs and hamburgers. For a small fee, you can upgrade to the Sonny's Barbecue package or the Moe's Taco Bar.

In right field is the berm area. For $10 ($12 if not bought in advance) you can get a view of the whole field, as well as an opportunity to catch a home run. This applies to pretty every berm seating area in the minor leagues, but I can pretty much guarantee that there will be about five million kids, who probably couldn't care less about baseball.

Moving behind home plate is the Regions Club Seats. Located in the front three rows of the three sections behind home plate, these seats get you as close to the action as possible. Tickets here cost $20 ($22 if not bought in advance) and gives you easy access to the Blue Wahoos autograph tunnel, where Blue Wahoos players will be signing before and after games.

Above the right field berm is the Coors Light Cold Zone Deck, which hold 100 people. This deck is similar to the Winn-Dixie Deck, in the sense that tickets are the same price, and both areas offer a complimentary buffet with the rental of the deck.

Down the third base line is the Dignity Deck. The deck holds 75 people, and everything I said about the previous two decks can be said about the Dignity Deck.

The final seating option is the Hancock Whitney Bank Suite. This is the only suite in the ballpark, and it takes up most of the space down the third base line. Individual tickets for this suite are sold for $55 ($57 if not bought in advance) and offer the best vantage point in the entire ballpark.

Other stuff

During day games, there isn't much shade to be found. This small awning provides some shade down the first base line in the later innings of day games, but that's about it.

In 2022, many MiLB parks implemented these 'Major Fun' signs. For the Blue Wahoos, their sign is located on a wall at the top of the right field berm.

The Blue Wahoos team store is located behind home plate, and offers the items you'd typically expect in a team store. They offer a wide selection of hats and t-shirts, as well as novelty items like logo baseballs, mini baseball bats, and baseball card sets, some of which date back to their inaugural season in 2012.

The scoreboard is located in right field above the berm area. It's large and elevated high above the field, which makes it easy to see. On both sides of the main part of the scoreboard, you have four static advertising spaces. At the top of the board is the team's logo, with a pennant on each side.

The foul territory in this ballpark has an unusual curve to it. For reference, most ballparks have foul territory in a straight line and then take a sharp turn towards the outfield. The reason for the curved choice is likely due to the fact that football is played here during the baseball offseason.

Another unique thing about this ballpark is the press box. The press box is disconnected from the concession stand area, as well as the Hancock Whitney Club. Since there aren't multiple suites, there's no need for the press box to be connected to anything.

Every seat that belongs to a season ticket holder is marked with this sticker, which shows the name or company to which the ticket(s) belong, as well as the year in which they became season ticket holders.

The view beyond the outfield of any ballpark is important. Do the Blue Wahoos deliver on this, though? Let's take a closer look.

Beyond right-center field is this large covered stage, which belongs to Community Maritime Park. This stage is part of an amphitheater, which frequently hosts concerts and other events.

If you look far enough beyond the outfield, you can see across Pensacola Bay, where you can find the condo buildings located a good few miles away from the ballpark.

The Bullpens are located in foul territory, which is fairly common in multi-use stadiums. While this may be worse for pitchers, it brings fans closer to some of their favorite players.

The netting at Blue Wahoos Stadium runs from foul pole to foul pole. This may protect fans from hard hit balls, but it takes just a little bit away from the fans' experience.

Overall Grade

I've started rating stadiums on a scale from one to ten in several categories. See how Blue Wahoos Stadium ranks in the categories below.

Seating Options: 8/10

While Blue Wahoos Stadium fulfills most of the seating options you would expect to find in a modern ballpark. The only things missing, however, are multiple suites in the upper deck, as well as seating in left field. In their defense, the Wahoos built their ballpark very close to the Pensacola Bay, where there is no room for seating.

Food Options: 9/10

There are many different food options located throughout the ballpark. One food option takes place on One Price Wednesday, where all tickets cost $17, and include a free hot dog, bag of chips, and a drink.

Accessibility: 6.5/10

The concourse is elevated off the ground, which means there are stairs that lead to the main gates of the ballpark. There are various elevators and ramps throughout the ballpark, but the overall design definitely wasn't oriented around wheelchair accessibility.

Parking: 9/10

There are several parking lots within a reasonable walk to the stadium, most of which cost no more than $5. Considering the close proximity to Downtown Pensacola, it's nice to have open parking lots as opposed to parking garages.

Location: 10/10

As I mentioned while talking about parking, the ballpark is in close proximity to Downtown Pensacola. The park is also located right next to the Pensacola Bay, adding a nice touch to the ballpark atmosphere.

Atmosphere: 9/10

The atmosphere included great fans and fun mid-inning promotions, including one where kids got to run across the field while chasing a man in a roach costume. The ballpark is on the smaller side, which means the Wahoos generally have an easy time filling the ballpark up.

Amenities: 8/10

There wasn't anything too special or unique added into the amenity factor, but there was some uniqueness elsewhere. There is only one large party suite; no concourse suites or smaller suites. The party decks are nice and are one of the best ways to treat your group to a Wahoos game.

Non-baseball entertainment: 6/10

Besides running around on the berm or hanging out in the team store, there isn't much to cater to the ones who couldn't care less about baseball, primarily kids. I understand the point of going to a baseball game is... to watch baseball, but if attendance is an issue, some non-baseball entertainment might be something to consider. Thankfully, the Blue Wahoos don't have this problem, so they can do without.

View beyond the park: 6.5/10

The view is a bit underwhelming for a waterfront ballpark near a fairly large downtown. besides a large stage in right field, and some apartments in left field, there isn't a whole look to keep your eyes entertained.

Ticket pricing: 8.5/10

Blue Wahoos tickets are priced well. Fifteen dollars can get you a seat from dugout to dugout, and twenty dollars can get you a seat in the home plate club. If you're not willing to spend a lot of money, just $10 will buy you a general admission ticket, which includes access to the outfield berm.

Total Score: 80.5/100

This ballpark is fun and unique, but there were some things that could've been done differently. One thing that is unique is the elevated concourse. I'm guessing the reason for this being that the higher elevation means the ballpark is less susceptible to flooding, which is always a possibility. The lack of suites is another unique aspect of the ballpark, which takes away some of the seating options that you may expect to find in many newer ballparks. It takes a lot for me to truly dislike a ballpark, because I believe that there are redeeming qualities to just about every ballpark. Needless to say, if you find yourself in Pensacola during baseball season, I would totally recommend catching a game here (no pun intended).