Year Built: 2013
Primary Tenant: Birmingham Barons
Capacity: 8,500
Date Visited: April 8th, 2022
Regions Field is nearly a decade old, but it makes up just a small fraction of the Barons' history. The Barons were founded in 1885 as a member of the original Southern League. In 1910, the Barons moved into Rickwood Field, which is still standing today. In 1988, the Barons moved from Rickwood Field in Birmingham to Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham, where they played in the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, which also remains standing. In 2013, the Barons moved back to Birmingham into Regions Field where they play now.
The main gate of this ballpark is behind home plate. Above the gate, you can see the walkway of the suite level, which I'll touch on later. Also, another thing I must add; there is no security at this gate. No metal detectors or emptying of pockets can be found here.
What you see here is the view from section 107. Sections 106-110 are all behind home plate, which means you can get great views. Most tickets in the upper half of those sections are available for all games for $16.
A common theme I've began to notice in modern stadiums is that many of them have started in-seat delivery services. The way these services work is usually the same; scan the QR code, which will take you a website or app, order your food, and it will be delivered right to your seat.
With Regions Field being in downtown, you have a great view to enjoy. Beyond right field, you can see the Alabama Children's Hospital, in which the fans wave to the children during the seventh inning stretch.
These apartments were built alongside the stadium, and the apartments facing the stadium give you a great view of the whole field.
Like other stadiums I've reviewed, I'll be using the tried and true "walk around the stadium in a counter-clockwise manner and talk about everything along the way" method. I'll start behind home plate, where the closest three rows to home plate have railings to set food and drinks on. These tickets are only available to season ticket holders, but you can sneak down here on lower attended games.
The dugout roofs are probably just over a foot off the ground. It may be hard to notice, but you can see my foot as a comparison. You're also allowed to walk on top of the dugout to get to your seats. Also, when it comes to availability, the rows closest to the dugouts are usually not available due to season ticket holders, but during many games, you can wander down to these rows and enjoy the game.
Regions Field has done a lot to honor the Barons' history. In the concourse down the first base line, the Barons have a large banner with a picture of Regions Field from its first ever game, as well as a picture of the 2013 Southern League champions.
The Barons also acknowledge their past with signs of former players on each section sign. For sections 117/118, you can see former Baron Willie Mays on the sign.
Section 119, the furthest main section from home plate, has a row of seats missing. Very few people sit here, so most people probably wouldn't even notice it. Unlike the previous sections I mentioned, almost all of the tickets in this section are available for most games.
Above section 119 is this scoreboard, which happens to be on the opposite side of the stadium from the main scoreboard. That just proves the people in charge of designing this stadium had some forward-thinking minds on their team.
From right field, you can see downtown Birmingham, which lies just northeast of the stadium. In the original plans for the ballpark, Regions Field would face north, towards downtown, but due to the layout of the city as well as the direction of the sun, they would not be able to have the stadium face downtown.
In right field lies the general admission bleacher seating. For just $10, you can enjoy a great view of the whole field for a low price. To add onto that, the bleachers even have backs on them, which adds to the overall value.
If you have tickets on the bleachers, one thing to beware of is the occasional firework show. After the seventh inning, the outfield sections will be cleared to make way for the preparation of the fireworks show.
Behind the right field bleachers are the batting cages. Before the game, you can watch the Barons take a few swings. This is a great way to build the player-fan connection.
The batter's eye in center field is certainly unique, to say the least. It's made up of three ivy-covered concrete walls at the top of a fenced off berm. I would consider myself to be a function over fashion kind of guy, but I commend the Barons for taking a very unappealing part of their stadium and adding a little pizzazz to it.
If you're a parent who enjoys baseball, but your kids don't, don't worry. The Barons installed this mini baseball field for your unruly kids who couldn't care less about baseball to play around on.
When you move to left-center, you'll find this large area filled with picnic tables. This area is supposed to be used for large groups, but nobody seemed to mind when I wandered down to this section.
Behind the picnic patio is the pool area of the apartments located adjacent to the stadium. If you live in these apartments, you can watch Barons games without even buying a ticket.
In left field lies the home run porch, which, just like the picnic patio, is only supposed to be used by large groups. If a group hasn't rented out the porch, then there's no problem with you enjoying the game from here. Also, remember the small scoreboard above section 119 that I mentioned earlier? That will come in handy, considering the main scoreboard is directly behind the home run porch.
Outside the stadium beyond left field, you can visit the Negro Southern League Museum, which has exhibits and plenty of details explaining the history of the Negro Leagues in the south.
Another place for kids to hang out is the berm down the third base line. One thing that many minor league teams seem to understand is that kids can't get enough of grass berms. If you're an adult who actually likes baseball, you might want to skip this section.
We've come full circle at Regions Field, ending up at the team store. You can find plenty of Barons gear from T-shirts to team baseball card sets to game used bats. On non gamedays, the store can be accessed from outside the ballpark, so you can buy gear any time.
Above the team store is the press box and suite level. This double-decker design is unique; it gives you more room to add luxurious amenities.
The same double-decker layout applies to the party suites. If you want to treat your group to a great experience, you can do that in a party suite. You get a great view down the first base line, with an even better vantage point that enables your group to see the whole field at once.
If I've bored you thus far, don't worry, I'll give a brief summary of what I liked and didn't like about this stadium.
What I liked:
The stadium has a large capacity. With a capacity of 8,500, this ballpark gives you the opportunity to enjoy the game from just about anywhere.
There are plenty of different seating options to satisfy you. From your standard seats to berm seats to suites, they have every option you could possibly need.
You can see great views of the downtown Birmingham area. The tall buildings make for a pristine backdrop for Regions Field.
What I didn't like:
The parking situation at this ballpark is not great. Late arrivers should beware that most of the parking spots near the stadium will be taken during games.
The outfield sections felt a little barren (no pun intended). This may just be a byproduct of the fact that the group areas hadn't been rented out for the game I went to, but I don't imagine it being much different for most other games.
There weren't many mid inning happenings on the field to entertain fans. A lot of people think baseball is boring, so why not try to draw fans by including some non-baseball events?
This stadium is very nice overall. I believe moving from the suburbs to downtown in a modern, amenity filled stadium was a great move on the Barons' part. If you're a baseball fan who happens to be in Birmingham, I'd recommend stopping by to catch a Barons game.
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