Brett’s Thoughts: For me, this park ranks number four out of the seven parks we visited. There were no glitz, glamor, or skyscrapers in the background. There was a pizza shop and a McDonald’s past the outfield wall. That was the view and I loved it. It felt like you came to the game for purely baseball and there weren’t any of the other distractions in the park to keep you from the game. In terms of seating, there are a few options. You can get standing room only, where you can sit in the grass in left and right field, the party deck in right, and then the traditional seating around the infield. Nothing too fancy.
Tickets are CHEAP. We sat down the first base line for $9 a seat. The food is pretty basic. You can get burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders. They do offer one specialty food behind home plate every game that rotates, but none of the crazy ballpark food that you would expect. For me, what set this park apart was the beer. We found that the lines can get pretty long and makes it hard to get a drink sometimes. Behind home plate, you can buy a beer passport. You can pay $15 to $25 for a card and can self serve yourself to 8 craft beers of your choice. The money is drained off your card as you pour from the draft and it can be reloaded. In simplistic terms, $15 gets you 3 craft beers and $25 gets you 5. Overall, the park is simple and quaint. While it might not seem like an exciting place to watch a game, I loved it. This is a park I would definitely revisit.
Scott’s Thoughts: Classic Park felt very quaint to me, in both good and bad ways. It was a park that emphasized community and not spectacle. The number of kids and families at the ballpark is a testament to the atmosphere created by the Captains. The prices are cheap, and while the action on the field may not be top-notch, a trip to Lake County is certainly enjoyable. The food is fairly good for a park of this size, though the lines can get ridiculously long. This park evoked memories of summer vacations in upstate Michigan for me. Enjoyable times in a small-town atmosphere, yes, but isolated and distant from the rest of the world. That can be enjoyable, but there’s a surrealism about it that made me a bit uneasy. I would visit Classic Park again, but it’s not a must-see minor league park for me.
Standing Room Only 