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Nat Bailey Stadium
/ Vancouver Canadians
(click
on the image for a larger photo)
| Year Opened | July 15, 1951 as Capilano Stadium |
| Capacity | 6,500 |
| Dimensions | 335L 395C, 335R |
| Last Visit | 2004 |
| Web Site | www.canadiansbaseball.com |
| Online Broadcasts | Yes |
| Online Ticket Sales | Yes |
| Phone | 604/872-5232 |
| League | Northwest League |
| Affiliation | Oakland Athletics |
| Ticket Prices | Diamond Club, $20; Box Seats, $11.25; Premium Festival, $9.50 ($6.50 for seniors); General Admission, $7.50 |
| Parking | There is parking adjacent to the ballpark. |
| Address/Directions | 4601 Ontario St., Vancouver. The ballpark is across the street from Queen Elizabeth Park, one of the larger and nicer parks in Vancouver. If you follow the signs to Queen Elizabeth Park, you'll find the ballpark. |
| Rating |  |
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
Nat Bailey Stadium began life as Capilano Stadium, the home of the legendary Vancouver Capilanos of the Western International League. (What's a Capilano? It was a local brewery.) It's been the psychic center of baseball in British Columbia since there, serving as the home of the Vancouver Capilanos ("Caps"), the Vancouver Mounties of the Pacific Coast League, the Vancouver Canadians of the Pacific Coast League, and now the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League.
It's been changed several times since it first opened, mostly to increase and decrease capacity over the years. While it was far too small for the PCL Canadians (who ended up moving to Sacramento), it's one of the larger ballparks in the short-season Northwest League. The team draws pretty well (averaging 3,606 fans a game in 2003).
One thing that has never changed: the incredibly scenic location of the ballpark. All of Vancouver is incredibly scenic, but Nat Bailey Stadium benefits from its location on the edge of a large city park, surrounded by forest and mountains (you can see Queen Elizabeth Park in the photo above; the photo below shows the ballpark, including the small press box, from the outfield wall).
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
The grandstand seating is interesting. The first six rows are standard theater-style seats, with many featuring the names of season-ticket holders. Beyond that, though, there are backed bleachers, which curve to fit the contour of the grandstand. Most curved grandstands feature box seating that can more easily follow the curve; these are instead designed to fit into a curved place.
While these bleacher seats are not original (judging by older photos of the ballpark), they do fit well within the historic atmosphere of the park. For example, the scoreboard in right-center field is a manual scoreboard originally used at Sicks Stadium in Seattle.
The ballpark probably belongs at the short-season level, however. All the concessions are located in the grandstand away from the action; you'll miss the action when you head out for a hot dog and brew. There are no luxury boxes. And while the ballpark is kept very clean, it's definitely looking a little on the run-down side.
History
Nathaniel
Ryan "Nat" Bailey was born in St. Paul, Minn., and
moved with his family to Vancouver at the age of
11. As a youngster, Bailey sold peanuts at
Vancouver sporting events held at Athletic Park
and was known as "Caruso Nat," calling out
batters' names in his musical tenor from the
bleachers high above the diamond. He's best known
as the founder of the first drive-in restaurant in
Canada in 1928 -- the
White Spot
Barbeque (which is still around, by the way)
-- in a small log hut at 67th and Granville,
serving "Triple-O" burgers to patrons in their
cars. The White Spot grew into a regional chain,
which gave Bailey time to pursue his other
passion, baseball -- his love of broadcasting was
cut short by voice problems, so he ended up
part-owner of the Vancouver Mounties and worked
his entire life promoting baseball in the region.
His hard work was recognized by the renaming of
Capilano Stadium as Nat Bailey Stadium in 1978.
The ballpark is also the home of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
Concessions
All the concessions are located in the
grandstand. There's a decent variety of offerings.
For
the Kids
There's nothing at the ballpark
specifically for kids.
Parking
There is free parking in adjacent parking lots
and streets.
Before/After the Game
Vancouver
is one of the most vibrant cities in Canada, and
one of the most international cities on the
continent. Despite a rather large Asian influence
(when Hong Kong was taken back by the Chinese, a
lot of people and capital fled to Vancouver),
Vancouver's roots as distinctly Canadian can be
found throughout the city.
Nat Bailey Stadium is located within the confines of Queen Elizabeth Park, which is the second-largest park (130 acres) in Vancouver. Within the park as well is the Bloedel Conservatory, which features both tropical and desert gardens and over 100 free-flying tropical birds. Also within Queen Elizabeth Park: two former stone quarries that have been turned into ornamental gardens. If you're into nature, worth a visit is Vancouver's largest park: Stanley Park, 1,000 acres of trains, gardens, water parks and recreational facilities.
The Granville Street shopping district features a slew of restaurants, shops and small retail outlets that are designed to serve the needs of locals, not tourists.
The Gaslight District (centered around Cordova Street in downtown Vancouver) features restaurants, collectible shops, designer fashions and antiques dealers.
The kids will enjoy two attractions along False Creek: the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre (110 Chesnut St.; 604/738-7827) and Science World (1455 Quebec St.; 604/443-7443), which features hands-on exhibits showing how much fun basic science can be. Also notable: the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park.
If you want to see famous Vancouver ballplayers of the past, check out the British Columbia Hall of Fame and Museum at BC Place Stadium (604/687-5520).
Finally, there is the obligatory Gondola Skyride ride to the top of Grouse Mountain (6400 Nancy Greene Way, North Vancouver; 604/984-0661). From there you can see the greater Vancouver area as well as the Pacific Ocean horizon
Dining
Vancouver is a decent restaurant town, with
international influences throughout.
Granville Island Brewing (1441 Cartwright St.) is one of the larger microbreweries in Canada and known for the high quality of its ales and beers. They also give tours of the brewery complete with samples.
Where to Stay
There are no hotels within walking distance of
Nat Bailey Stadium: it's on the edge of a large
city park which itself is in the middle of a
residential area, so you can forget about staying
close to the ballpark.
Now, having said that, there are plenty of hotels located less than three miles from the ballpark. Pretty much any hotel in downtown Vancouver is fair game: that would include the Pacific Palisades Hotel (1277 Robson St.), Holiday Inn Vancouver Centre (711 W. Broadway Av.), Hampton Inn and Suites (111 Robson St.), the Westin Grand (433 Robson St.), Residence Inn (1234 Hornby St.), Holiday Inn Vancouver Downtown Tower and Suites (1110 Howe St.), Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre (1088 Burrard St.), Crowne Plaza Hotel Georgia (801 W. Georgia), Hyatt Regency Vancouver (655 Burrard St.) and Marriott Vancouver Pinnacle (1128 Hasting St. W.).
The ballpark is also five miles or so from the airport, so you can stay at one of the many chains setting up shop in the area.
More Photos
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
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