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Warner Park (the
"Duck Pond") / Madison Mallards
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
| Capacity | 5,000 |
| Dimensions | 319L, 365LC, 380C, 365RC, 307R |
| Playing Surface | Grass |
| Last Visit | 2007 |
| Web Site | mallardsbaseball.com |
| Online Broadcasts | Yes |
| Online Ticket Sales | Yes |
| Phone | 608/246-4277 |
| Ticket Prices (2006) | Box Seats w/ Back (Adult), $6.50; Box Seats w/ Back (6-14/Senior), $4.50; Bleacher (Adult), $6; Bleacher (6-14/Seniors), $4; Standing Room Only (Adult), $5; Standing Room Only (6-14/Senior); $3. Duck Blind (all you can eat): $32/$27/$24. |
| League | Northwoods League |
| Parking | Free and abundant. |
| Address/Directions | 2920 N. Sherman Av., Madison. Warner Park in on the northwestern side of Madison. From wherever you are, you'll want to make your way to the Aberg Ave. exit and head northwest. After you pass the Shopko (on right), you'll turn right onto Packers Avenue, eventually veering left off of Packers Avenue onto Northport Drive. Warner Park is on the southwest corner (on your left) of Northport Drive and Sherman Avenue. There are two entrances to Warner: either turn left to reach the Sherman Avenue entrance (on the right-hand side of Sherman) or continue past the intersection and turn left into the Northport Drive entrance. |
| Written by: | Kevin Reichard |
| Rating |  |
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
We tend to get so wrapped up on facilities that we forget about what makes a ballpark great: the fans.
The emphasis on the fans can't be ignored at Warner Park, the home of the Madison Mallards of the summer-collegiate Northwoods League. Warner Park has never been much to write home about, even going back to the days of the Madison Muskies (Low Class A; Midwest League) and the chants of "Go Fish!" coming from the rickety stands.
Today, the Mallards are one of the most successful franchises in baseball and certainly the most successful team on the summer-collegiate front. It's not because Warner Park is such a great ballpark; it's because of the TLC the Mallards have thrown Warner Park's way -- as well as fans.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
One remarkable thing about a Mallards game: you can't go very far in the ballpark without some sort of customer-service rep approaching you. We've been attending baseball games at Warner Park since Todd Van Poppel made his professional debut there, so we know our way around the ballpark, and we were amazed by the number of Mallards game-day employees ensuring we knew where our seats were. (We did.) But that sort of attention to detail is why the fans keep coming back to Warner Park: the Mallards average almost 6.000 fans a game, by far the most in summer-collegiate baseball.
The Mallards took the guts of an 80s-era municipal ballpark and turned into something completely different. But a few things have been left unchanged from the days of the Muskies: the main grandstand and bleacher areas. A small grandstand contains the press box, while there are two sets of covered bleachers down each line. The first half of all three areas features seatbacks and arms, while the back half are simple metal bleachers. (The seatbacks are reserved seats; the bleachers are general admission.) There are no drink holders anywhere. Because of the new seating areas throughout the park, there can be a large crowd at the game but not a full house in the grandstand. Be warned the third-base bleachers can be a terrible sunfield for the first half of a night game, so you'll want to avoid them if possible. In fact, you're much better off buying a general-admission ticket and sitting in the back of the first-base bleachers rather than paying for a reserved seat by third base.
There
Concessions
There are two ways to go when considering what
to eat and drink at Warner Park. There is the
aforementioned all-you-can-consume deal in the
Duck Blind. If you go for this deal, you can sit
in the bleachers and watch the game; you cannot
bring food from the Duck Blind area, however, so
you'll need to camp out at a picnic table and eat.
Not a big deal, but just something to remember.
And this deal does include beer from The Great
Dane, an outstanding microbrewery in downtown
Madison.
If you decide not to spring for the Duck Blind, the food offerings at Warner Park are pretty standard -- Red Hot Chicago hot dogs, burgers, brats, pizza, real cotton candy, and pop. There's a wide assortment of beer on tap as well: Bud, Bud Light, John Courage, Pyramid, a few Great Dane beers (including Crop Circle Wheat) and Capital Amber. The concessions are centralized in back of the grandstand, and there can be some serious lines for food at the start of a game.
History
Warner Park served as the home of the Madison
Muskies (Low Class A; Midwest League), the
ill-fated Madison Hatters (Low Class A; Midwest
League) and the Madison Black Wolf (independent;
Northern League). The Muskies franchise was a
comet in professional baseball, as original team
owner Ed Janus (who also launched the Capital
Brewery; he was indeed a man for all seasons)
launched the team on a wing and a prayer,
garnering some national headlines along the way. .
For the Kids
No kid should be bored at a Mallards game.
There are four mascots roaming the park, and
there's a host of kid-oriented activities behind
the third-base bleachers.
In fact, kids should be captivated the minute they walk in the ballpark. A large inflatable Maynard Mallard can be seen from the front gate, and the entry path to the ballpark is festooned with duck tracks. A children's playground keeps the younger set occupied, while picnic seating close to the foul lines helps parents hang out with the kids while still watching the game.
There's also a separate candy stand in case your kid needs a sugar high.
Where to Stay
There are no hotels within walking distance of
Warner Park. Luckily, Madison is a pretty compact
city, so you're never more than 10 minutes away
from the center of town. There are basically three
areas to consider when looking at hotel
reservations:
- Madison's east side, centered around Washington Avenue and I-94, has seen a lot of development in the last few years. As a result, there are a number of chain hotels in the area: Holiday Inn, Exel Inn, Crowne Plaza Madison, Microtel Madison, Best Western East Towne Suites, Fairfield Inn, Courtyard Madison East, Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn and Staybridge Suites are all within four miles of the ballpark. We stayed at a one-bedroom suite at the Staybridge Suites for $65 a night; you can stay even cheaper at some of these other hotels if you do a little shopping. In the summer, it's fairly inexpensive to stay in Madison unless there's some huge event in town (which there often is, so be sure to make your hotel reservations early). If you do stay here, you'll be tied to your car, as there's nothing to walk to from any of these hotels.
- Downtown Madison is the best for getting out and
walking around, but it's also the most expensive
area of town in terms of hotel rooms. You'll pay
between $125 and $200 a night at the likes of
the Edgewater, the Madison Concourse, the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace and
the Doubletree.
Madison's west side also features a slew of shopping and restaurants, but it suffers from the same drawbacks as the east side -- you'll be tied to your car -- with the additional drawback of being furthest away from the ballpark.
Before the
Game
Madison is truly a great town in the summer. Many of the
students have left, so it's easier to get around, and the city
really opens up in June, July, and August.
If you're there on a weekend, drop by the Dane County Farmers Market, which rings the State Capitol in downtown Madison. It is truly one of the greater farmers markets in the nation, with a great mix of local produce, sweets, cheese, and more. Everything is produced locally. Stop by Marigold Kitchen (118 S. Pinckney) beforehand for a hearty breakfast.
After the Farmers' Market, stroll down State Street, Madison's main shopping drag. State Street connects the University of Wisconsin with the State Capitol, and many of the stores here are uniquely Madison, including the Soap Opera and the Community Pharmacy (where you can buy sunblock for the game).
The kids will love Ella's Deli (2902 E. Washington Av.), which is a cross between a New York City kosher deli and an amusement park. The theme at Ella's is circus, and the interior at Ella's is filled with mechanical devices, like flying clowns and automated bands. It truly has to be seen to be believed. You can't miss it: it's the only restaurant in Madison with its own carousel.
Near the ballpark are two restaurants worth checking out. Smoky Jons No. 1 Barbeque (2310 Packers Av.), just a half mile from Warner Park, wins more than its share of rib competitions. New Orleans Take-Out (1920 Fordem Av., 608/241-6655) has as its rallying cry Eat mo' bettah! Personally, I'm happy with the dirty rice and the sausage-and-rice entrees. Afterwards, have a slice of sweet-potato pecan pie.
Madisonians love their suds, and often the sud of choice is a beer from the Capital Brewery (7734 Terrace Av., Middleton). Though the brewery is fairly small, they do offer tours on Fridays at 3:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. The brewery also hosts a Bier Garten on Wednesday-Saturday evenings, and there's live music (sometimes with a cover charge) on the weekend.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
After the Game
One of the more charming things about Madison is that it's
truly a city of neighborhoods, so you're best off sticking to
a neighborhood for your nighttime pursuits. Downtown Madison
features the Great Dane
(123 E. Doty), a brewpub and restaurant that features the best
outdoor dining in Madison, and
Angelic Brewing,
an award-winning brewpub The
Essen Haus
(514 E. Wilson St.) is a dependable source of German good and
beer. If steak is more your style, check out
Smoky's (3005
University Av.; 608/233-2120) or the downtown
Tornado
Club (116 S. Hamilton St.; 608/256-3570). In fact, we
would highly recommend a steak at Smoky's: it's a real supper
club (complete with relish tray before the meal) and it serves
the best steak in town.
Nothing says Wisconsin on Friday night like a fish fry, and good ones can be found at the Avenue Bar (1128 E. Washington Av.; 608/257-6877) and Fyfe's Corner Bistro (1344 Washington Av.; 608/251-8700). Make your reservations early, unless you want to be eating cod at 5 p.m.
Being a college town, Madison also features its fair share of nightclubs with live music and DJs. The Cardinal Bar (418 E. Wilson St.) is one of the hotter dance floors in town, featuring house and club dance music most nights of the week. Alt-rockers will want to check out The Annex (1206 Regent St.), where live music and dancehall music reign. Former UW students will want to relive their youths and quaff a brew at the Memorial Union Terrace (800 Langdon St.); they can also catch some live music on weekends as well. Madison is also the home to some good blues bars: Luther's Blues (1401 University Av.) is close to campus, but the Crystal Corner (1302 Williamson St.) has the authentic atmosphere you'd expect from a blues dive. For a full schedule of arts in Madison, pick up a copy of the local alt weekly, Isthmus, or check out its Web site.
Older Photos
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