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Ray Winder Field /
Arkansas Travelers
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
| Year Opened | 1932 |
| Capacity | 6,083 |
| Dimensions | 330L, 390C, 345R |
| Playing Surface | Grass |
| Last Visit | May 2003 |
| Web Site | travs.com |
| Online Broadcasts | Yes |
| Online Ticket Sales | No |
| Phone | 501/664-1555 |
| Ticket Prices (2006) | Box seat, $8; grandstand, $6 |
| League | Texas League |
| Parking | Abundant free parking. |
| Address/Directions | Ray Winder Field at War Memorial Stadium. The stadium complex is north of downtown Little Rock. Take I-630 to the Fair Park Boulevard exit and go north from the exit. If you're coming from downtown Little Rock. you'll see the ballpark on your right before you hit your exit. Follow the signs and turn right onto Zoo Drive. . |
| Written by: | Kevin Reichard |
| Rating |  |
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
As a northerner, one of my favorite things about visiting the South is experiencing the deliberate pace of live down there. No one seems like they're in a hurry to do anything: sure, things will get done, but they get done in a laid-back way.
That's
why I shouldn't have been surprised when I showed
up early to Ray Winder Field, home of the Arkansas
Travelers, only to find out that the gates don't
open until an hour before game time (which, I've
discovered, is the standard schedule for ballpark
openings in the South). What's the hurry?
Indeed, nothing seems to get done quickly at Ray Winder Field. It opened in 1932 as Travelers Stadium, and it was renamed after former team owner Ray Winder in 1966. It's one of the five oldest stadiums still used in affiliated baseball, but don't let the age fool you: it's a great park that fits in nicely with the greater Little Rock community. Just expect to spend a nice relaxing day or night at the park. Who needs to hear rap music between at-bats or between innings when there's already an organist to play your favorites in a laid-back style? Who cares if there's only two windows open for buying software drinks?
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
Ray Winder Field features the most-laid back atmosphere I've experienced at a ballpark where there was more than 100 folks in the stands. Maybe because I attended on a doubleheader day, but the crowd was really slow to arrive: the locals sure weren't waiting outside the box office an hour and a half before game time, but us tourists were milling around the box office, itching to get a good seat.
Which
was not difficult, really. There is no reserved
seating in Ray Winder unless you're a season-ticket holder; in that case your reserved seat has
your name on the back. When you buy a ticket,
you're offered a general admission ticket for $5
or a box seat for $7. The box seats are located
closest to the field, and the extra $2 allows you
to move into a box seat without a name on the
back, which are scattered throughout the box
seats.
If you're attending an afternoon game, don't bother springing for the box seat. The general admission seats are covered by the grandstand roof, so they are shaded; the box seats are not, and there's nothing like an Arkansas midday sun burn the flesh from your neck. Also, be warned that if you sit in the front rows of the box seats you do so at your own peril: the netting behind the plate doesn't extend very far down the line, and the playing field is so close to the stands that there's a pretty good chance you could be dinged if you're not paying attention. On the flip side, the dugout sits within the stands, so if you're sitting in the first few rows you have a pretty good view of what's happening with the players during a game.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
Architecturally, Ray Winder is a pretty simple ballpark. The vast majority of the seating is in the grandstand, which is entirely full of folding theater-style seats; the newer chairs in the box seats are aluminum, while the older seats in the general-admission area are wooden. Ushers are positioned in the walkways to make sure that only those with box-seat tickets are admitted to that section. It is not a stadium designed to encourage milling around should the game be less than scintillating.
An
old steel frame holds a wooden roof, which
provides the aforementioned relief against the sun
for the general-admission fans. A press box hangs
from the front of the wooden roof, while an
organist -- playing a real electronic organ, not a
newfangled synthesizer -- is at the back from the
grandstand. There are also two sets of bleachers
down the left-field line, and during a day game
this is quite the sun field.
Because the ballpark literally sits next to I-630 and other civic buildings in the area, there aren't any outfield bleachers: in right field, a large fence ensures that home runs don't end up out on the freeway, while left field is dominated by the scoreboard.
This is the last season for Ray Winder Field; it will be replaced next season with a North Little Rock ballpark. It's a shame: Ray Winder Field lacks many of the amenities found in newer stadiums, and larger crowds would certainly provide for some cramped experiences as fans made their way to bathrooms and concession stands.
But Ray Winder has one thing that no retro ballpark can have: a genuine nostalgic experience. And while there are probably some things that could be done to Ray Winder Field to improve the fan experience, any new ballpark will pale in comparison to Ray Winder Field.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
Concessions
The concessions are centered in the back of
the grandstand. On nights with large crowds, this
would be an extremely crowded area; on a
doubleheader day with folks wandering in, there's
plenty of space for everyone.
The concession lines are organized by item, so you'll need to make more than one stop if you're making a huge food run. The offerings are fairly basic: Petit Jean hot dogs ($2.25), smoked sausages ($2.75), and chili cheese dogs ($2.75) are offered in the processed by-products line. (The Petit Jean brand is just about as old as Ray Winder Field; it was launched by Arkansas-based Morrilton Packing Co. in the early 1930s.) Other lines feature soft drinks (Coke product, along with that Southern staple, Dr. Pepper), Ray's Icy (which looks to be like a slushie or a misty), popcorn/peanuts, pretzels, nachos, frozen ice, and pizza.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
Beer is sold by the can at a separate stand. Available: Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Coors Lite, Bud, Corona, and Foster.
Like most things at Ray Winder, the condiments are basic, not flashy. You have your ketchup, your mustard, and your BBQ sauce. Want onions or relish? Bring them yourself.
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for a larger photo)
Parking
Parking really isn't an issue at Ray Winder
Field. For starters, the parking is totally free.
Ray Winder is located in a larger parks and rec
area also containing the Little Rock Zoo, a
municipal pool, and War Memorial Stadium, a WPA-era
football stadium.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
For the Kids
There is no kids area. Children who attend
Travelers games are expected to sit and watch the
ballgame, with occasional visits to the bathrooms
and concession stands.
If you want to entertain the kids before the game, drop by the nearby zoo.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
Before/After the
Game
The Little Rock Zoo is next to Ray Winder
Field. Like most things in the general vicinity,
the Little Rock Zoo dates back to the 1930s as a
WPA-area project, as many of the buildings and the
general landscaping clearly is of that era.
As far as municipal zoos go, it's pretty decent. It's a large facility that contains what's you'd expect -- lions and tigers and bears -- and the main zoo building has been remodeled into a spacious viewing area and aviary. The kids can head down to the petting area, and a small-scale train circles the grounds. Also, there's a large body of water on the edge of the zoo that's host to a variety of birds, flamingoes, fish, and turtles, many of whom are hanging around the edge of the water to beg for goodies from people. If you get hungry, there's a cafe onsite as well.
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
(click on the image
for a larger photo)
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