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Athletic Park /
Wisconsin Woodchucks
Athletic Park is sometimes called the Wrigley Field of the Northwoods League, and the claim has a lot of merit. Like Wrigley, Athletic Park is old: the original grandstand dates back to 1936 and the stone wall surrounding the ballpark came a few years after that. Athletic Park is nestled in a residential area north of downtown Wausau, though the area lacks the bars and restaurants that make Wrigleyville so distinct. It's intimate: the seating is only 3,000 or so, and the entire ballpark site is fairly small. You couldn't get away with the ballpark's field orientation today: home plate is in the southeast corner of the ballpark and the batter must look northwest to the pitchers' mound, which puts the sun directly in the batter's eyes at the beginning of a night game. All of this makes Athletic Park one of the more charming ballparks in the Upper Midwest. While the amenities are not great -- the concessions are limited and most of the seating is in metal bleachers -- there's a lot of character to Athletic Park. Take the stonework throughout the ballpark and the grandstand: it's darker than most ballparks and the stones are larger, giving the exterior a very distinctive look and makes the ballpark look older than it is. The wooden roof on the grandstand, which dates back to the 1950s, completes the look. The ballpark consists of a main grandstand flanked by two sets of metal bleachers. Season-ticket buyers occupy most of the theater-style grandstand seats, while a press box and two suites are at the back of the grandstand.
The Woodchucks are widely credited with making a slew of improvements to the park, which was fairly run down after the Wausau Timbers of the Midwest League moves to Geneva after the 1990 season and set up shop at the Kane County Cougars. The most obvious changes were the two group areas, including a party deck down the third-base line and a group area down the first-base line (shown below). Each group area features its own concession booth; as you can see below a log cabin was constructed to hold concessions.
Concessions The concession offerings are fairly limited: Klements hot dogs ($1.95), Johnsonville brats ($2.50), hamburgers ($2.75), chicken-breast sandwich ($3.50), nachos ($2.50), pizza ($2.75) and pretzels ($2). On the liquid side, it's a Miller world: on tap is MGD, Lite, and four Leinenkugel brands (Honey Weiss, Red, Berry and Amber Light), ranging in price from $2.25 to $4.75 for a 32-ounce mug.
History The Wausau Mets were in the Class A Midwest League from 1975-1978; the team was named the Wausau Timbers from 1979 to 1990, when the team moved to Geneva, Ill.
Parking
Before/After the Game You can combine shopping and nature in downtown Wausau. The Third Street Pedestrian Mall runs parallel to the river and features the Wausau Center Mall (with department stores like Younkers and smaller stories like The Gap) and the Washington Square Plaza. The River Walk Trail runs from Oak Island Park to Fern Island in the Wisconsin River and Whitewater Park, a nationally known kayak and canoe course. In terms of nightlife, Wausau does offer a few decent options. Blues fans will want to check out the Scott Street Steak and Pub (124 Scott St.; 715/842-2424), where Chicago blues artists like Buddy Guy will occasionally appear. On the mellower side is Kelly's Martini Bar (412 3rd St.; 715/849-8000) and its adjoining coffeeshop, Something's Brewing. For the archetypal Wisconsin tavern experience, drop by the Chatterbox (102 S. 2nd Av.; 715/842-3059). It's nothing more than a neighborhood bar, but there's something special and unique about neighborhood joints in Wisconsin.
Dining
Where to Stay Farther away in Rothschild is the spankin'-new Lodge at Cedar Creek (805 Creske Av.; 888/365-6343, 715/241-6300) which features a Northwoods decor and a 30,000-square-foot indoor water park -- the largest in northern Wisconsin. |
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