| Wolfson Park is a grand old place to see a game.
After passing by it in '99, I was finally able to take in a game here
in its final season, 2002. It is situated next to and shares its parking
lot with Alltel Stadium, home of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. Unlike Tinker
Stadium in Orlando, the football stadium fortunately does not provide the
backdrop. The park features a large covered grandstand that stretches from
first base all the way around to third. The outside features a red brick
facade and well landscaped sidewalks. The colorful concourse is located under
the grandstand as is typical of most older parks. Several concession
and souvenir stands are located there. The concessions are both varied
and reasonably priced. Programs on the other hand are a bit expensive
at $4. There are a variety of different seating options, the best of
which are those that are not closest to the field. A thick chain link
fence obscures many of the seats in the grandstand behind home plate. Interestingly,
the first three rows of the seats actually are in front of the dugouts, so
fans can look directly into them. Two other interesting features of
Wolfson Park are the outfield wall which is 25 feet high all the way around,
and the all grass infield. The atmosphere is much like you'd find at
other minor league parks. The typical games (race the mascot, dice
game, dizzy, etc.) are played between innings and music is blared throughout.
Unfortunately, their music selections were limited which led them to
repeat many of the same songs. At least sound effects were used sparingly.
Parking is very plentiful, but expensive at $3. Wolfson Park
was one of the few classic minor league stadiums still being used in 2002. Unfortunately, the park was demolished after the '02 season to make more room for parking. A new ballpark, The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, was built nearby. I'm sure the
new ballpark is beautiful, but it probably doesn't recreate the classic
feel of Wolfson Park.
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