| Having seen photos of Coastal Federal Field before my first visit, I expected a park very similar to those in Lexington and Rome, neither of which I liked very much. But I came away pleasantly surprised as I really enjoyed my visit to Myrtle Beach's ballpark. Located about one mile from the Myrtle Beach strip and across the street from Broadway At The Beach, the ballpark doesn't have a great setting, but access is easy and there is plenty of free parking. The exterior is beautifully landscaped and is highlighted by tall brick columns. Like other parks in New Britain, Lexington and Rome, the concourse does not overlook the field, but rather is located underneath the seating. But unlike those parks, lots of natural light is allowed to stream into the concourse making it much brighter than it otherwise would be. The seating bowl is made up of a lower section and an upper section split by a walkway that allows access to the concourse. The lower section features all fold down chairs while the upper section is split between individual chairs and benches. A nice touch is the large roof that covers much of the upper level seating on both the first and third base sides. I'm sure many fans appreciate the shade on hot summer days in South Carolina. The seats are quite spacious and comfortable, though the rows are a bit long. Sightlines are good from the lower sections, but the upper level seats feel a bit far from the action. Concessions are definitely a highlight at Coastal Federal Field. The choices are well varied (burgers, sausages, BBQ pork, Mexican) and the quality is excellent. The prices may be a bit higher than other minor league parks, but the portions are huge so it is well worth the money spent. Despite being in the south, the atmosphere is more geared towards a northeast crowd, probably because of all the tourists there. There is lots of music blared between batters and numerous games are played between innings, such as race the mascot, dizzy bat race, dress like a pelican, and a Elvis dance-off. The team also has a mascot named Splash who looks a lot like the Vlasic pickle mascot. In addition, there is also Dinger, a live dog who delivers new balls to the umpire. For the kids, there is a play area in deep right field and a beach area down the left field line which is new for the '07 season. Usually tourist areas have struggled to draw fans to minor league games, but Myrtle Beach seems to be an exception to this rule as they continue to be a decent draw 8 years after opening the new park. Coastal Federal Field is a clean, comfortable park with tasty concessions, reasonable prices (including free parking and free programs), and a lively atmosphere. This adds up to an enjoyable night at the ballpark.
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