If you haven’t been to a Birmingham Barons game, you don’t know what you’re missing. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, there is something there for everyone in the family. We have two girls, ages 16 and 11, and sometimes it’s hard to find something to do that is age-appropriate, affordable, and enjoyable for everyone. Barons’ games, however, have been a huge hit (baseball pun intended).
Age-Appropriate
These games are family-friendly, and that’s the way the Barons like it. Regardless of whether or not your kids are baseball fans, there is plenty to keep them entertained. Let’s start with fun team mascots. I don’t know if Minor League Baseball had kids in mind when they named their teams, but even my older kids get a kick out of seeing the Montgomery Biscuits, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, or the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. The Barons’ mascot, Babe Ruff, is a big, friendly dog that is available for pictures and high-fives at the games. Like most baseball games, there are fun in-between inning activities like the mascot race and t-shirt toss. I think my favorite is the “Simba moment” where parents hold their kids up in the air and can be shown on the jumbo-tron while music from The Lion King is played. It was funny for both the kids and the parents. If your kids would rather play than watch, there is the Family Zone where kids are free to run around. They might even catch a foul ball! There is also the Family Fun Park, and the Youth Sports Zone has a mini-wiffle ball field.
Those are just the things that are offered at every game. There are also a ton of different promotions that are offered on specific nights. This Friday night, July 21st, is Daddy-Daughter date night AND the first 1,000 kids ages 12 and under will receive a free jersey. What an awesome thing for daddies and daughters (or sons) to do together! Plus, kids will have a free souvenir to remember the night with Dad. Is your kid a Star Wars fan? Saturday, August 26th, is Star Wars Night where kids can have their pictures taken with their favorite Star Wars characters. Check out the Promotions Schedule for more upcoming events.
Affordable
Ticket prices start at $7.00 for general admission and go up to $14.00. Kids 12 and under get $1.00 off their ticket price. A general admission kids ticket is cheaper than most movie tickets! (Kids 1 and under get in for free as long as they will be sitting in your lap. If they need their own seat, they need a ticket.) Tuesday night is $.50 hot dog night. For extra savings, you could have hot dogs at home before you go to the game as most night games start at 7:05 P.M.. On Wednesday nights, they offer discounts if you are a AAA member. We like to go on Friday nights because there is a free fireworks show after the game.
Enjoyable for Everyone
If you have small kids, they are sure to enjoy all the extra activities, but you don’t have to worry about your big kids getting bored either. Our girls enjoy watching the game, but they also like the music and games played between innings. And who doesn’t love ice cream in a mini baseball helmet? Want to see yourself on the jumbo-tron? Post a picture on Twitter with the hashtags #Ilovecocacola and #birminghambarons and they will put your picture on the big screen. Here’s our picture that was shown no less than eight times. Our kids loved watching out for our picture to pop up.
Dads are sure to enjoy this family outing because … sports. Plus, it’s probably better than watching Moana for the 37th time. (That happens at our house.) If that’s not enough, there’s great food like Dreamland and Tito’s Cantina. They could also try their hitting skills in the batting cages. Moms will want to go because it’s an easy thing to do that will keep everyone happy. I am personally a big baseball fan, but I am a bigger fan of seeing my family enjoying themselves. If you are not a fan of baseball, there are still some fun things for moms. This Saturday night, July 22nd, is the Diamond Dig. The first 200 women to register get to dig for a diamond worth over $5,000 that is buried on the field. My mom and I did this a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. My mom even won the diamond!
Make sure you add going to a Barons game to your summer bucket list and squeeze the most fun out of these last few weeks before school starts. You could even make that summer feeling last by going to some games in August. Games last until the first weekend of September, so there’s still plenty of the season left.
Check out the Birmingham Barons website for tickets, schedule, promotions, and all the information you might need before you go to a game! You can also follow them on Facebook.
