West Michigan Whitecaps

This ballpark is really nice! Clean, and great for kids! :) the food is great too, they even have elephant ears! :)

Update: I was invited back to enjoy Whitecaps baseball one more time. It was suggested that I try the ⁵⁄₃ Burger, which is 1.67 lb of beef (precooked) with a 1 lb bun and toppings to match. Never one to refuse a reasonable challenge, I drove instead of flew the 1,000 miles back to take on this mammoth.
First, it’s attainable. The burger’s a little smaller than photos would suggest, about the size of a medium deep dish pizza. I’ve eaten a few of those, so I knew this would be easy. What I didn’t know is that they keep track of time, so I dawdled early on before picking up the pace, and that probably cost me the record (I finished in 18 minutes, the record is 17). It’s cut into quarters, so I just imagined each one as its own sandwich and scarfed the four sandwiches. I was still hungry afterwards, so I went for another baco, and that made sure I was full.
Second, it’s delicious. Because they use 5 patties instead of one large one, each one is cooked like a normal hamburger, so retains the flavor and juiciness. It also makes it easier to break up the sandwich into manageable chunks. The toppings include nachos, salsa, and sour cream, essentially resulting in a large Mexican burger. I told the staff that this would make a great regular-​size sandwich, and they agreed to pass that note along.
Third, if you finish, you get a T-​shirt. Your $ 24 may or may not be worth it for a T-​shirt and an overly stuffed feeling, but I estimate there are only about 100 – 200 T-​shirt winners so far, based on there being about 16 winners this year and six seasons of the burger’s existence.
Everything from my previous review still applies. I might have to make this a yearly ritual to come back and try some more of their varied menu items.

Went here for a Whitecaps game and the entire night was excellent.
Parking is $ 6 for cars and $ 9 for oversized vehicles. However there is a MDOT carpool lot across the street that is free to park in (provided there is room).
Ballpark is well designed so all the seats are great and seats are cheap. They range from $ 6 lawn to $ 14 for premium. There is a wealth of concessions for purchase, beer for purchase (including local craft beer) and even the famous foods like the ⁵⁄₃ burger, the Baco, etc.
The best part about going to the game was the entertainment. They have lots of gigs to keep people interested such as basketball tosses, mascot races, eyeball races, spinning in a circle until you are dizzy, candy/​t-​shirt tosses, etc. Lots of promotions for games as well — thrifty thursdays, fireworks, bulletin nights, senior nights, giveaways, etc.
Outgoing traffic was pretty bad, but to be expected with any ballpark. Easy access to US 131 off of West River Drive.
Overall, a great experience and definitely worth revisiting.

Take your kids and have a fantastic family experience.
We took all our boys to a game this past Sunday.
On most Sunday’s the kids get a free hot dog, chips and a drink.
This particular Sunday, kid’s tickets were $ 2 and our 2 year old was free!
General seating is $ 6 for lawn seats.
The kids had a blast. We caught some candy being thrown around, my son almost caught some coupons being thrown out, and we missed catching a foul ball by about a foot. The between inning games are fun too. The kids enjoyed the human sandwich, and the blow-​up eyeball race. The items in the store are expensive, but thats expected at any ballgame. Kids ended up with a foam finger and light sabre.

Great Grand Rapids entertainment for anyone who’s ever sat sweltering in a MLB park, hassled with parking the car a half mile away, squandered gobs of cash on $ 4.50 sodas, 9.00 beers, and 4.50 hot dogs, and then wondered, «Why am I supporting these guys? It’s hot as hell, I’m tired, and every single dude on the field excluding the umps, is a gazillionaire». Oh yeah, that would be all of us, at one time or another. There is an alternative:
See Single-​A ball for less in admission than one MLB beer costs; park in a beautiful lot hugging the ballpark; drink a 2 buck Coke or a 3 buck beer and eat a 3.00 fresh-​grilled chicken sandwich; be completely entertained with pro ball and all sorts of corny shenanigans between every half inning. And watch solid baseball by the up-​and-​comers, future major leaguers. My wife and I stayed for almost entire game, and neither uttered nor heard nary one complaint about anything. Imagine smiles everywhere.
Officially done with Major League Baseball; when traveling I will now opt for a great time at minor league parks and support the local small economy. Good times were had by all, from 8 to 80 year-​olds. Felt like a real American along with a few thousand others. Beats just about everything else on a nice summer evening. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
BONUS: Big Al Kaline from way, way, way back-​in-​the-​day Tigers, was there signing autographs. And Larry Parrish, former Tigers catcher great, is now Whitecaps 3^rd base coach.

My hubby and I agreed that our experience here made us not want to pay the big bucks to go see MLB games anymore. We had a blast here (even though they lost).
Parking was really easy and relatively cheap ($ 5 I think?), getting into the park was a breeze, and the best part is the tickets are so cheap, you can get the best seats right behind home plate for like $ 14! Concessions are also ridiculously cheap compared to the $ 14 6 oz beers you get at MLB games. The park was also very well maintained and clean.
I will admit, the game was kind of boring BUT it was made much better by the between-​innings entertainment. They had some sort of funny activity going on between each inning that had us chuckling almost every time.
This is a great place for groups, kids, couples, you name it, who want to have fun on the cheap on a Friday night!

Minor league ballparks generally fall into two camps: 1) ones that try to harken back to the (g)olden days of baseball; and 2) ones that try to appeal to families. If you are looking for the latter, Fifth Third Ballpark is a must visit. I’ve been to dozens of minor league ballparks and Fifth Third is one of the most family friendly, amenity-​laden ballparks around.
HOMERS:
– Amazing concession selection. ⁵⁄₃ Ballpark has as many choices as any major league ballpark. To top it off they have the legendary ⁵⁄₃ Burger as featured in Man vs. Food.
– Tons of amenities for the kids: kids run the bases, kids play catch on the field, bounce house, playground, between inning games… you name it and this place has it.
– First pitch experience: Usually to throw out the first pitch at a game you have to be a minor celebrity, a military hero, or work for a team sponsor. Here, RK was able to be one of the people throwing out a ceremonial first pitch through the team’s First Pitch Experience. Definitely worth it.
– The staff here is as friendly as they come. From the ticket takers to those working behind the scenes. Good Midwest hospitality.
– The team’s Tigers connection really shines through. From banners of Tiger players who played for West Michigan to orange seats from Tiger Stadium to Tiger alumni appearances, they do a great job of connecting the minor league experience to the big league team.
– For a single-​A stadium, there are tons of great areas for groups and parties. Not just luxury suites but outfield decks and seating down the line that would make for a great work outing.
STRIKEOUTS:
– Architecturally, the place is totally blah. There’s no grand entrance or anything really remarkable about the stadium itself. It’s look is similar to dozens of others built in the 90s and 00s.

I made it back to see the West Michigan Whitecaps in all their «glory» (they have the worst record in the league this season) and got to see their asses kicked in the 9^th inning. You know what? I didn’t care. It was awesome.
For the first time since 2005, I made it back to a White Caps game. My dad rented a box for my extended family, like he’s been doing the last 5 years, but I’ve been for lawn and regular seats as a kid and always really enjoyed myself.
The game we went to showed the White Caps are still around and better than ever! It was Jedi night — can you say 10 – 20 years behind the times? what whatever — and we were treated to all kinds of ridiculously-​dressed people coming to our booth who wanted their photos with us. Oooh, and the mascot came too! I had all the cocktails and beer I wanted, plus I got to order food of my choice for dinner and dessert. Our food and drinks came quickly — what’s not to like about that?
The game, and the after-​game fireworks, were the ultimate in ridiculousness as I watched goofy games, side-​shows, and hysterical sound effects while my relatives’ beloved minor league team got the asses pounded. I’ve decided that I love this and can’t wait till next time. It sure beats my relatives’ dry weddings!

Even though I’m from California I still like me a good burger. Just saw this article on msn and I would like to barter a bottle of Napa valley wine for someone to Fedex me this burger monstrosity.
5 beef patties + 5 slices of cheese + 1 cup of chili + salsa and corn chips + 8″ sesame seed bun = 2001 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc
Plus if you finish this burger they give you a free t-​shirt. Sounds like a Man vs. Food challenge to me. But something tells me a bottle of beer would go better with this meal instead.
Go Giants!

I love baseball. I love affordable tickets. I love watching the team that I am cheering for win. I love being annoyed by small children that have no parental control. Actually, I only love three of those things. I secretly (wait, no I openly!) hate one of them. Without all of the damn kids running around ruining my ability to concentrate on baseball, the Whitecaps would be the ultimate in baseball. Unfortunately, people take their kids to the game and treat the section ushers as their paid sitters. Ok people, you pay 7 dollars for a baseball ticket, 10 rows from the field, at least keep your kid on a leash or leave it at home.
Enough about that. ⁵⁄₃ Ballpark is a great place to watch a game. They have a great on field product most years, and it is cool to watch Tigers prospects who may or may not have a shot 3 or 4 years down the road at the big show. The prices are phenomenal, with walkup tickets available for almost every game or you can score online tickets and print them out at home. The concessions are great. The beer vendor on the first base concourse, she is the best. She is a bit rough around the edges and surly, but that is how I like em. Food is decent, but I would encourage upgrading to the premium priced hot dogs over the rack rate dogs, The don’t sit wrapped in foil as long! Lots of fresh barbecue too! Thursday nights are the best bargain, I guess that is why they are called Thrifty Thursday. It can be pretty cold for games in April and September, so dress accordingly or drink lots of $ 2 beers if it is a Thursday!

Single-​A baseball.
Goofy promotions.
A fog horn when they hit a dinger.
Two Midwest League championships in the last two years, and three in the last four years.
What’s not to love?