The Cincinnati Reds play at Great American Ball Park which is located on the riverfront of the Ohio River. Great American Ball Park opened in 2003 directly east of the location of Riverfront Stadium and then Cinergy Field. It seats 42,271. The weather continued hot as it had been for the past nine days. Temperatures in the high 90s with a heat index well above 100. Today we had a 4pm start at Great American Ball Park where the Reds were playing the Atlanta Braves. We had purchased tickets in the shade, but we were still very hot. You could buy one bottle of water outside the ballpark and bring it in if it was still sealed. Inside water was $5 for 20 os., buying a large soft drink was a better deal at $5.75. There are some nice statues as you walk into the stadium area. Photos cannot be taken directly behind home plate on the field level, so I took them from the upper level. There is a very nice scoreboard with lots of information. The Red beat the Braves 11-2 with a box score of Braves R-2, H-6, E-1 and Reds R-11, H-13, E-1. The field lines are RF-325', RC-370', CF-404' Lc-379', LF-325'. Gapper is the mascot and I truly respect those mascots that came out on all of these hot days and evenings. Attendance was a sell-out at 41,192, tying a record of 11 sell-outs. The tickets may have been sold, but because of the heat many did not come. Beyond the fence in centerfield is a simulated riverboat. There is a water taxi that comes from somewhere up the Ohio River to bring people to the games. You can see barge traffic on the river as well. Great American Insurance company has its building a couple of blocks north of the ballpark. Cinergy Field, the football stadium, is shown in the last picture. The in-between area has park area, museums, and parking. There is no re-entry into the ballpark, which was disappointing as I wanted to get pictures of the statues without people around them. Parking is available around the ballpark and not extremely expensive. We paid $20 just across the freeway. Traffic control after the game is not up to the standard that we see at SAFECO. This was a return visit for us. We were here in 2003.
Attractions
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center houses a collection that tells about slavery in America, highlighting the role of the Underground Railroad. You see an actual 1830 two-story log slave pen, with wrought-iron shackles intact, which was moved from Kentucky.