It is a life goal of mine to go to as many MLB baseball parks as I possibly can, and now I can finally check Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark off my list.
My dad took my little brother and I on a mini-vacation to Cincinnati to spend a day at King’s Island and go see a Reds game. It was the first time any of us had been to Cincy. My family has never been much of a plane-riding family. We like to drive, and my brother, having his driver’s permit, wasn’t protesting the estimated five-hour drive.
He quickly found out how boring it could be to drive through the heart of Indiana, but unlike northern and central Indiana, the southern part is a lot more beautiful due to the hills that were not destroyed by the ice sheets of the Ice Age.
King’s Island is surrounded by what seems like miles of rolling hills covered with trees. It’s absolutely beautiful. The park itself is extremely nice too. It’s clean, cheerful, and stocked with a great variety of rides.
I personally like the no-civilization-in-sight view.
The real treat was seeing and hearing my dad freaking out on the roller coasters. His 50+ year old body can’t take the punishment of a roller coaster going 60mph while it spins causes your stomach acid to slosh around and bounce off your stomach walls.
It turns out I couldn’t, even at my ripe age of 19, take that abuse for too long. I got a headache and shortly after we left.
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Great American Balllpark is located next to the beautiful Ohio River and a 10 minute walk from the Newport on the Levee. If you’re going to make a day out of going to the ballgame, I highly suggest stopping at the Newport on the Levee. Parking is only $3, and there are plenty of stores and restaurants to spend your time at.
I spent two hours in Barnes & Nobles. I am a bookworm. Don’t hate.
The park itself is modern, but at the same time a little cozy. 39,000 fans showed up to watch the Reds take on the Tigers. Tiger fans were abundant, and so were minor fan scuffs, especially when the stadium erupted in a “Let’s go Tigers” chant.
I consider the evening a success since I didn’t get any beer spilled on me, which is definitely an achievement at any professional sporting event.
As for the game? It was fantastic. I don’t think anyone can complain, regardless of what team you want to win, when the game is won in extra innings by a perfectly executed squeeze play. You don’t see teams taking that risk anymore, so it’s always a treat when it does happen.
Cincinnati may not be the biggest and greatest city to go to on vacation, but it does offer fun for a few days, and, like all places, it is what you make of it.
About Tyler Juranovich
