Sometimes I am very spontaneous. Over the Labor Day weekend, I decided to take a day trip up to Milwaukee. On the agenda was a tour of Miller Park, a bite to eat at 4th Base, and checking on the status of the new Buck's Stadium. With my agenda planned and my tour booked, the only thing left was to fill up the car and hit the road. I had an hour and 45 minutes to drive to get to Miller Park, so I made the logical decision and got a large coffee minutes into my trip. A piece of advice for others, do not drink it all within an hour of the start of the trip. For those who drive up to Milwaukee and take I-94W, there are 3 exits labeled 308. There are several lots and they are off of the separate exits. Make sure to know what lot you are trying to get to or you may be driving in circles to get to the lot you need. Upon arriving, I picked up my tour ticket at will call, near the clock tower, and then headed into the stadium. When you are taking the tour, you enter the stadium through the TGI Friday's off season entrance. Upon entering, I gave my ticket to my tour guide Bill. We waited until the appropriate start time and off we went.
Kates Tour Ticket
Our first stop was the club level. We looked at the pictures of events at Miller Park that line the walls on the way to the clubs and suites. There is a lot of history behind this stadium so the pictures are important to see. After hearing the stories and viewing the pictures, we headed into the Northwestern Mutual Legends Club.
Northwestern Mutual Legends Club
There are two parts of the club, indoors and outdoors. Both have a private bar in them and several options for seating. Options include indoor, pictured above, and outdoor pictured below. You can sit in stadium seating or in chairs. Either way, your view is going to be great.
Northwestern Mutual Legends Club Seating
After checking out the club, we headed to a suite. The difference is night and day between the two. While the club can have multiple groups in it, the suites are for a single group. Each sweet has a couch, some indoor high top seating, and some stadium seating. There is also a fridge, coffee maker, private bathroom, and artwork. For additional privacy, to enter, there is a ticket scanner at the door.
Private Suite at Miller Park
After we saw how the rich, famous, and/or privileged watch the game, we headed behind the scenes. Our first stop was the scoreboard operations room. It was fascinating to learn just how many people have to work together to operate the scoreboard. The organist, yes you read that right, also is in that room during the game.
Scoreboard Operations Room
While we didn't get to go into the room, it was fascinating and let me nerd out for a while. After we saw that, we saw a radio broadcast room on our way down to the press room. The press room is huge. There are three tiers of seats where the reporters can work. There is wifi, phones, and a place for the reporter to put their computer.
Press Room
One thing to note is that the windows in the front open up for the game. While that allows for unobstructed views of the game, and easier abilities to hear, it does lead to danger. There is the risk for foul balls to go into the press room. And they do. Instead of patching up the walls or other damaged furniture, the holes are labeled with the batter's name, the date, the opponent team, and the pitcher's name.
Holes in the press room
Now it was time to head to the lower level where the players live, I mean get ready for the game. Unfortunately, I took a tour on a game day so we don't get to see everything. However, we did see outside the Brewer's Clubhouse. During that, we sat on the bench where the family of the players waits after the games. No one but players and staff can go into the clubhouse. We saw the occasional players walking to the batting cages or other locations. After hanging out in the hallway, we headed to the press conference room.
Press Conference Room
Not only is this used for after game press conferences or big announcements, it is also used for a church service for all players, Brewers, and visitors, on Sundays. Now for the final destination, the field.
Miller Park
The first destination on the field was the visiting team's dugout. We sat down there and learned about how it is different than some. Did you know the seats are heated in the dugout?
View from the Dugout
Following that, we headed out. Now we didn't touch the grass, as the grounds crew is very protective of it, but we stayed in the dirt. We walked to the outfield. I stopped briefly to take a picture of the TGI Fridays in Miller Park. We learned it is the highest grossing TGI Fridays.
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TGI Fridays in Miller Park
Once we reached the outfield, we hit our final stop of the bullpen. In there is a dugout, pitchers mound, and an exercise bike.
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Miller Park Bullpen
The tour took just about an hour and a half and was definitely worth the $12 price. Make sure to wear walking shoes, but don't worry about stairs. We took elevators throughout the stadium. However, after the tour and my drive, I was hungry. I made sure to check out one the Stadium Scene places, 4th Base! I grabbed a burger and a beer and it was a delicious lunch. Erin helped me during my visit and was a great server/bartender.
4th Base
After refueling myself, I headed to downtown Milwaukee. I was curious how the construction of the new Buck's stadium was going.
New Buck's Stadium
Conveniently for fans, it is right next door to the old stadium. Unfortunately, at that point, my trip was cut short. The clouds were closing in and the rain was approaching. I decided to take off on my way back to Chicago. Overall, Milwaukee has a great atmosphere and the tour, food, and people will bring me back time and time again.
-KT
This post was proofread by Grammarly
