Phillies Nation

Citizens Bank Park History

Other than the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies won their only World Series title in 1980 at Veterans Stadium, there were not a lot of reasons to love that old ballpark – unless you really enjoyed cookie-cutter stadiums and bad playing surfaces. Thankfully, Philly now has Citizens Bank Park, a new $350 million baseball-only facility that is among the best in the big leagues. Since it opened in 2004, Phillies tickets are once again a hot item, both because of the team on the field and the new digs. If you a have a Citizens Bank Park ticket, you’ll get to see an exciting young team that after nearly a decade of futility has finished about .500 ever year since 2003 and become competitive in the tough National League East.

On the field, you can catch emerging stars like Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and super slugger Ryan Howard (winner of the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year Award and 2006 Home Run Derby). If you have Citizens Bank Park tickets, you are almost guaranteed to see the enormous 35-foot by 50-foot Liberty Bell in right field ring at least once for a Phillie homer. You’ll also be able to check out Ashburn Alley, an entertainment area filled with historical features and interactive activities. Of course Ashburn Alley is named for the great center fielder Richie Ashburn, who is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame alongside other Phillie greats like Tug McGraw, Dick Allen, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Robin Roberts.

And if history is not your thing, there is a playground for the kids and a Build-A-Bear Workshop where they can make their very own Phillie Phanatic. While the kids are playing, you can enjoy some of the great eats, like Bull’s BBQ (named after former Phillie Greg “The Bull” Luzinski), Chickie’s & Pete’s Crab Fries, and some good old Philadelphia cheesesteaks. If you haven’t been to a ballgame since Veterans Stadium was demolished, you owe it to yourself to get some Phillies tickets and check out Citizens Bank Park.

Share This | Permalink