Baseball and Babies at PNC Park

In Pittsburgh, we follow our distinguished teams to their specific places within the city. If you want to see a Pittsburgh Steeler’s game, you go to Acrisure Stadium. If you want to see the Pittsburgh Penguins, and their beautiful Stanley Cup, you head on over to PPG Paints Arena. If it’s baseball you want to see, you head to a Pittsburgh Pirate’s game at PNC Park on the north shore of Pittsburgh!

My family, friends and I all enjoy going to games. Whether it be a date night, a girls night out, or a group event with friends and their kids we visit the park frequently every summer! There are fun games to enjoy from March to October and there are always different events or themes for the games. There are concert, fireworks, free t-shirt, and Dog days throughout the week. And best of all there are fun Kids Day’s every Sunday at PNC Park.

Michelle at Pirates baseball game at PNC Park, June 2016
Michelle at Pirates baseball game at PNC Park

I have gone to the kid’s days and they are a blast. They usually have a free give-away for kids 14 and younger with a purchased ticket! This can be anything ranging from a jersey to a bobblehead toy of one of the players that kids will get when they come in through the gates. There is a Family Fun Zone on Federal Street with family-fun activities before the game. What a fun experience!

PNC Park is a safe environment, especially on kid’s days; where families can come enjoy a baseball game, a yummy footlong hot dog, and watch their kids’ eyes light up as they see their favorite players (hopefully) hit a homerun! It is also an amazing park that has beautiful views of the city. And during the night games the sunset lights up the city in beautiful arrays of purples, pinks, and oranges and then the lights come out. It is so exciting!

Some tips if you decide to go to the park with your family (and you definitely should):

-Bring a small cooler filled with water bottles, juice boxes and snacks, 16x16x8 inch cooler as shown on their website (Click here for Cooler policy at PNC Park) This will allow for you to not have to get up and down from your seat a million times. And for those that are budget conscious, it helps cut back the costs if you don’t want to purchase food and/or drinks while you are there. Make sure that if you bring water it is not larger than 24 oz. in size and it is in a clear, plastic, sealed and a disposable bottle. Alcoholic drinks, carbonated beverages, sports drinks, cans, glass bottles and thermoses are also not allowed in the park from the outside. (remember to bring some peanuts and cracker jack!)

-Make sure to get a booklet and any information you can from the front gate when you come in. This is also where you will get any free goodies that are offered for that game.

-There are indoor nursing stations for breastfeeding mothers if you don’t want to have to nurse at your seat or in the heat! They are located at the Guest Relations office at the bottom of the Trib Total Media Home Plate rotunda.

– Take advantage of the Kid’s Zone that is located at the Right Field of the park! There is a small version of PNC park kids can run around in as well as a playground to play in during the game.

-If this is your child’s first time at the park, make sure to stop at the guest relations offices to pick up a cute little memento for their first game. It has a wonderful picture of the park and you can fill out information on it about the game they attended. Add that, a picture from the game, and a copy of the ticket stub and that is a wonderful framed memory for their bedroom!

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And last but not least, enjoy the game! It is a wonderful and fun experience whether it is with your kids, friends, and family or on a date night! There are lots of places to eat before and after. You can go around the North Shore or take a short walk into the city on the Roberto Clemente bridge. Make it a whole day in the ‘burgh! And of course, enjoy every minute of it! Maybe next year you can invest in season tickets (I know I’m trying to!).

LET’S GO BUCS!