Classic Park: Home of the Lake County Captains

Located less than 20 miles from their MLB parent club, the Cleveland Guardians, the home of the High-A Lake County Captains falls well short of modern ballpark standards. The facility shows clear signs of wear, with aging structures and minimal upkeep throughout. Little attention is given to the fan experience, resulting in a forgettable visit. Rather than delivering charm or nostalgia, the park feels simply outdated and unimpressive.

Lake County Captains (affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians since 2003)
Established: 2003
League: Midwest League
Ballpark: Classic Park (opened in 2003 as Eastlake Stadium)
Championships: 2010
Notable Alumni: Francisco Lindor, Chris Archer, José Ramírez, Danny Salazar, Michael Brantley, Shane Bieber, Francisco Mejía

Location/ Scenery/ Amenities (0.65/5)

The ballpark is located outside of Cleveland in a suburb, Eastlake, fixed in between two boulevards. It's relatively easy getting in and out of Classic Park as traffic isn't an issue. There is no street parking, requiring guests to pay the $10 fee at the stadium, which is very reasonable nowadays.

Inside the stadium, the park offers absolutely no outfield backdrop with the only sights being the berms in left or right field. In the outfield, kids can play on their mini turf and at a playground (although it looked to be closed on my visit).This team does not draw many fans, so crowded concourses, concession/bathroom lines or seat availablilty is not a problem.

The best, and virtually only positive about Classic Park was their unique seat designs. Most of the seats were your normal ballpark seats but sprinkled in were porch swings, adirondack chairs and even toilet seats!

Food (0.2/5)

The food at Classic Park was incredibly limited which was very dissapointing. Most concession stands were closed, however, the ones that were open for business had only basic options such as hot dogs, burgers, tenders, fries, pretzels with no real twists.

The one staple at Classic Park is the Moby Dick Fish Sandwich ($60 or market price) which was 16 fish patties, 37 pickles, four slices of cheese, a cup of goldfish, tarter sauce, lettuce and mystery spices, however, it wasn't even available on my visit.

I settled with the Picantes Cheddar & Jalapeno Dogs ($7.75) and a Margarita ($12.50) which were both subpar and unimpressive, which fit the theme of this park.

Entertainment (0.2/5)

The entertainment at Classic Park was nothing to write home about either. There was just one promotional game in between innings which hard to follow as the video board in center field was mostly broken.

Sam's Score: 7/100

The score speaks for itself as Classic Park falls far below its standards. The park is in desprate need of a facelift and in now way is it worth the trip to fans. The lack of scenery, food and entertainment makes for a pretty lackluster experience.

Travel Tips & Tricks

• For parking, the stadium owns two lots, one on the stadium side and the other across the street (Som Center Road) with both charging $10. If you do park across the street, there is a overpass for fans so you don't have to cross the busy street.
• If you have access to a suite at Classic Auto Group Park, consider checking out the Pirate Bar on the second level. A unique space for fans, it offers a small bar with a variety of canned drinks but there is no food.
• Looking for a pregame spot to grab a drink? Try Two Cents which is located just steps from Classic Park. If you're going for a day game, consider Biagio's Donut Shop which allegedly has the best donuts in all of Ohio and is walking distance from the ballpark too, however, its only open in the mornings and early afternoons.