Always on the hunt for a bargain, after a tiring day exploring the home of Elvis at Graceland, I was on the lookout for something to do that evening. Then I spotted it: cheap tickets to watch the Memphis Redbirds, the city’s Minor League Baseball team.
“You said we could sit in and watch TV before our 1am bus to Albuquerque!” came the cry from the other side of the room.
Fortunately, I tend not to take much notice of those sorts of protests. Cheap tickets had been found, a new baseball stadium was there to be ticked off, and before long, the tickets were booked. I was expecting a good game and, with the Redbirds facing a nearby rival, I figured we might even get a bit of a derby atmosphere thrown in for good measure.
Buying Tickets for the Memphis Redbirds
I usually keep an eye on SeatGeek when we’re looking for tickets to games, but on this occasion the team ticket site had an offer that was simply too good to ignore, tickets were just $9 each. When you’re travelling on a budget, that’s the sort of bargain we just can’t turn down.
I did have a slight concern when I saw where the seats were. We had front row seats, but they were behind a heavy protective net and tucked away towards the corner of the stadium. It didn’t sound like the ideal view, but as it turned out, it really wasn’t a problem.
More on that later…
Where is the Stadium?
AutoZone Park is located on Union Avenue in downtown Memphis, making it a really convenient stadium to get to if you’re staying in the city. It’s close to many of the hotels popular with tourists and, of course, not far from the famous Beale Street.
We walked to and from the stadium and felt perfectly safe doing so. There was a noticeable police presence around the area, which was reassuring. Memphis does have a reputation for crime, but thankfully, we didn’t experience any of that during our visit. Everyone we interacted with was friendly and welcoming.
If you’re driving, there also appeared to be plenty of parking lots around the stadium, so getting there by car shouldn’t be too difficult either.
Walking to the Memphis Redbirds Game
I’m not going to lie, I was starting to get a little concerned. Had I somehow booked tickets for the wrong date? Had I led us to the wrong stadium? As we walked through the downtown area there was literally nobody around who looked like they were heading to a baseball game.
It was starting to feel like I’d made a bit of a mistake.
Thankfully, as we got to within about a block of the stadium, my fears were quickly forgotten. We could hear the tannoy, see the floodlights and, most importantly, spot small groups of people making their way into the stadium.
We were definitely in the right place and there was a game on after all!
Entry into the Stadium
The stadium rules stated that bags had to be within certain size limits, and that no outside food or drinks were allowed. As usual, we followed the rules and arrived empty handed, only to discover that we could actually have brought in water and sweets for Megan.
This rule always seems to be a bit hit or miss. Bring something with you and you’ll probably get told you can’t take it in; leave it behind and, suddenly, it would have been absolutely fine!
Anyway, after a quick security check and a scan of our tickets, we made our way through the gates and into the stadium concourse.
The Concourse and Outside
The first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of people around. I double checked with Nicola, were we too early? Or too late? Nope, we were there 30 minutes before the game started, and there was just no one about!
We watched a bit of live music, Megan had a go at some of the games, we of course had a look around the club shop, and then walked around the concourse to see what else was on offer.
Time to Find our Seats
As you can see from the pictures, the stadium was very empty. Megan was worried about a last minute surge of people. She made us go and sit in our actual seats.
There seemed to be a few other people who had bought the cheap tickets. Some even wanted to sit in their exact seats. This caused a strange game of musical chairs around us.
We watched the players finish their warm ups. It always amazes me how hard they throw the ball at each other. Even more impressive is how easily they catch it. They make it look effortless.
As expected, though, the heavy safety netting was a problem. Being in the front row didn’t help either. It made it difficult to see where the game was actually being played. So we made a decision. We’d watch the National Anthem and the first pitch. Then we’d move to some better seats.
After the Anthem, which is something I love about visiting the USA, we watched the first pitch. Then we got up and moved. This did get a rather confused response from the child sitting behind us. “They leaving already?” Nope. We’re just finding better seats!
The Game Itself
We relocated to the opposite stand. This time, we sat much further back. That meant we could see over the netting. We were also closer to the beer stand, which was an added bonus.
Best of all, we were within earshot of the radio commentary. The radio is always handy for us. We have absolutely no idea what’s going on half the time. It’s nice to have someone explaining what is happening while we try to work it all out.
Unlike other games we have been too, this game was actually very good and the score was 7-2 after the 3rd innings with 3 home runs scored.
Even with an exciting game, there was almost zero atmosphere. I guess that’s what you get when the home team is losing and the stadium is sparsely populated. It felt like most people were there simply because they had nowhere better to be.
We stayed for the famous 7th inning stretch. We always do. It’s something Nicola remembers vividly from the cross community trips she took to the USA when she was younger. So, whenever we’re at a baseball game, it’s something we make sure we experience.
Once it was over, we made our way out of the stadium (said our goodbyes to the staff, that always feels weird). We then made the short walk back to our AirBnb to try and catch a bit of sleep before our bus.
Would we recommend a Memphis Redbirds Game?
For the price we paid, 100% yes! We all enjoyed our night out. It was relaxed, easy going and a great way to spend an evening in Memphis.
I would have liked a bit more atmosphere. But you can’t have it all!
For just $9 a ticket, though, we certainly couldn’t complain.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our experience of going to a Memphis Redbirds game, and if you have any questions please ask.
Thanks
The Lewis Family.
