Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers of the National League, lies two miles west of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and opened on April 6, 2001. The playing field is natural grass, and the park has a seating capacity of 43,000. Look at the Miller Park seating chart for a more detailed view of the seating areas throughout the venue. The Miller Brewing Company bought the naming rights for the stadium, and will pay $2.1 million a year until the year 2020.
The first thing fans will notice about Miller Park is that it has a roof with seven panels that open and close in a fan-like motion. The main purpose of the roof is to protect the fans from rain and cold weather. The Brewers have decided that if the weather forecast calls for rain or a game-time temperature below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the roof will be in the closed position during the game. The ventilation system in the park then keeps the inside temperature around 30 degrees above the temperature outside. Miller Park does not have air conditioning because the summers around Milwaukee are very pleasant with temperatures usually peaking at 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
Home Plate Plaza near the main entrance to Miller Park is an area that fans interested in the history of Major League Baseball in Milwaukee should definitely check out. Past players from the Brewers and the Braves are commemorated on the Miller Park Walk of Fame. This is a series of home plates made of granite that bear the names of Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Robin Yount, Warren Spahn, Paul Molitor and other great players. For the benefit of fans who might not remember, the Braves left Milwaukee and went to Atlanta in 1966, and the Brewers began playing in Milwaukee in 1970.
At the start of the 2011 season, the Brewers unveiled a new high-definition video board that represented a significant technological upgrade to the scoreboard that had been in use at Miller Park for its first 10 years. At 5,940 square feet, this scoreboard is the fourth largest in the Major Leagues. The resolution for animated, recorded and live video images is 18 times better on this new scoreboard relative to the resolution achieved on the old scoreboard. The new board not only provides fans with game statistics but also challenges them with things like trivia contests, and it even gives fans a personalized look at the Brewers players.
Concession stands around Miller Park can accommodate the dietary preferences of just about any Brewers fan. First, there are the long-time fan favorites that include baked potatoes, Chicago Dogs, chicken tenders, cinnamon roasted nuts, nachos, taco salads, Leinie’s Draft and Klement’s Famous Racing Sausage Kebabs. Second, the Brewers did not forget about fans who might be on a vegetarian diet. Selections for these fans include soy dogs, vegetarian wraps, cheese pizza, macaroni and cheese and popcorn. Finally, some people are allergic to gluten in food so the Brewers provide gluten-free meals that include chorizo, jumbo dogs, and Polish and Italian sausage all served without the bun, chicken nachos and gluten-free brownies.
