Next up in our series of Minor and Major league baseball plans is the Harrisburg Senators!
HARRISBURG SENATORS
The Harrisburg Senators are the AA affiliate of the Washington Senators, and play in the Eastern League. They play at FNB Field on City Island in Harrisburg. It’s about an hour and 45 minute drive from downtown Philadelphia. You can get Club Box seats for $38, but most of the tickets are between $9 and $20. Our cheap asses will be sitting in the cheap seats. Tickets are a couple dollars more at the gate, so order ahead if you can.
THINGS TO DO IN THE CITY
Since Harrisburg is the Capital of Pennsylvania, you can take a free tour of the Capitol buildingmost days. See state government incompetence in person!
If you prefer museums, Harrisburg also has a pretty impressive Civil War Museum, as well as the State Museum. The Civil War museum is $12 for an adult, and the State Museum is $7. Kids love being tricked into learning on trips!
City Island itself has a lot to offer, besides baseball: train rides, carriage rides, boat rides, mini golf, a beach and playground are just a few of the things available to keep your kids busy while waiting for the first pitch to be thrown out.
The stadium has a kids zone, with a bunch of inflatables for the kids to play on. You can get a wristband for $10, so you can spend the whole came watching them not watch baseball.
Hershey Park is also nearby, but I know my kids would hate leaving an amusement park for a baseball one. Harrisburg is also about an hour north of Gettysburg.
WHERE TO EAT IN THE CITY
If you are in Harrisburg on a weekday and looking for a good burger, the Jackson House at 1004 N. 6th Street is pretty popular. But it’s closed on weekends.
About a half hour north of the city is the Red Rabbit Drive-In, a 50s style drive in restaurant. If you are driving two hours from Philly, you probably don’t want to sit your ass in the car for another meal. But if you still want to check it out, they do have picnic tables.
I have my eyes on the Firehouse Restaurant in downtown Harrisburg. The food looks reasonable, and the kids will probably like the décor. But I don’t think they have a fire pole for you to slide down, so that is a big negative.
WHAT TO EAT AT THE BALLPARK
If you are holding out for stadium eats, I would have my eyes on the RJ Harrisburger. It’s a half pound chop steak burger covered in pulled pork, peppers, onions, and pepper jack cheese. You also have your choice of regular or BBQ chips (on top, not on the side). Ironically, it’s named after a guy who lost 215 pounds. For dessert, go for the fried apple nuggets.
WHEN TO GO
There are plenty of promotions throughout the year. Plan accordingly so you don’t have to spend more money on crap your kids will bug you for and never play with. Some of the more notable ones on the JGIT Car radar for this season are: June 17th, there is a foam finger giveaway, as well as an appearance by the Paw Patrol. It’s a foam index finger, so you can’t give the middle finger to the Pups. But you can take hilarious pictures of you trying to pick their noses. The next day they give away a foam cushion for Father’s Day. Because kids are a pain in your ass.
For bobbleheads, there is a Matt Stairs bobblehead on May 6th, Brandon Phillips on August 5th and a Santa LeCroy bobble belly on July 29th for Christmas in July.
BEER
Appalachian Brewery has a factory tour and brewpub in Harrisburg. I recommend trying the Jolly Scot. But you should also make sure you try Tröegs, which has a brewpub and brewery only 30 minutes away in Harrisburg. They have a tasting room and brewery tours, so you get to try the Java Head Stout or the Perpetual IPA. They also have a beer garden at the stadium.
