Photos by Gregory Koch, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
Culpeper County High School Baseball Field 1420 Achievement Drive Culpeper, VA 22701
Year Opened: 2023 Capacity: 500
Get on Your Horse and Watch Cavaliers Baseball
The Valley Baseball League is one of the oldest summer collegiate baseball leagues in America, with 12 teams in and around Virginia's scenic Shenandoah Valley. The league has existed in some form for at least 100 years, although early records are spotty as to the exact date of founding and there are several conflicting sources.
The Culpeper Cavaliers are the newest member of the VBL, having just joined this season. The Cavaliers play at Culpeper County High School, whose baseball field is not otherwise in use during the summer months. Despite playing in the Valley League, Culpeper is not actually in the Shenandoah Valley, as it is located east of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Food & Beverage 4
There are several concession options at a Culpeper Cavaliers game. The main stand, which also houses the team store, sells bottled water, soda, Gatorade, candy, popcorn, and chips. There are also other more substantive options available out of a food truck, including burgers, fresh grilled hot dogs, and chicken tenders. Excluding the food truck, which sets its own prices, nothing costs more than about $4, which is a great deal.
Atmosphere 3
There are a lot of places you can watch the game from here in Culpeper. The seating area is built into a hill surrounding the field, with several sets of bleachers at the top of the hill. There are also a few rows of very widely spaced bench seating further down. Many fans choose to forgo these options and bring their own chairs and sit either in the shade of the trees at the top of the hill, or somewhere else on it. Be warned there are a lot of bugs in the grass, and if you do not throw away your trash quickly after eating, the ants will swarm. However, the ants do not seem to have learned to climb the bleachers at the top of the hill, so you should be safe there. Unfortunately, most vantage points will find their view of either the scoreboard or some part of the field obstructed by the dugout roof, so this rating does get downgraded.
The Cavaliers do some activities to engage fans, including the pony race, where kids attempt to race around the field while riding inflatable ponies. The team leans heavily into the horse imagery here, with the sound of a whinny played over the PA system after a Cavaliers pitcher strikes out an opponent. The team even brings in real ponies for select home games.
Finally, there are a couple of Valley League traditions that are worth noting. Your game ticket doubles as a raffle ticket for the chance to win prizes throughout the game, so hold onto it. Additionally, fans are not permitted to keep foul balls hit out of play, but can return them to the concession stand for a lollipop. Kids are constantly running up and down the hill to chase the foul balls to get their prize.
Neighborhood 3
Culpeper County as a whole only has about 50,000 people, and most of it is very rural, but the area around the high school where the Cavaliers play is more developed than most other parts. Los Portillos Taqueria is located almost right next door, and if you head towards Business Route 15, you will find many more places including both chains and local restaurants such as Grill 309.
Fans 3
Culpeper is the newest franchise in the league, so they have not had the time to build up a fan base that the other more established clubs have. A typical game will draw a couple hundred fans, with larger crowds on weekends usually. The Valley League is the epitome of small town ball, so there's a natural limit to how much any team can draw, and the Cavaliers are still establishing their fan base. Given a few years, they may draw even more than they are today, but they still manage to draw a decent crowd most nights.
Access 3
Getting into Culpeper is relatively easy, although you will have little choice but to drive given this is a rural area. US Routes 15 and 29 split just south of here, and both provide easy access. Although they do have some lights, for the most part you can make good time. That being said, if coming from a major city you will have to do quite a bit of driving. Washington, DC is about an hour and a half to two hours away, and even if coming from another Valley League town, you will have to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains, which can be challenging for drivers if not doing so on an interstate like I-66 or I-64.
Once you arrive here, signs will direct you where to go, although they are small and can be hard to see. Although the baseball field is at the high school, you are better off parking at the middle school next door, as that lot is closer than the high school's lot. Go all the way back and park in the corner of the lot closest to the high school. From there, you will walk between the two buildings to the baseball field. There is a small lot right next to the field, but it fills up quickly and is mostly used by gameday personnel, the elderly, and the handicapped, so you will probably have to use the much larger middle school lot.
The hill is pretty steep, so getting up and down it can be a problem, especially since there are no paths so you will be walking on grass. Single-person men's and women's restrooms are available on the side of the press box opposite the concession stand.
Return on Investment 5
Tickets are $5, as they are in most of the Valley League. Concessions are affordable as well with most items being under $4 other than the food truck, making a trip to a Cavaliers game an outstanding value.
Extras 3
One star for the team store which sells Cavaliers gear. Normally it has its own tent, but occasionally it may be sold out of the concession stand.
A second star for all the unique vantage points to watch a game here.
A third and final star for the free programs at the entrance.
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