Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86
Fluor Field at the West End 945 S Main St Greenville, SC 29601
Year Opened: 2006 Capacity: 5,000
Greenville's Own Green Monster
The Greenville Drive is the High-Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The team is a member of the South Atlantic League, where it has won two league titles and one division title. Over the years, the Drive has sent 102 players on to the majors, including Mookie Betts, Anthony Rizzo, and Clay Buchholtz. The Drive’s team name references the fact that Greenville is home to both a BMW auto plant and a Michelin tire plant.
It is readily apparent when you arrive at Fluor Field, that the Drive is an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The 6,700-seat ballpark closely resembles Fenway and its many unique features. The field dimensions are the same, it has its own Green Monster in left field and has a Pesky Pole down the right field line. The scoreboard is even hand-operated. In the 7th inning, the fans all join in to sing “Sweet Caroline”. It should not be a surprise when you shop at the Drive’s team store that it offers a full line of both Drive merchandise and Boston Red Sox Gear.
Food & Beverage 3
Fluor Field offers a wide variety of food and beverage options for you to choose from during a Drive game. You also have the option of ordering your food from your seat via the sEatz app, so you won’t miss any of the on-field action while standing in line at the concession stand.
Splendid Splinters and the Seventh Inning Stretch are located down the first and third base lines in the outfield. They serve the typical baseball fare, including hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, cracker jacks, and pretzels. Drink options include Pepsi brand sodas, bottled water, and a wide variety of beers (Coors Light, Yuengling, Miller Lite) as well as a rotating list of craft beers.
Que’s BBQ is located behind home plate. It offers pulled pork sandwiches, brisket, and a wide variety of sides.
Fowl Pole is also located behind home plate. It serves chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, and chicken nuggets. There are also outlets of both Subway and Chick-fil-A at Fluor Field. They serve the same menus as their retail stores.
If you are not already full, you can finish your dining at Sweet Caroline’s. It serves ice cream and other sweet treats. Fluor Field also offers Dollar Drink Nights frequently during the season. This includes $1 Pepsi sodas, $2 Bud Lights, and $3 Rallyville Lager (Fluor Field’s craft beer)
Atmosphere 4
In addition to the Fenway-like amenities Fluor Field offers, it also pays homage to the area’s past. The ballpark’s walls are constructed of bricks reclaimed from mills that used to be the economic engine of the Greenville area. The Heritage Plaza in the park features details on what life in the mill was like and the important role baseball played in providing recreation for the workers through mill-sponsored teams.
The seating bowl’s design brings fans extremely close to the action…. no seat in the lower level of the park is more than 13 rows from the action. This gives an intimate feel to the park. The park also has a berm in left field. This provides general admission seating for those who prefer a natural surface to a stadium seat.
Everyone is entertained by the antics of Reedy Rip’it, a frog mascot from the nearby Reedy River who loves baseball. Reedy takes part in all the between-innings skits and games. He is also known to hop into the stands to pose for selfies with the fans.
Neighborhood 4
Fluor Field is in the West End neighborhood of Greenville. It is one of the trendiest areas of the city. The shops, restaurants, B&B inns, and art galleries are just steps away from the ballpark. We recommend both the Smoke on the Water and the Growler Haus for your pre or post-game dining pleasure.
Greenville has rebounded from the mill-based economy and transformed the West End neighborhood surrounding Fluor Field into a vibrant destination area for locals and visitors to enjoy. There are numerous shops, cafes, and attractions scattered throughout the former mill village buildings.
If you head towards downtown Greenville from the ballpark, you will soon come to one of Greenville’s top attractions, Fall’s Park on the Reedy. This stunning park is set up along the Reedy River, which cuts through downtown Greenville. It features the stunning Liberty Bridge, a public garden, and a series of nature trails that follow several small waterfalls as the river descends in elevation.
Fans 4
Greenville has always had a love affair with baseball. Back in the days when Greenville was a hub for textile mills, it was not unusual for each mill to sponsor a baseball team. This gave the workers some respite from the demanding work at low pay and built team spirit for the workers. Many of the workers were able to escape the mill life and play professional baseball.
Today’s Drive fans are equally drawn to baseball. There is great pride in the team, as it has two fierce rivalries with two other Palmetto State teams, the Columbia Fireflies and the Charleston RiverDogs. Drive fans often show up at away games in these two cities to cheer their team.
Fluor Field has several unique areas in the park for large groups to enjoy the game. These include the Champions Club on the second level of the stadium and the Rooftop, which provides you with a wonderful view of downtown Greenville, as well as the West End neighborhood. Probably the most unique group seating area is the Mountain Dew Dugout. This is a private dugout at the field level. It provides a unique perspective of the action on the field. People in the dugout have direct access to food and beverage service via a tunnel at the back of the dugout.
Access 4
Fluor Field parking is easy to access via I-85. Take exit 51 C off I-85 and onto I-385. Eventually, this becomes East North Street. Just after Bon Secours Wellness Arena turn left on North Church Street (Highway 29). Turn right at University Ridge, then right into the parking deck at Greenville County Square. Shuttles run every 15 minutes over to Fluor Field
While the ballpark has no fan parking immediately outside the stadium, the parking deck at the County Square and the shuttles between the parking lot and the ballpark are very convenient. Once at the park, fans can enter through one of the multiple gates at the park. Gates open one hour before the first pitch.
Return on Investment 4
A night out at a Drive game will not drive you to the poor house. First, parking is free. There are no parking lots immediately attached to the ballpark. Free parking is available at the parking deck of the County Square located at 301 University Ridge Greenville, SC 29601. A team trolley will then shuttle you to and from Fluor Field at no cost. Trolleys run every 15 minutes.
Once you are at the park, there are a wide variety of price points for tickets to the game. First of all, we hope you’ll purchase your tickets in advance, as day-of-game ticket purchases will be $2.00 higher than the prices we quote here. Tickets atop the Green Monster are $20.
These usually sell out well before a game, as there are a very limited number of seats for this unique vantage point. Tickets behind home plate are $20, seats behind the dugouts are $11, infield seats are $9, and Pesky Pole seats down the foul lines in the outfield go for $9.00. The concession prices at Fluor Field are quite reasonable.
Extras 4
Fluor Field is used for a wide range of events throughout the year. In addition to Drive games, the ballpark is used by the Southern Conference at the college level for its end-of-year baseball tournament. In-state rivals Clemson University and the University of South Carolina face off in the Reedy River Rivalry game once a year. During the holiday season, Fluor Field becomes a winter wonderland to celebrate the Christmas season.
The Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library has now reopened across the street from Fluor Field. This museum honors the Greenville native who was one of baseball’s greatest players at the turn of the century until he was ensnared in the Black Sox scandal and banned from the game, either rightly or wrongly. The museum has limited hours of 10 am-2 pm on Saturdays. Admission is free, but donations are very appreciated.
Fluor Field deserves an extra for incorporating so many elements honoring Fenway Park in its design. It also deserves credit for the many exhibits in the park honoring Greenville’s baseball heritage of the many mill teams that played baseball in the area surrounding the park.
Before Saturday games, the streets around Fluor Field are closed to vehicular traffic so that District 356 can be held. This festival area is designed to mimic the celebrations held on Jersey Street outside of Fenway Park before games. District 356 features food and beverage stations, live music, displays from local vendors, and activities for the kids.
Final Thoughts
Fans visiting Fluor Field for the first time will be amazed at the amenities offered at this Class A level ballpark. The architecture, the large number of seating options, in-game entertainment, and a wide assortment of concession offerings are more typically found at AAA-level ballparks. Add to that the many dining and entertainment options surrounding the park for some pre or post-game fun. It’s no wonder that this stadium puts so many people in the Drive’s seats.
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