Photos by Chris Green and Meg Minard, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium
4751 Main St
Jupiter, FL 33458
Year Opened: 1998 Capacity: 6,871
MiLB on the Florida Coast
Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is best known as the spring training facility for the St Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins. After March each year, two FSL (Florida State League) Single-A clubs, the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Jupiter Hammerheads, share the stadium.
Founded in 1998, the Hammerheads are the Single-A affiliate of the MLB Miami Marlins. Just a few notable Hammerhead alumni are Tim Raines, Miguel Cabrera, Martín Prado, and Giancarlo Stanton.
Roger Dean Stadium has a beautiful exterior with palm trees, other Florida foliage, and bushes in a park-like setting. The grounds have benches in the shade to sit and enjoy the spring and summer Florida months. Roger Dean Stadium celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022.
The facility hosted the 2000 and 2019 FSL All-Star games. In 2012, the WBC (World Baseball Classic) used Roger Dean Stadium for qualification rounds for the 2013 WBC.
Food & Beverage 3
The Hammerheads offer a satisfying selection of food and drink at lower than MLB prices.
Two concession stands are open for a Hammerheads game. A permanent, built-in stand called Pizza & Dogs sells more than its title. It offers hot dogs (Nathan’s), crispy chicken sandwiches, pizza, nachos, and snacks such as buckets of popcorn, candy, pretzels, peanuts, Cracker Jack, and chips. Prices range from $3.50 to $9.95 + tax. The Nathan’s hot dog for $5.50 is a decent selection.
The Island Grill, a semi-permanent cart, sells stadium jumbo Dean dogs and Italian sausages, and some snacks including a hummus snack pack.
Pepsi products run $5.75 - $6.75 + tax.
Concession stands sell canned beer (16oz and 25oz) and canned cocktails ($9.95). Beer choices include Bud, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Busch, Stella Artois, and a powerful Neon Hug Double IPA ($8.95 - $13.95 + tax).
Lines form at the concession stands, so get your refreshments early to avoid any wait.
Atmosphere 3
While the exterior of the stadium is beautiful, the interior is bland.
Two levels of green stadium fold-down chairs with a small walkway between the two levels makes up the infield and baseline seating. A set of bleachers is down the third baseline. Canopies provide some shading to the second level seating areas. The first base side gets the sun (until it sets).
Third Base Seating with Canopy at Roger Dean Stadium, Photo by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey
Remember to bring bug spray.
Game day operations play music over the PA announcements. Fans can’t understand what the announcer is saying as music overrides his voice. My recommendation is to turn down the music volume three or four notches when the announcer is talking.
The ballpark has two scoreboards just beyond the outfield fence. One shows the line score, pitcher stats, and batters due up; the other is a video board that shows a photo of the batter and his stats. It’s quite convenient and helpful for those who keep score.
The stadium has a kids play area with bounce houses down the first base concourse. The game day staff offers lots of promotions and activities between innings, typical at minor league games. These include lip sync contests, flex cam, trivia contests, and a cookie race.
Instead of handing out a game day program, the team now offers the program via a QR code. For the first game I attended, they put the QR code on the video board but left it up for just 10 seconds or so; not enough time to get your phone out and take a picture. At another game, they put the QR code up on the video board as dusk approached (fifth or sixth inning), and most phone cameras (at least mine) got a white blob as a photo, so the QR code wasn’t readable. Finally, they placed the QR code on the customer service booth on the concourse for easy scanning. I am told they now hand out printed copies. Good for the game day staff for finally figuring it out!
Neighborhood 5
Jupiter is on the southeast coast of Florida. The stadium sits right next door to Downtown Abacoa, a renovated commercial and entertainment district. It has restaurants, shops, bars and breweries, salons, art places, spas, and much more. The district has an amphitheater, and the town often has concerts and other events on Friday evenings.
Recommended places to eat are Stadium Grill (American), Jumby Bay Island Grill (Steak, Seafood, Pasta), and Copacabana (Cuban/Caribbean). For adult beverages, check out Civil Society Brewing (independent brewery – no food) and Das Beer Garden. But there is plenty more in Abacoa to choose from, and it’s all within walking distance to/from the stadium.
A Courtyard Marriott is right across the street from Roger Dean Stadium. A Homewood Suites is a mile away and is a tad less expensive.
Another activity to enjoy in Jupiter is taking a stroll on the Jupiter Riverwalk where several points of historic, environmental, and scenic interests are available.
Jupiter has several beaches to enjoy the sun, the ocean, swimming, and other park activity.
The FSL St Luci Mets are 40 miles north, which is also worth a visit when in the area.
Fans 2
The fans attending a Hammerheads game are there just having a good time. Lots of families with kids, some retired folks, and some fans who just enjoy baseball attend the games. There is a good mix of both Cardinal and Hammerhead fans.
Visitors enjoy the between-inning activities and just being at the ballpark.
Access 4
Getting to Roger Dean Stadium is relatively easy. It is a mile off Interstate 95 if arriving by automobile. Free parking is available on the street, in the Abacoa parking garage, or in the garage right across the street, next to the hotel.
The closest commercial airport is Palm Beach International, about 20 miles south. It provides flights to and from a few eastern US cities. Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL) is an hour and a half south and offers more flight choices.
The town offers bus service. Route 10 makes a stop near the stadium. The town does not provide service on Sundays. And it looks like return service for an evening game is not an option.
Upon arriving, fans walk through a metal detector. Even though the website says NO bags, I brought in my clear stadium sports bag (12” x 6” x 12”) with no questions asked. No bags allowed for a single-A baseball game?!!?#! What’s up with that?
Fans walk up a flight of stairs to get to the seating area. The venue has ramps all the way down each baseline to get into the seating area.
Restrooms are drab but clean. The men’s, ladies, and family restrooms have changing tables for those families with young children.
Return on Investment 4
Tickets are $12, and all seating is general admission. Tickets are two bucks less if purchased in advance. The game day program is available as a QR code, but the print is too small to read on your phone. Food prices are acceptable.
Best of all, the team has all kinds of ticket promotions throughout the season: Silver Sluggers, Thirsty Thursdays, and Kids Club. Every Friday home game is Friday Fireworks. The Hammerheads hold theme nights like Star Wars and Space Night, and they offer giveaways throughout the season.
Extras 3
The game day staff deserves recognition for fixing things quickly like the placement of the QR code and slowing down a scrolling food menu so fans can read it.
The Florida State League recently incorporated a balls and strikes ‘challenge system.’ The pitcher, catcher, or batter can appeal the umpire’s call. Each team gets three challenges per game, with successful challenges retained for future use in the game.
Roger Dean Stadium is the only park in the minor leagues to house two teams.
Final Thoughts
Roger Dean Stadium and the Jupiter Hammerheads provide an enjoyable game day experience at a reasonable price. With all the promotions and game day activities, families and fans of all ages should enjoy their time at a game.
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