Photos by James Hilchen, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
Charles Schwab Field Omaha 1200 Mike Fahey St Omaha, NE 68102
Year Opened: 2011 Capacity: 24,505
Home of the Bluejays
TD Ameritrade Park opened its doors in 2011. The stadium plays host to the College World Series in addition to being the home of the Creighton Bluejays. The Bluejays began their first season as a Big East Conference team in 2014. TD Ameritrade Park replaced the original host of the College World Series, Rosenblatt Stadium. Creighton split games between Rosenblatt and the Creighton Sports Complex before making TD Ameritrade Park its permanent home.
The Bluejays were regular-season and Big East Conference champions in 2019, also making it to the NCAA regionals. Among the Creighton baseball alumni are Scott Servais, Alan Benes, dual-arm pitcher Pat Venditte, and Hall of Famer, Bob Gibson.
Note: TD Ameritrade Park changed its name to Charles Schwab Field in the early part of 2022.
Food & Beverage 3
TD Ameritrade Park provides your basic food and drink options. Pizza ($7), toasted ravioli ($7), cheeseburgers ($7.50), Polish sausage ($7), jumbo hot dog ($5), and chicken tenders w/ fries ($11) are your main food items.
Standard snacks such as popcorn, nachos, jumbo pretzels, peanuts, and candy all can be had for $4-$7.
Coke products are your soda of choice with $4.50 bottles along with water, tea, Powerade, coffee, and hot chocolate in the same price range. Beer tallboys (Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Leinenkugels) are $8 along with White Claw and wine.
Atmosphere 2
The atmosphere for a Bluejays game is unique. On one hand, the team plays in a fabulous stadium. On the other, the stadium is so cavernous that there is no way for a college baseball team to fill all the seats and the fact that so few seats are taken does take away from the stadium experience. With the fan to seat ratio being so advantageous for the fans, you have your choice of where to sit, left or right side, sun or shade, etc. There is a video board in right field and a great sound system that adds to the experience.
Neighborhood 5
TD Ameritrade Park is located right near the CenturyLink Center, which is a multi-purpose arena that hosts sporting events, concerts, etc. With the combination of the two venues being so close, there is an overabundance of food and drink options in the area.
Blatt Beer and Table is located directly across the street from the ticket office. The big draw here is the outdoor beer garden located on the roof. There are plenty of drink options and they serve typical tavern type food.
Just down 13th Street is The Old Mattress Factory. “The Matt,” named because it was indeed at one point, a mattress factory, is another popular area hangout. Again, there are plenty of drink options, food choices for adults and children, and a great smoked turkey Reuben.
If you aren’t into bar food, just look around. There is probably something that will fit your taste within a few blocks.
As for lodging, there are also plenty of options, with a Hampton Inn right across the street and a Hilton one block away. There are many more options within a mile or so.
If you are staying in Omaha, be sure to check out the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. The zoo constantly ranks among the best zoos in the nation. Other baseball options include Tal Anderson Field, home of the Omaha Mavericks and Werner Park, home of the AAA Omaha Stormchasers.
Fans 3
The Bluejays have a small band of loyal followers who attend. Other folks are there more to see where the College World Series is played than to root on Creighton. The opposing team gets some good-natured ribbing and the umpires hear the occasional catcalls but the fans keep their language appropriate for children. The Creighton fans are a nice bunch and although there aren’t many of them as compared to the number of seats available, they add to the enjoyment of the game.
Access 5
TD Ameritrade Park is located just north of I-480 and plenty of signs will direct you to the right place. At the stadium, parking is plentiful. Once inside, concourses are extremely wide and you will have no problems maneuvering around. There are plenty of restrooms and a large amount of handicapped seating is available. There is only one concession stand open, but with so few fans, there isn’t much of a wait, if any.
Return on Investment 3
Attending a Creighton game will cost you a little more than the average college game, but you are watching the game from a fabulous facility. Parking is $10 in the main lots, but you can find some directly across the street for a little less. Tickets run $9 for most games. Concessions are about what you will pay anywhere else, so you do get a solid deal.
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Extras 3
Be sure to take a look around the concourse. On the walls are decade-by-decade boards of College World Series results and celebrated players. It is a nice touch.
A nice perk of coming to the games on Sunday is the cheap ticket prices. On Sundays, all tickets are $4.
Take your time looking around the park outside as well. There are plenty of different features that celebrate the ballpark and the College World Series.
Final Thoughts
Truth be told, the team would probably be better served having their own stadium with a more intimate setting. It’s gotta be hard to get too amped up knowing no matter how good the team is, they don’t stand a chance of filling up their ballpark. That being said, attending a Creighton Bluejays game at TD Ameritrade Park is a fun experience. The atmosphere in no way can match that of the electricity that goes with the College World Series, but if you want a relaxing experience and a place to kick back and watch some good baseball, enjoy!
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