Tour 2026: Coca-Cola Park

All photos of Coca-Cola Park available on Flickr.

It was a little over an hour north to part two of our Saturday doubleheader - a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game in Allentown, PA.  We normally just buy walk-up tickets when we go to non-major league games, but we made sure to purchase these in advance because the I-Pigs are perennially one of the highest attended teams in all of the minor leagues.  That was evident right away when we arrived to full parking lots and were forced to park in a garage across the street.  This did not bother us at all, but on the contrary got us excited to be a part of a 2nd consecutive sellout minor league crowd; this was a far cry from the St. Paul Saints and New Hampshire Fisher Cats games we normally frequent.

Coca-Cola Park was built to house the former Ottawa Lynx, who moved to Allentown following the 2007 season.  As we approached through the parking lot, we were greeted by a rather disappointing and drab exterior, almost resembling a mall.  I was expecting to see a stadium that showcased the beauty of steel, as the famous Bethlehem Steel is what the Lehigh Valley is known for, but I guess they must have went with EIFS and masonry in protest of their bankruptcy.  I'm an architect so I'm going to find fault in just about any design, but I just didn't find it impressive.  It definitely had the appropriate scale and presence of a AAA ballpark.  This ballpark gets so many fans on a regular basis that they have entry down to a science and were directing people to different gates based on what type of tickets they have.  We ended up walking into the right field corner gate just as we did in Hartford, and we were greeted by a giant food plaza and an intoxicating aroma of pork.  The IronPigs go all-in on the pig theme and you can get just about any sort of pork food dish imaginable here.  We literally had to go on the team website and peruse all of the options just to make sure we didn't miss any options when selecting our dinners.  We had both eaten barely anything by the time we got there and I was salivating just from waiting in line.  I went with the Porker Pierogi Bowl and Erik had a pulled pork parfait, and both were heavenly.  Items such as a Three Little Pigs Sandwich, pork poutine, pork mac & cheese, and candied bacon on a stick were just a fraction of the other options.  Variety and taste are both important but are only a part of our concessions ranking, with vendor price being perhaps equally as important.  We were pleasantly surprised with the affordability here, which speaks to the massive crowds this team draws on a nightly basis in a very blue collar part of the state.  I only paid $10 for my meal, and I would not have been shocked to pay twice that just about anywhere else.  Tickets were nearly half what we paid in Hartford for basically the same seats.  It was only $10 for a 32oz IPA.  It's not the most glamorous minor league ballpark by any means, but the value for your money and the sellout crowds at an I-Pigs game are unrivaled.

Continuing in the community blue-collar spirit of this ballpark, aside from your typical suite level there were very few private areas, with almost everything accessible either to all fans or with an individual ticket.  There was an expansive tiki bar in left field and an open bar in right field that were open to all fans, and we spent a few innings at the RF bar.  I loved the picnic patio in the LF corner that had the seats angled facing directly toward the batter, and I also enjoyed the flame stacks that shot fire upward for homeruns.  The money for this place does have to come from somewhere, so it is unfortunately about the most advertisement-filled stadium you'll find outside of Roger Dorn's redecorating in Major League II.  They have literally walls of scaffolding constructed for the sole purpose of hanging ad signage and there is no square inch left uncovered in the outfield.  This is but a minor drawback to an otherwise delightful experience in Lehigh Valley.  I was also happy to not run into any of my ex-fiancé's family while we were there, so that was a bonus.

The I-Pigs battled the Columbus Clippers on this night, and came away victorious by a score of 6-3.  As is typical at the AAA-level, the rosters were a hodgepodge of prospects on the doorstep of the big leagues, a bunch of dudes filling out the 40-man roster, a few guys on rehab assignments, and some has-beens and never-will-be's clinging on for one last gasp.  Carter Kieboom and journeyman dickbag Tommy Pham fell into the latter category for Lehigh Valley.  Kieboom acquitted himself well with a 2-run double, but Pham went 0-3 and was batting .183 as of Saturday's game.  We had fun time heckling him and asking how his fantasy football team was doing (go ahead and google "Tommy Pham fantasy football" if you don't know what I'm talking about).  Chuck King managed just 5 innings and walked 5 but still got the win.  Bo Naylor went 2-5 out of the cleanup spot on a rehab assignment with the Clippers.  Unfortunately, the Phillies and Guardians #1 prospects both did not play in this game.  Aidan Miller is currently on the IL for the I-Pigs, and Ralphy Velazquez was likely already in Philly preparing for the Futures Game we would see him in on Sunday.

Following the game, we were treated to another wonderful fireworks display.  We then of course blasted "Allentown" by Billy Joel on the way home, and immediately passed out after a long and exciting Day 2.

park stats and rankings:

aesthetics - 6
views from park - 2 (blocked by ads)
view to field - 6 (lots of foul territory)
surrounding area - 2
food variety - 10
nachos - 10 (I didn't see any, but I'm just giving them a 10 because I'm sure they had pork on them)
beer - 10 (they have a great beer garden)
vendor price - 9
ticket price - 9
atmosphere - 9 (sellout)
walk to park - 4
parking price/proximity - 3 (across the street for $5)
concourses - 9
team shop - 9
kids area - 8 (good proximity to field and free)

best food - can't go wrong with anything porky
most unique stadium feature - huge crowds, row of seats in front of bullpen
best jumbotron feature - inserting Rodney Dangerfield dancing in Caddyshack into other movie clips
best between-inning feature - pork race

field dimensions - 325/400/325
starters - Logan Allen (COL) v. Chuck King (LHV)
opponent - Columbus Clippers
time of game - 2:37
attendance - 10000
score - 6-3 W
Brewers score that day - 7-6 L, 3-2 L