Asheville Tourists — Attraction in Asheville

Upon moving to the City of Asheville, I had my first opportunity to watch the local Asheville Tourists play baseball at McCormick Field. The high walls at McCormick field are similar to those at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The Asheville Tourists are a High A affiliate of the Houston Astros. High A affiliate baseball generally involves ballplayers playing in the first several years of professional baseball. The play was entertaining, if not chaotic at times, but the cost of a ticket ($12.00 ) was quite reasonable for the entertainment provided. The finger food and beer sold upon entering the stadium were priced reasonably for those who needed some sustenance.

The only downfall of the evening was finding adequate parking access. The field had a small reserved parking area and little else for the 1500 patrons attending the game. I needed to park on a side street along Buchanan Ave some distance from McCormick field. Nothing outside the stadium is well lit. Walking along Buchanan Ave felt somewhat intimidating in character. I did not notice any police patrols around the perimeter of the stadium. Perhaps being born in the Northeastern United States, I am naturally aware of the dangers of crime wherever I go. I walked safely to my car but visually scrutinized the area along the way.

The security issue outside the stadium aside, I enjoyed watching the game and look forward to viewing additional home games...

I waited to see what resolution the store would provide me and was less than satisfied so here's my review. The store listed Christmas hours to be open until 5:30 on 12/22. I'm a teacher and work in Hendersonville so when I went to place my online order the week before and saw it may not arrive on time I opted to go in person (a 40 minute drive w traffic both ways) to the tourist store for my boyfriend's present. I arrived at 4:26 to find the store locked. The gate was locked. I checked the web site and it said they were open until 5:30. I called the manager and left a message. I got a call back on jan 2nd and received nothing for this. He offered to let me buy the items now and since he lived in Hendo, he would deliver them. That and an apology. I didn't need the items. Christmas is over. I had to scramble to buy a different gift. But what about my time? My gas for a near two hour drive? Nothing. I thought he should've compensated me for my gas and disappointment. At the least some free box tickets. Instead I got an apology which isn't worth much when I wasted my time, energy and gas and didn't even get the Christmas present for...

Love this stadium. We're stadium hoppers and usually travel around a bit each summer, but I always try to catch a game or 2 in Asheville whenever I can. We also went with my dad and mom sometimes when we'd vacation in the mountains back when we were kids - I remember one game in particular where there was a fireworks show and they allowed fans to sit on the field to watch it. That was a great memory. I've also sung the national anthem here twice, and one of my students has sung here once. We've never had a bad Game Day experience here. The games have been fun to watch, and they have recently added a feature where you can order food from your seat. As this is a historical stadium (Built in 1924 as I recall), it's the older-style design where you have to go under the stands/out of sight of the playing field to get to a concession stand, so this really helps. All in all highly recommend. PS. My last name being the same as the street the stadium's on is pure coincidence, though Buchanans have been in the NC mountains for many generations. :) We do not live up there but a lot of our family tree...