If you're into minor league baseball or just looking to be entertained for an evening when you're in the Austin area, check out Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express. But before we talk about the ballpark, we've got to get your morning started right. Head over to Round Rock Donuts and get yourself a Texas sized donut:
This is one of the best donuts you'll ever have.
It fed my family of four. I washed my portion down with a bottle of chocolate milk because I have utter disregard for my health.
Round Rock Donuts is a little shop situated on a small street in the middle of Round Rock. The people that work there are incredibly kind and everything there tastes great, not just the giant donuts. There's outside seating in case the crowd gets too big inside. Stop here for breakfast. Seriously.
There's somewhere else you need to stop before you go to the game, though. Luckily it's right outside the stadium. As in you can walk to the game from there. You can smell the smoky goodness drifting into the bleachers from The Salt Lick.
This is the best barbecue you'll ever have.
As you can see, I just asked for one of everything. The sauce is sweet with a hint of spice. The meat is juicy. Even the turkey, which is easy to dry out when barbecued. The price is great, too, just a little more expensive than a national franchise you'd find in your own town. The atmosphere is the typical barbecue joint. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that you won't find better barbecue than what The Salt Lick has to offer. And I know about barbecue. I'm from Texas.
Anyway, now that you're full of donuts and ribs, you can go to the baseball game.
Dell Diamond is only sixteen years old and is in really good shape. It's got an old-fashioned feel to it and the Express put on a good baseball production. This is a AAA club, so there's a good chance you'll see either a future major league ball player or a veteran from MLB on a rehab assignment.
There's a cool little home run porch in left field. I might be in the minority, but I love those. It reminds me of all the photos I've seen of ballparks in the early 20th century.
The view from that home run porch isn't too bad. The seats are close to the field and there are generally good sight lines throughout the park.
The night we went was warm, but got much better when the sun went down. There's not a lot of shade at the park so I'm not sure how you would fare at a day game.
Round Rock is a suburb of Austin, so the crowd here is fun and the baseball atmosphere is good. There's something about minor league baseball that I love. The outcome of the game doesn't matter as much, because the players are there to learn. Most people are there to spend time with their families or just watch a good game. Truthfully, you just want to see a few home runs and get some ice cream. Dell Diamond delivers a great baseball experience. If you're ever in Central Texas during the summer, stop by if the Express are playing.
Comments
Post a Comment