My first activity of the Summer 2019 season – a trip to the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, TX to see the Round Rock Express! The Round Rock Express is a minor league baseball team based in Round Rock, Texas, a suburb of Austin. The Express is currently the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, but has previously been the affiliate for the Texas Rangers. They are currently celebrating their 20th year as a team, having been founded in 2000. They are owned by Ryan Sanders Baseball, which is made up of Nolan Ryan, who the team is named after, his son, Reid Ryan, and Don Sanders.
The Round Rock Express’ dedicated staff does an amazing job of providing a fun, exciting experience for each person who attends their game, whether they’re a season ticket holder or it’s their first time at a baseball game. Check out all of the amazing accommodations that they provide at each game!
Theme Nights, Events, and Promotions
The Express do a great job of providing entertaining and money saving promotions at each game. I was able to attend a Friday night game, which means Friday Fireworks! It would honestly fill up my entire blog post if I was to list out every theme night, promotion, and event that the Express offered during the season, so I’ll just leave you with the link to their promotions schedule. But I think it’s a really great thing that I can’t fit all the fun things to do in one post – that means that there is something for every single person to enjoy, whether it’s the kids in the family, the person who enjoys a good drink special, or honoring specific groups or fandoms. They even have specific game dates where you can bring your dog – that’s my kind of baseball game!
Activities for Kids
Speaking of kids, the Express have numerous fun things for kids to do both before, during, and after the game! At the ballpark, they have different activities to take part in, like the trapeze trampoline and a playground – train themed, of course. There’s also a huge pool area that is available for rentals – that’s something kids and adults can both enjoy. Spike the mascot is always walk around looking for high fives or dancing on the field. And Sundays specifically are Sunday Kids Days, where kids can enjoy free inflatables and train rides before the game and run the bases after the game. If you’re a frequent attendee of Express games, make sure you sign up for Express Kids Club!
Sips, Snacks, Sweets – All the YUM!
I was very pleasantly surprised to see all of the food options that the Dell Diamond had to offer! While I am a personal fan of the classical ball game meal – hot dog, Diet Coke, Dippin Dots in a baseball helmet – I can also really appreciate when a ballpark has a lot of diverse options for food. A few of these food options being BBQ, Tex-Mex, and the classic hot dogs, and lots of different drink options like Pepsi, a Whiskey stand, a Tequila stand, and Budweiser, a sponsor of the Round Rock Express. While I wasn’t able to find any Dippin Dots in a baseball helmet, I did find two adorable Kona Ice mini trucks! You pay for your shaved ice and then you can make it on your own. Me – and the two kids standing next to me – all really enjoyed the experience of making our own shaved ice, and I always love anything that’s mini-sized.
Best Seat(s) in the House
The Express have a ton of affordable seating options for every game and I can honestly say that each seat is the Best Seat in the House. I tried my best to get a picture from each seating option, so that y’all could see how great these seating options are. There’s in field seating, lawn seating, rocking chairs (a personal favorite), and suites available for groups or parties. They also have plenty of ADA seating available in several sections of the ballpark. I had been two games previously – one sitting on the lawn, the other sitting infield – and can say that both seating arrangements were extremely enjoyable. The best thing about their seating options is that there’s something for everyone. A business wanting to treat their employees to a nice time would opt for a suite, while a family with little ones who want to run around would enjoy the relaxed, spread out setting of the lawn, while the die hard baseball fans might want to be right behind home plate. I can’t stress enough how great this venue is!
Take Me Out to the Ball Game!
Even though my heart belongs to the game of ice hockey, I can truly appreciate getting to see any sporting event live. I’m in love with the passion of all sports fans and it’s really great to see people cheering for their favorite team! Sports fans, no matter which sport they love, can always bond with each other. While attending this Express game, I had three specific conversations about hockey, all three people coincidentally being St. Louis Blues fans – congrats on the Stanley Cup Final, by the way! But these conversations show how great it is to interact with other sports fans at other sporting events. You can all bond and have something to talk about and have a really great time while doing it!
I would HIGHLY recommend anyone living in the Austin area or visiting the Austin area this summer take a trip to the Dell Diamond for a Round Rock Express game. You, your friends, and your family can all enjoy a great game of baseball, while eating delicious food and enjoying the events that the Express offer. You’re also going to interact with some of the NICEST people that I have met since living in Austin! Seriously. The team at the Dell Diamond are some of the best, kindest, totally amazing people that I have ever interacted with. They love their jobs, they love interacting with fans, and they want to make sure that each person is having the best possible time during their visit! All of the other stuff I mentioned is wonderful, but getting to interact with truly awesome people makes any event incredible!
Thank you to the Round Rock Express for providing me with a Media Pass to be able to enjoy the game and discover all that the Express and the Dell Diamond have to offer!
I hope that you’ll all add a baseball game, more specifically a Round Rock Express game, to your Summer To Do List for 2019! I’m excited to continue visiting more baseball games and partaking in other fun events around the Lone Star State while I semi-patiently count down the days until October.
Happy Summer, everyone!
-Alana
