Opening Night at SEGRA Stadium was nothing short of amazing. From the moment I stepped onto that black pavement leading to the SEGRA Stadium, the feeling was nothing less than a VIBE!

That’s right. A Vibe. A feeling so good it’s almost tangible and overwhelmingly good all at the same time. It’s so real it spreads to those around you.

Walking among the crowd of fans and citizens within SEGRA Stadium had this feeling of contagious excitement, pride, and anticipation. In short: It’s A Vibe.

Let’s clear a few of the myths or fears that have been floating around about what it would be like to have such a huge stadium in the heart of downtown Fayetteville.

Parking wasn’t that big a deal. I said it before and I’ll say it again growing up in New York parking was always something we had to fight for. From waking up in the middle of the night – literally – to move your car to the other side of the street before the cleaners got there to searching for that last unpaid space near the shopping center.

Nothing about opening night came close to that frustration or anxiety. I must admit I was nervous. All the nay-sayers were echoing in my ears and I pulled out my driveway around 5:15 with visions of parking in Haymount and trying to walk back down to Hay flashing in my mind.

It was nothing like that. I came down Hay street around 5:30 pm after the gates had been opened for about 30 minutes. I took a right and then a left onto Franklin. I headed straight for the courthouse parking lot where there were several empty spots. Found the one I wanted in a minute or so and started my 10 minutes or less walk to the stadium. Boom! Done!

Next myth would be that Downtown would be so packed and crazed you would be overwhelmed with people. Not. Even. Close. You can see in my Opening Night LIVE Coverage I was walking all over and around downtown with little to no intrusion of my personal space by human or vehicle. My drive down was smooth and clear via Martin Luther King Highway and the sidewalks had a few folks walking but nothing crazy.

I will admit closer to game time around 6:30 or so things were a bit more congested but only from the line that spread from the gate down Hay and a bit further down past City Hall. Yet that can be expected with a sold-out opening night game and over 6,000 fans in attendance. Getting that many people through security checks and in the stadium should be expected to take some time.

Okay, so myths dispelled let’s talk about the feeling once you walk in the stadium. I’ve been on this journey with SEGRA Stadium and our Fayetteville Woodpeckers from dirt and steel to fan night and now opening night. It has been amazing seeing the progress despite the setbacks. Yet somehow tonight was different than every other. It could have been the rush of the people or the hum of the crowd but tonight the stadium felt like a city within a city. It was Fayetteville but even better!

The enthusiasm of Fayetteville Woodpeckers fans is almost tangible. From the smiles on everyone’s faces, the abundance of woodpecker attired adults and kids alike or the laughter emanating from the small groups of people gathered around their drinks and food. It was amazing.

I had free reign of the entire concourse and took full advantage racking up nearly 13,000 steps walking from one end to the next. There were so many different amenities and details The City of Fayetteville the Fayetteville Woodpeckers and the SEGRA Stadium, took into consideration. Here are just a few I spotted:

The grassy seating area located right beneath the scoreboard and right in front of the Kid Zone – yes there’s a Kid Zone. This seating option is absolute perfection for families who may have kids who although they have fallen in love with Bunker aren’t quite ready to sit through an entire game – I mean it looks like Bunker isn’t even the sitting type 😉

Sitting so close to the kid zone can easily allow for a bit of tag team parenting with one adult keeping an eye on the kids and play and another watching the game from the grass below. It also helps that restrooms are right behind you because we all know when a kid says they’ve gotta go it’s almost always already too late to get them there! Bonus for this seating option is the food booths, and trucks located a short walk away on the concourse. I spotted two shaved ice trucks plus plenty of drink and dessert options.

Consider TOPPS seating, These concourse edged seats have a table and come with waiter service so you never have to leave your honey’s side. I’ve also heard these can work well for corporate sponsors or gifts because it gives the feeling of VIP treatment with the perfect view of the field.

In all honesty, I would opt for the General Admission tickets not only to save your budget but to open yourself to more option throughout the stadium. You get to walk around and explore all SEGRA Stadium has to offer.

See for yourself all I found and loved as I explored including the Porch Deck seating and the Birdnest Store or you can grab tickets to one of the next 69 Home Games and get a chance to see for yourself! Who knows, maybe you’ll see me there too!

What did I love most about opening night? Here, let me tell you!

Local Love. Throughout the Stadium, you could see examples of the Local Love SEGRA and The Woodpeckers are giving for our local businesses including offering several local brews at bars and booths from Dirtbag Ales Brewery and Taproom and Souther Pines Breweries.

Local Love could also be seen in all the different moments throughout the ceremonies and game. Local heroes, school, and organizations have been well represented and I see it as something our Woodpeckers continue throughout the season.

Ticket Options. There’s a ticket and a seat for everyone. No matter what your budget there’s a way for you to join in the fun and enjoy the game.

Be sure to check out all the ticket options HERE.

Fun Zones. The team at SEGRA didn’t stop their ideas for fun with the Kids Zone right behind the Berm. Nope. They have a bit of fun everyone located around the concourse. Healey’s Bar, Home Plate Bar and the Landing Dock Games Zone to name a few. Did you know Healey’s Bar offers After Game entertainment including live music? Yup. There’s that too!

Now you guys know I love my Downtown Businesses yet the one thing I can say I missed from opening night was the chance to hang out, talk about the game and explore those downtown businesses.

I’d spoken to a few of the small business owners from downtown who said they were trying to gauge the impact the game would have on the flow of traffic and if they needed extend hours to accommodate.

Now prior to the game the foot traffic seemed to be pretty heavy and it appeared like many were heading into our local restaurants and shops. The thing I heard as well all walked back to our cars was that many wished those same businesses were still open.

How many times have you gone to an event and you are so hyped from the fun that the last thing you want to do is go straight home? I would love to see our downtown businesses take advantage of that excitement to offer game night hours where fans can sit and chat about the game over dinner, dessert or even a shopping rack or two.

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