Hohokam Park

Parking
There are 3,000 spaces at the stadium, the bulk of which are in grass fields that are used for youth soccer on non-game days. The fairly sizable (by spring training standards) paved lot is for season ticket holders and is designated as Lot A. Just like in Chicago, neighborhood parking is available, although it has become more limited in Mesa in recent years as "no ball game parking" signs are now a common sight on the side streets near the stadium. Although you'll also likely save a couple bucks, the biggest benefit to parking at homes belonging to local residents is much easier exiting upon game's end, when traffic often is jammed in the stadium's lots.
 Cost: $3 to $5 (neighborhood) or $7 (stadium)

Stadium Information
Hohokam Park is best known for its large crowds. Its seats and berm are regularly filled to capacity, and capacity in Mesa is larger than at any other spring training ballpark. As such, the Cubs own the single season (203,105 in 2009) spring training attendance record. There's no doubt the Cubs are the draw, as the stadium's bland tan stucco exterior leaves a lot to be desired. The expansive interior is utilitarian in design, with the upper grandstand providing wonderful views of the surrounding mountain ranges. Just like at Wrigley, the fans make Hohokam a wonderful experience and every game one of them is picked to lead the rest of the crowd in the signing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," which usually happens from atop the first base dugout. Referred to interchangeably as Hohokam Park and Hohokam Stadium, the current structure opened in 1997 on the same spot as the original Hohokam Park, which was razed and rebuilt following twenty years of use. The stadium is named after the Mesa HoHoKams, an influential local civic organization that has been the booster of spring training baseball in Mesa since 1951. There's no word yet on whether the stadium's name will be retained when its replacement opens a few miles away next year. Mesa's voters approved a city referendum on November 2, 2010, to provide the majority of funding ($99 million) for a new training complex that will anchor the Cubs' vision of Wrigleyville West, a concept that will surround the new ballpark, which will be ready in time for 2014 spring training, with privately-funded dining, shopping and entertainment options.

Fast Facts

Practice Fields

Types of Seating
All seats have chair or seat backs, but none have cup holders. A berm extends from foul pole to foul pole.

Notes about the seating

Sections and rows

Tickets

Seats to avoid
They're not necessarily bad seats, but those in sections 117-124 are aluminum bleachers and the higher the section number the further away your seat will be from home plate. For example, sections 123 and 124 are very close to the foul poles.

Seats in the shade
There are plenty here. The stadium's trellised roof casts shade upon all rows in sections 200-207, 209, 211 and 213. Most seats in sections 208, 210, 212, 214 and 216 are in the shade, with all seats in those sections shaded by 1:45.

VIP seating
There are two outdoor patios, one on each side of the press box. The third base patio is adjacent to an indoor skybox. There are six luxury suites. The Budweiser Party Deck in right field can hold up to 250 people.

Game Day
Will call windows open at 9 a.m. The ballpark's gates open at 11:00 a.m. but the berm remains closed until batting practice is over. And if a game is scheduled for a time other than 1:05, ballpark gates simply open two hours prior to that game's start time.

Food, drink and bag policy

Getting autographs
Simply put, this is not a good park to obtain autographs in. Much of the Cubs’ batting practice takes place before gates open, limiting fan access to them. Occasionally a Cub player will sign near the tarp close to their dugout before the game, but with tunnels to the clubhouses for both teams located in the dugouts players can easily avoid fans. The best thing to do is to wait until after the game is over, when many Cubs players will sign autographs once they've showered and changed into street clothes. The place to be is near the exit door of the Cubs' clubhouse at the end of the first base grandstand, from which players emerge in route to their parking lot in the right field corner. To get there, players walk through a closed off section of the concourse inside of the stadium and fans gather along the route in front of the appropriately named Clubhouse Cafe (see photo). This is the epicenter of autograph activity inside of Hohokam Park, and it's found directly behind the freestanding bleachers down the right field line.

Away games
When the Cubs play road games they generally take batting practice at Hohokam Park then bus over to wherever they are playing. Ballpark gates in Mesa will be open so Cubs fans can watch the team take BP, which happens between 10 and 11 a.m. Ironically, fans can't watch the Cubs' full batting practice when they are playing at home, as gates to the ballpark don't open until about halfway through it, which is an upgrade over seasons prior to 2011, when the Hohokam gates didn't open until just after the team had finished hitting.

Unique ballpark fare
Although not overly creative, the food is actually pretty good. The biggest issue is that concession stands are behind the grandstand and sold out crowds lead to long lines that will often force you to miss an inning. If you like hot dogs, the Chi-Town Dog (onions, mustard, sport peppers, sweet relish, tomatoes) or the Mesa Dog (chili, cheese, fritos, jalapenos) are worth the wait behind home plate at Hot Dog Nation. But mainly you'll find tried and true menu items (pizza, pulled pork BBQ, nachos), although the trailer serving up Iowa breaded pork tenderloin is original. You can get one in the left field alley, which is behind the left field line bleachers and is where the biggest selection of food can be found. Pepsi is the cola of choice. Old Style beer, sold at Wrigley Field since 1950, is also available at Hohokam Park. So too is plenty of beer on tap, with Bud and Bud Light available pretty much everywhere and lesser known brands (like LandShark) scattered throughout the park.

2013 Cubs Spring Training Schedule (only home games at Hohokam Park are listed)
February	Day	Time	Visiting Team	TicketsNow
24	Sunday	1:05	Giants	Tickets
26	Tuesday	1:05	Rockies	Tickets
27	Wednesday	1:05	Dodgers	Tickets
28	Thursday	1:05	A's	Tickets
March	Day	Time	Visiting Team	TicketsNow
1	Friday	1:05	Diamondbacks	Tickets
3	Sunday	1:05	Brewers	Tickets
4	Monday	1:05	Indians	Tickets
7	Thursday	1:05	White Sox	Tickets
9	Saturday	1:05	Indians	Tickets
10	Sunday	1:05	Padres	Tickets
13	Wednesday	1:05	Rockies	Tickets
15	Friday	1:05	Japan	Tickets
16	Saturday	1:05	Royals	Tickets
19	Tuesday	1:05	Rangers	Tickets
23	Saturday	1:05	Angels	Tickets
25	Monday	1:05	Giants	Tickets
26	Tuesday	7:05	Reds	Tickets
28	Thursday	12:05	Mariners	Tickets
* Single game tickets went on sale Friday, January 4. See the full 2013 Cubs Spring Training schedule

Ballpark Area Info
Although Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona it has the feel of a sleepy town and the area surrounding the stadium is pretty much summed up by the cemetery across the street from it. There's just not a lot happening. So for those hoping to find something akin to the Wrigleyville vibe out west your time is better spent enjoying the bar scene in Tempe or the buzzworthy shopping, dining and drinking establishments found in downtown Scottsdale. Both cities are about 10 miles away. For the more refined crowd and families, Main Street in Mesa is a pretty cool place to go for a variety of things. If you like art, the Mesa Arts Center houses five galleries. Baseball fans will like what's in store next door at 51 E. Main Street, the address of a formerly vacant storefront in downtown Mesa that has recently been converted into exhibition space for “Play Ball: The Cactus League Experience,” a Mesa Historical Museum project that details the history of spring training in Arizona. The baseball exhibit (and arts center next to it) is just 1.6 miles from Hohokam Park. About the same distance from the stadium and about a block removed from Main Street are the Arizona Museum for Youth and the Arizona Museum of Natural History. Both are a part of the cultural enrichment experience that Mesa's downtown is noted for, and for an eclectic mix of the arts, bars, cafes, museums, shops and such just walk up and down Main Street and you'll get a chance to enjoy a little bit of everything in an uncluttered and homey environment.

Travelers' notes

Hotels close to Hohokam Park			Become a featured advertiser
Distance	Hotel	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
1.3 miles	Marriott	200 N Centennial Way	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-898-8300
1.7	Best Western	250 W Main St	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-834-9233
1.8	Travelodge	22 S Country Club Dr	Mesa, AZ 85210	480-964-5694
1.8	Citrus Inn	524 W Main St	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-833-9810
1.9	Kiva Lodge Motel	668 W Main St	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-834-3796
1.9	Budget Inn	106 S Country Club Dr	Mesa, AZ 85210	480-668-4811
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Restaurants close to Hohokam Park
Distance	Restaurant	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
0.45	Native New Yorker	318 E Brown Rd	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-464-4383
0.45	Subway	322 E Brown Rd	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-890-0305
0.5	Krazy Sub	1211 N Country Club Dr	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-835-0330
0.5	Dirty Drummer	1211 N Country Club Dr	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-834-6371
0.5	Italian Joe's Pizza	1211 N Country Club Dr	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-464-2121
0.55	Taco Bell	352 E Brown Rd	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-461-9362
0.55	Wendy's	1205 N Country Club Dr	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-964-0861
0.85	Mama Maria Restaurant	118 E McKellips Rd	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-610-6818
0.85	Cindy's Arizona Cafe	124 E McKellips Rd	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-655-1349
0.95	Royal Thai Grill	321 W McKellips Rd	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-733-9025
0.95	Rally's Hamburgers	343 W McKellips Rd	Mesa, AZ 85201	480-461-9676
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Airports close to Hohokam Park
Distance	Airport		Airport Code
11.9 miles	Phoenix Sky Harbor International		PHX
105	Tucson International		TUS
169	Yuma International		YUM

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