JERSEY SHORE BLUECLAWS
FirstEnergy Park
FirstEnergy Park is the home of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws — named for the blue claw crab native to New Jersey's Barnegat Bay and Jersey Shore waters — the Phillies' High-A affiliate in Lakewood, New Jersey. The park is 12 miles from the Jersey Shore beaches of Seaside Heights and Asbury Park, and the BlueClaws name is one of the most geographically specific team names in the minors. The Phillies pipeline runs through the working-class communities of central New Jersey.
PHOTO: KOknockout920 · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Food
New Jersey Blue Claw Crab Sandwich
The blue claw crab — the crab that gives the BlueClaws their name — is native to the Barnegat Bay and the Jersey Shore estuaries 12 miles east of the stadium. A blue claw crab cake sandwich or crab roll with Old Bay and lemon is the most geographically honest food at any Phillies affiliate park.
Pork Roll, Egg & Cheese
Breakfast/all-day stands
Taylor Ham (pork roll) — the processed pork product made by Taylor Provisions in Trenton, NJ since 1856 — on a Kaiser roll with egg and American cheese is New Jersey's most specific food identity.
Boardwalk-Style Funnel Cake
Funnel cake stand
The Jersey Shore boardwalk funnel cake — fried batter dusted with powdered sugar.
BlueClaws Dog
Hot dog stands
Standard hot dog with New Jersey yellow mustard.
The Beer
FirstEnergy Park features a New Jersey craft presence. Carton Brewing and Kane Brewing represent the Shore craft scene.
Carton Brewing Boat Beer
Carton Brewing Co. · Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Carton Brewing makes Boat Beer — a 4.2% session lager designed for shore consumption.
Kane Brewing Company Head High IPA
Kane Brewing Co. · Ocean, NJ
Kane Brewing from Ocean, NJ brings Head High IPA and their award-winning stout lineup.
Yuengling Traditional Lager
D.G. Yuengling & Son · Pottsville, PA
Yuengling is the dominant regional lager throughout New Jersey.
Pilgrim Stops Near Lakewood
Weird, wonderful, and worth the detour.
Campbell Soup Museum
Andy Warhol's soup can at the university next to the actual Campbell's factory.
Thomas Edison Laboratory
Edison's actual lab, with the Black Maria film studio and 10,000 books he read.
Pine Barrens
A million acres of sand forest between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, haunted by a cryptid.
Plan your pilgrimage
Every Park a Pilgrimage.
Plan a baseball road trip through Lakewood and beyond.
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