ROCHESTER RED WINGS
Frontier Field
The park in the city that invented garbage plates. Frontier Field opened in 1997 in downtown Rochester adjacent to the Blue Cross Arena and has a food program that obligates every visiting pilgrim to order the Rochester garbage plate — a Nick Tahou Hots institution that is the most extreme regional food at any professional sports venue in North America.
PHOTO: TwinsMetsFan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Architecture & History
Frontier Field was designed by HOK Sport and opened April 11, 1997 in downtown Rochester.
The Rochester Red Wings are one of the oldest continuous franchises in minor league baseball — tracing their origins to 1899.
Nick Tahou Hots has been making garbage plates since 1918. Competitors are legally required to call theirs something other than a 'garbage plate.'
Build specs
- ARCHITECT
- HOK Sport (Populous)
- CAPACITY
- 10,840
- HERITAGE
- Red Wings — one of MiLB's oldest continuous franchises (1899)
Statues & Exterior
EXTERIOR FEATURES
Kodak Tower Views
Frontier Field offers views of the Rochester skyline including the iconic Kodak Tower, connecting the ballpark to the city's industrial heritage.
Innovative Field Design
One of the first modern minor league parks built in 1997, Frontier Field helped pioneer the retro-classic design movement in the minors.
Names & History
1997–present
Frontier Field
Not a corporate naming rights deal.
Also known as
The Food
Rochester Garbage Plate
Two macaroni salads, two hamburger patties, meat hot sauce, mustard, diced raw onions. Nick Tahou Hots since 1918.
Rochester Garbage Plate
Nick Tahou Hots stand — main concourse
Two macaroni salads topped with two hamburger patties, covered in meat hot sauce, mustard, and diced raw onions. Invented at Nick Tahou Hots in 1918.
White Hot Dog
White Hot stands
The white hot dog — a mild, pork-and-veal-based natural casing sausage, white rather than pink. A Rochester tradition.
Loganberry Drink
Beverage stands
Loganberry — the sweet purple-red drink endemic to Western New York.
Zweigle's Hot Dog
Zweigle's stands
Zweigle's, the Rochester sausage company since 1880. The pop-open natural casing snap.
Red Wings Dog
Every stand
Standard ballpark hot dog with Western New York mustard and relish.
The Beer
Three Heads Brewing Kind Pale Ale
Three Heads Brewing · Rochester, NY
Three Heads is the most widely available local craft at Frontier Field.
CB Craft Brewers Honey Cream Ale
CB Craft Brewers · Honeoye Falls, NY
CB Craft provides a honey cream ale reflecting the upstate NY agricultural tradition.
Labatt Blue
Labatt Brewing · London, ON
Labatt Blue — dominant in Western NY due to Ontario proximity.
Bud Light
Anheuser-Busch
Volume beer throughout.
Sun & Weather Guide
Rochester summer — comfortable humidity
Rochester summer day games have comfortable humidity. Lake Ontario moderates temperatures.
Rochester summer evenings
Frontier Field evening games draw loyal Red Wings fans from across the Rochester metro area.
Rochester April — Lake Ontario cold
Rochester is one of the snowiest large US cities. April games can be cold.
Nick Tahou stand — plan timing
The Nick Tahou garbage plate is the primary food objective. Allow time for the full plate experience.
Exposed afternoon sun
Right field bleachers are exposed.
Rochester skyline and Genesee River visible
The Rochester downtown skyline and the Genesee River gorge are visible from the upper deck.
Insider Tips
The One Thing
Order the Nick Tahou Hots garbage plate. Two mac salad bases, two hamburger patties, meat hot sauce, mustard, raw onion. You are at the source.
White Hots
Get a Zweigle's white hot dog alongside the garbage plate. A Rochester and Western New York phenomenon.
Parking Reality
Downtown Rochester parking garages. Most fans drive from the Rochester metro.
Best Value Seat
Third base lower boxes with downtown Rochester views.
Pilgrim Stops Near Rochester
Weird, wonderful, and worth the detour.
Big Metal Dragon
A fire-breathing steel sculpture rises from a field beside Route 20 near East Bethany. Private property, but clearly visible from the road and absolutely baffling.
Culvert Road — The Road Under the Erie Canal
The only road in the world that passes underneath the Erie Canal. Beep your horn inside the tunnel. It's tradition, and the echo makes it worth it.
Frederick Douglass Statue
The first statue of an African American erected in the United States — installed in Rochester in 1899. Moved twice since then, now on South Avenue where it belongs.
Plan your pilgrimage
Every Park a Pilgrimage.
Plan a baseball road trip through Rochester and beyond.
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