ERIE SEAWOLVES
UPMC Park
UPMC Park opens onto Lake Erie — the shallowest and warmest of the Great Lakes, the lake whose southern shore runs through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, the lake that freezes solid in winter and turns aquamarine in summer. The SeaWolves name references the wolves that once ranged the Lake Erie shoreline. This is the most dramatically lake-influenced park in Double-A baseball — views of Lake Erie are visible from the upper deck, and the lake effect is felt in the form of lake-effect snow every November through March.
PHOTO: Jamesmiko · CC BY-SA 4.0
Architecture & History
UPMC Park was designed by Populous and opened April 15, 1995 in downtown Erie — the only Pennsylvania city on the Great Lakes, situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie 90 miles from Cleveland and 90 miles from Buffalo. The park is 3 blocks from the lake, with upper deck views of Lake Erie visible to the north.
Erie's industrial history — manufacturing, Great Lakes shipping, and the Presque Isle peninsula that forms the natural harbour — defines the city's geography and character. The SeaWolves name references both the wolves that ranged the lake's shoreline and the nautical tradition of Great Lakes shipping. The Detroit Tigers affiliate runs through a Great Lakes city on the same lake as the Tigers' home market.
The Lake Erie yellow perch fish fry is Erie's most specific food tradition — the Friday fish fry is a genuine institution throughout western Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes region, and Lake Erie perch is the preferred fish. The UPMC Park perch stand represents one of the few places in professional baseball where the regional food tradition is anchored by a freshwater fish from the lake visible from the upper deck.
Build specs
- ARCHITECT
- Populous
- CAPACITY
- 6,000
- OPENED
- April 15, 1995
- LAKE ERIE
- 3 blocks north — visible from upper deck
- CLIMATE
- Snowiest major US city east of Rockies — lake effect
Statues & Exterior
EXTERIOR FEATURES
Lake Erie Views
First base concourse
Glimpses of Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie from the elevated concourse, connecting the park to Erie's waterfront identity.
Lighthouse Scoreboard
Beyond center field
A scoreboard design element referencing the Presque Isle Lighthouse, one of Erie's most iconic landmarks.
Names & History
1995–2016
Jerry Uht Park
Original name honoring a local civic leader.
2017–present
UPMC Park
Named for University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
The Food
Lake Erie Perch Fish Fry
Lake Erie yellow perch is the defining fish of the Great Lakes shoreline. Beer-battered yellow perch, coleslaw, tartar sauce, rye bread.
Lake Erie Perch Fish Fry
Perch Stand — main concourse
Lake Erie yellow perch — beer-battered, coleslaw, tartar sauce, rye bread — is the most specifically geographic food at any Double-A park in the Northeast.
Barbecue Kielbasa with Stadium Mustard
Kielbasa stand — 3B side
Polish and Slovak immigrant workers brought kielbasa. Grilled with mustard on a sturdy roll — the Erie industrial food tradition.
Pierogi from Stanzia's
Pierogi stand
Erie's Polish community pierogi tradition. Potato-and-cheese or sauerkraut pierogi, pan-fried, with sour cream.
Sara's Restaurant Fish Taco
Sara's stand
Sara's on Presque Isle since 1934. Lake Erie perch in a flour tortilla with coleslaw and lime crema.
SeaWolves Dog
Hot dog stands
Standard hot dog with yellow mustard and sport peppers. The Great Lakes standard.
The Beer
UPMC Park has a strong Great Lakes and western PA craft program. Erie Brewing Company is the anchor local option.
Erie Brewing Company Mad Anthony's APA
Erie Brewing Company · Erie, PA
Erie Brewing Company, named for the city and its Great Lakes heritage, is the most local craft at UPMC Park. Mad Anthony's APA and Derailed Black & Tan are their most established options.
Great Lakes Brewing Dortmunder Gold
Great Lakes Brewing Co. · Cleveland, OH
Great Lakes Brewing, from Cleveland across the lake, is the Great Lakes craft standard. Dortmunder Gold lager is the most appropriate option at a lakeside park.
Voodoo Brewery Wynona's Big Brown Ale
Voodoo Brewery · Meadville, PA
Voodoo Brewery from Meadville, PA — 30 miles south — brings western Pennsylvania craft to UPMC Park. Their Brown Ale and IPA lineup are the most available options.
Miller Lite
Miller Brewing Co.
Volume beer throughout the Great Lakes market.
Sun & Weather Guide
northwest — Erie PA · Lake Erie shoreline · 590 ft elevation
Upper deck — Lake Erie visible to north · evening breeze
Upper deck seats at UPMC Park provide views of Lake Erie to the north. Evening lake breezes cool the park reliably in summer — one of the most comfortable evening baseball experiences in the Eastern League.
Great Lakes summer — warm, less humid than NYC
Erie summer afternoon games are warm but Great Lakes humidity is milder than the mid-Atlantic. Still — evening games are strongly preferred for the lake breeze and views.
Great Lakes spring — cold and variable
Erie spring is genuinely cold — the Great Lakes extend winter well into April. Pack real layers for April games. The lake effect is a year-round reality.
November-March — not baseball season for a reason
Erie is the snowiest major city in the United States east of the Rockies. Lake-effect snow from Lake Erie is a serious meteorological phenomenon.
Insider Tips
The One Thing
Order the Lake Erie perch fish fry and eat it in the upper deck facing north toward the lake. Yellow perch from Lake Erie, battered and fried, with coleslaw and tartar sauce — this is what people in Erie eat on Friday nights.
Presque Isle
Drive to Presque Isle State Park before the game. The sandy peninsula 5 miles west is one of the Great Lakes' most beautiful natural features — Lake Erie on one side, Presque Isle Bay on the other.
Erie Brewing Company
Erie Brewing Company's Mad Anthony's APA is named for Revolutionary War General 'Mad Anthony' Wayne, whose 1795 Treaty of Greenville opened the Northwest Territory to settlement. The beer's name has layers.
Parking Reality
UPMC Park is downtown Erie with surface lots and garages on East 10th Street and State Street. Downtown Erie is compact and parking is accessible. Most fans drive.
Best Value Seat
Upper deck left field corner — best Lake Erie sight line, afternoon shade from the upper structure, and the cheapest seats in the park. Order the perch and a Great Lakes Dortmunder.
Pilgrim Stops Near Erie
Weird, wonderful, and worth the detour.
Welland Canal Lock — Ship Watch
The Welland Canal bypasses Niagara Falls and lifts massive laker ships 326 feet in elevation through eight locks. Watch a freighter the size of a city block squeeze through a lock. It takes 90 minutes.
Niagara Falls — Canadian Side
The Canadian side gets the better view — the famous Horseshoe Falls is entirely on this side of the border. The Clifton Hill strip is gloriously tacky. The falls themselves are genuinely overwhelming.
Plan your pilgrimage
Every Park a Pilgrimage.
Plan a baseball road trip through Erie and beyond.
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