CarMax Park
Richmond, VA
Review by Gary
After over two decades of waiting, the minor league team in Richmond, Virginia finally got themselves a new ballpark in 2026. The Flying Squirrels would not have to travel far to their new home, CarMax Park. Situated right next to The Diamond, the home of Richmond baseball since 1985, the Aerial Rodents now play in a much more intimate yard than the concrete colossus within eyesight of their new abode.
Fed up with waiting years for a new stadium, the Atlanta Braves Triple-A affiliate moved their franchise to new digs in Gwinnett, Georgia in 2008. Two years later, the San Francisco Giants brought their Double-A affiliate to the Virginia capital to play at The Diamond. After much political wrangling, the team was finally able to construct this stadium on the city’s north side. The wait was worth it.
With the new stadium occupying the former parking lot of the old stadium, many fans are forced to park way over on the other side of The Diamond during the inaugural season, resulting in an opportunity to get their steps in before the game. Hopefully, there will be more convenient parking spaces available after the old ballpark is razed to make room for a multi-use facility.
CarMax Park sports 6,836 seats and provides other lounging options to bring the total capacity to 9,585. There are 40 Adirondack style seats, with some found on the right field porch, providing a relaxing perch from which to watch the game. The grass berm in centerfield is tiered instead of just being a hill, allowing fans to sit at different heights while using the concrete ledges as backrests or seats, which is a nice touch.
A multi-tiered beer garden stands in left field and four open-air, semi-private “Rail Car Suites” in left-center field are assemblies with actual stacked rail freight containers that creatively interpret Richmond’s railroad heritage.
The stadium can be orbited easily and boasts a super wide concourse. Twenty suites and lounges stretch down each baseline. The back rows of the field level seats are covered by the overhanging suites above. CarMax Park is a year-round facility that has numerous climate-controlled spaces, including an immense lounge on the third base side of the suite level.
On the day of my visit, it was local wrestling and Hispanic heritage night. At least one wrestling match occurred in a ring in the left field corner followed by a smartly clad Mariachi band who played the National Anthem. The wrestling and Mariachi band were firsts witnessed by this reporter. The Squirrel fans really do get into their team. From Nutzy & Natasha, the exuberant squirrel-like mascots, to the team’s rocking theme song played at the beginning of the game, taking in a match at the Richmond Squirrels’ new ballpark is something not to be missed!
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2026
310
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The Squirrels’ theme song is nearly as great as “Meet the Mets!”
