June 13, 2011
When the Commodores travel to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series, they will not only be playing in their first College World Series, they will also be part of the first-ever CWS game played at TD Ameritrade Park at 1 p.m. Saturday against North Carolina.
The previous 50 years, the College World Series was played at Rosenblatt Stadium, which is located 3.4 miles directly south of TD Ameritrade Park. The new ballpark opened in April and also serves as the home stadium for Creighton’s baseball team and Omaha’s UFL team.
TD Ameritrade Park cost $126 million to build and seats 24,000. The stadium is located in the heart of downtown, just down the street from the Qwest Center. The Qwest Center is where Vanderbilt’s pregame reception will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday. The venue doubles as a convention center and arena. The building opened in 2003 and has hosted numerous concerts and the first and second rounds of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Tickets to the reception cost $20 and can be purchased through Vanderbilt’s Ticket Office.
Rosenblatt Stadium is not only no longer home to the CWS, but it is also no longer the home of the Kansas City Royals’ AAA team. Formerly called the Omaha Royals, Kansas City’s farm club has moved southwest of Omaha to Papillion, Neb., to play in a new stadium called Werner Park (capacity 9,023). In addition to changing venues, the team also changed names and is now known as the Omaha Storm Chasers.
Getting to Omaha
Omaha is 748 miles from Nashville. A road trip will take you through Paducah, Ky., Mt. Vernon, Ill., St. Louis, Kansas City, St. Joseph, Mo., and Council Bluffs, Iowa.
If you are looking for something to do along the drive, you may be able to catch a Major League Baseball game in St. Louis or Kansas City depending upon your travel schedule. The Cardinals are in town June 17-26 and host the Royals the 17-19. The Royals will be in Kansas City June 21-26.
If you are not interested in making the drive, virtually every major airline flies into Omaha, but requires a minimum of one stop. Another option would be flying into Kansas City, renting a car and making the less than three-hour drive to Omaha. You will save on airfare and could get a direct flight on Southwest by doing this.
Omaha Means Business
Three Fortune 500 companies call Middle Tennessee home (HCA, Dollar General and Community Health Systems), while five are headquartered in Omaha, which boasts a metro population of 837,925. Omaha also has four Fortune 1,000 businesses.
Fortune 500 Headquarters:
– Berkshire Hathaway
– Union Pacific Railroad
– ConAgra Foods
– Peter Kiewit Sons’ Construction
– Mutual of Omaha Insurance
Fortune 1,000 Headquarters:
– TD Ameritrade
– West Corporation
– Werner Enterprises
– Valmont Industries
The 40th-largest city in the country, Omaha currently ranks eighth among the nation’s 50 largest cities in both per capita billionaires and Fortune 500 companies. Omaha’s most famous resident is billionaire investor Warren Buffett.
Things to do in Omaha
With the chance that the Commodores are in Omaha for as long as two weeks, there will be plenty of time between games for fans to tour the city.
Omaha’s top tourist destination is its renowned zoo. The zoo is located right next to Rosenblatt Stadium and features the world’s largest indoor rainforest and the world’s largest indoor desert. The zoo features a Skyfari, which takes visitors over giraffes, monkeys and cheetahs.
The Old Market area is located just southwest of TD Ameritrade Park and is the historic art, shopping and dining district. You will know you have arrived once you reach the cobblestone streets.
If you like museums, The Durham Museum is for you. The museum is located in Omaha’s Union Station and is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.
Those who don’t mind driving a little further may be interested in visiting the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, which is only 57 miles west of Omaha. Memorial Stadium is worth checking out and it will remind you of many SEC stadiums with its capacity of 81,067.
While in Lincoln, you can fill your baseball fix in between Vanderbilt’s CWS games by taking in a Lincoln Saltdogs game. The Saltdogs are home June 16-22 and play in the American Association, which is an independent league. The Omaha Storm Chasers are on the road until June 25.
The College World Series also does a fantastic job of providing numerous entertainment options for fans besides just attending the games (view schedule of events).
On Friday, every team will have an open practice and autograph session. Vanderbilt’s open practice is scheduled from 10-11 a.m. You will also want to attend the Opening Ceremonies from 8:30-10 p.m. Friday at TD Ameritrade Park. Every team will be introduced, there will be appearances by Dave Winfield and Martina McBride, and the night will be capped by a fireworks display.
If you have children, you will want to take them to CWS Fan Fest, an interactive area that will be open each day on corner of 10th and Fahey Streets on the southeast side of TD Ameritrade Park. Included in the area is a home run derby field, batting cages, speed-pitch booths, etc.
Something that always added to the atmosphere at Rosenblatt Stadium were the streetside vendors that sat to the west of the stadium. Even though the location is moving downtown, there will still be vendors around the stadium, but you may have to do a little more walking to see them all.
Vanderbilt Events
As noted on Vanderbilt’s CWS site, there will be events that are specific to Vanderbilt fans. Four hours before each Commodore game, there will be a send-off party/pep rally at the team hotel (TBA).
On Saturday at 11 a.m. there will be a pregame reception at the Qwest Convention Center. Pregame party tickets can be purchased for $20 through Vanderbilt’s Ticket Office.
Parking
If you are going to Omaha, and plan on having to drive to the stadium, you should take a look at the parking information so you are prepared ahead of time.
