Joliet Slammers kick off season with Old Joliet Prison Big House Ballgame against St. Louis Gateway Grizzlies
The minor league baseball season is starting and the Joliet Slammers are kicking theirs off with the Big House Ballgame in the Old Joliet Prison Yard.
The Slammers will face off against the St. Louis Gateway Grizzlies in their opening exhibition game.
The baseball field at the prison hasn't been touched since the building closed down in 2002, but the exhibition game is part of the centennial celebration of Route 66.
Joliet Prison is more than 160 years old and has a reputation for being extremely haunted. It also stands just next to Route 66.
Joliet Slammers part-owner Bill Murray was there Thursday morning getting ready for the game and sharing his love of baseball, Chicago area history, and throwing reporters onto death row for wearing winter coats in April.
Going to the Big House Ballgame?
Parking lots and gates
Parking lots open at 11 a.m. on game day. All attendees will have to enter through the East Gate on Collins Street. Gates open at 12 p.m. on game day.
The first 1,000 fans through the gates get a commemorative tin cup.
Parking is free and available in lots on the east side of Collins Street, near the old Women's Prison. Extra parking is available at U.S. Steel south of the prison, as well as Azteca de Oro.
ADA parking and rideshare drop-off is in the Old Joliet Prison lot immediately south of the main prison building. Organizers noted there's a quarter-mile distance from the ADA lot to the East Gate.
When does the game start? What kinds of tickets and seating are there?
The game starts at 3 p.m.
There are three ticket tiers: general admission yard, bleacher seats and VIP seating.
If you have general admission yard seats you should bring your own seating; organizers warned there are no physical seats provided with a general admission tickets. They also don't come with field access, but fans can walk the historic prison grounds and watch the game from a large screen directly below Tower Five.
Assigned bleacher seating is down the first baseline and in right and left field. Bleachers are numbered.
VIP tickets allows access to an exclusive area with a view of the field and al-inclusive food and beverage options. With this ticket option, organizers said you would watch the game with the same view the prison warden would have had.
Attendees with bleacher seat or VIP tickets are the only tiers with direct field viewing access.
Will there be pre-game entertainment?
Bill Branch and the Sons of Blues featuring Sheryl Youngblood will perform at 1 p.m. at the stage in the general admission yard.
For more information and for details about what is and is not allowed into the Big House Ballgame, click here.
