Baseball fans in northwest Indiana and the south suburbs of Chicago enjoy Gary SouthShore RailCats and Northern League baseball at one of the top minor league baseball facilities in the nation – U. S. Steel Yard.

In addition to the fun, affordable, family entertainment of RailCats baseball, fans at U. S. Steel Yard enjoy spacious seating close to the field under the beautiful Midwestern summer sky. Fans are treated to theatre-like, field-level seating – the Steel Yard has 6,000 comfortable, chair-back seats.

Fans can also purchase delicious, ballpark foods and drinks at any of the three concession stands – one behind each dugout and a third behind home plate. Combined, the three stands have more than thirty points of sale, ensuring that even with a capacity crowd, the amount of time fans spend waiting in line is kept to a minimum.

The picnic area at U. S. Steel Yard is situated in the leftfield corner, curving behind the RailCats’ bullpen. Groups of up to 300 fans can enjoy a pre-game, all-you-can eat picnic in the picnic area – which is then opened to the public after the first pitch. Fans can stroll down to the picnic area to enjoy a relaxing meal with a unique view of the game.

Adjacent to the Stadium, a Bennigan’s Restaurant and banquet facility has been constructed. The Bennigan’s, which is operated by a local Bennigan’s franchisee, has 218 seats in the restaurant, including seats on a patio from which fans can see the field. The banquet facility can accommodate up to 300 guests.

One of the Stadium’s features to which the fan’s eye is immediately drawn is the 55-foot tall scoreboard in left-center field. The centerpiece of the scoreboard is the 16’6” by 22’2” state-of-the-art LED video screen, upon which fans can watch animated computer graphics displays and live video feeds taken from both mounted and hand-held video cameras located throughout the Stadium. Other features of the scoreboard include a complete, electronic, inning-by-inning linescore for both teams; and a 5’ by 20’ electronic message board capable of scrolling important items of interest to fans, including instant up-to-date scores from around baseball through an always-on connection to SportsTicker. A six-foot diameter analog clock dots the top of the scoreboard.

The Stadium features 18 luxury suites (average size: 280 square feet), each of which is equipped with a refrigerator and wet bar. Ten stadium-style seats are located in the front of each suite. The suite level features an exclusive, “VIP Gate” entrance from Stadium Plaza as well as 2,000 square foot reception area that is often used for special events such as RailCats press conferences, as well as luncheons and “after-hours” programs hosted by various civic groups. The reception area and the hallways leading to the suites are decorated with a variety of the classic Chicago and SouthShore Railroad Line advertising posters.

The U. S. Steel Yard press box is a state-of-the-art facility for the use of the members of the print and electronic media who report on events at the Stadium. The press box features a working press area that can comfortably seat up to 20 reporters, as well as separate, spacious booths for radio and television broadcasters. The public address announcer and the personnel operating the scoreboard and the Stadium’s audio and video systems occupy two large rooms immediately to the right of home plate.

The public address system at U. S. Steel Yard is another of the ballpark’s state-of-the-art features. The sound system features a multitude of speakers that are evenly distributed throughout the ballpark, so than fans can harmoniously enjoy the music, sound effects, and public address announcements that are broadcast in conjunction with each RailCats game.

One way the RailCats keep the public informed of events at U. S. Steel Yard is via scrolling messages which are displayed on two large marquees at opposite corners of the Stadium complex. The marquee on Fifth Avenue, near the RailCats ticket office and the home plate gate, is 21 feet tall and features an 18-foot long message board that displays messages in nearly 4-foot high letters. The marquee on Fourth Avenue, beyond the right-centerfield fence, which is visible from I-90 (the Indiana Toll Road) and from the seating bowl, is 16 feet high and features a 24-foot long message board that displays messages in 8-foot high letters.