Altoona Curve's PNG Field is just like the big leagues — only more affordable

ALTOONA — Taking the family to a Pittsburgh Pirates game can be a costly endeavor. From tickets to parking to meals and snacks inside the stadium, the price tag can run into the triple digits in short order.

Less than two hours away, baseball fans can buy any ticket at PNG Field in Blair County for less than $20 to watch the Pirates’ Double-­­A affiliate, the Altoona Curve, and get an early look at players who could get called up to the big leagues.

“You can get so close to the field,” said Jon Mozes, communication director for the Curve, which plays at PNG Field in Logan, just outside the Altoona city limits. “Those tickets can be really expensive at a major league ballpark. But here, for a $12 ticket, you can sit right next to the dugout.”

When PNG Field employees want to know whether the evening’s game is going to be played, all they have to do is look over the center-field wall at the nearby Allegheny Mountains.

“If we can see the mountains, it’s not going to rain,” said Mozes. “If we can’t see them, it’s probably time to put the tarp on the field.”

And, of course, if Mozes is looking at the mountain while standing along the first-base line, he has to peer through the wooden infrastructure of the roller coaster just past the right-field wall.

Such is life at the ballpark, built in 1999 and nestled into a bowl bordered by Route 220, Park Avenue and Lakemont Park, where the aforementioned Skyliner roller coaster sits. Lakemont is also home to the world’s oldest operating roller coaster, Leap-the-Dips. Mozes said the Curve have a longstanding relationship with the park.

“You can come up early in the afternoon for an evening game, especially if you have kids, and make a whole day of it,” he said.

The local feel is palpable. The outfield wall is chock-full of placards featuring local advertisers, with a section of the digital scoreboard dedicated to keeping a running total of where the evening’s 50-50 raffle stands. But the overall feel is similar to that of a Major League Baseball stadium, only more intimate.

Mozes gestured to a third tier of seating as a big reason why. In designing the stadium, architects L.D. Astorino of Pittsburgh opted for height over depth in the stands.

“Not a lot of places have that,” he said. “We also have a small section of outfield bleachers, which is pretty rare.”

From the Budweiser Party Deck in the left-field corner to the Stuckey Automotive Picnic Pavilion, opportunities for a group outing abound. And for a ticket that costs less than the fee at a Downtown Pittsburgh parking garage, fans can find themselves in the thick of the action.