Historic Henley Field - Florida Southern

General Admission

History

Opened in 1923, Henley Field was originally the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers. While the Florida Southern Moccasins have called it home for over 50 years, they officially purchased the stadium from the city of Lakeland in 2015, while agreeing to continue letting the local high school use the field for their games. Florida Southern has been playing baseball since 1912, and has won nine D2 National Championships - the second most in NCAA D2 history.

Atmosphere

Henley Field features bleacher seating behind home plate, as well as bleachers on the other side of either dugout. All seating is general admission, so it's really your choice on if you want to sit in the shade or not. Some fans also bring lawn chairs to line up close to the net, which gets a little sun but is mostly shaded. There's no video board, but in a historic stadium, it's not necessarily missed. Fans keep the action alive, but at the D2 level, other schools travel well, so there's cheers on both sides of the action.

Concessions

There's no concession stand at Henley Field, and honestly, I don't know where they'd put it if they did. In lieu of that, though, outside food and drinks are allowed in the stadium, and I saw a few people bring in coolers with them. There are a few fast food places close by, in case you want to stop in and grab some food on your way to the field.

Access

Lakeland is just off of I-4 in between Orlando and Tampa. It is subject to your typical I-4 traffic, and be sure to stay aware of any events in Orlando, Tampa, or in between that may effect your travel - I happened to be in town the weekend of the Florida Strawberry Festival, and that definitely slowed down my travel to Lakeland from Tampa. There are some hotel options in Lakeland, but depending on if you have other plans in the area, it's only about 30 miles to Tampa and 50 to Orlando.

Final Thoughts

Historic Henley Field is a must stop on any baseball fans' pilgrimage - or any sports fan, as it has a rightful place on the US National Register of Historic Places. It's not the fanciest place to see a game, but that's not what I'm looking for at historic stadiums. Honestly, I prefer the opposite, and this stadium does just that.