Spectator Sports

Charleston River Dogs

A New York Yankees farm team playing in the South Atlantic League, the Charleston River Dogs (360 Fishburne St., www.riverdogs.com [1], $5 general admission) play April–August at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park [2], a.k.a., “The Joe.” The park is great, and there are a lot of fun promotions to keep things interesting should the play on the field be less than stimulating (as minor league ball often can be). Because of the intimate, retro design of the park, there are no bad seats, so you might as well save a few bucks and go for the general admission ticket.

From downtown, get to The Joe by taking Broad Street west until it turns into Lockwood Drive. Follow that north until you get to Brittlebank Park and The Joe, next to the Citadel. Expect to pay $3–5 for parking.

Family Circle Cup

Moved to Daniel Island in 2001 from its longtime home in Hilton Head, the prestigious Family Circle Cup [3] women’s tennis tournament is held each April at the Family Circle Tennis Center (161 Seven Farms Dr., Daniel Island, 843/856-7900, www.familycirclecup.com [4], varied admission). Almost 100,000 people attend the multi-week event. Individual session tickets go on sale the preceding January.

Charleston Battery

The professional, A-League soccer team Charleston Battery (1990 Daniel Island Dr., 843/971-4625, www.charlestonbattery.com [5], about $10) play April–July at Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island north of Charleston [6]. To get there from downtown, take I-26 north and then I-526 to Mount Pleasant. Take exit 23A, Clements Ferry Road, and then a left on St. Thomas Island Drive. Blackbaud Stadium is about a mile on the left.

South Carolina Stingrays

The ECHL professional hockey team the South Carolina Stingrays (843/744-2248, www.stingrayshockey.com [7], $15) get a good crowd out to their rink at the North Charleston Coliseum, playing October–April.

Citadel Bulldogs

The Citadel [8] (171 Moultrie St., 843/953-3294, www.citadelsports.com [9]) plays Southern Conference football home games at Johnson-Hagood Stadium next to the campus on the Ashley River near Hampton Park [10]. The basketball team plays home games at McAlister Field House on campus. The school’s hockey team skates home games at the Carolina Ice Palace.