Reds stadium adding features ahead of Opening Day, MLB All-Star Game

Great American Ball Park is undergoing a number of changes this winter, including the addition of a new bar, to help prepare for the MLB All-Star Game on July 14. The $4.5 million renovation is slated to be completed by Opening Day, April 6.
 
The Bootlegger bar is being added on the first-base side of the lower-level concourse in the area that houses Skyline and LaRosa’s. Those dining options will remain, though Penn Station will move to the concourse on the third-base side.
 
The bar will give fans the feel of walking into an old-time bar. Inspiration for the design came from the bar behind the lower-level blue seats at the Reds’ former home, Riverfront Stadium, which was based on the beer garden that Boss Cox, who was part of Cincinnati’s political scene at the turn of the century, ran in Over-the-Rhine.
 
The Bootlegger will offer liquor and beer, including some craft beer options, but it won’t have as many craft options as the existing bar on the third-base side.
 
The second major renovation this winter has been the upper level Riverfront Club, which was previously a white-tablecloth dining option. It will now be called The Handlebar and feature covered seating that’s exposed to the outdoors.
 
In addition, the concession stand facades along the concourses on the first- and third-base lines are getting facelifts. They’ll look more like actual storefronts, with brick fronts.
 
The Reds are also creating Retail Row at the main entrance, which will create a space for retail kiosks down the third-base concourse to the entrance to Gapper’s Alley. Retailers include game-used merchandise, a Reds Hall of Fame stand, regular Reds retail merchandise, a Reds Community Fund booth for Split the Pot raffle tickets, a season ticket holder booth and a stand for the Reds Heads kids club.