Last night, I joined about a dozen guys from my church in a luxury skybox at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock to enjoy a home game for the Round Rock Express.

We had special VIP parking, which was both close to the door and FREE.  The air conditioned suite was awesome, with a full kitchen, leather sofa and chair, and a few bar stools overlooking the field from the first base side. 

I must admit that this was a terrific way to enjoy the game.  Although we had the comfort of A/C inside, I felt like I was more a part of the action by sitting in the outside seats that were exclusive to our suite (there are 12 per box). 

The Express is co-owned by Nolan Ryan, and they are the minor league team for the Houston Astros.  They were founded in 2000 in this area. 

This was my second visit to the ballpark, and since tickets are really quite reasonable, I probably need to return again soon with my son and daughter.  Typical prices for tickets are only $6 (for berm seating) to $12 (for box seating), with a $1 discount for kids under 12 and seniors. 

As another bonus, Monday night is "Dollar Hot Dog Night", so I grabbed three of those before the game.  We managed to convince one friend of ours to eat NINE hot dogs, which doesn't sound like an incredible feat unless you realize that he was running late because he had already eaten dinner previous to the game.

They had a number of fun contests running (trivia, bingo, various races) and they launched t-shirts into the crowd a few times.  Overall, the atmosphere is casual and very enjoyable and family-friendly, with one minor exception.

There was a guy sitting about two boxes down from us who was SUPER LOUD and very insistent on trash-talking every batter for the opposing team.  We joked about not wanting him for a neighbor at home.

Despite this, I would highly recommend checking out the Dell Diamond if you are here for a visit or if you are looking for a fun activity for the family.  There is also an adjacent "Fun Zone" for kids with a playground, rock wall, sport court, pool and picnic area, as well as a Texadelphia restaurant on-site. 

Thanks for reading about my evening.  Here is the official website for the Express if you would like to purchase tickets: http://www.roundrockexpress.com/

 Copyright 2008  Austin Texas Real Estate    Jason Crouch