📍 Waldorf, Maryland
⚾ Home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

The Old Line State is a place rich with minor league and independent baseball teams, from mountainous Hagerstown to shoreside Salisbury. But only one club represents the rural southern Maryland suburbs of the nation’s capital: the beloved Blue Crabs, named for the official state crustacean. Competing in the independent Atlantic League since their creation in 2008, the Blue Crabs have called Regency Furniture Stadium – one of the circuit’s most unique ballparks – their home throughout their existence.

Located in the community of Waldorf about 30 miles south of DC, Regency Furniture Stadium is a homey, beach-themed ballpark with many unparalleled amenities. The venue’s main architectural feature is its angled roof, which resembles the region’s many tobacco barns. Lifeguard chairs and classic seaside paneling don the ballpark’s exterior, despite being about 25 driving miles from the Chesapeake Bay; the closest place to get wet, however, is inside the stadium itself. Thanks to a small pond behind the left field wall called Crabby Cove, fans have the chance to ride around in bumper boats and soak their unsuspecting friends and family, a fantastic and fun element not often seen anywhere else. A half-sized asphalt basketball court also sits directly next to Crabby Cove, resulting in a strange spot where two sports collide.

In the infield, the stadium boasts an extremely strange seating configuration, with seats on both the first and third base sides curving towards the plate just beyond the bases. This makes the diamond feel pretty intimate – which is certainly exciting and different – but completely obstructs fans’ view of most of the outfield, including the right field scoreboard for folks down the first base line. The ballpark, despite being less than two decades old, also shows some serious signs of aging, with peeling paint and seemingly unkempt infrastructure really detracting from the overall experience. There’s also an astonishing lack of trash cans on the concourse, another small frustration.

Regency Furniture Stadium does offer a decent array of food options, though. In addition to classic seaside flavors like crab cakes and crab hot dogs, the ballpark features stands from local favorites like Nicolletti’s Pizza, a staple based in nearby California, Maryland. There’s also Cooper’s Creamery, which serves up soft serve ice cream and fruity Dole Whip.

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While it may not be the most glamorous, Regency Furniture Stadium is definitely a one-of-a-kind Atlantic League facility. If some real success ever comes the Blue Crabs’ way, perhaps some much needed upgrades will help boost attendance and unlock the venue’s full potential as a standout independent ballpark.