It was the final stop on our whirlwind summer baseball tour, and we're very happy to report that it was one of our best experiences yet -- even though the heavens opened up Thursday night and dumped buckets of rain on us.

The view was gorgeous nonetheless.

Campbell's Field is situated on Camden's scenic riverfront, right beneath the venerable Ben Franklin Bridge, which connects Camden to Philadelphia via Interstate 676. The bridge, with its gigantic brick buttresses and arching blue beams, is literally right above the action, just a few feet behind the outfield fence.

The park has the look and the feel of a horse-racing venue, like the world-famous Chruchhill Downs in Kentucky, for example. Giant steeples rise up every couple of feet above the luxury box seats, giving the park a different, but cozy, feel.

We really lucked out with tickets, although Rebecca had a heck of a time purchasing them. She called last week, and after the lady put her on hold for 20 minutes -- yeah, 20 minutes! -- she was able to score us aisle seats in the front row right behind home plate.

There are no general admission tickets at Campbell's Field. Every ticket is a reserved seat, and it won't cost you an arm and a leg. Box seats in the lower level, which we got, are just $9, and upper-level box seats are only $7.

Reserved seats for kids and senior citizens cost just $6.

Campbell's Field offers a cool ticket package for fans who want to get a little closer to the game. For $25, you can get a seat in the front row of the press box, and before the game, you get a tour of the Riversharks' clubhouse.

That's the first time we'd seen that kind of an offer.

And for the first time in a long time, we found some great food and great drinks at some great prices. Unlike Aberdeen or Atlantic City -- where you needed to take out a second mortgage just to buy a stinking hot dog -- prices at Campbell's Field were most affordable.

And your choices are great.

Have you ever gone to a ballpark and ordered a turkey drumstick? Didn't think so. Well they have them here, for $5. They also offer kielbasa and bratwurst sandwiches for just $4. I had the kielbasa -- hold the onions and peppers, please -- and it was wonderful.

And we just couldn't resist ordering fried Oreo cookies.

"Just what in the world is a fried Oreo, exactly?'' I asked the lady.

"It's awesome,'' she told us.

She was right. You take an Oreo, dip it in funnel cake batter, deep fry it and sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Yummy. Worth the $3 you pay for a bag of four.

Hot dogs -- plump, juicy hot dogs -- were just $2. Nachos $4. Veggie burgers and turkey burgers $5. A regular burger or a cheeseburger were the same price, $3.25. And if you're a beer connoisseur, Campbell's Field had the best beer prices we've seen this summer -- $3.50 for a bottle.

Each concession area has its own little theme. You have the Home Run Tavern, the On Deck Circle, the Club House, the Pitcher's Mound, the Foul Line, the Dish, the Dugout, the Batter's Box, and the Coach's Box. Plus Rebecca's favorite, Apollo Pizza, which served up the best ballpark pizza she had this summer.

Want to buy a stuffed hammerhead shark? Then head over to the First Base Shoppe, located on the main concourse behind first base. They have tons of Riversharks' souvenirs, from hats to shirts to sweatshirts to pennants. And plenty of stuffed sharks, of course.

And here are a couple of other bonuses: Campbell's Field is a smoke-free facility. And the bathrooms are very big and very clean. And if you get there a little early, check out -- for no extra charge -- the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame, located just inside the main entrance to the park.

This place is magnificent. So much so that the good folks at [fi]digitalballparks.com[fr] named Campbell's Field their 2003 Ballpark of the Year.

We both agree, wholeheartedly.


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