A night at Polar Park, home to the Boston Red Sox minor league affiliate affectionately called the Woo Sox, is most definitely a night spent in Worcester. Sure the stadium, nestled into central Massachusetts' largest city features all of the things that make minor league baseball appealing: small and intimate stadium, mascots and crowd participation, and a chance to see baseball's top prospects before they become superstars. But Polar Park manages to deliver all of that in a distinctly Worcester-themed package.

As fans approach the park on Madison St. they are greeted by the famed Smiley Face design created by artist, and Worcester native, Harvey Ball. Created on commission for an insurance company in 1964, the friendly logo can be found throughout the park. There is even a mascot, Smiley, helping to put that smile on the face of visiting fans.

The small venue - the park seats less than 10,000 - satisfies the fans' desire for an intimate viewing experience. No seat is more than twenty rows from the field, and sightlines are fantastic from virtually all of them. From the picnic-style seating in the outfield berm to the infield grandstand, seating offers fans something that might seem extravagant in a Major League ballpark.

This kind of proximity not only ensures that fans are close to the action but close to their favorite players.

The concourse is loaded with local delights. And it is open to the park which means fans won't have to miss a thing when they head up for something to eat or drink. This is where Worcester really shows itself in the park.

Throughout the park, Worcester flourishes abound. There are references to Red Sox legend Ted Williams, who hit his first home run for the Sox in an exhibition game against Holy Cross at nearby Fitton Field. As well as murals in honor of historic Worcester businesses like Table Talk Pies. But where Worcester really leaves its mark is with the food and drink.

From the beers and hard seltzer to the pizza and hot dogs, there are Worcester-made options for all taste buds. And unlike many major league parks that have national vendors offering their versions of local cuisine, Polar Park features food and beverages provided by the original local purveyors.

Two breweries that call the city home are featured prominently at concession stands - Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company and Wormtown Brewing. Each can be found in cans and on draft, along with seltzers, hard or original, from the park's namesake, Polar Beverages, also a Worcester original.

The food is where the city really shines. Ask Worcester natives where to get pizza and they will likely say The Wonder Bar. Ask the same locals about hot dogs, and they will all say George's Coney Island.

The Wonder Bar has been a staple in Worcester since it opened in 1922 when it sold a pizza for 35 cents. After a change in ownership in 2015, it has maintained its hold as one of the city's top pizzas, and now Woo Sox fans can buy it by the slice, ready to go, or after a short wait, walk away with a whole pizza. Only instead of spending 35 cents, this time around it goes for $38.

The ballpark markup isn't nearly as extreme at Coney Island. The original location, not much more than home-run-distance from Polar Park, on Southbridge St. offers their dogs - either "The Garden" (mustard, ketchup, onions, relish) or "The Works" (chili sauce, mustard, onions) - for about $2.25.

In the stadium, they are $4. But it is not the price that prevents fans from experiencing the Worcester delight that is the Coney Island Dog. It is the crowd. No matter the inning, the line for a hot dog is often longer than the line to get in the park.

With a little taste of Worcester in hand, be it beer, hot dog, or both, Woo Sox fans can head back to their seats to root, root, root for the home team. There they can enjoy the cozy confines of Polar Park that bring them closer to the action, the joyful antics of Smiley, the glow of baseball's rising stars, and a night out in Worcester.