The Carolina Mud Cats, a Double A affiliate of Florida, play in Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC. The team was brought to Zebulon from Columbus, GA in 1991. The stadium is located here so it is over 30 miles from the nearest other minor league team, the Durham Bulls. This is a really nice stadium with all comfortable seats seating 6,500. The upper level seating has a three step rise, so the fan's view is not obstructed by fans in front. There is a nice concourse under the upper level seating with plenty of space to wander. You can stand behind the lower level seating to observe play of the game. The main part of the stadium was completed in 2000 and there will be some more improvements made before the 2004 season. The stadium was constructed by the City of Zebulon in cooperation with Wake County and the City of Raleigh. The Mudcats played the Orlando Rays. Mudcats got off to an early lead, scoring 5 runs in the first three innings. They went on to win a shut-out 8-0. The box score was Rays R-0, H-3, E-1 and Mudcats R-8, H-11, E-1. My call would have been E-3 for the Rays, but the hometown scorer was being nice. The field lines are RF & LF-330' and CF-400'. We appreciated the recognition that the team pays to the military. When Jim asked about the military ticket price, indicated at $1 off at the ticket stand, the ticket man said "Oh, military get free tickets." When Jim went into the Souvenir Shop wearing his M's cap and jacket, Amy of the Mudcats' office staff asked him if he was an M's fan. Amy, a Seattleite and a big M's fan, moved here this year to join the Mudcats' staff. She is writing a baseball column for the local paper, so came up in the stands to talk with us. Jim appreciates that she was able to get him a Southern League game ball. John Rocker, on a pitching assignment from Tampa Bay, pitched the 8th inning (picture in row 4). He gave up three unearned runs due to poor fielding. The mascot is Muddy, a catfish. 2009 affiliated with Cincinnati Reds. AA team in 2012 moved to Pensacola, Fl and became the Blue Wahoos. The Kinston Single A team moved in 2012 and took the Mudcats name. Affiliated with Atlanta in 2015 and then Milwaukie in 2017. 2021--Affiliated with Milwaukie. Low-A playing East League, Central Division.
Attractions
In Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of History has exhibits that capture the spirit of North Carolina and its people. Long-term exhibits highlight the state's Civil War days, healing systems, and the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame. Free

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences included are the world's only Acrocanthosaurua dinosaur, a two-story waterfall, and the Living Conservatory with hummingbirds and butterflies. Free CSS Neuse State Historic site has the recovered remains of the CSS Neuse, one of two remaining Confederate ironclads.