Mark Schuster isn't shy when boasting about QuikTrip Park at Grand Prairie.

"It's going to be the nicest ballpark in our league and one of the nicest in independent baseball," said Mr. Schuster, the Grand Prairie AirHogs' managing partner.

The $20 million project features a full-service restaurant in left field, a swimming pool in right, a cigar bar, seating for 4,000 and lawn seating for 2,000.

"The ballpark is a gem," Mr. Schuster said. "It's very fan-friendly, and there's something for everybody."

Even if you're not a baseball fan.

The AirHogs will play 48 home games at the stadium. But what transforms the minor league ballpark from an ordinary baseball diamond to an entertainment venue is the 15,000-square-foot playground. It will feature a performing arts stage for concerts, climbing structures, a Wiffle Ball field and a putting course.

"Dallas people are accustomed to first-class, and if you don't do it that way, they don't come. I really believe we built that kind of facility," Grand Prairie Mayor Charles England said.

With long, sweeping arches and a corrugated metal façade, the stadium resembles an airplane hangar. It's a show of respect to the role aviation has played in the city's history.

The stadium also adds another venue to Grand Prairie's entertainment district, joining horse racing at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie and Nokia Theatre along Interstate 30 and Belt Line Road. All the facilities are owned by the Grand Prairie Sports Facilities Development Corp., a city-appointed board.

"It adds one more attraction that Grand Prairie has to use to market our hotels and attractions," said tourism manager Randy Sisson of the Grand Prairie Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We're pretty fortunate. A lot of the cities around us have the hotels but not the attractions."

The ballpark, which debuts with the AirHogs' home opener Friday, is expected to attract 300,000 people each year and create more than 200 jobs.

Voters approved an eighth-cent sales tax last year to help fund the stadium. In turn, the stadium will give a portion of its revenues to the Sports Corp.

While QuikTrip Park at Grand Prairie is not the major league venue that attracts millions just a few miles away in Arlington, it will serve fans who want an affordable alternative, with general admission tickets priced at $6.

"We're going to be just fine in our stadium doing our little thing: making people have fun," Mr. Schuster said. "If they walk out of the ballpark with a smile on their face, we've done our job."