Turner Field

Atlanta, Georgia

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

10 miles/15 minutes to Turner Field

WHERE TO STAY?  all options below are within 2 miles of Turner Field

Unlimited Budget

The Ellis Hotel on Peachtree

The Ritz Carlton – Atlanta

Omni Hotel at CNN Center
                                    

Moderate Budget

Atlanta Marriott – Downtown

Hampton Inn & Suites – Atlanta

Holiday Inn Select – Atlanta Conference Center

Chaser Budget Traveler

Country Inn & Suites – Atlanta Downtown (across the street from Turner Field)

Comfort Inn at Turner Field

WHERE TO PARK?

The Braves offer several parking lots surrounding Turner Field. Paid lots range from $8-$20, depending on the distance to the stadium and the day of the week (weekends are more expensive). There are also several independent lots that will provide parking for under $10. If you arrive at least 2 hours before the first pitch, check out the south side of the stadium for a chance at street parking.

Ballpark Chasers Tip: Don’t get fooled into pre-purchasing your parking tickets through Ticketmaster. After Ticketmaster’s “convenience” and “delivery” charges, there is no savings.

WHERE TO EAT?

Because of the location of Turner Field and the surrounding highways, there is only one worth-while option to eat and walk to the stadium. Bullpen Restaurant is located at the southwest gate of Turner Field, offering “Atlanta’s best BBQ and wings”. Ballpark Chasers enjoy their “Kickin Combos”. Restaurants further from the park that require a cab ride include: Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, Six Feet Under and The Varsity. All three options are within 3 miles of Turner Field. Fat Matt’s serves a mean plate of ribs, beans and some of the best mac and cheese we have sampled in all of North America! Six Feet Under is the greenest restaurant in the Atlanta area. From running off of wind energy to eliminating plastic water and soda bottles, Six Feet Under is doing their part in the sustainability movement. Oh, they also serve the best seafood along with a beautiful selection of spirits.  Finally, The Varsity is the country’s biggest drive-in restaurant, serving in the Atlanta area since 1928! Traditional drive-in food can be found at the Varsity. Our favorites include the hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken burgers, salads and shakes.

Once inside Turner Field, the food is just as good! Ballpark Chasers are in heaven with all of the options to choose from. The Chop-House is the Braves center field multi-level restaurant and bar. As for concession stands, our favorites include Skip & Pete’s BBQ, La Taqueria and the Taste of Majors. If you can only do one, Skip & Pete’s is a must!

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS?

The Braves were in the middle of the pack of Major League Baseball attendance over the course of the 2009 season. Consequently, tickets are generally available and easy to come by at the stadium box office before the game. Also, scalpers can be found on Hank Aaron Drive and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, from Pryor Street to the stadium. Unless you are seeing a near sellout or playoff game, always offer 60% of the face value and then negotiate from there.

Ballpark Chasers Tip: 2-1/2 hours before game time, skyline seats go on sale for $1! The only place to purchase is at the ticket office window located next to the museum entrance in Monument Grove. This is a great option if you are more interested in the ballpark than the game.

WHEN TO GO?

You can count on a hot and humid vacation to “Hotlanta” during the summer months. To get a little relief, Ballpark Chasers recommends traveling to Turner Field in late April or any part of May. On average, July tends to bring the most rainfall as well as the hottest temperatures and is therefore best avoided. Because there are no other Major League parks around the Georgia area, we suggest staying for a weekend series in order to ensure seeing a game and not a rainout. There is nothing worse than traveling across the country for a cancelled game.

WHAT ELSE TO SEE?

Open year-round at Turner Field is the Braves Museum and Hall of Fame. The Museum showcases the Braves rich history of professional baseball, dating back to the days of the Milwaukee and Boston Braves. The Braves Museum provides over 600 different artifacts and photos to view, including the 1995 World Series Trophy and Hank Aaron’s 715^th home run bat and ball! The Museum and Hall of Fame opens 2.5 hours prior to the first pitch and closes at the middle of the seventh inning. Admission is just $2 on game days and $5 on non game days.

For those fans of sports museums, check out the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon, Georgia. About a 1.5 hour drive from downtown Atlanta, the GSHF is the largest state sports hall of fame in the country! Traditional and interactive exhibits will provide hours of entertainment.

Another museum not to miss is the Ty Cobb Museum in Royston, Georgia (about a 2 hour drive from Turner Field). Although Cobb was not the most model citizen, he is arguably one of the greatest ballplayers of all time.  The museum houses a theatre, artifacts, memorabilia and photographs of the great “Georgia Peach”. The Museum is open year-round, Monday through Saturday and has a $5 admission fee for adults over the age of 18.

A trip to Atlanta is not complete without visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site. This national historical landmark includes a visitor center and museum, the famous Ebenezer Church, a Gandhi Promenade, the King Center and Dr. King’s birth home and gravesite. Leave at least a half-day to comfortably see the entire MLK historical site.

BALLPARK CHASERS VACATION?

Unfortunately, Turner Field is the lone Major League Ballpark in the area. Ballpark Chasers will make Turner Field a quick weekend trip in order to catch 2 or 3 Braves games while saving time for the local attractions. Another suggestion is seeing Minor League Baseball in the state of Georgia. The Gwinnett Braves and Rome Braves are 40 minutes and 1.5 hours from Turner Field, respectively. Not surprisingly, both teams are Minor League affiliates of the Atlanta Braves. A little further out, on the border of Georgia and Tennessee, lays AT&T Field, home of the Chattanooga Lookouts. The Lookouts are the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Plan a two hour drive from downtown Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tennessee.