Atlanta Braves Finally Get a Park Built For Baseball And For Fans

It took three tries, but this time the Atlanta Braves got a stadium built for baseball and just as importantly… for the fans.

The memories I carry from Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field are great ones, but neither of those cavernous mammoths were built for baseball and neither was fan-friendly, but utilitarian in nature.

Since 1966, parking, traffic, food and comfort have been lacking in Braves Country when it comes to a night out at the ballpark. Perhaps that’s why when the teams were bad, nobody came to the games. It’s easy to fill stadiums when you win pennants and field several no-doubt hall of famers, but there’s never been much of a reason to come when the baseball wasn’t great.

This time around, it seems that the Braves finally got it right, and built a park meant to specifically serve the two most important ingredients of the baseball business: the players and the fans.

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Just six short months ago a friend and I took my (then) two daughters to the final game at Turner Field, and it was an amazing day, but as I wrote then, it felt more like a graduation than a funeral.

Last season, I wanted to witness the closing of the Ted from the cheap seats as a fan, and experience that with my girls. It really couldn’t have gone any better, so this season I made sure our (now) three girls were at the first-ever game versus the Yankees back on March 31 at SunTrust Park.

In the exhibition game, it was obvious things weren’t quite finished around SunTrust, or the adjacent Battery, but our abbreviated experience was already better than it had ever been at Turner Field in terms of the aforementioned traffic, parking, food and overall comfort.

We arrived at the game by car at 5:30 and hit about 10 minutes of rush hour traffic on I-75 South about five miles above the exit, and once off the freeway, had a relatively smooth trip on surface streets and had pleasant experiences with helpful police officers and friendly parking staff.

SunTrust, complete with friendly and helpful staff, made our time with three kids pleasant and enjoyable with plenty to do and easy access via elevator or escalator to all levels of the ballpark.

If you’re a parent, the new park allows strollers and outside food (with some stipulations), but also has an entire kid-specific area complete with kid-friendly food choices and activities. Mizuno even has a place to borrow a glove for the game.

For the home opener Friday night, I treated the wife to a late birthday gift with a night away, getting a taste of what an out-of-town fan may experience during a trip to see the Braves’ new home.

We stayed at a hotel about a 1.5 miles from SunTrust, and caught an Uber ride to the ballpark around 5:30pm with no issues at all, utilizing the designated Uber drop-off area right outside the stadium. They will need to work on the Uber system for departure from the ballpark, however, but the Braves get a pass only a few games in.

Friday night the traffic, security and ticketing at SunTrust were all noticeably more smooth than they had been two weeks before, but the Battery outside the park still has only a limited selection of eateries and bars open yet, so the ones that were operating were so crowded we would have missed two or three innings trying to get a sit-down dinner.

The walk-up food inside the ballpark is some of the best I’ve ever had at a stadium, having sampled the hot dog, barbecue, and taco stand so far in my SunTrust adventures. The prices for food and drink and alcoholic beverages aren’t outrageous, especially with the improved quality and number of options.

Probably my favorite feature of the new stadium was all of the places to just stand and watch the game. My personal favorite was the view from the Chophouse in right field. The stadium looks, feels and sounds amazing from that particular section.

As much of a baseball fan as I am, I was okay missing a few innings just walking around looking at things, and shopping in the many retail locations around the park. There is some really neat merchandise for sale that I haven’t seen anywhere else. As a Rome Braves beat writer, however, the lack of any of their gear rubbed me the wrong way, but I’ll get over it.

The views from the seats around the ballpark all seem to be pretty excellent, without any major obstructions, but it’s difficult to stay put with so much to explore. I won’t spoil all of the things to do and see, but this weekend the term “Easter egg hunt” seems a timely description for all the amazing surprises stuffed into one building.

For several years the Braves filled fans full of dreams and expectations justifying a brand new ballpark with just two decades in the last one, and many were skeptical about the hype and logistics of it all.

Next: Braves Pay Tribute To Former Manager Bobby Cox With Statue

With two games in the new ballpark under my belt, I would highly suggest any Braves fan (or baseball fan in general) give SunTrust Park a try. I like tradition, and new things aren’t usually my favorite, especially with my beloved baseball, but the Braves got this one right.