Atlanta, Georgia

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

10 miles/15 minutes to Turner Field

WHERE TO STAY?  Hotels Near Turner Field (within 2 miles)

 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 Express - Atlanta Downtown

Chaser Budget Traveler

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

Grant Park Hotel at Turner Field

WHERE TO PARK?

The Braves offer several parking lots surrounding Turner Field. Paid lots range from $8-$15, depending on the distance to the ballpark 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 two hours before the first pitch, check out the south side of the stadium for a chance at street parking.

Ballpark Chasers Tip: Pre-purchase your parking ahead of time for additional savings and to guarantee your spot. 

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 ballpark. Bullpen Rib House 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 three 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.

Ballpark Chasers Favorite Bar- Bullpen Rib House

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 Holeman & Finch's Burgers, Smoke House BBQ, La Taqueria and the Taste of Majors. If you can only do one, try a H&F burger as their meat is fresh and never frozen. They also serve great hand-cut fries and homemade milkshakes.

Ballpark Chaser Favorite: visit the Waffle House. Home of the chocolate chip and peanut butter waffle. If that isn't enough to get you going, how about "The Hammer"? Named after Braves legend, Hank Aaron, "The Hammer" is a plate of fried chicken, bacon, cheese, onions and pecan maple mayonnaise held together by two waffles!

New Food for 2016:

BurgerPizza. As the title hints, it’s simply 20 ounces of beef covered in cheddar, carefully placed between a pair of pepperoni pizza pies.

The Punisher. This fried rib meat sandwich is served on a Braves-branded bun and comes loaded with a BBQ sauce and bacon.

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS?

The Braves were in the bottom of the pack of Major League Baseball attendance over the course of the 2015 season. Tickets are generally available and easy to come by at the ballpark box office before the game. Also, scalpers can be found on Hank Aaron Drive and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, from Pryor Street to the ballpark.

Ballpark Chasers recommends pre-purchasing your Braves tickets through TicketMonster.com. 

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.

WHERE TO SIT?

Turner Field offers great views of the Atlanta skyline on the upper seating tiers and from the unique Coca Cola Sky Field area in the left field corner.  Learn more about these one of a kind seats, the impressive entry plaza, and other great seating options using the Turner Field Seating Guide.

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 ballparks around the Georgia area, we suggest staying for a weekend series in order to ensure seeing a game and not a rainout. 

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, $3 for students and $4 for seniors over 61.

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 Chaser Hidden Gem: Atlanta's Georgia Aquarium. As the world's largest aquarium, this attraction hosts more animals than any aquarium. It takes nearly ten million gallons of water for their 60 exhibits, all featured after the greatest zoos and aquariums around the world.

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.