Opened: April 6, 2003
Capacity: 5,105
Affiliated with the Atlanta Braves
State Mutual Stadium
On my first trip to Atlanta I needed somewhere to go on Monday night and I was fortunate that the Rome Braves were home. It was hot, it was August 1 after all. The kids had just gone back to school so attendance was sparse at this game. Not unexpected for a Monday night.
How did I get there?
West on Georgia Route 20 and around the bypass to the park. $5 to park. As a side note I stopped to gas up at a station and went in to check out the beer selection. Found Yuengling was cheaper here than in PA, WTF?
Ticket prices
$7 got me in, behind the plate in the box section. Not bad.
Finding my seat and amenities
Not hard to find my seat but I probably could have sat anywhere I wanted to. The park had the usual amenities but on this particular night the ice cream machine was broken. On a positive note the BBQ stand out in right field gave me on the finest in-stadium meals that I have ever had. A full plate of BBQ for I believe $10.
In game experience
It was pretty dull here but then the kids were back in school so there wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm. It didn’t help the visitors walloped the Braves. That was a shame, one of the Braves’ top prospects was pitching that night.
Getting out
I did not stay for the whole game. First the visiting Lexington Legends were annihilating the home town team. I think the final was 17-2. Second a massive thunderstorm was moving in. Lightning was all around and on the radio the EBS said that hail was falling in nearby Cartersville with a tornado watch being issued for the area. I left. It turned out that they played the entire game with no delay. Go figure.
Wrap
This was a pretty nice park, especially since my most frequent stop in this league is Hagerstown. I would have liked a little more time in town and no massive thunderstorm coming through but maybe next time.