Fan-Friendly Turner Field
Official Review by Wes Holtzclaw, Stadium Journey Correspondent
3 Comments | 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The home of the Atlanta Braves, Turner Field, is located in Atlanta, GA at 755 Hank Aaron Dr. SW., right beside the Olympic Park of 1996 Olympic Games. Turner Field was built in 1996 and officially opened in 1997.
What is FANFARE?
The FANFARE scale is our metric device for rating each stadium experience. It covers the following:
- Food & Beverage
- Atmosphere
- Neighborhood
- Fans
- Access
- Return on Investment
- Extras
Each area is rated from 0 to 5 stars with 5 being the best. The overall composite score is the "FANFARE Score".
Food & Beverage 



5/5
Once inside the stadium you notice several restaurants: Smokehouse BBQ, Johnny Bravo Diner, A Taste of the Majors and The Braves Chop House, which has three levels and for the top two you must be 21 to enter. There are also several places to get your classic food and beverage items throughout the stadium. There aren’t many places like Turner Field where you can get a grilled chicken quesadilla, shrimp basket, and a BBQ plate that includes ribs and turkey legs.
Atmosphere 



5/5
The Braves organization is the longest continuously running franchise in baseball history and you can feel the history when you walk into the stadium. Statues of Braves greats Warren Spahn, Phil Niekro and “Hammerin” Hank Aaron join a statue of Georgia native Ty Cobb throughout the main entrance.
Neighborhood 



3/5
There is not much around the stadium as far as food goes, but I did find a couple of great places to eat about a mile and half away. There is an Italian eatery called Grant Central Pizza located at 451 Cherokee Ave SE. They serve the best pizza and calzones in the state of Georgia. They use only fresh ingredients in everything they make and their homemade marinara sauce is especially good. They have a full bar and serve mainly specialty beers including Blue Moon, Samuel Adams, Fat Tire and other Lagers. Prices on the food: $1.50 a slice for pizza, $10-$16 for a whole pizza and $6 for a calzone. Beer prices: $4 on most and $7 on Fat Tire.
Right across the street from Grant Central Pizza is Dakota Blue located at 454 Cherokee Avenue. Dakota Blue is a Mexican/American style restaurant. They serve all kinds of burritos, quesadillas and nachos, as well as burgers and all kinds of sandwiches. Many feel their Cuban sandwich is the best. Prices on the food: $4.50-$6.25 per burrito, $5.50-$6.50 per quesadilla, sandwiches $5.50-$7.50 and burgers are $6-$7. They serve a variety of beer and mixed drinks including margaritas and bloody marys. Beer and mixed drink prices: beers are $4 and mixed drinks are $4-$6.50.
Fans 



5/5
Braves fans are awesome. They are very knowledgeable about the game of baseball.
Access 



5/5
Parking costs range from $5 to $12 with the $12 parking getting you right across the street from the stadium. Parking seemed very reasonable, especially up close to the stadium. The main parking lot is where old Fulton Co. Stadium use to stand with a marker that shows exactly where Hank Aaron’s homerun No. 715 landed.
Return on Investment 



4/5
I would not go much higher on the prices of the tickets or food.
Extras 



5/5
If the kids need a break there is the Cartoon Network play zone and there are TVs scattered throughout the stadium.
Final Thoughts
Turner Field ranks high on the list of places to take your family to watch a ballgame. Even though Turner Field has an old-time feel when you walk up, once you enter the stadium you can tell it is a state of the art facility. I have sat in just about all the sections of the stadium and there is not a bad seat in the house. I did not run into that dreaded “drunk” that felt like he knew everything in any part of the stadium. I feel that is very important when going to a game with young children. This is a great place to enjoy the classic baseball experience. Take the guys or take your family; either way you’ll have a fantastic time.
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Crowd Reviews
1 Fan Reviews |
?? Average Fanfare Score
Bang for your buck!!!
Member Review by kschoenbach on Apr 19, 2010
My wife and I took a pilgrimmage to see our beloved Cubbies take on the Bravos two summers ago. I will remember this trip forever for a few reasons. First off, I was surprised by how easy it was to get cheap tickets, way cless expensive then face value. Ebay was littered with cheap tickets for great seats, and the Cubs are one of the best away draws in the MLB. I put ta $25 minimum bid on two seast 5 rows from the dugout, and not only did I win, I was the only person to even bid. Season ticket holders sell their seats all the time, and deals can be had. Plus, this included free valet parking (an experience I never had at a baseball game before), and free entrance to their luxury restaraunt area. This came in handy because the night we whent for our game, it rained like crazy, and we were able to hang out with some great food and frosty beverages while they proceeded to cancel the game. Not to worry though, when we went back the next day, we saw a great game, and the Cubs hammered 'em 10-2. A great bonus about our seats was that we didn't just have your usual hot dog and beer vendors, we had waiters that took our order. The food ranged from standard ballpark grub to a bit more fancy stuff...I think I had a pulled pork sandwich which was great. The parking situation was easy in and out both days, and though there it not much right next to the park, downtown ATL is a short drive away, with the incredible Georgia Aquarium, way overrated Coke Museum, and a middle of the road CNN building. Fans are notorious for being not great here, and we were the only people even close to us, but I don't need fans cheering to have a great time. It is hard to imagine getting a better value for my money then at Turner Field.
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(1 of 1 people found this review helpful)
Fall Classic at Turner Field
I would love to see the world series return to Turner Field, and the city of Atlanta. I really hope Braves management pulls out all the stops to try and get Bobby Cox a World Series ring in his final managerial season.
by paul (Rookie) | Jul 14, 2010
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RE: Fall Classic at Turner Field
Paul, I echo this sentiment. The Braves, more than any other organization in our city, consistently mean the most to the population. What I'm really loving about this season is that people of my generation, who are so fickle that they sometimes forget we have teams of all four major sports, are in love with the team, talking about the team, and making Turner Field a place to be any day of the week.
by jmccurdy (Rookie) | Jul 16, 2010
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