Photos by Ashvin Lad, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.29
Grayson Stadium 1401 E. Victory Dr. Savannah, GA 31404
Year Opened: 1926/1941 Capacity: 5,000
Welcome to Bananaland
The Savannah Bananas have taken the country by storm with their brand of baseball called Banana Ball. They incorporated 11 distinct rules that allow for a fast-paced game, fan interaction, and a 2-hour time clock to set it apart from a traditional game. Historic Grayson Stadium becomes Banana Land on game days.
The stadium opened in 1926 and was the home to multiple minor league teams until 2015 when the Savannah Sand Gnats relocated to a Segra Park in Columbia, South Carolina. The Bananas moved in the following year as members of the Coastal Plain League, hoping to bring fans back to the stadium.
The club soon began developing quirky gimmicks and promotions during home games. Owner Jesse Cole donned a yellow tuxedo and top hat and interacted with the crowd through song and dance. Soon, the Bananas added a grandma coach who brings out a tray of tea and cookies, a luchador (professional wrestler) coach, a fire-breather, a stilt walker, a breakdancing coach, and a circus performer.
Banana Ball was developed in 2018 and played in front of a home crowd in 2020, soon it was what the fans expected to see at games. The team would play its regular summer collegiate schedule with a mix of Banana Ball but opted with the latter when it left the CPL and began barnstorming full-time for the 2023 season.
The Bananas have not looked back since.
Food & Beverage 4
The Bananas offer an all-you-can-eat with the purchase of a ticket to a game. The food options are served grab-and-go in three locations: main concession, right field concession, and open container concession booths.
The entrees include hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, and veggie burgers. The snacks include cookies, chips, and popcorn; while the drinks include bottled water and Coke products.
The three concession areas also provide additional menu options such as nachos, chili cheese dogs, soft pretzels, roasted peanuts, French fries, and garbage can nachos. If you have room for dessert, local Leopold’s ice cream offers flavors of vanilla, chocolate, mint chocolate chip, bananas foster, and banana split. There are also seven varieties of Dippin’ Dots for the little kids.
Garbage Plate Nachos, Photo Courtesy of the Savannah Bananas
The ballpark has multiple areas to purchase an alcoholic beverage from canned drinks, mixed drinks, specialty cocktails, and draft beers. At the game, you can grab beverages from various spots including Split’s Bar, Left Field Landing Bar, Thirst Base Beer, Top Deck Bar, and the Craft Corners.
The Top Deck Bar features an assortment of canned drinks that includes the common Bud Light, Corona Extra, Modelo, and Michelob Ultra, but also the local Classic City Lager, Cutwater Margarita, 3 Taverns Rapturous, and Service City Banana Beer. Mixed drinks include Jack & Coke, Gin & Tonic, Moscow Mule, and Titos & Lemonade.
Based on the team’s official website, the three signature items to try at a game are the Banana Beer, Banana Split Soda, and the Slippery Banana.
Banana Ball Rules, Photo Courtesy of the Savannah Bananas
Atmosphere 5
When minor league baseball left Grayson Stadium, they left it in good condition for a future team. However, what the Bananas have been able to create was beyond anyone’s expectations. The only way to describe the atmosphere is one big party with 5,000 friends.
Fans line up outside the main entrance in the party plaza three hours before the game. The pre-game entertainment features a parade, music, games, and opportunities to interact with the players. Once inside, the party continues, including the stadium’s host, The Young Professor. He engages with the audience, introduces players, and commentates on several activities before the game. There is also the throwing of the first banana (instead of the first pitch) from a lucky fan.
It is then a 2-hour party, featuring a combination of choreographed dancing, scoring celebrations, fan involvement, and trick plays. The bottom of each inning is played as if it were the bottom of the 9th. You might witness multiple walk-off celebrations by the Bananas, or instances during the game where the umpire, the infield players, or both teams join together in dance.
Speaking of dancing, there is plenty of that from the Banana Nanas (a senior citizens dance team), the Man-Nanas (the dad-bod cheerleaders), and the “Hey, Baby” dance where Cole leads the entire stadium in a choreographed dance that lasts for 90 seconds.
Neighborhood 4
Grayson Stadium is located in Midtown, about 6 miles from the Historic Landmark District that is the hub of Savannah. The district offers 22 park squares, museums, monuments, restored 18th-century homes, shops, and over 100 restaurants. Visitors can take a ghost tour, take a ferry ride on the Savannah River, or stroll down the cobblestone streets of River Street with an open container.
The Eastern Wharf District is a vibrant waterfront neighborhood with stunning river views. The Victorian District is a 50-block neighborhood of Victorian homes and beautiful grounds and fountains, and the Canal District is home to the Emarket Arena and the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL.
Ferry Boat Ride on the Savannah River, Photo by Marc Viquez, Stadium Journey
Southern hospitality can be found everywhere in town, along with homemade Southern cuisine, fresh seafood, and live music. The Shrimp Factory, Vics on the River, The Olde Pink House, Alligator Soul, and Tubby’s are recommended. Various rooftop bars, including Electric Moon, Rocks on the Roof, and Top Deck, highlight the nightlife in Savannah.
Fans 5
Grayson Stadium seats 5,000 people and is sold out for every Banana game during the season. The fans attend early for pre-game festivities outside the ballpark and are decked out in team gear from head to toe. The fanbase is impressive with a wait list that could fill the ballpark double its size. The Bananas are not just loved in Savannah but have become a national brand with fans across the country.
Pre-game festivities in the party plaza, Photo Courtesy of Ashvin Lad
Access 3
Grayson Stadium has two main entrances: the third base gate and the first base gate; the latter also serves as the VIB entrance. The main entrance party plaza is behind the backstop, with open seating areas in right and left field, on the right field deck, and behind the reserved seats behind home plate.
The games attract 5,000 fans and lines for concessions and merchandise will be long. However, concourse areas in the seating bowl allow for movement during the game and several seating areas are properly spaced around the ballpark.
Return on Investment 4
An open seating ticket costs $35, and a VIB Experience ticket is $75 when purchased from the team's official website However, tickets sell out fast due to demand if purchased on a secondary website, expect to pay double to triple the price. Children under 3 years old are admitted free to games.
VIB tickets are available to everyone through the K-Club, group open seating, and the ticket lottery system. Fans get early entry and the best seat in the ballpark. They will also get to greet Bananas players before they take the field.
There are multiple free parking areas around the stadium including the grass lot behind the ballpark, Daffin Park Drive (street parking), Fresenius Kidney Care (Victory Drive and E. 42nd St.), and the grass lot between the tennis courts and soccer field on Victory Drive.
Extras 5
The garbage can nachos are served on top of a garbage can that can feed a whole family of four. It includes nachos topped with cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken, jalapenos, and cheese.
The Bananas have plenty of traditions, including throwing out the first banana and honoring the Banana Baby to the tune of The Lion King. You can see the influence at other sporting events throughout the nation.
Every game the ball club honors the Banana Baby, Marc Viquez, Stadium Journey
If you like to dance, this is the place to be from the Banana Nanas, the Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad, and Banana Splitz, a youth dance team. There is also plenty of dancing by the coaches and players during the game.
The cast of characters includes Maceo Harrison, a breakdancing base coach; Dakota Albritton, who bats on stilts; DJ The Invader, who wears a space helmet; Mat Wolf, the Rodeo Clown; Cowboy Kyle, who’s the one with the yellow cowboy hat; and Zach Phillips who tears his sleeves off his jersey.
Final Thoughts
A Savannah Bananas game is unlike any baseball event in the world. The team has taken the baseball world by storm and can be seen on their barnstorming tours from coast to coast. However, if you can grab a ticket to see them at Grayson Stadium, it is worth the price of admission.
-----
Follow Marc’s stadium journeys on Twitter @ballparkhunter and his YouTube channel. Email at Marc.Viquez@stadiumjourney.com
Comments