Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86
SRP Park
187 Railroad Avenue
North Augusta, SC 29841
Year Opened: 2018 Capacity: 5,000
The GreenJackets Home Hive
The Augusta GreenJackets are the Class Low A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play in the Carolina League. Their home hive is SRP Park in North Augusta, SC. It opened in 2018 and has a seating capacity of 4,782. The field dimensions are 330 LF, 395CF, and 318RF. The venue has 10 suites, with one suite available on a game-by-game basis.
There is a long baseball tradition in the area, as the GreenJackets have been the farm team for the Atlanta Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Boston Red Sox, and the San Francisco Giants. Among the 28 players who have played for the GreenJackets and gone on to the MLB are Adam Duvall, Sergio Romo, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Madison Bumgarner, Pablo Sandoval, and Tim Wakefield.
Food & Beverage 4
There are four concession stands located around the SRP Park concourse. Each of the stands offers ballpark standards but also sells food items unique to that stand.
Bee Sweet Ice Cream - This stand is located behind home plate. It offers all types of frozen treats and sweets.
Back Nine Grill - Offers hot dogs, chicken fingers, nachos, fries, Carolina dogs (a beef hot dog served with pimento cheese, a spicy sauce and pulled pork). This stand also has pimento cheese sandwiches.
The Bee-stro - Offers cheeseburgers, hot dogs and BBQ sandwiches.
McGavins – Offers tacos and burritos.
The Southbound Smokehouse offers sit-down service and a wide menu of BBQ items.
The Sweetwater Beer Garden offers a wide range of craft beers.
The park has Thirsty Thursday specials, with $2 beers and $4 soft drinks.
Food can be ordered remotely by using the Appetize app. This saves you from getting in a lengthy line at the concession stand. All concession stands and the Hive Pro Shop operates on a cashless basis.
Atmosphere 4
When you first see SRP Park, it is hard to believe it is a Low-Class A ballpark. It offers amenities typically found in AAA parks. First, you’ll notice the quality of the construction of the venue. It features a well-designed concourse that is wide and open towards the field. It features a grass berm down one baseline and a beer garden and terraced seating down the other baseline. Instead of one or two concession stands, it offers four stands that carry far beyond just the typical stadium fare. The seating bowl is so close to the field that you are never more than 15 rows from the action. The electronics package at SRP Park is also very impressive. It has a concert quality sound system and there is a huge videoboard in center field.
All of this adds up to a quality experience for the family when you attend a GreenJacket baseball game. However, SRP also plays a significant role in the community. The stadium hosts charity events throughout the year, as well as concerts, the beginning of the school-year events, and other gatherings of interest to the community. In other words, the GreenJackets home hive has a heart for service to the community.
Neighborhood 5
The home of the GreenJackets is the centerpiece of a planned community known as Riverside Village at Hammond Ferry. This live/work/play neighborhood lies along the Savannah River on the South Carolina side of the river. It includes apartments, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, office space, shops, and restaurants. There are three restaurants adjacent to the ballpark, including the Southbound Smokehouse, Brinkley’s Chop House, and the Rio Cantina. All three restaurants feature views into the ballpark.
SRP Park also takes advantage of its proximity to the river with a unique feature just over the right field wall. The Taxslayer Terrace is an elevated platform that provides fans an overview of the baseball action if you look one way and a great view of the North Augusta Greenway, the Savannah River, and the city of Augusta, GA if you look the other way.
Fans 4
Fans are feeling the love for both SRP Park and the GreenJacket team as attendance has increased more than 48% since the move from Lake Olmstead Park across the river to SRP Park. Season ticket sales continue to rise each succeeding season. Fans appreciate the much more comfortable seats as opposed to the former bleacher seating. The upgrades in the electronic package offered through the move have also been quite popular. The fans enjoy seeing themselves and their friends on the 22’ X 42’ videoboard in the outfield.
Soldiers at the nearby Ft. Gordon Army installation are big fans of the GreenJackets. The team in turn offers tickets to soldiers in the area each Warrior Wednesday and honors a soldier each game with a Salute to a Soldier.
The community is very appreciative of the team’s efforts away from the ballpark in visiting the area’s schools, nursing homes, and churches.
Access 3
SRP Park is very easy to get to from either downtown Augusta, GA or via I-20.
Parking is the Achilles heel of the stadium. There is a parking deck just outside SRP Ballpark on the left-field side of the complex. This parking area tends to fill very quickly. You then resort to using one of the offsite parking areas in downtown North Augusta, SC. It is best to consult the GreenJackets website, for a map of these remote locations. You will not have a long walk, as golf carts will transport you to and from the stadium.
Once you arrive at SRP Park, you will find the stadium to be very accessible. Entry is available through any of the three gates into the stadium. Gates open one hour before the first pitch on weekdays and 90 minutes before the game on weekend games. All seats are located below the concourse, which runs 360 degrees around the field. The signage along the concourse is very clear and the marking for each aisle is easy to follow.
Many people choose to watch at least part of the games from beyond the outfield walls in the ballpark. There are no seats in these areas, but drink rails are provided. This offers a unique view of the action on the field, and usually, it is not crowded.
Return on Investment 4
SRP Park offers tickets at multiple price points. They include $15 for tickets behind home plate, $13 for seats behind the dugouts, $11 for seats along the right/left base lines and $10 for standing room only/general admission on the berm near the left field foul pole. Special discounts are offered to first responders on Tuesdays and military personnel on Wednesdays. Augusta is home to Fort Gordon, a major military base.
Parking is $5 in the ballpark parking deck, or any of the remote locations in downtown North Augusta, SC. Golf cart shuttles will transport fans to and from the ballpark from these remote locations.
Extras 3
SRP Park is built in the shape of the state of South Carolina.
Augusta has a long-standing love affair with Pimento cheese sandwiches. This is because it is one of the most popular foods available at The Masters Golf Tournament. The GreenJackets serve Pimento cheese sandwiches throughout the baseball season. They also serve Pimento cheese hot dogs and Pimento cheese hamburgers.
Each year the team changes into their alter ego of the Augusta Pimento Cheeses. They wear Pimento cheese-themed uniforms, which are auctioned for charity after the game.
SRP Park received the Ballpark of the Year awards from both the Ballpark Digest and Ballparks.com when it opened in 2018.
Final Thoughts
SRP Park and the GreenJackets continue to generate buzz in the minor-league baseball community. The facility offers amenities that are not usually found in Low Class A level stadiums. These amenities include theatre-style seating, a 360-degree concourse, a top-of-the-line video board in the outfield, and terrific views of both the field and the Savannah River thanks to the TaxSlayer Terrace in right field.
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