Q4: How Do You Get to SunTrust Park?
Okay, Let’s say that I’m from out of town… and I am, in fact. I want to come to a Braves’ game in 2017. The drill for getting to Turner Field has been figured out, but this SunTrust Park location is a whole ‘nother ballgame.
How do I do this?
Heck, the last time I attended a game in Atlanta, my hotel was way out west near the end of the MARTA line. I just parked at a station and rode in on the train.
Seriously… that was it.
Not being entirely fazed at this result, I went further.
I tried Facebook… there’s a SunTrust Park site. Last post was October 3rd… kinda like our Facebook site (that’s my fault).
But there is an address now: 1100 Circle 75 Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339. Weird… doesn’t exactly scream “755 Hank Aaron Drive”, but okay.
The Braves’ live webcam is cool – shows that the playing surface is starting to take shape now. You can even tell where grass will be and the warning track areas. But the angle shows nothing about entry or egress to the area unless you are wearing a hard hat and pulling a lift truck.
When you click on the map-let there, a window pops up with a “Get Directions” button. That links to a “wego.here.com” map. There’s interesting hashed lines on that map… do those roads exist?
Conclusions? Not Sure Yet
- If I’m coming from Rome, I’d go South out of town to US 411, then East to I-75 and down from there.
- From Chattanooga, it’s I-75 all the way; for the rest of Tennessee and the NE corner of Alabama, find Chattanooga first.
- From NE Georgia and Western N. Carolina… it’s just ugly. If you can get to Kennesaw and their I-75 access, do it. Otherwise find your way to US19 through Alpharetta or I-985 (Gainsville to Flowery Branch… requires hitting I-285 for a spell)
- The rest of NC or South Carolina? Pick your poison: I-85 or I-20 to I-285, then go counterclockwise around the outer perimeter.
- South Georgia and Florida. I-75 north until you hit the city, then God be with you.
- South Alabama: I-85 to I-285, then clockwise.
- The rest of Alabama: I-20 East to I-285, then clockwise.
That’s the easy part.
In short: the trick then is what to do once you arrive near the intersection of I-75 and I-285. How do I get from “up there” to “down THERE“?
Visitors – especially – will need to know soon.
I go to AtlantaBraves.com and there’s a SunTrust Park tab. Directions? No… but here’s an information guide. Maybe there’s directions there? Nope.
A Walk in the Park? No, Greer Howard doesn’t say anything about how to get there. But you can buy a brick!
Sure, there are going to be signs… there are at least 2 parking garages… but in all honesty, it’s about time that the Braves starting publicizing the actual routes to the stadium, including parking considerations with walking distances and tram shuttle locations… we’re down to less than four months away… and barely over three months from the first exhibition game at the end of March.