• Overview of a baseball field with text saying "My night with the Gwinnett Stripers" overlaying the image.
    ballparks,  Georgia

    My night with the Gwinnett Stripers – June 19, 2019

    There are a lot of reasons to revisit a ballpark.  A fan may return regularly to a stadium because its his favorite team.  Another fan may return regularly because its the closest ballpark to her house.  I returned to Coolray Field recently because I wanted to see the re-branded Gwinnett Stripers.  Before the 2018 season, the Gwinnett Braves ditched their parent club’s moniker in favor of a more unique identity as the Stripers.  I previously wrote about attending a G-Braves game in 2014 (read it here), but felt like I needed to revisit Coolray Field to see what changed following the team’s re-branding. Arriving at the ballpark Like many places…

  • craft beer,  Georgia

    A pint at Jekyll Brewing in Alpharetta, Ga.

    Neolocalism is rich at craft breweries across the country.  Many draw from their hometown or nearby places as inspiration for the brewery’s name and regularly pull from the same places and histories for their beer names.  However, Jekyll Brewing in Alpharetta, Ga., takes a unique twist on the inspiration and draws from an island over 350 miles away on the Georgia coast. Jekyll Island, which is a barrier island that is part of Georgia’s Golden Isles, is a popular vacation destination for Atlanta-area residents.  Despite drawing its inspiration from Jekyll Island, the brewery that Michael Lundmark and Josh Rachel established in 2013 focuses on the island’s role in the history…

  • craft beer,  Georgia

    A pint at Eventide Brewing in Atlanta, Ga.

    On the edge of Grant Park in downtown Atlanta, a trio of college friends opened a brewery.  Nathan, Haley, and Geoffrey met while undergraduate students in Statesboro, Ga.  Years later they opened Eventide Brewing. The brewery sits on the edge of a residential area, so it has a built-in clientele within walking distance.  Additionally, the brewery is not far from the Atlanta BeltLine, which is a rail-to-trail corridor under development around the center of Atlanta.  As more of the trail system is completed, Eventide will be connected to more residents who can ride their walks to the brewery. When visitors arrive at the brewery they see this… Due to construction across…

  • ballparks,  Georgia

    My night with the Atlanta Braves – Aug. 29, 2015

    When you grow up in a city you rarely take the time to visit the sights because those are the things tourists do.  As someone who grew up in metro Atlanta and worked at Turner Field for many years until recently, it was not a baseball stadiums I sought to include in my blog because it was always going to be there and I’d get to it sometime. That “sometime” came recently after winning three free tickets to see the New York Yankees play the Atlanta Braves on August 29.  So when making plans for a weekend trip to Atlanta I made sure to bring my camera, arrive early, and…

  • ballparks,  Georgia

    My night with the Rome Braves – June 26, 2015

    Over a year ago I made a New Year’s resolution to visit all four Minor League Baseball teams in Georgia. In 2014, I resolve to visit all four Georgia @MiLB teams: @GreenJackets, @GwinnettBraves, @TheRomeBraves, and @gnatsbaseball. #PlayBall — Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January 1, 2014 I failed miserably because I only visited the Gwinnett Braves last year (read more here).  Wanting to avoid a repeat, I did not make that resolution this year.  However, this summer I finally fulfilled my goals and saw all four of Georgia’s Minor League Baseball teams in a single summer. After visiting Gwinnett, Augusta (read more here), and Savannah (read more here), I only had Rome left…

  • ballparks,  Georgia

    My night with the Savannah Sand Gnats – June 17, 2015

    Following the announcement in late May that the Savannah Sand Gnats are moving to Columbia, S.C., for the 2016 season (read the story here) I set a goal of seeing the Sand Gnats before they left town.  With the goal of seeing the Sand Gnats before they moved, I made a three-day trek and saw the Augusta GreenJackets (read about it here) before catching the Sand Gnats at Grayson Stadium. So when arriving at Grayson Stadium for the rest of the 2015 season fans are greeted by this image… Main entrance. The Sand Gnats fenced off the entrance plaza to create more entertainment space, so it’s difficult to see the stadium marquee…

  • ballparks,  Georgia

    My night with the Augusta GreenJackets – June 16, 2015

    One great thing about growing up in metro Atlanta is the amount of Minor League Baseball teams within a day’s drive.  One of the worst things about growing up in metro Atlanta is having to decide which teams to visit.  Having to choose which teams to visit has led me to only recently seeing the Augusta GreenJackets in action last week. By the time I made it to Lake Olmstead Stadium for my first game I had read up on the place from my favorite MiLB blogger, Ben Hill (read his visit here), and consulted my trusted copy of The Ultimate Minor League Baseball Road Trip by Josh Pahigian.  So…

  • ballparks,  Georgia

    My night with the Gwinnett Braves – July 19, 2014

    The cliché goes that people don’t see the sights in their hometown because the sights are right there.  While that isn’t totally true about me visiting the Gwinnett Braves, there is a kernel of truth in the statement. I grew up in Cobb County about 40 miles and roughly an hour drive from where Coolray Field stands now.  Growing up in suburban Atlanta during the ’80s and ’90s there was only ONE team in the area: the Atlanta Braves.  Going to a minor league game at that time meant a trip to a number of towns two hours away like Augusta, Columbus, or Macon.  Since 2009, minor league baseball fans haven’t had to…

  • ballparks,  Georgia,  travel

    Georgia’s Minor League Baseball summer promotions

    Summer is right around the corner as the school year finishes with Memorial Day weekend, and that means baseball season hits full stride, too.  For parents and baseball fans looking for inexpensive and fun ways to spend their summer evenings, Georgia’s four minor league teams offer a variety of promotions.  Minor league baseball is known for regular promotions like “Thirsty Thursday” or “Two-for-Tuesday,” but I wanted to focus on some of the unique promotions and giveaways that provide fans with a real reason to attend a game.  Whether you want to check out your local team or make a road trip, there are tons of reasons for fans to flock…