COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The Atlanta Braves gave the media and some fans a sneak peak of their new home, SunTrust park. They also gave updates on parking and traffic, with less than a month from hosting a public event.
The tour included a look through The Plaza, Hope and Will's Sandlot (A kid's play area), the Coors Light Chop House, a walk in center and right field, a view of the bullpen, the Terrapin Taproom, and much more.
FOX 5 Sports Team Recap Of The Tour:
The first section of the tour included "The Battery.' This section includes various restaurants, businesses, a music venue, and apartments to create a "live, work, and play" feel.
After entering through the Chop House gate, the tour traveled to the Hope and Will's Sandlot. This area includes a "Run The Base" challenge, a batting cage, a zip line, and a rock wall. In addition, there is a seperate Braves Clubhouse shop for kid's gear.
This section is part of a multi-year partnership between the Braves and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Fans will be able to use the app to reserve a time for these attractions. There are various interactive areas as well.
The next stop was the Coors Light Chop House. The interior is still in the process of being decorated, but the view from the restaurant was ready to show off. The Chop House was a staple of Turner Field.
The new Chop House features three levels, including two party decks and a new field level seating area. The field-level seats are called "Below The Chop" and separate fans from the right fielder by a fence.
The venue will include a full menu, a variety of beer choices, and a burger restaurant area.
The tour continued to the Braves bullpen area, and a walk on the outfield track in center and right field. We got a better look at the 41,000 seats, and the LED lights that will brighten up the field on night games.
The dimensions of SunTrust Park are:
LF Corner: 335 feet --- LF Center: 375 feet, --- CF: 400 feet, --- RF Center: 375 feet --- RF Corner: 325 feet
The height of the wall in the outfield varies by section. The right field Chop House wall is brick, and could be tricky for outfielders who let baseballs bounce off.
The Field Director for the Atlanta Braves, Ed Mangan, met with the media to answer questions about the new sod and irrigation system.
The type of grass installed is Seashore Paspalum, Platinum TE. They used about 109,000 square feet of sod to put the playing field together. The Braves used Bent Oak Sod Farm in Foley, Alabama as their supplier. There are 10 layers that make up the playing field at SunTrust Park
The next stop on the tour went back upstairs to the in-house Terrapin Beer Company brewery at SunTrust Park. They call it the "Atlanta Brew Lab" and will feature new and creative beverage selections monthly and sometimes weekly.
The brews could be spoofs of Braves legends and players names, or even jokes at opposing teams coming into SunTrust Park.
The tour concluded with a chance to get a view from the right field and first base side seats. The seats in this section were mesh, and are just slightly above field-level. It will provide an intimate and close-up view of the players and game.
Single-game tickets go on sale March 10, and season tickets are still on sale.
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