A Family Friendly Experience at Gwinnett Braves Coolray Field
Experiencing a Gwinnett Braves Game is a must do for any family in our area. Obviously it’s not Forsyth County, but it is just a short 30-minute drive from downtown Cumming. (TIP: We took a MUCH shorter alternate route using the Waze app. It took us Old Atlanta to McGinnis Ferry over 85 to Horizon and then taking Old Peachtree Road NE. This saved us literally 30+ minutes of travel time). This was our third Gwinnett Braves game to go to as a family. This time we chose to go to a “promotional” game which was Star Wars Night. Let’s just say it wasn’t our previous and normal experience.
NORMAL EXPERIENCE:
Parking is easy and a simple walk to stadium (It is $5 for parking). Usually the concessions have no lines and really purchasing seated tickets doesn’t really matter because it is pretty open and relaxed. Kids can run up and down the aisles if they want. The game is the game. There are lawn seats behind the outfield that is just an open lawn that we take the kids to run around, body roll down, and get the wiggles out during the 7th inning stretch. We have gone just the four of us and we have gone with a large group of 50+ and both times it was fantastic!
PROMOTIONAL NIGHT EXPERIENCE:
Parking was abysmal. We parked in beyond overflow and still paid $5 when we were no where close to actually being on property. We arrived at 6pm for a 6:05pm start & were not all seated together as a family until the bottom of the 6th inning because the lines were SO long for the concessions. Good to know: The promotional opportunity of pictures with Star Wars characters was not worth it. My boys didn’t want to wait in those lines either.
The game lasted exactly 3 hours. The element that saved the entire evening was the excellent firework display that occurred 20 minutes after the end of the game. It was A-MAZE-ING! It lasted just under 10 minutes and really felt like a ‘finale’ show the entire time the fireworks were going off. They were shot from the outfield of the stadium so they were very close. It was so wonderful and enjoyable that we already have tickets to attend the July 4th game as our holiday fireworks show.
Recommendation
My recommendation is to take your family to a Gwinnett Braves game! Tickets are as cheap or as expensive as you desire (ranging from $7-$40 a seat). {TIP: We have always sat in the $13-$15 seats behind the visitors dug-out. It’s under the overhang. The reasons we choose to sit there is because it’s always shaded and has a great view.} There are inflatables behind Left Field that are $2 per ‘ride’ or $10 for a wristband that is unlimited but only until the bottom of the 8th inning. Concessions were typical concession pricing = pricy! For dinner we paid almost $60 for the four of us to eat (hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, & drinks). Then an additional $20 on snacks (ice cream, pretzel, & popcorn). However if you compare the total pricing of an experience at the Gwinnett Braves to the Atlanta Braves, you will most likely end up spending a lot less at a Gwinnett Braves game.
Gwinnett Braves: 2017 Schedule | Tickets
Have you been to a Gwinnett Braves game? What has your experience been? We’d love to hear your feedback and please share any other tips you may have.
Ashley Jansen is wife of 14 years to Mark and mom to three boys, Hamilton (10), Luke (5), and Garrett (2). Originally from Texas, she has lived in Forsyth County for the last 13 years. She loves Mexican food, watching football and baseball, reading a good book, making Excel spreadsheets, and prefers candy over chocolate and Dr. Pepper over Coke. She is a recent breast cancer survivor, but still prefers purple over pink.
To learn more about Ashley and our other contributing writers, click here.
