Top 7 Venues to Watch Sports in Georgia

Suit up and explore some of the best fields, stadiums and courts the Peach State has to offer for tournaments and events large or small.

Multi-Sport Venues

When it comes to sports, Georgia doesn’t play favorites, and neither do these destinations, which offer facilities for several sports along with local amenities to keep non-sporting family members entertained, too.

LakePoint Sports in Emerson

Emerson, just off I-75 about 40 miles northwest of Atlanta, is home to LakePoint Sports, a 1,300-acre campus that hosts youth athletes in more than 30 sports year-round. Indoor facilities include the 170,000-square-foot Champions Center, which is home to the world’s largest continuous wood floor. There, 12 full-court basketball games or 24 full-court volleyball games can be played at once. Facilities for cheer and gymnastics competitions are also available.

If your event takes you outside, LakePoint Sports has got you covered with eight major-league-sized baseball fields equipped with state-of-the-art sports technology. It also has three multi-use fields for soccer, lacrosse, rugby and football, a 10-court beach volleyball setup and a wakeboarding park.

For off-field events, LakePoint can accommodate banquets for up to 2,000 people, with on-site catering available. Additional amenities include meeting space, audio/visual equipment, and five meeting rooms.

Once the games have been won, the fun continues in nearby Cartersville, with its historic downtown filled with shops and restaurants, like local favorites Swheat Market Deli and Moore’s Gourmet Market. Don’t miss the chance to visit three world-class museums: Savoy Automobile Museum and Smithsonian affiliates The Booth Museum and Tellus Science Museum. Stay close to the sports fields at Hampton Inn Emerson Lakepoint and the dual-branded Sleep Inn & MainStay Suites Cartersville - Emerson LakePoint.

Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta

Atlanta is home to one of the five largest convention facilities in the U.S. The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) comes in at No. 4, with 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space, 12 exhibit halls, two grand ballrooms, three fixed-seat auditoriums, 98 meeting rooms, and plenty of parking.

The three connected buildings that make up the GWCC offer flexible space to host hundreds of events each year, including indoor sporting activities such as the CHEERSPORT National All-Star Cheerleading Championship, which attracts more than 20,000 athletes annually. It also hosts basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, fencing, and more.

The venue can be configured in dozens of ways to host events large and small. One of the largest is volleyball’s Big South National Qualifier, which each year occupies all three buildings of the GWCC, and brings around 40,000 people.

In addition to sports facilities, GWCC is a full-service venue with concession stands, 15 restaurants, guest services people to help with directions and questions, and wheelchairs for people with disabilities.

The fun doesn’t stop at the venue’s door. Just outside is Centennial Olympic Park, a 21-acre greenspace that’s a lasting legacy to the 1996 Olympic Games and features a playground, interactive fountain, sculptures and iconic scenery. Nearby are several must-see attractions, including the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola and National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Stay nearby in any of the 12,500 hotel rooms within walking distance, such as the Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park and Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center.

The Macon Coliseum in Macon

Located in the heart of Georgia at the crossroads of I-16 and I-75, the Macon Coliseum is easily accessible to the entire state and much of the Southeast.

The 9,000-seat arena hosts hockey, wrestling, basketball and cheer. New to the arena in 2021, is a four-sided video board. Meetings and banquets are steps away in the adjoining 7,000-square-foot venue.

Macon has lots to offer once the games end or for non-sporting family members. Named one of the best places to travel in the U.S. for 2023 by Conde Nast Traveler, Macon’s downtown features shops and restaurants, like H&H Soul Food, a favorite of 1960s-era Southern rock band The Allman Brothers, and The Rookery, which has been serving up renowned burgers and milkshakes since Jimmy Carter was president. Must-see Macon attractions include the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Macon Bacon baseball or Macon Mayhem hockey, and Capricorn Sound Studio. Stay just steps away from the Coliseum at the Macon Marriott City Center or near the highway and downtown at the Holiday Inn Macon North.

Baseball

Wills Park in Alpharetta

If baseball’s your game, Wills Park, a municipal park in Alpharetta, can take care of your every need. This facility is home to eight baseball fields and two tee ball fields. A covered, 6,300-square-foot baseball pavilion is outfitted with eight batting cages, two pitching lanes and a warm-up area. Playgrounds and a dog park make it fun for the whole family.

Alpharetta’s other attractions are equally family-friendly. Visit shops and restaurants downtown, like The Nest Cafe - serving breakfast, brunch and lunch - and Crave Pie Studio, specializing in sweet treats perfect for victory celebrations. In mixed-use Avalon, you won’t want to miss the pizza at Antico and the burgers at Bocado. For a little family-friendly competition, try your skill on the links at TopGolf or Fairway Social. Nearby lodging options abound from EVEN Hotels Alpharetta - Avalon Area to Home2 Suites by Hilton Alpharetta, just 3 miles from Wills Park.

Canoe/Kayak

Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville

If you like your sporting action on the water, Lake Lanier Olympic Park (LLOP) in Gainesville, just north of Atlanta, offers up a venue built for Olympians. The site of canoeing and kayaking competitions for the 1996 Olympic Games, the park now plays host to some of the best athletes from around the world who come to train and compete.

LLOP has eight rowing lanes, a timing/finish tower, a 10-lane canoe/kayak course, wakeless launches, launch and recovery docks and a 1,500-seat grandstand. College teams and clubs, including the NCAA rowing championships, regularly compete at the park.

Building on the already world-class facilities, in 2024, LLOP will open a one-of-a-kind boathouse with a conference venue and indoor canoe/kayak/rowing training facility.

The entertainment continues once you’ve reached dry land at the beautiful Atlanta Botanical Garden Gainesville or Don Carter State Park, with cabins, trails and sandy beach on Lake Lanier. Head to downtown Gainesville where shops and restaurants like Atlas Pizza and Avocados will fill up the hungriest competitor. Gainesville has more than 800 rooms available, including Hilton Garden Inn, which is located in the restaurant district, and the new Holiday Inn Express.

Softball

South Commons Softball Complex & Stadium in Columbus

The 1996 Olympic Games left a legacy of world-class sporting venues across the state. South Commons Softball Complex & Stadium in Columbus is the recently renovated home of Olympic women’s fast-pitch softball. The complex has been recognized as a USA Softball Complex of the year and hosted the 2019 USA Softball International Cup.

The venue along the Chattahoochee River includes an eight-field complex with video streaming, LED scoreboards and WiFi. The five-field hub with roundhouse features indoor score booths, restrooms and concessions. The nearby three-field fan with stadium provides seating for 2,500, restrooms, concessions, press box, hospitality suites and umpire rooms to accommodate tournaments large and small.

After the games, head to Uptown Columbus shops and restaurants like Banks Food Hall and Country’s Barbecue to refuel for your trip down the largest urban whitewater course in the world with Whitewater Express. The Coca-Cola Space Science Center will have family members reaching for the stars. The National Infantry Museum will encourage reflection and provide food for thought.

With more than 60 hotels and 4,600-plus rooms, spending the night in Columbus is easy. Choose from properties like the historic Columbus Marriott or the Hyatt Place Columbus-North, conveniently located near major highways.

Tennis

Rome Tennis Center at Berry College in Rome

One of the nation’s largest tennis venues, the award-winning Rome Tennis Center at Berry College (RTCBC), in northwest Georgia, hosts adaptive tennis, ACC and pro events.

The 57-court, 30-acre venue was built in 2016. Facilities include USTA standard, asphalt courts, six NCAA regulation courts, three center courts for tournament and collegiate play, and one exhibition court. All courts have lighting and access to shade. Built with wheelchair tennis in mind, the entire facility is ADA-accessible, including wider entryways and no steps.

A 51,063-square-foot indoor facility was added in 2020, with six hard courts, air conditioning and seating for just over 400, making year-round play comfortable no matter the weather. It even has eight permanent 36-foot courts for ages 10 and under, perfect for youth who are new to the game.

Greenspace, shops and restaurants fill downtown Rome, which sits in the space where the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers converge to create the Coosa River. Refuel with sandwiches and salads at Doug’s Deli Downtown or creative burgers at Harvest Moon Cafe. Enjoy Rome Emperors baseball, Berry College trails and the Rome-Floyd E.C.O. Center, which features fish and wildlife from the Coosa River watershed. Stay downtown at the Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Rome in an 1890s brick warehouse or Courtyard Rome Riverwalk with view of the river.