Georgia Cities Every Sports Fan Will Love
No matter what sports you love – baseball, football, soccer, pickleball, golf, racing – you can fuel your passion in Georgia. Watch the pros play in Atlanta, enjoy the family-friendly vibe at baseball games in Savannah, hear the engines roar in Hampton, and much more at venues throughout the state. Be sure to stop into Georgia's sports museums, too, to learn about legendary athletes who made names for themselves on and off the field. Catch your favorite matchups at these cities in Georgia.
Atlanta
Atlanta is home to six professional sports teams and two new stadiums. Support the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park and The Battery, the entertainment district with shops, bars, and restaurants like the Terrapin Taproom at Fox Bros. BBQ. Fans can tour the park and stay at the Omni Hotel at The Battery, with suites overlooking the field.
Tour Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of both the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC, with its retractable roof, skyline views, and dining options from Atlanta’s best restaurants. Neighboring State Farm Arena is a must-see for basketball fans, home to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame has interactive exhibits detailing the history of college football’s most notable teams. Cross the street to Centennial Olympic Park, site of the 1996 Olympic Games.
At Gateway Center Arena in College Park, catch the WNBA Atlanta Dream and NBA G League College Park Skyhawks. A short drive north of Atlanta, don't miss the high-energy Atlanta Gladiators minor league ice hockey team, the Gwinnett Stripers minor league baseball team, and the Georgia Swarm professional lacrosse team.
Add to that college athletics at Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and Kennesaw State Universities, and the metro area is the place to be for major league and college sports.
Savannah
Grab a ticket if you can to the Savannah Bananas, a Coastal Plain League baseball team that commonly sells out its games. So what’s the big deal? The Bananas are all about entertainment. Meet the mascot "Split," participate in the Banana Nanas dance, or get yourself a pair of banana underwear to show your team spirit.
To truly immerse yourself in banana culture, spend the weekend in Savannah. Skidaway Island State Park is just 20 minutes from Historic Grayson Field and has lots of family-friendly activities. Or stay on the riverfront in an old cotton warehouse from the 1800s at the Cotton Sail Hotel.
Alpharetta
Located just north of Atlanta, Alpharetta is the place to perfect your golf swing. At TopGolf, experienced and non-golfers are welcome, and will have a great time. The three-story driving range/pub/entertainment complex has programs to help golfers improve their game through HD Video analysis, as well as TG20, a quick 10-minute lesson for beginners to get things off on the right foot. Or if you prefer, just relax in a cushioned chair in one of the golf bays, order some unique appetizers and watch everyone else drive the ball into the air. We promise this will be one of your favorite things to do in Alpharetta.
Hapeville
Few things can get your heart racing like getting behind the wheel of a sports car and hitting the road full throttle. It's possible at the Porsche Experience Center. The process is simple, choose your car model, spend 90 minutes behind the wheel with a Porsche Drive Coach on the 1.6-mile driver development track, and repeat as necessary. Not up for driving? Take a tour of the Porsche facility and make a stop in the simulator lab where you can choose your car and take it for a spin on some of the world's most famous racetracks.
Hampton
If you'd like to watch the pros, you can do that, too, just a few miles down the road in Hampton at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Take in one of the action-packed NASCAR series races that offer a full weekend of affordable events. Be sure to ask how to get pre-race pit passes to see what happens before the green flag drops.
If you want to get behind the wheel, the speedway is also home to the Richard Petty Driving Experience, NASCAR Race Experience and the Mario Andretti Racing Experience, where you'll get behind a full size Indy-style car.
Driving can make you hungry. We suggest Rutabaga's Café, just seven minutes from the Atlanta Motor Speedway gates. They have the best soups, sandwiches and wraps in Hampton.
Macon
Experience the joy of playing pickleball in any weather condition at Rhythm & Rally, a newly renovated, 150,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art complex in Macon that spans over two floors. The facility boasts 32 courts with USA Pickleball and PPA-certified Arcytech surfaced courts, and walk-ins are welcome to play for only $5 for 5 hours.
Nearby, be sure to visit the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the largest state sports museum in the United States (43,000 square feet!), located in the heart of downtown Macon. The outside of the museum was designed to look like an old ballpark with a red-brick exterior and a green roof. Be sure to take in a show in the 205-seat theater that is based on the design of the former Ponce de Leon ballpark in Atlanta.
There's baseball here, too! In the summer, catch a Macon Bacon game, and experience the family fun atmosphere of Coastal Plain League baseball. Kids will love cutting loose with the mascot, a 7-foot-tall half-human half-bacon hybrid named "Kevin."
More sports-loving fun around Georgia
Augusta: The Masters
Athens: University of Georgia Athletics
Emerson: LakePoint Sports
Marietta: Andretti Indoor Karting
Rome: Rome Emperors Baseball
Royston: Ty Cobb Museum