On November 11, 2013 the Atlanta Braves announced they would vacate their current stadium, Turner Field (nicknamed “The Ted”), located in downtown Atlanta Georgia when their current lease ends in December of 2016.  The move initiated when negotiations for the remodeling of the current stadium and development of the surrounding areas hit a stalemate with the city of Atlanta.

The final home game of the 2016 season and the final regular season game for the Braves at the Turner Field location was held on Sunday October 2, 2016 as the Braves hosted the Detroit Tigers in front of a sell-out crowd of 51,220 spectators.  Travelers Rest native JoEllen Oslanger noted that her entire family attended this last game because “so many of our family’s happy memories occurred at this stadium watching the Braves.”

The evening began with a ceremony honoring the Braves twenty year stint and fourteen league championships at Turner Field.   The Braves pulled-off a win in this last game despite a disappointing 2016 season where they finished last in the National League East Division.

Following the game one of the most famous Brave players of all-time Hank Aaron came to the field.  He threw out the last pitch in the stadium and removed the home plate.  Aaron then took the home plate to a team bus and transported it to the future home of the Braves in nearby Cobb County a suburb of Atlanta.    Former Braves player and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones says that while he will miss the old park, he looks “on to brighter horizons for the Braves in the move to SunTrust Park.”

The Braves will move to the new field and facilities at SunTrust Park for the 2017 season.  The clearing of the site for the new stadium began in July of 2014 and the actual construction of the facilities started in February of 2015.  The estimated cost of the new facilities and the sixty-acre surrounding development is 1.1 billion dollars.  The field will be grass and the stadium will include a higher percentage of seats near the field than any other major league ballpark. Additionally, the stadium will have air conditioned concourses to keep the fans cool during the summer heat.  The 60-acre surrounding development includes restaurants, shopping, lodging accommodations, and a one acre water feature.   Senior Grayson Hightower believes that the move to the new stadium will “increase the Braves fan base in his age group because the new place will have lots more for young people to experience before, during, and after games.”

The first game to be held at Sun Trust is scheduled as a preseason game on March 31, 2017 against the New York Yankees.  This game will be reserved for full and partial season ticket holders.  The official season opening game is scheduled for April 3, 2017 against the San Diego Padres.