This past weekend, we made another trek to Atlanta. If you missed it the first time, you can read about our trip to Atlanta over Easter weekend here, here, and here. The last link ties into this blog, so go read that and we’ll meet back here. Are we all on the same page now? Good.
Road Trip
Our quick trip to Atlanta was specifically for a Bobblehead of one Bartolo Colón, beloved 44 year old pitcher of the Atlanta Braves. Well, mostly beloved. He hasn’t pitched so well thus season. Big Sexy arrived in Atlanta to much fanfare last November. A bobblehead was quickly announced and we immediately made plans to meet up with friends at this game. Since I had to work part of the day, we left Charlotte around 1:30 PM. I don’t recommend this, especially on a Friday in the summer. We were stuck in traffic a couple times due to car accidents. The Braves recommend downloading the Waze app to assist in making it to the ballpark and to your parking lot (if you aren’t taking an Uber, I highly recommend purchasing your parking pass before you arrive). It was a pretty helpful app, but right before we got to our exit, it rerouted me 20 minutes out of the way and kindly let me know I’d be in traffic for 13 minutes. *insert side eye emoji*
Pro tip #1: Find out the exact address of your parking spot to plug into Waze. It will help you tremendously. Alternately, you can put in your Lot number (e.g.-lot 43) & it’ll get you there.
Pro tip #2: Lot 29 is the only lot you are allowed to tailgate in. Lot 31 isn’t too bad of a walk from the ballpark. Lot 43 is a bit further down from Lot 31 and you have to walk uphill to get to the ballpark. Not too fun, especially if you’re in a hurry.
As the last words of the National Anthem were being sung, we finally made it inside SunTrust Park. By the time we got there, they were out of Bartolo Bobbleheads. *insert one sad and two angry emojis* After contacting the Braves social media about out situation, we both received what we came for.
[bctt tweet=”Adventures in Atlanta took us to SunTrust Park & the YardHouse. Find out what gluten- and soy-free food we found!” username=”gfspirit”]
Game Time
Once we finally got situated and met up with some friends, Nikki & I were off to the Centerfield Market to find food for Nikki. On our way, we got distracted by the Clubhouse Store since we didn’t get to peruse it on the first trip to SunTrust Park. We were greeted by a giant Bobblehead of the GOAT, Chipper Jones. The store is pretty spacious and is laid out in way that you can move around easily, though there are some high traffic areas. There are so many shirt options that I couldn’t decide what to get. I decided to go with a foam seat cushion and three koozies. One is dark blue and says Welcome Home, one has a picture of Freddie Freeman on one side with his jersey number & signature on the reverse, and the other one is the same except it’s Dansby. I’m ready for Social Media Night on the 24th.
She settled on a gluten-free hot dog, but needed to find out if it contained soy. We were waiting off to the side since both cashiers were checking people out when another employee came in. He wasn’t certain that the hot dog contained soy, but he did say that it included pork, beef, and a third ingredient that escapes me. He thought it likely contained soy. He was very kind to offer Nikki a gluten-free bun and directed us next door to get an all-beef hot dog. We thanked him and walked to the stand next door. Nikki asked if the hot dog had soy in it or was prepared in soy. The cashier wasn’t sure and went to the kitchen. She emerged a couple of minutes later and said no one knew for sure, but didn’t think it contained soy. Since it was late and she was starving, Nikki decided to take her chances. As we were walking back towards the ChopHouse to meet up with some friends, we passed The Potato Cutters. They serve nothing but fries. Seriously. This is a place that exists and it’s at SunTrust Park. I asked the cashier if the fries had gluten or soy or were cooked in soy. The answer to my questions: No. *insert praise hand emoji x5* (In case you’re wondering, the hot dog was $6 and the fries were $5.)
Nikki said the hot dog was really good. She was kind enough to share some of her fries and they were pretty good. They had no salt and were on the greasy side though. The best part is that it didn’t hurt her stomach. *insert clapping hands emoji*
The Braves came from behind to win on walk off single by Rio Ruiz. It was L-I-T! It was also Friday Night Fireworks and we had a great view from the second floor of the ChopHouse. It was a spectacular show and a great way to end the night.
Day 2: Adventures in Battery ATL
A friend of ours was kind enough to let us crash on her couches since we were only going to be there overnight. Shoutout to Amber for being the real MVP since it was a last minute situation. The next day, Nikki and I headed to The Battery Atlanta, which surrounds SunTrust Park. Our plan was to head to Wahlburgers because I saw previously that they have gluten-free options on their menu. Turns out that it isn’t open yet. We opted for YardHouse after walking around The Battery Atlanta to see what our options were.
Pro tip #3: Park in the Red Lot. It’s right behind all the restaurants. They have free parking for the first 2 hours. After that, it’s not longer free. We made it back with 15 minutes to spare.
This was a good choice. Shoutout to the security guards/bouncers that thought Nikki and I looked younger than we are. We asked to sit out on the patio and luckily we seated under the covered area with fans. We also had TVs tuned in to the game. From the patio, you can see the Chop House entrance to SunTrust Park. The YardHouse is billed as having “The World’s Largest Selection of Draft Beers” and their website says that they make over 100 menu items from scratch. They also have a Gluten Sensitive Menu. Nikki had to ask several questions about whether food had soy & how it was prepared. Our waiter was wonderful. He answered what he could and went to find out answers if he didn’t know. He had to do this a couple times and never made Nikki feel like she was being a pain in the ass. She chose the Grilled Chicken & Avocado Sandwich (sans avocado) in a lettuce wrap and Daiya cheese with a side of balsamic vinegar. She chose fresh cut fruit as her side. This meal was a good choice. She loved it and highly recommends it.
#NSFGF (Not Safe for Gluten-Free)
This is your warning to avert your eyes and keep scrolling.
Have you looked away yet?
Fine, have it your way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Fun side story:
On the way to The Battery, I was behind a military vehicle. I was a good distance away and they ran over something that hit my windshield. I initially thought it was a rock. It left a nice crack on my windshield, but at least it wasn’t in my eyeline. Safelite came out on Tuesday and the technician immediately said it was a piece of metal that pushed that section in and made it appear to be cracked. He put resin in it and you can barely see it now.
We’re headed back to SunTrust Park next weekend for Social Media Night. Be sure to follow GFS on social media and subscribe so that you don’t have FOMO.
oh my, that looks like you had an awesome time. I have been to Atlanta only once, but we did not have any time to sightsee, which would have been nice. Now that we moved away from Florida, and onto the other side of the US, it is simply too far away. Maybe, we’ll put that city on our bucket list. Blessings!
Claudia
http://avalon-media.org
We had a great time! This ballpark just opened in April, so we’re still exploring the options. If you’re ever back in Atlanta, I recommend a visit to both SunTrust Park and to The Battery ATL!
That hot dog actually looks really good, and I’m not a hot dog person!
My sister isn’t either, but she really liked it. She said the bun was really good and “didn’t have a funky taste to it!” She actually ate it plain since she didn’t know what was in the condiments they provide.
I’m gluten free and grew up near Atlanta and had no idea that there were so many gluten free options at the baseball games! I’m definitely going to have to check that out when I’m back in town!
You should! From my understanding, Turner Field had limited options. We’ve found that SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta definitely has more options and it’s good food! 🙂