Atlanta on the Cheap

Watching the Braves play doesn’t have to be expensive. As is, quite a few tickets are available at less than $10 per game, and fans have the option of bringing their own food & non-alcoholic beverages with them to Turner Field.

Fans of concerts & baseball get an even better deal: During the 2012 Braves Summer Concert Series you can stick around for a free post-game concert (free = if you go to the game, you can stay for a free concert). At the moment, the schedule includes Scott McCreery on May 26, B.o.B. on June 16, & Lynyrd Skynyrd on September 1. Plus, there are free Live Music in the Plaza concerts before most Saturday home games. Bonus: You can buy the cheap seats & then move down for the concerts, which are general-admission seating. I’ll keep you posted as other bands are announced; cheap game-day tickets + free post-game concerts = a tough deal to beat.

Here’s the list of ticket deals for the 2012 season:

• On ScoreBig, bid to save 10%-70% on tickets to games all season long. It’s free to sign up; the link lets you skip the wait list for membership. Your savings will vary by game, but I just scanned the list, and tickets for some games have hit the highest discount bracket.
• You’ll need to sign up with Goldstar to take advantage of this deal (it’s free to sign up). There’s nothing there today (May 16), but on the Atlanta page, you’ll often find offers to save 50% on tickets to select Atlanta Braves games. The inventory will vary throughout the season, but you’ll need to act early when you spot them, as they tend to sell out.
• Available 2.5 hours before every game, you can buy $1 SkyLine seats at the Turner Field Ticket Office (186 tickets available per game).
• On Buck Belue $8 Buck Nights, Lower Level Terrace View Tickets are $8 each (reg. $20-$30). The deal is available for select Monday night games: May 28 vs. Cardinals, July 2 vs. Cubs, July 30 vs. Marlins, August 13 vs. Padres, & September 3 vs. Rockies.
• On Coca-Cola Two for $30 Tuesdays, you can buy two tickets in the Club Pavilion for $30. The deal is available for the following games: May 29 vs. Cardinals, June 26 vs. D’backs, July 3 vs. Cubs, July 17 vs. Giants, July 31 vs. Marlins, August 14 vs. Padres, September 4 vs. Rockies, September 25 vs. Marlins.
• With valid ID or your AAA card, college students, members of the military, and members of AAA can buy two Upper Box tickets for the price of one at the box office.
• Season ticket packages start at around $4 per game, so it’s worth checking into if you’re planning to head out for the bulk of the games or want a mini-season ticket package. And you’ll save even more if you opt for Braves FanPass paperless ticketing (a.k.a. you’ll pay more if you ask for paper tickets).
• This one’s via a GasSouth promo, so you’ll need to order tickets via this link to get the deal: You can save on tickets to Sunday-Thursday home games all season long. If you use promo code “GASSOUTH”, you’ll get 2 for $20 Upper Box tickets, 2 for $30 Outfield Pavilion tickets, and 2 for $40 GMC Club Pavilion tickets; excludes games on June 11-13 & July 4.
• $25 buys an Atlanta Braves Kids Club membership. You’ll get a voucher for two tickets to a Braves home game (Valued up to $52 for both tickets), a premium Braves souvenir for Kids Club members only (redeemable by voucher at a home game), a welcome letter from Brian McCann, VIP Access to Kids Run the Bases, free admission to the Braves Hall of Fame, a voucher for two tickets to a Gwinnett Braves game (Valued up to $24 for both tickets), a Chick-fil-a sandwich coupon, discounts at the Braves Clubhouse Store at CNN Center, & a Kids Club Membership ID card. And you can participate in Scavenger Hunt Sundays with your family (Check-in at Fan Central, Aisle 132, to find out how to participate), Ultimate Kids Day and Braves Kids Club Days at Turner Field, & more.
• A note on ticketing (thanks to Z for the heads up): Game-day tickets will cost you an additional $2 at the gate on Monday-Thursday & an extra $4 on Friday-Sunday. Prices aren’t consistent across the board–the same seat will cost you more or less depending on the game time & day of the week. And the Braves now have demand-based pricing for Outfield Pavilion & Terrace Outfield seats. Essentially, ticket prices vary based on demand for the tickets–they look at things like the opponent, the time of day, the Braves’ record, & more (click on seating & pricing in the right sidebar to view the price details for each game). To get the best deal on single-game seats, buy tickets in advance.

Planning to eat at Turner field? Try these two deals:

• With the Chevron Family Value Plan, you’ll get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas, a parking pass, a Braves yearbook, and a $10 Chevron gas card. Prices start at $69.
• Eat a lot? You may want an “All You Can Eat Seats” ticket, which starts at $50 for group tickets & $60 for single tickets. You can fill up on unlimited smoked BBQ sandwiches, chicken wings, all-beef franks, potato salad, peanuts, popcorn, chocolate chip cookies, Coca-Cola products, and draft beer.
• And new for 2012: Braves season ticket holders receive 33% off food & non-alcoholic beverages at select Turner Field vendors.

A note on parking, per a comment by Z: You’ll save a bit on parking if you buy your parking pass in advance. BUT the parking pass is nonrefundable, so if it rains & the game is cancelled, you’re out of luck. Z only buys the parking pass in advance for games that will be busy or if they’ll be arriving early to tailgate (before 5:45 p.m. on weekdays). Also, in my experience, traffic is often heavy around Turner Field even on ‘light’ days. I always head out early; I’d rather spend my time checking out Turner Field vs. sitting in traffic fighting to get to my lot.

Turner Field is located at 755 Hank Aaron Dr, Atlanta. 800-326-4000

–Jennifer Maciejewski