7 games in 6 days for pool play. What do you do there with all that downtime?
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Well if you were a veteran you used to rent a home at a lake and have plenty of options for relaxing. Now days I am told PG is getting more aggressive with the hotels and requiring teams to have a minimum number booked so it is getting more difficult.
I asked my son what his friends do and his answer was: hit in the cages, watch other games, go to Top Golf and eat out...a lot.
my son has been down here since 17U WWBA and is a PO. Lots of downtime. Besides the games, we've watched fireworks, gone hiking up in Alpharetta, found a gym to continue workouts. He'll pitch later today, then we're heading back in the morning. This will be his last year down here...
Shop at Better Baseball. Take in a Braves, Rome Braves (AA) or Gwinnett Stripers (AAA) game, depending on your budget, schedule and location. Shopping at the The Battery at Suntrust Park (Baseballism, and a couple of baseball stores, but if you want actual baseball equipment, Better Baseball is your best bet.) Tour a local college that might not have been on your radar before--Berry (D3), Oglethorpe (D3, I think--looks like Hogwarts), Piedmont, Emory (top D3), Truett McConnell (?), Covenant (near Chattanooga, an hour north of Lakepoint), Young Harris, Georgia Highlands (Juco, I think). There is a wake park by the entrance to Lakepoint.
There are plenty of outdoor activities as well, but it's about a thousand degrees in Atlanta right now.
Keep in mind that your games could be up to two hours from Lakepoint. Be sure to check travel times during the time you'll need to be there. What is 45 minutes when you check Google maps at 10 PM is 2 hours at 7 AM, so you may not have as much downtime as you expect.
First year not there in 12 years. Kinda sad. It really depends on your game times and travel. Understand that Atlanta means it could be 2-3 hours travel time according to game time. God forbid you have game on the other side of Atlanta at 9 AM or 5 PM and have to travel all the way through traffic. there is Stone Mountain, Coca Cola, Aquarium, Zoo, and lots of things. Groupon is a great resource of cheap fun things to do. We found a gocart and putt putt place the last two years that had great all day discounts on groupon for $15 a person. It was a great deal. Took about 25 players from various teams with us. There is plenty of shopping. Son started taking PS and they played a lot. Night games at PG are great to go watch because it is cooler. We usually also made a schedule of his friend's and former teammates games and went and watched them. My youngest son played on 32 different teams from 13 until last year so he had a lot of different teammates, even if they were just for 1 tournament.
Bumping up. Yes, it's PBR now. But if anyone has some more downtime suggestions or places to eat recommendations, they would be appreciated.
If you have time and you go into downtown Atlanta and you love southern food - you have to go to Mary Macs!!! Hands down, the best southern food I've had!
Henry's Louisiana Grill is one our favorites, about 10 mins south of Lakepoint and on the way back towards Marietta. Great service and great food! Quaint little village as well.
Go to Dougs just north of the Lakepointe facility in downtown Emerson. West Cobb Diner just west of Marietta - out Dallas Hwy. Falafuls off 41. Marietta Pizza Company is also good. Lived in the area for 20 years - moved away 3 years ago.
The kids: Go carting, swimming in the indoor pool, watching all the SAW movies during a very wet and rainy week.
The parents: Allatoona Lake, hike Kennesaw Mountain, toured the old famous Atlanta cemetery, find good BBQ places to eat, and oh......laundry. Be sure to take your Iron Out to soak out the Georgia red clay out of the pants, using the bathtub, overnight.
(players and parents stayed in a team hotel one year and the next two the team stayed together....and the parents could stay where they wanted!)
Not being helpful. Just registering that we are so happy to be done with Lakepoint!! LOL
@Francis7 mostly personal...more recently PTWoodson just didn't hit well there so he's just done with the place. LOL He also prefers grass fields to turf fields. For my part, I could not stand the slow bleed of paying to park, paying to play, paying to stay (although we did work around that toward the end of his year), paying to get in, etc.... It's a little bit better now because at least you don't have to pay to park any more (I don't think) but it just seemed like the whole place was designed to hemorrhage $$$.
