Macon ballpark a time machine
Williams Field like taking trip back to 1929
By CLINT WILLIAMS
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

CLINT WILLIAMS / Special
Macon Braves second baseman Aaron Herr signs autographs for some young fans before a recent game.

Macon -- Baseball fans disgusted by the prospect of another strike abruptly halting this year's major league season should head to Atlanta's Turner Field anyway. And then keep driving.

Go south on I-75 and then east a little bit on I-16, and in about the time it takes to listen to the Allman Brothers' classic album "Eat a Peach," you'll be in downtown Macon, one-time home of the Allmans and current home of the Macon Braves, the Class A minor league affiliate of the Atlanta big league team.

The Macon Braves are guys with unfamiliar names playing in familiar-looking uniforms. Some of them -- maybe -- are major league stars in the making.

Macon Braves of the past include Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Kevin Millwood and Rafael Furcal. Unlike those guys, however, the current Macon Braves are sure to keep playing until the season ends in September.

Every cliche about minor league baseball holds true here: The park is small and intimate, the players are eager to sign autographs, and most kids who scramble for a foul ball will eventually get one. And, while there are the typical between-inning events -- T-shirts tossed into the crowd, contests with margarine as a prize -- the focus is on the game.

Luther Williams Field opened in 1929, and it has changed little since. There's no Jumbotron with mid-inning commercials or cartoon car races, no skyboxes and no singles bar in the outfield.

What the ballpark does have is atmosphere and cheap seats aplenty. For the cost of a beer at Turner Field, you can take a shady seat and put your feet on the home team dugout. A metal roof covers 3,000 of the 4,000 seats in the park, which looks as if it could be the setting for the heroics of Roy Hobbs in "The Natural."

The minor league team came to Macon in 1991 but is leaving next season for a new stadium in Rome. Because the team is leaving town, local fans aren't turning out for games. Attendance at weekend games is averaging about 1,300, says General Manager Michael Dunn, and that means "there are plenty of seats available for all dates."

I've seen bigger crowds at a Cobb County T-ball game than at a Sunday-afternoon Macon Braves game in June. You could hear the infield chatter and the umpire's calls -- "Ball! In!" -- sitting in the cheap seats.

My 11-year-old son, Taylor, had no competition as he scrambled for foul balls or had balls tossed to him by players at the end of an inning. After a while, he started giving balls away to other children in the crowd.

The Macon Braves will play 13 home games in August, including three weekend series. And, while the drive is short enough to go just for a game, there's plenty to do in Macon to make it a fun weekend trip.

For example, before going to watch sports stars of the future at the 7 p.m. Saturday game, you can learn about sports stars of the past at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. The hall features memorabilia of high school legends and of professionals enshrined in the pro halls of fame in Canton, Ohio, and Cooperstown, N.Y.

Kids might get bored looking at stuff like the game ball from the 300th win recorded by former Atlanta Braves pitcher Phil Niekro, but they'll love the interactive displays that let them kick a field goal, measure their vertical leap and drive a NASCAR race car.

Just across the street is the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, which provides a fascinating introduction to the state's musical history, spotlighting performers from Johnny Mercer, Ray Stevens and Little Richard to James Brown, Travis Tritt and the B-52's. Send the kids to the Music Factory, where they can bang on drums and play a harp with invisible strings. That way, the adults can take time to listen to some of the music made in Georgia.

Both halls don't open until 1 p.m. on Sundays, so, to kill time before the 2 p.m. first pitch at Luther Williams Field, you could visit Ocmulgee National Monument, where ancient Indian mounds and other artifacts have been preserved. The monument is about three miles from the ballpark.

Macon also is noted for its historic homes, including the Hay House and the Cannonball House & Museum, both built in the mid-1800s, and its Museum of Arts & Sciences and Tubman African American Museum.

IF YOU GO
Macon is about 75 miles from downtown Atlanta. Take I-75 south to I-16 and leave the interstate at Exit 2. Turn right at the end of the ramp and go over the river. Go to the second light (Walnut Street) and make a left. Go under the train bridge to the stop sign, then straight into Central Park and Luther Williams Field. Parking -- for free -- is in front of the ballpark.

Where to stay

The Crowne Plaza Hotel (108 First St., 478-746-1461) in downtown Macon is a little over a mile from the ballpark and just blocks from the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
There are numerous motels just down the road from the ballpark, on Riverside Drive, which parallels I-16. Check with the Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1-800-768-3401 or http://www.maconga.org/ for hotels in all price ranges.

Where to eat
The Dollar Store at the ballpark lives up to its name, selling $1 hot dogs, ice cream and other eats -- much cheaper than you find at Turner Field.

Information

Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1-800-768-3401, http://www.maconga.org/.
The Macon Braves, Luther Williams Field, 478-745-8943, http://www.mbraves.com/. Box seats, $7; adult general admission, $6; seniors, military and students (with proper ID), $5; ages 5-12, $4; children under 5 free. Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, 301 Cherry St., 478-752-1585, http://www.gshf.org/. Adults, $6; seniors, military and college students, $5; ages 6-16, $3.50; family package (parents and dependent children), $15.
Georgia Music Hall of Fame, 200 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 478-750-8555, http://www.gamusichall.com/. Adults, $8; seniors and students, $6; ages 4-16, $3.50.
Hay House, 934 Georgia Ave., 478-742-8155, http://www.hayhouse.org/.
Cannonball House & Museum, 856 Mulberry St. 478-745-5982, http://www.cannonballhouse.org/.
Museum of Arts & Sciences, 4182 Forsyth Road. 478-477-3232, http://www.masmacon.com/.
Tubman African American Museum, 340 Walnut St. 478-743-8544, http://www.tubmanmuseum.com/.