Grayson Stadium

Main entrance to Grayson Stadium, Aug-2001.

A view of the baseball seating bowl from the football bleacher along the right-field line.

The left-field football bleacher, since torn down, is clearly visible here.

Chronological Tour: Stop 216

• Location: Victory Drive at Bee Road, Savannah, Ga. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1927 (baseball grandstand rebuilt 1941)
• Home team: Savannah Indians (1936-42, 1946-53), Athletics (1954-55), Redlegs (1956-58), Reds (1959), Pirates (1960), White Sox (1962), South Atlantic League; Savannah Senators (1968-69), Indians (1970), Braves (1971-83), Southern League; Savannah Redbirds (1984-86), Cardinals (1987-95), Sand Gnats (1996-2015), South Atlantic League
• Capacity: 8,000

Rating: 3 baseballs

The left-field line is only 290 feet because of the old football bleachers, but right center field is over 400, and the wall has been brought in from the original boundary. The outfield bleacher section was closed prior to my 2001 visit, and it has since been torn down. In addition, the old football concession areas on the first-base bleacher section have been blocked off. There are sufficient concession areas below the baseball stand, though. That stand is entirely covered by a roof, which I appreciate.

Except for the lower boxes and a small section behind the plate, all the grandstand is benches, with backs but also with narrow walking room. The old football press box has been converted into a premium lounge area.

With the park having outlived its usefulness for pro baseball and upgrades difficult given the historic nature of the structure, it was announced that the 2015 season was the last for Grayson Stadium. The Sand Gnats relocated to a new ballpark in Columbia, S.C., for 2016.

The park’s primary tenant is now the Savannah Bananas, who played from 2016-22 as a college summer league team. With an almost Bill Veeck-like marketing technique, the Bananas have become an unparalleled sensation. While Coastal Plain League games are played straight, there is enough activity to satisfy even the non-baseball fan. A $20 ticket gets the attendee four hours of non-stop entertainment, including a senior citizen dance team (the Banana Nanas), a pep band a la the Dodger Sym-Phony, and more, along with all the standard ballpark food you can eat. (Some items, like loaded nachos and alcoholic beverages, are not included.)

The club also markets something called Banana Ball during the off-season, featuring even more in-game antics along with modified rules. Banana Ball has gone viral and has even taken to the road, with stops in the spring of 2022 at sites like Daytona Beach and Birmingham. The club announced in August 2022 that after fielding both their CPL team and a separate Banana Ball team for a few seasons, they were abandoning the college summer league team effective immediately and will now play an independent schedule (both home and barnstorming) using professional players and Banana Ball rules.