If you walk down Hank Aaron Drive in Atlanta today, you’re looking at a piece of architectural survivalism that shouldn’t really exist. Most people call it Center Parc Stadium. Others still call it "The Ted." But for the students and alumni of Georgia State, the Georgia State University stadium is something else entirely: a massive, $26 million bet on the future of a program that started with nothing.
It’s weird.
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It is a football stadium that looks like a baseball park because it used to be one. Before that, it was the crown jewel of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Most stadiums are built, they grow old, and they get imploded by a bunch of guys with dynamite and a permit. This place? It just keeps changing its clothes.
The Three Lives of a 755 Hank Aaron Drive
You can’t talk about the Georgia State University stadium without talking about the identity crisis. It’s built into the concrete. Originally, it was Centennial Olympic Stadium. It held 85,000 people and watched Muhammad Ali light the cauldron. It was grand, sweeping, and—strictly speaking—temporary in that form.
Then came the Braves.
The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) always intended to hand the keys to the MLB. They chopped off the north end, reconfigured the seating, and turned it into Turner Field. For twenty years, it was the house that Chipper built. But when the Braves packed up for the suburbs of Cobb County in 2016, the city of Atlanta was left with a 50,000-seat question mark.
Enter Georgia State.
The university didn't just want a stadium; they wanted a neighborhood. They snagged the property for around $30 million in early 2017. While everyone else saw an abandoned baseball park, Athletics Director Charlie Cobb and the university leadership saw a permanent home for the Panthers, who had been squatting in the cavernous, airless Georgia Dome since 2010.
The Transformation: Turning 90 Feet into 100 Yards
Converting a baseball stadium into a football stadium is a bit like trying to fit a square peg in a diamond-shaped hole. You’ve seen it at the Oakland Coliseum or when the Yankees host a bowl game. Usually, it looks terrible. The sightlines are wonky, and fans feel like they’re watching a game from another zip code.
Georgia State did something different.
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They didn't just throw some turf on the grass. They fundamentally ripped parts of it out. They demolished the dugouts. They built a whole new grandstand in what used to be right field. The field now runs north-to-south, roughly where the first-base line used to be.
Today, the Georgia State University stadium officially seats 24,333.
That’s a big drop from the 50,000 of the Braves era or the 85,000 of the Olympics. But it feels "right-sized." The university purposefully left the upper decks empty and focused on creating a "cozy" (or as cozy as concrete can be) environment for Sun Belt Conference play. Honestly, it’s one of the most intimate settings in college football because you are right on top of the action.
Surprising Details You’ll Only Notice in Person
If you go to a game, look for the ghosts. They are everywhere.
The 1913 Promenade—named for the year GSU was founded—is basically the old entry plaza where fans used to wait for Chipper Jones' autograph. The "Chop House" became the "State House Grill." The high-end "755 Club" was rebranded as the "University Club."
Then there’s the train horn.
Atlanta was once called "Terminus" because it was the end of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. To honor that, the stadium blasts a deafening train horn whenever the Panthers score or need a big defensive stop. It’s loud. It’s jarring. And it’s one of the best new traditions in the city.
What most people get wrong about the capacity
You’ll see numbers ranging from 22,000 to 25,000 floating around the internet. The discrepancy usually comes down to whether you’re counting the standing-room-only areas or the actual ticketed seats. For most GSU games, they cap the capacity at roughly 24,333. If they ever needed to, they could technically open the upper decks and push that number much higher, but they prefer the "full" look for TV and atmosphere.
Why This Matters for Atlanta
This isn't just about football. The Georgia State University stadium is the anchor for a massive 67-acre redevelopment of the Summerhill neighborhood. For years, the area around Turner Field was a sea of asphalt parking lots. It was a place you went to, but never stayed.
Now? There’s a Publix. There are local breweries like Halfway Crooks. There’s student housing.
The stadium also pays its bills by being a Hollywood favorite. If you’ve watched a movie or a TV show filmed in Atlanta recently, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the stadium. Hulu's "Chad Powers" starring Glenn Powell filmed there. Netflix's "They Cloned Tyrone" used it. Disney's "Safety" transformed it back into a Clemson-themed set. It’s basically a massive soundstage that happens to host the Sun Belt.
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Real Talk: The Game Day Experience
Is it perfect? No.
Getting to the stadium can be a bit of a hike if you're coming from the main campus. While there is a shuttle, many students find the one-mile walk from the Georgia State MARTA station a bit much in the Georgia heat. Parking is usually around $15 to $20, which is steep for a college kid but cheap compared to Mercedes-Benz Stadium down the road.
The food is your standard stadium fare—hot dogs, nachos, etc.—but the real winner is the food truck often parked near the main gate. They serve chicken tenders and tots with a "Magic Sauce" that has a cult following.
Actionable Tips for Visiting
If you’re planning to head down for a game or an event, here’s how to do it right:
- Check the Clear Bag Policy: They are strict. If it’s not clear and under 12" x 6" x 12", you aren't getting it in. This includes backpacks and large purses.
- The 1913 Promenade is where the party is: Get there two hours before kickoff for the "Panther Walk." You get to see the band, the cheerleaders, and the team march in. It’s the best way to soak up the atmosphere.
- Don't sit in the sun: If it’s a day game in September, the west side of the stadium (the home side) gets shade first. Avoid the east side unless you want to spend four hours being slowly roasted.
- Walk Georgia Avenue: Before or after the game, walk down Georgia Avenue. The restaurants there—like Little Tart Bakeshop or Wood’s Chapel BBQ—are significantly better than anything you'll find inside the stadium gates.
The Georgia State University stadium isn't just a repurposed ballpark. It’s a symbol of a university that stopped being a "commuter school" and started acting like a major player in the South. It’s weird, it’s historical, and it’s uniquely Atlanta.
If you want to see the stadium for yourself, the best move is to grab a ticket for a Sun Belt matchup. Tickets are often as low as $20, making it one of the most affordable ways to see Division I football in a professional-grade facility. Check the schedule on the official GSU Athletics site, park in the Blue or Green lots for the best tailgating, and make sure you're in your seat when that train horn starts blowing.