Atlanta Braves Spring Training Schedule: How, When, and Where to Follow the Team from Atlanta
If you live in Atlanta or are visiting the city but want to keep up with the Atlanta Braves spring training schedule, you’re really asking two things:
- When and where do the Braves play spring training games?
- How can you follow, watch, or attend those games from Atlanta?
This guide walks through how spring training works for the Braves, how to find the current year’s schedule, and how Atlanta fans typically watch, listen, and plan trips around it.
Where the Atlanta Braves Hold Spring Training
The Atlanta Braves do not hold spring training in Atlanta.
Their spring home is:
CoolToday Park
18800 South West Villages Parkway
Venice, FL 34293
This is the Braves’ spring training complex on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The team plays a full slate of Grapefruit League games there and at other nearby Florida stadiums each February and March.
For someone in Atlanta, Georgia, this means:
- You’ll follow the schedule remotely for most games, unless you travel.
- If you want to attend in person, you’ll likely fly or drive from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport down to the Venice/Sarasota area.
Typical Timing of the Braves Spring Training Schedule
Exact dates change every year, but the overall pattern is fairly consistent:
Key Phases
- Pitchers and catchers report:
Usually mid-February. - Full-squad workouts:
Typically a few days after pitchers and catchers report. - Spring training games (Grapefruit League):
Roughly late February through late March, ending just before Opening Day of the regular season.
Games are mostly daytime starts, often in the afternoon, with a few night games mixed in depending on the year’s schedule.
If you’re in Atlanta planning around this:
- Expect spring training games to start showing up on TV and radio around the last week of February.
- The schedule is busiest in early to mid-March, when the team plays nearly every day.
How to Find the Current Atlanta Braves Spring Training Schedule
Because the exact dates, opponents, and times change annually, always check a current official schedule. From Atlanta, the most reliable ways to confirm are:
1. Official team schedule
Look for the Atlanta Braves Spring Training or Grapefruit League schedule, which typically includes:
- Opponent
- Home or away designation (CoolToday Park vs. other Florida location)
- First pitch time
- Notes on split-squad games or special events
2. Local Atlanta TV and radio listings
Once the schedule is released, local broadcasters in Atlanta usually announce:
- Which games will be televised
- Which games will be radio only
- Pre- and post-game programming around key matchups
This is useful if you mainly care about how to watch or listen from Atlanta, not every single game detail.
Quick Spring Training Overview for Atlanta Fans
Below is a generalized view of what an Atlanta fan can expect. Exact dates and opponents vary each year.
| Phase | Typical Timeframe (Atlanta Perspective) | What You Can Do from Atlanta |
|---|---|---|
| Pitchers & Catchers Report | Mid-February | Follow camp updates, roster battles, injury news |
| Full-Squad Workouts | Mid–Late February | Track lineup decisions, position competitions |
| First Spring Training Games | Late February | Start watching/listening; evaluate prospects |
| Peak Game Volume | Early–Mid March | Nearly daily games to follow on TV/radio/streaming |
| Final Tune-Up Games | Late March | See near-regular lineups; Opening Day prep |
| Team Heads to Regular Season | Late March / Early April | Shift attention back to Truist Park in Atlanta |
Watching Atlanta Braves Spring Training from Atlanta
If you’re not traveling to Florida, you still have several ways to follow the Braves spring training schedule from Atlanta.
1. Television Options
Most years, a selection of Braves spring training games are televised, especially:
- Home games at CoolToday Park
- Games against popular opponents
- Weekend matchups
As an Atlanta viewer, you can:
- Check your local sports network listings during February–March.
- Look at the team’s game notes or broadcast information once the schedule is released.
Not every spring game is on TV, so you may see a mix of:
- Full TV broadcasts
- Radio-only coverage
- Some games that have no local broadcast, only in-ballpark or online updates
2. Radio and Audio Coverage
Many Atlanta fans follow spring training by radio or streaming audio. Common patterns:
- Day games are often broadcast live or at least covered with in-game updates.
- Preseason broadcasts may highlight prospects, roster battles, and coaching decisions.
From Atlanta, tuning in is especially useful when:
- You’re at work and can’t watch video.
- A given game isn’t televised but is being called on radio.
3. Online and Mobile
You can usually:
- Track the spring training schedule and scores on your phone.
- Follow live pitch-by-pitch updates for most games.
- Check postgame recaps that explain who played well and who’s competing for roster spots.
For Atlanta fans who commute on MARTA or drive across the metro area, this makes it easy to:
- Glance at box scores
- Check how long a starting pitcher went
- Follow local players or top prospects
Traveling from Atlanta to Attend Braves Spring Training
If you want to go from Atlanta to spring training and catch games at CoolToday Park, planning around the schedule is crucial.
Getting There from Atlanta
Common approaches:
- ✈️ Fly from Atlanta to Sarasota or Tampa
- Nearest major airports: Sarasota–Bradenton and Tampa International
- Then drive to Venice (CoolToday Park is southwest of Sarasota)
- 🚗 Drive from Atlanta to Venice, FL
- Roughly an all-day drive (plan for a full travel day in your schedule)
- Many Atlanta fans make a long-weekend road trip to see multiple games
Building a Trip Around the Schedule
When the Braves spring training schedule is released, look for:
- Homestands: Stretches of 2–4 straight home games at CoolToday Park.
- Clusters of nearby road games: Games at other Florida ballparks within driving distance.
Many Atlanta fans will:
- Pick a weekend or a 3–4 day window with multiple Braves games.
- Stay in or near Venice, North Port, or Sarasota.
- Catch both day games and evening events at CoolToday Park, depending on that year’s schedule.
What the Spring Training Schedule Tells You as an Atlanta Fan
When you look at the Braves spring training schedule, here’s how to read it with an Atlanta-focused lens:
1. Game Times vs. Atlanta Time
Spring training games in Florida are typically listed in Eastern Time, just like Atlanta. That makes planning simple:
- A 1:05 p.m. game start in Florida is 1:05 p.m. in Atlanta.
- You can easily plan lunch breaks, commuting, or after-school activities around first pitch.
2. Home vs. Away Games
On the schedule:
- Home games = at CoolToday Park (Braves’ spring home).
- Away games = at another Grapefruit League park in Florida.
From Atlanta, home/away mostly matters if:
- You’re traveling and deciding where to stay.
- You want to experience CoolToday Park specifically as the Braves’ own facility.
3. Early vs. Late Spring Games
As the calendar moves from late February into late March, the schedule helps you see:
- Early games: More opportunities to watch prospects and minor leaguers.
- Later games: Lineups and pitching assignments look more like regular-season Braves baseball.
So if you’re in Atlanta and want to:
- Evaluate the minor league system and up-and-coming players:
Focus on watching or listening early in the spring schedule. - Get a feel for Opening Day lineups and bullpen roles:
Pay special attention to games in the final 1–2 weeks before the regular season.
How Spring Training Affects Braves Fans in Atlanta
Even though the games are in Florida, the spring training schedule still shapes baseball life in Atlanta.
1. Shifts in Local Sports Coverage
Once the Braves report to spring training:
- Local Atlanta sports talk radio usually shifts focus back to baseball.
- You’ll hear more about:
- Position battles (e.g., who’s starting in left field)
- Pitching staff depth
- How new signings and rookies look in games
Following the daily schedule helps you know which games those discussions are based on.
2. Planning Around Opening Day at Truist Park
The end of the spring training schedule connects directly to:
- The regular-season opener
- The home opener at Truist Park in Cobb County
From Atlanta, many fans:
- Watch the last few spring games to gauge the team’s form.
- Use that information to get excited for home games at Truist Park, parking plans, and pregame activities around The Battery Atlanta.
Practical Tips for Atlanta Fans Following the Braves Spring Training Schedule
Here are simple, Atlanta-focused tips for getting the most out of the spring schedule:
Check the full schedule as soon as it’s released.
Mark dates that you can realistically watch or listen from work or home in Atlanta.Prioritize televised games.
Many fans in the city plan their first real look at the year’s roster around the games that are confirmed TV broadcasts.Use radio for weekday day games.
If you commute around the Atlanta area, radio coverage makes it easy to follow games live while driving or working.Watch the final week closely.
That’s when the lineup, rotation, and bullpen usage usually start to look like what you’ll see in Atlanta on Opening Day.If traveling from Atlanta, choose a 2–4 game cluster.
Look at the schedule for a run of games where the Braves play:- Multiple home games in a row, or
- A home game plus nearby road games.
That makes a short trip from Atlanta more worthwhile.
By keeping an eye on the Atlanta Braves spring training schedule, Atlanta fans can:
- Follow every stage of the team’s preparation from home, work, or on the go.
- Decide which games to watch or listen to from Atlanta.
- Plan a road trip to CoolToday Park in Florida if they want to see the Braves up close before the season starts at Truist Park.