📍 Columbus, Georgia
⚾ Home of the Columbus Clingstones

Columbus, Georgia’s contributions to the nation may not be obvious at first, but look closer and you’ll find that the state’s second-largest city is the birthplace of Coca-Cola, the home base of the US Army’s Infantry Branch and the site of the world’s largest urban whitewater rafting course. The Fountain City, however, is also an impetus for another slice of Americana – baseball. Today, the beloved pastime lives on through the minor league Columbus Clingstones, who play out of a modernized version of one of the country’s most historic ballparks.

Known since its inception as Golden Park, Columbus’ baseball stadium was rebranded in 2025 as Synovus Park to coincide with its complete transformation in preparation for the return of Minor League Baseball to the city. The ballpark – a seamless blend of old and new – retains much of its original footprint and structure while also featuring an entirely revamped seating bowl and concourse. The addition of club areas and suites behind the plate helped enhance the venue as well.

Elements of Golden Park are still present in the new facility, namely the “Legacy Gateway” – three brick arches from the former stadium’s framework which are decorated with informational plaques and old photos that highlight the timeline of baseball in Columbus. The archways also cover the Centennial Olympic Games – held in Atlanta in 1996 – when the ballpark was outfitted to host women’s softball. It was the sport’s first appearance in the Olympics and Golden Park had been renovated two years prior in preparation for the event, which saw the USA take gold after defeating China 3-1 in the final game.

The history of baseball in west central Georgia goes all the way back to 1867 with the advent of a few local organized teams. The region’s first professional club arrived in 1909 thanks to industrialist Theodore Golden, for whom Golden Park was named and whose fundraising would help create the Columbus Foxes. In 1926, the Foxes got a home of their own when Golden Park opened on the former site of a horse racing track. The ballpark, amazingly built in just two weeks, saw the Foxes win three league titles in front of perennial sellout crowds. For fifty years, the franchise – later revived with the Red Birds, Cardinals and Pirates names – played in the South Atlantic, Southeastern and Alabama-Florida Leagues.

A new era in Columbus dawned in 1964 with the formation of the Confederate Yankees, a team that only lasted for three seasons prior to being contracted. That club was replaced at the Double-A level by the Columbus Mudcats, who held down the fort for 21 years and ultimately moved to Zebulon, North Carolina. The next team to come to town was the RedStixx, a Single-A franchise that existed for 12 seasons in the South Atlantic League and relocated to become the Lake County Captains in 2003. The final minor league affiliate in the city was the Columbus Catfish, another SAL team that played from 2003 to 2008 at Golden Park before departing to become the Bowling Green Hot Rods. What followed was a dry spell of sorts in the city, with a few summer collegiate teams bouncing in and out of an aging and dilapidated Golden Park.

With the ballpark’s complete overhaul and modernization in 2024, Columbus won back an affiliated ballclub when it was announced that the Mississippi Braves, Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, would be leaving their home near Jackson and heading east. Beginning play at new Synovus Park in the 2025 season, the franchise was christened the Clingstones – a type of peach commonly found growing in orchards all across the Southeast.

Spanning decades, the list of baseball stars that have taken to the field at Golden Park is unending. At least 27 Baseball Hall of Famers have played in Columbus, including Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, Cal Ripken, Ernie Banks, Satchel Paige, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Bob Gibson, Harmon Killebrew, Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, Pee Wee Reese, Mickey Mantle and Tom Glavine. Shoeless Joe Jackson, a native of nearby South Carolina, also played here. And Columbus native Frank Thomas – inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014 – had his time at Golden Park too. “The Big Hurt”, as he was called, used to blast Little League home runs into a nearby creek and would go on to play at nearby Auburn University.

Most of the legends who have come through Columbus played for one of the city’s pro clubs in some capacity, but some were also a part of Major League teams that visited the area for spring training or exhibition events against their minor league affiliates. The St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and New York Yankees all took part in exhibition games – some on multiple occasions – at Golden Park over the years.

Now, Southern League standouts and MLB hopefuls are the primary talent being showcased at revitalized Synovus Park, which boasts a capacity of more than 5,500 people. In addition to the revamped grandstand seating, a pair of patios and picnic areas down both the right field and left field lines give fans plenty of room to relax and mingle in the ballpark environment. The left field space in particular, called “The Backyard”, has lots of high top tables situated underneath a large tent canopy, protecting folks from stray balls – or the harsh sun – as they chat or chow down on a meal.

There’s plenty of great food options at the park too, including offerings from the Bullpen Burger Co, Fountain City Fry House and a couple of those grab-and-go markets that are more often found at indoor arenas – or Major League stadiums. On sweltering Georgia days, fans can cool down with treats from Mister Softee or Whit’s Frozen Custard, the latter of which has a special “Clingstone Peach Cobbler” flavor that’s only available at the ballpark.

Other amenities include a large kids zone in the greenspace just off the concourse in the area behind the plate. This sectioned off area is chock full of activities for little fans and keeps them creatively corralled in a safe and easily observable manner. Look out for occasional appearances by Clingstones mascot Fuzzy – a peach-headed dude with a leafy toupee – as well.

Nestled in between the railroad tracks and the Chattahoochee River – yes, it’s not a broken glass sound effect but rather a resounding splash that’s played when foul balls leave the park – Synovus Park has been given new life by the arrival of the Clingstones franchise, an instant hit with the community. The facility is a masterful fusion of historic and contemporary, exemplifying exactly how the new ballpark trend should be: how old venues can retain their history despite revitalization, how they can be saved from the wrecking ball by simply renewing what is already standing and how new architecture can coalesce with that of the brick and steel of yesteryear. What’s happened here in Columbus is precisely how it should be everywhere in new stadium construction – particularly in affiliated baseball – and one can only hope that other teams looking for a new home will learn from the masterminds behind Synovus Park.

Info Invasion

Parking: $5 in the athletics complex lot
Nearby Venue(s): Columbus Civic Center, Plainsman Park
In the Area: Check out the John S. Pemberton House, home of the creator of Coca-Cola