It might come down to the lawn (dry?), the parking (convenient?) and the beer (cold?).
The success of the $35 million Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, opening Saturday with a classical greatest-hits spectacle, will depend as much on the quality of the acts onstage as the nuts and bolts (and decent amplification) of the venue itself. Owned by the Woodruff Arts Center, Encore Park is a chance for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which operates the venue, to extend its audiences by up to 12,000 a night — drawing especially from Alpharetta and the northern suburbs.
And with rock acts such as the Eagles and Stevie Nicks, Encore Park becomes a pop-fueled revenue stream for the ASO, the largest performing-arts organization in the Southeast.
So ... how much for a beer? Here's a starter guide.
ARRIVAL AND PARKING
The facility is just west of Ga. 400: between Exit 8, Mansell Road, and Exit 9, Haynes Bridge Road.
Access roads include Westside Parkway, Hembree Road, Old Roswell Road, Encore Parkway, Founders Parkway and Maxwell Road.
There are 2,650 on-site spaces; more than 2,000 spaces at Haynes Bridge Road and Westside Parkway intersection. Shuttle available from parking area. Parking pass included with ticket.
ENTRY
12 entry points, six on each of two plazas. Enter through upper and lower gates on plazas on the east and west sides of the park.
LANDSCAPING
1,200+ trees, 2,672 shrubs, 2,550 perennials, 14 vines. The sprawling 45-acre property includes 14.5 acres of on-site parking and 26 acres dedicated to performance seating and space. 59,000 square yards of sod was put down for the lawn. Landscaping water comes from an on-site well.
RESTROOMS
165 stalls,Two two-story buildings house 94 women's stalls and 71 men's stalls, with 31 sinks for washing your hands for both men and women.
STAGE AND SEATING
12,146 seats: 7,146 covered, 5,000 on the lawn ,Lower orchestra area: 2,068 removable seats. VIP seats: 46 boxes, including 184 chairs with tables.Upper-level terrace: 4,750 stadium-style seats, Wheelchair-access seats: 72 (plus 72 companion seats). A translucent fabric "roof" hovers about 60 feet above the seats. The stage is 75 feet high, 118 feet wide and 67 feet deep.
CONCESSIONS
17 food and beverage kiosks with 90 points of sale.Kosher hot dog and fries: $7Cheeseburger with fries: $8 Georgia Cobb salad: $7 24-ounce soda: $4;
24-ounce draft beer: $8
THIS SEASON
30,000 souvenir soda cups, 25,000 cocktail cups, 100,000 beer cups,60,000 plastic bottles of beer, 5 in-seat servers for box seats,18 bartenders for each concert night
CONSTRUCTION NUTS AND BOLTS
6,000 yards of material in the roof,9 250-pound ceiling fans,470 tons of concrete,
82,000 nails and screws,4.4 miles of fencing/rails,250,000 cubic yards of earth moved, 17,750 tons of gravel, 7.2 miles of utility pipes,4.6 miles of electrical wiring.
Labels: Alpharetta, Encore Park, verizon amphitheatre
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 7:57 AM
