Enmarket Arena - Savannah Ghost Pirates

Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.71

Enmarket Arena 620 Stiles Ave Savannah, GA 31415

Savannah Ghost Pirates website

Enmarket Arena website

Year Opened: 2022 Capacity: 7,300

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Savannah’s Haunted House Of Hockey

The Ice Age reached Coastal Georgia in 2022 with the creation of the Savannah Ghost Pirates. The Ghost Pirates are an expansion team that plays in the Southern Division of the ECHL. Their "haunted" home ice is the 7,300-seat Enmarket Arena, which also opened in 2022. The Ghost Pirates are a minor league affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Ghost Pirates have filled a geographic gap along the Atlantic Coastline, as other teams in the ECHL Southern Division include the South Carolina Stingrays (Charleston, SC), the Jacksonville Icemen (Jacksonville, FL), and the Norfolk Admirals (Norfolk, VA).

Food & Beverage 3

The food and beverage program includes a mix of national brands and local favorites. Savannah-based stands include Spanky’s (chicken fingers, fries, hot dogs), 912 Doghouse (chili cheese dogs, slaw dogs, brats), Crumbl (cookies), Southern Grill Company (burgers, hot dogs, popcorn, and pretzels), 520 Wings (chicken wings, crab fries, and funnel cakes), and Savannah Rae’s Popcorn.

Enmarket Arena Hometown Favorite Spanky’s, Photo by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey

National brands with concessions in the arena include Ben and Jerry’s, Papa’s Pizza, and Enmarket Grab and Go. All concession areas feature Coca-Cola brand sodas.

Alcoholic beverages are available at the Jack Daniels Bar, Tito’s Bar South, and the Wicked Weed Bar.

Atmosphere 4

While Savannah is known for its preservation efforts in its large Historic District, Enmarket Arena is a decidedly modern facility. The front of the arena is almost totally glass, allowing lots of natural light to filter into the entrance lobby of the facility. Fans can quickly access the Ghost Pirates team store, which is filled with plenty of swashbuckling hockey gear.

Fans are delivered to the seating bowl of the arena via escalators, elevators, or stairs. Three levels of seating surrounding the action on the ice. The first and second levels can be accessed via the spacious concourse that encircles the seating bowl. The third level is considered the club level and can only be accessed by a private elevator.

Enmarket Arena offers very comfortable chairback seating. The only drawback in the seating area is the lack of cupholders for your drinks.

The arena enforces the puck-in-play rule, ensuring you will not miss any of the action with people going back and forth to their seats.

The four-sided center-hung videoboard keeps fans updated on all the game stats and features quizzes, interviews, and other information during breaks in the action.

Neighborhood 5

Savannah is known for its large Historic District within its downtown area. This historic status precluded any construction of a new arena due to preservation restrictions. However, Enmarket Arena was able to secure land just two miles west of the historic district.

This allows fans to have easy access to Savannah tourist attractions, including River Street, the Georgia State Railroad Museum, the Mercer House from the bestselling book “Midnight in the House of Good and Evil,” and the Savannah College of Art and Design. You can also enjoy a great meal at such famed Savannah eateries as Elizabeth’s on 37th Street, Paula Deen’s, and of course… the Pirates House!

Fans 4

Savannah is a great sports town. It has a history going back to the 1900’s of supporting sports at high school, college, and professional levels. Babe Ruth and many legendary baseball players played games in Park, which now serves as the home field for the very successful Savannah Bananas empire. Savannah is also home to both Savannah State University and Armstrong State University, and their sports programs. The support for these programs is very strong from the local community.

You might think the support for an ice hockey team in such a Southern outpost would be lacking. However, Savannah is home to a large snowbird population… residents who have relocated south to escape the harsh winters of the north. Many of these new residents grew up with ice hockey in their former hometowns and are very enthusiastic supporters of the Ghost Pirates. The Ghost Pirates have had strong attendance since their inception.

Another factor is the strong fan support, which is the proximity of two other ECHL franchises in Charleston, SC, and Jacksonville, FL, which are within 100 miles of Savannah. This has created some instant rivalries between the Ghost Pirates, the South Carolina Stingrays, and the Jacksonville Icemen. This allows fans to easily travel to some away games and support their respective teams.

Davy the Ghost Pirate is the team mascot, and he keeps the “spirits” high throughout the game. The team colors include a lot of green, as a salute to Savannah’s hosting of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration outside of New York City.

Season ticket holders are known as “Fantoms” and youngsters at games are referred to as “Davy’s Mateys”.

Access 3

Enmarket Arena offers easy access from Downtown Savannah and I-16. It can be reached in a variety of ways.

Free trolleys run from the Savannah Civic Center lot in downtown Savannah to the Enmarket Arena both before and after the games. Service begins 90 minutes before the puck drops

Directions from Downtown Savannah: Start on Montgomery Street and make a right turn onto Liberty Street. Liberty Street becomes Louisville Road. Turn left at the traffic light onto Stiles Road.

Directions from I-16: Take exit 166 onto US17 North. Take the exit at Louisville Road. Turn left at Stiles Road.

The arena parking lots have room for 2,000 cars.

Once at the arena, the doors open 60 minutes before the puck drop.

Return on Investment 3

Tickets for the Ghost Pirates game cost between $20-30. Ticket prices vary based on opponent, seat location, and day of the week.

Parking in the premium lots nearest the arena are $40. Parking in the General lots for the arena cost $15. Parking must be pre-purchased on the arena app.

Concession prices are in line with comparable sports venues in most cities.

All transactions at Enmarket Arena are on a cashless basis.

Extras 4

Enmarket Arena is the largest concert venue between Jacksonville, FL, and Charleston, SC. It hosted concerts featuring Reba McIntyre, Keith Urban, Alan Jackson, Journey, Sting, the Eagles, Andrea Bocelli, and many more artists.

The Ghost Pirate’s name was chosen due to Savannah’s long history with pirates during the 18th century and the many ‘haunted” houses and cemeteries located in the Savannah Historic District.

Savannah is the home of Fort Stewart and the Hunter Army Airfield. The Ghost Pirates have a monthly Troop Thursday to salute the soldiers at the base with free tickets. Fans can donate their unused tickets for any game through the Seats for Soldiers program sponsored by Enmarket Arena.

Enmarket Arena also hosts the SEC Volleyball Tournament, the Harlem Globetrotters, Disney on Ice, the Savannah Hockey Classic, and Rodeo Savannah.

Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame Enmarket Arena, Photo by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey

Final Thoughts

While many sports fans felt that ice hockey didn’t stand a “ghost of a chance” of succeeding in a deep South city like Savannah, Enmarket Arena and the Ghost Pirates have proven them wrong!