Located in the quiet, suburban city of Auburndale, Florida an hour’s drive from both Orlando and Tampa, Lake Myrtle Sports Park is a sports complex that you will find to be exceptionally well-suited to host the upcoming event that your team will be participating in.
Due to its many facilities, Lake Myrtle Sports Park is capable of hosting a variety of events. The facilities offered at Lake Myrtle Sports Park include nine collegiate-size baseball fields equipped with electronic score boards, oversized dugouts, bullpens, and batting cages as well as 11 lighted fields that can be used for sports like soccer, lacrosse, flag football, rugby, and more.
Although Auburndale is such a quaint city, you might be worried that because it’s in such a suburban area of Central Florida there won’t be anything for you and your team to do when the competition has wrapped up for the day. Luckily that’s not the case at all! Within the vicinity of Lake Myrtle Sports Park are a variety of kid-friendly attractions and restaurants, making it easy to visit places that everyone can agree on.
Things to Do
Fantasy of Flight
For high-flying fun just minutes from Lake Myrtle Sports Park, take your team to Fantasy of Flight. Set in a building with stunning Art Deco-inspired architectural flourishes, Fantasy of Flight is a 17,000-square-foot museum that’s home to the world’s largest private collection of vintage aircraft. These aircraft represent all eras of aviation from early flight to the 1950s. During your visit to Fantasy of Flight, you and your team will have the chance to see these aerial marvels up close and in person.
On your way out, be sure to stop by the museum’s gift shop. There you and your team can purchase fun keepsakes to commemorate your visit to Fantasy of Flight. 1400 Broadway Blvd SE, Polk City, FL 33868
Circle B Bar Reserve
If you and your team enjoy spending time outdoors, you’ll definitely want to visit the Circle B Bar Reserve during your stay in the Auburndale area. Once the site of a cattle ranch, the Circle B Bar Reserve now serves as the perfect place to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, such as bicycling, bird watching, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. At 1,267 acres, there’s certainly no shortage of beautiful sights for you and your team to see while you’re there.
If you and your team are interested in learning more about this fascinating environment, visit Polk’s Nature Discovery Center. The center is located on the premises of Circle Bar B Reserve and features hands-on exhibits and programs designed to teach visitors about the local ecosystem in an indoor setting. 4399 Winter Lake Rd, Lakeland, FL 33803
Cypress Lanes
Located a short drive from Lake Myrtle Sports Park in the city of Winter Haven, Cypress Lanes is a popular local bowling alley where you and your team can enjoy a few hours of competitive fun.
Boasting upscale features and amenities, Cypress Lanes is far from your run-of-the-mill and often run-down bowling alley. These include a lounge, an arcade, and a snack bar that serves everything from typical bowling alley fare like chicken fingers and onion rings to flatbreads, soups, salads, and more. They’ve even got plush sofas and coffee tables right next to each lane!
Speaking of lanes, they’ve got 40 of them. So unlike most other bowling alleys, don’t expect to have to wait for a lane to open up before you and your team can start playing. 2010 Dundee Rd, Winter Haven, FL 33884
Escapology
Are you looking for a fun way to help sharpen your team’s teamwork before a big game at Lake Myrtle Sports Park? If so, a visit to Escapology might be just what you need. Recently opened in May 2017, Escapology is the area’s premier escape room experience.
There are four uniquely themed rooms for you and your team to choose from at Escapology, including Cuban Crisis, based on the real-life events of the Cuban Missile Crisis; Budapest Express, a murder mystery that takes place aboard a train traveling through the heart of Europe; and more. Each room ranges in difficulty, so if it’s your team’s first time visiting an escape room it’d probably be a good idea to choose one of the easier rooms out of the four. 210 E Pine St, Lakeland, FL 33801
Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium
Seeing a baseball game at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium is the perfect way to spend a few hours of downtime if you’re visiting Lake Myrtle Sports Park with a baseball team or just a team that loves watching a good old-fashioned game of America’s favorite pastime. Opened in 1966, this stadium has been the place to go for family-friendly entertainment in the Auburndale area for over 50 years. It definitely doesn’t show its age however, as it was recently renovated in 2017.
Depending on the time of year, you and your team can not only see the minor league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers compete at Joker Marchant Stadium, but also the Detroit Tigers themselves, who have used the stadium as their spring training home since 1967.
No matter who you end up seeing at Joker Marchant Stadium, you’ll be doing so in comfort thanks to the numerous upscale amenities offered at the ballpark. These include an ample selection of concession stands like Little Caesars; a playground area with a bounce house, a whiffle ball field, and other interactive games; three team store locations throughout the stadium; and more. 2301 Lakeland Hills Blvd, Lakeland, FL 33805
2inifity Extreme Air Sports
For an extreme trampoline park experience that’s sure to be one of the most memorable highlights of your team’s trip to the Lake Myrtle Sports Park, head to 2infinity Extreme Air Sports. Although it’s located just over a 25-minute drive from the sports complex in the neighboring city of Lakeland, 2infinity is definitely worth the drive.
Just a few of the activities offered at this state-of-the-art facility include Open Jump, which takes place on a grid with over 60 interconnected trampolines, the Ninja Obstacle Course, Extreme Dodgeball, AirDunk, and more. Whether your team needs to blow off some steam after a long day or are looking for a fun way to work out, this is the place to do it! 6220 US Hwy 98 N, Lakeland, FL 33810
Places to Eat
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s
On the menu of a restaurant with a name like Beef ‘O’ Brady’s you’d probably expect to find items like burgers, steak-filled burritos, cheesesteaks, and other beefy delights. While you’re not wrong, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has so much more to offer than just dishes featuring their namesake protein.
While most of the dishes on their menu are pub grub favorites like fish and chips, tacos, and award-winning wings that can be topped with over 15 different sauces and dry rubs, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s also serves soups, salads, wraps, and even a variety of gluten-friendly dishes. For picky eaters, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s also has a kids’ menu with options like grilled cheese, chicken tenders, and quesadillas. 102 W Polk St, Auburndale, FL 33823
Smokin’ Jim’s House of Bar-B-Q
Named for owner and award-winning barbecue competitor Smokin’ Jim Rabe, Smokin’ Jim’s House of Bar-B-Q is the place to go if you’re looking for a taste of real deal barbecue near Lake Myrtle Sports Park. Smokin’ Jim’s has been a staple in the local community for over a decade and for good reason! With charming, no-fills décor and a menu that features plenty of classic barbecued meats and delicious sides, Auburndale locals and visitors alike feel right at home eating there.
Entrées at Smokin’ Jim’s range from sandwiches filled with generous helpings of shredded pork, Black Angus beef brisket, tender smoked chicken, and more, to hearty diner plates piled high with your choice of meat and two sides like mac and cheese, baked beans, collard greens and coleslaw. With so much to offer it’s no wonder that Smokin’ Jim’s is home to the largest smoker in Polk County! 3615 Havendale Blvd, Auburndale, FL 33823
Cornerstone Grill
If you usually have a tough time finding a restaurant that everyone on your team can agree on, you won’t during your visit to Lake Myrtle Sports Park. That’s because Cornerstone Grill is located just a short, 20-minute drive from the sports complex.
The menu at Cornerstone Grill has something for everyone to enjoy and since everything on it is made from scratch using delicious, fresh ingredients, you can be sure that whatever you order will taste amazing.
Cornerstone Grill is open for both lunch and dinner. On their lunch menu you’ll find a wide variety of flatbreads, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and more, along with plenty of perfectly shareable appetizers like zucchini fries, fried pickle chips, and sweet potato fries.
For dinner, Cornerstone Grill offers an assortment of upscale entrée dishes for surprisingly affordable prices. These include grilled mahi-mahi, seared herb-crusted wild salmon, and a dish called Pork Two Ways, which features an eight-ounce grilled boneless pork chop, succulent pulled pork, garlic mashed potatoes, braised kale, and citrus pepper glaze. 175 E Haines Blvd, Lake Alfred, FL 33850
Thai Haven
For food with Southeastern Asian flair, dine at Thai Haven with your team during your visit to Lake Myrtle Sports Park. This popular eatery, located in the up-and-coming downtown area of nearby Winter Haven, specializes in serving authentic Thai dishes made with only the freshest ingredients.
These include favorites like crispy spring rolls, pad Thai, Thai fried rice, and drunken noodles, along with some dishes that are geared towards those with more adventurous palates, such as panang curry, made with stewed meat, bell peppers, snow peas, and carrots in a rich broth of exotic red curry paste mixed with coconut milk. 309 W Central Ave, Winter Haven, FL 33880
If you aren’t already getting excited about your team’s upcoming trip, you certainly should be! Both Lake Myrtle Sports Park and the city of Auburndale in which it’s located make for great team travel destinations.
For the time your team spends on the field at Lake Myrtle Sports Park to the time you all spend together having fun and eating great food at some of the area’s best attractions and restaurants, you’re in store for a trip that you’ll all remember for years to come.