ESPN Wide World Sports Complex

Disney Espn Wide World of Sports Complex

So, who would ever visit Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida – the land of theme parks and Mickey Mouse ears, and then spend their vacation watching or participating in sports? What kind of person is it who chooses sweating under the hot Florida sun as an essential part of their vacation experience, and how do you become that kind of person? Well, Walt Disney World Resort is the most magical place on earth, and being thus, seems to have an almost magical effect on people – it’s true. Everything that you do at Walt Disney World seems more “fantastical” (which after all rhymes with magical!) just because you’re doing it at Walt Disney World Resort. Does this mean sports fans and non-sports fans can join each other in enjoyment of Disney’s ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex?

Maybe it does; a lot of magical things happen at Disney World. This is not to say that couch potatoes suddenly want to, and succeed in running marathons, but people who are not ordinarily drawn to watching or participating in sports may find themselves enjoying Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. After all, what’s there not to enjoy?

The ESPN Sport Complex hosts a huge number of sporting events each year.
The ESPN Sport Complex hosts a huge number of sporting events each year.

We’ll start with the basics. The ESPN Complex is host to a restaurant, in addition to over 300 sporting events over the course of the year. It is hard to dislike something as neutral as a restaurant. The ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill is a casual dining restaurant open for lunch and dinner. The menu consists of such sports bar favorites as BLTs, burgers, and hot wings. The absence of beer is filled by the presence of a kids’ menu. A few of the grill’s more stand-out items include their Blackened Tilapia Sandwich, their Rigatoni Marinara, their Roast Beef and Blue, and their Fresh Vegetable Sandwich – each available for under 10 dollars. Just like most sports bars, The ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill is very reasonably priced. So you have to at least appreciate that. Meeting your dining needs for under 10 bucks at Walt Disney World is no small accomplishment.

The Atlanta Braves

Walt Disney World Resort has its own baseball team, and no, it ain’t the Mickey Mice. It’s the Atlanta Braves. Sports fan or not, you must admit that is a little bit cool that Walt Disney World Resort has its own baseball team. It is just about as cool as the fact that they have their own private island. You can actually get tickets to games during Atlanta Braves spring training season, hosted in the Champion Stadium at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The cool factor is rising, isn’t it?

It is to be noted at this point, that if you are not a sports fan, and you have never been to a live baseball game, you don’t know what you are missing. There is nothing like the exhilaration of being in the crowd during something so exciting and affecting as a baseball game. It’s infectious, truly! You’ll get swept up in the waves of simultaneous tension and enthusiasm, just like being part of the audience during a midnight showing of a really exciting film. Seeing a Baseball Game at Walt Disney World Resort in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a once in a lifetime experience, whether it is your 5th, 50th, or 500th game, but especially if it is your first!

What Else?

So, if you are a sports fan, we’re halfway through the description of this place and you’re foaming at the mouth. Even if you’re not a sports fan, you’re probably at least warming up to it. What else does the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex have to offer you?

Well, for starters, besides the Champion Stadium, the complex is home to 8 other sporting arenas. These arenas span over 200 acres of land. These arenas are: the Jostens Center, which is home to indoor basketball and volleyball courts, and even inline hockey rinks; the HP Field House is not only the newest, but the most flexible of the arenas, including a modern design, custom training areas, and state of the art playing areas; Hess Sports Fields provide spacious outdoor fields, which can be converted to a playing field for soccer, lacrosse, softball, or football, and many others as well.

The Baseball Quadraplex is the ultimate in all things baseball – hence the name. It features 4 professional fields – 2 with night lights, and a practice field, along with batting tunnels, pitching machines, and more! Just as the Baseball Quadraplex offers the best of the best in regards to baseball, the Softball Diamondplex offers the best of the best in regard to softball, the Tennis Complex in regards to tennis, and the Track and Field Complex in regard to Track and Field. The ESPN Wide World of Sports is the Mecca of all things Sports, even the more obscure ones, like martial arts, fencing, and robotics.

PS3 PlayStation Fun

If it comes down to you being dragged to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex against your will, and nothing about it appeals to you, you have one of three options: hang out in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill, browse the Clubhouse Merchandise Shop, or hide away in the PlayStation 3 Pavilion. Yes, you read correctly, the Wide World of Sports complex has video games. Each of the 17 PS3 systems is hooked up to a 40-inch High Definition Flat Screen TV, and has all of the latest games, including a few that haven’t even been released yet. The cost of playtime is reasonable, only $5 for a half hour. If you love nothing else about the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – you’ve got to love this.

Because the Complex is located in southwest Orlando, just off of Osceola Parkway West, buses leaving for the complex throughout Walt Disney World are available and free if you are a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel Guest! If you prefer to drive, parking is free, as well. The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is worth checking out, even if you are not a sports fan. Seeing the advances in technology surrounding sporting events is always neat, and who knows? You may find yourself getting roped in to having fun in spite of your best efforts not to. Perhaps Walt Disney World Resort can magically find the red-blooded sports fan buried deep inside you, and after a trip to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, you’ll never be the same again – in a good way, of course.