Best Youth Baseball Complex
Big League Dreams
Several Cities
Photo courtesy of 33ft/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of 33ft/iStock by Getty Images
Ever wanted to take the field at Yankee Stadium? At Big League Dreams sports parks, you can. Spread across California and Nevada, BLD has created six scaled-down versions of iconic American ballparks that host youth baseball and adult softball. After warming up in the batting cages or grabbing a hot dog, your team can face Fenway Park's Green Monster or aim for the ivy at Wrigley Field.
Boombah Sports Complex
Sanford, FL
Photo courtesy of Seminole County
Photo courtesy of Seminole County
With 15 ball fields (all lighted for night games) that have movable mounds and bases, Boombah Sports Complex can handle any size baseball tournament for any age group. If your little sluggers aren't in the bullpen or the batting cages, they can cut loose at the playground or fuel up at the concession stand. While the pristine fields are designed for baseball, other sports are welcome, like soccer and football.
CACTI Park of the
Palm Beaches
West Palm Beach, FL
Photo courtesy of cmannphoto/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of cmannphoto/iStock by Getty Images
Spend a day where the pros play! CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches acts as a spring training facility for the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals, but when the MLB's not in town, you can grab your bat and take some swings on one of eight professionally manicured baseball diamonds. Cheering on your child's team in the main stadium? Head to Sailfish Bar for cold margaritas and great views.
Champions Park
Newberry, FL
Photo courtesy of kali9/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of kali9/iStock by Getty Images
Champions Park has become incredibly popular for regional tournaments and local leagues alike thanks to 16 lighted fields that work for any level of baseball or softball. Covered seating areas and multiple concession stands keep spectators happy, and batting cages help players get ready. Another advantage: the park has certified umps ready to call balls and strikes.
Cooperstown All Star Village
Oneonta, NY
Photo courtesy of Moussa81/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of Moussa81/iStock by Getty Images
Teams feel like sports celebrities when they stay at Cooperstown All Star Village. Booking an on-site bunkhouse (all themed to famous MLB ballparks) gets your group reserved parking and access to a pool shaped like a baseball glove—and you'll be steps from the complex's 11 fields. The best part of tournaments played here might be what happens after they're over: free admission to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Cooperstown Dreams Park
Cooperstown, NY
Photo courtesy of DenisTangneyJr/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of DenisTangneyJr/iStock by Getty Images
Cooperstown Dreams Park invites top prospects and the country's best 12U teams to live their baseball fantasies. Each summer, the complex hosts dozens of tournaments, camps and skills competitions across 22 fields. Teams can stay on site at Baseball Village, and all meals are provided. Even if your team doesn't win, the new friendships made and the spectacular fireworks send-off make every kid feel like a champion.
Elizabethtown Sports Park
Elizabethtown, KY
Photo courtesy of Jeremy Fletcher/Upsplash
Photo courtesy of Jeremy Fletcher/Upsplash
The premier facilities at Elizabethtown Sports Park attract Little League stars with big-league ambition and even adults who want a friendly game of wiffle ball. It's home to a world-class Ripken Experience program that helps young baseball players reach their potential. When you're not swinging for the fences on one of 12 diamonds, you can play on 12 soccer and football fields or stroll down a three-mile walking trail.
ESPN Wild World of Sports Complex
Orlando, FL
Photo courtesy of RBFried/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of RBFried/iStock by Getty Images
Disney magic comes standard with every tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The Walt Disney World Resort venue has pro-size ball fields lined with palm trees along with a retro-style stadium—when kids step up to the plate, it'll feel like their Major League debut! If that weren't enough, Disney sports photographers capture magazine-worthy moments on the field, and TVs around the venue air game highlights.
Grand Park Sports Campus
Westfield, IN
Photo courtesy of CasarsaGuru/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of CasarsaGuru/iStock by Getty Images
Once an empty field, Grand Park is now one of the largest sports campuses in the U.S. and home of the Indianapolis Colts training camp and host to Bullpen Tournaments' baseball and softball programs. You'll find dozens of play spaces spanning 400 acres, from baseball diamonds and lacrosse fields to basketball courts inside Pacers Athletic Center. Even marching bands are welcome to rent a field and practice their sets.
LakePoint Sports Baseball Village
Emerson, GA
Photo courtesy of DustyPixel/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of DustyPixel/iStock by Getty Images
If your young sluggers are looking to take their talents to the next level, a trip to LakePoint Sports may be in your future. The massive complex hosts invitational tournaments held by Prep Baseball, a scout agency scouring the nation for the MLB's next generation. But it's not all work here; kids can have fun at the Aqua Park or learn to play pickleball and futsal.
Lasorda Legacy Park
Yaphank, NY
Photo of courtesy of Lasorda Legacy Park/Steel Sports
Photo of courtesy of Lasorda Legacy Park/Steel Sports
Inspired by Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda's winning ways, Lasorda Legacy Park encourages thousands of promising baseball players each summer to believe in their big-league dreams. Seven lighted fields, sunken dugouts and stadium seating set the stage for terrific tournaments for ages 8 to 18. Dodgers fans will love the Tommy Lasorda Museum, and everyone will want to devour Nathan's Famous hot dogs at the Baseball Café.
Louisville Slugger Sports Complex
Peoria, IL
Photo courtesy of Louisville Slugger Sports Complex
Photo courtesy of Louisville Slugger Sports Complex
Batter up! Louisville Slugger Sports Complex not only has lots of outdoor baseball fields; its Slugger Dome can field two teams indoors. For a diamond that's worthy of a championship game, check out the Slugger StadiumPlex with full concessions and ballpark seating for over a thousand fans. Need more than nachos? Head to the on-site Suite Fire Bar + Grill for gourmet burgers and chicken wraps you can cheer about.
Old Settlers Park
Round Rock, TX
Photo courtesy of Airwave Dynamics/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of Airwave Dynamics/iStock by Getty Images
With its 25 baseball and softball fields, 12 lighted tennis courts, pro-level disc golf course and regulation cricket field, it's no wonder Old Settlers Park fits perfectly in the Sports Capital of Texas. When you aren't relaxing in the Texas sunshine in one of 40 picnic areas (each with a grill), get tickets to a Triple-A Round Rock Express game at the park's Dell Diamond.
Orange County Great Park
Sports Complex | Irvine, CA
Photo courtesy of MattGush/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of MattGush/iStock by Getty Images
Irvine welcomes everyone in the community to Great Park Sports Complex. While mostly popular for its dozens of soccer fields, the venue's baseball diamonds are also top flight, with two championship stadiums that make teams feel like all-stars. Want to watch the game from a new perspective? Take a ride on the Great Park Balloon for a bird's-eye view of the action.
Ripken Experience Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach, SC
Photo courtesy of Craig McCausland/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of Craig McCausland/iStock by Getty Images
You'll get a coastal vacation and a blue-chip baseball clinic all in one at the Ripken Experience Myrtle Beach. The nine fields aren't your average ballparks; they're designed after historical MLB parks like Cincinnati's Crosley Field and New York's Polo Grounds. Kids love the tournaments here as they listen to their names announced over the PA system before heading to the plate with the perfect walk-up music playing.
USSSA Space Coast Complex
Viera, FL
Photo courtesy of PeopleImages/iStock by Getty Images
Photo courtesy of PeopleImages/iStock by Getty Images
The pros head to Florida for spring training, and so can high schoolers at USSSA Space Coast Complex. Weight rooms, covered batting cages, 15 ball fields, FlightScope pitching radars—this former MLB facility helps aspiring players soar toward their big-show goals. Its three championship stadiums can hold thousands of fans, creating an out-of-this-world atmosphere that'll boost every team that takes the field.
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After success hosting events at other venues, Mark Nolan said Fenway Sports Group connected to their 'everyman' appeal and decided to give them a shot. The brothers fell in love with boxing while accompanying their father, a boat captain, to the gym as kids. When they expanded from coaching amateur boxers to professionals five years ago, they were dismayed by what they found: shows full of uneven fights set up to make the promoters as much money as possible, with established amateurs fighting people who 'have no right putting gloves on in any capacity whatsoever' in venues like high school gymnasiums. Fighters weren't being paid fairly and contracts weren't transparent. They came up with a simple business plan: pick good venues, pay fighters well and only host matches in Boston proper. They said a lot of promoters sell fighters, but they're focused on selling fights fans want to see. 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'Pressure makes diamonds. 'To be able to kind of stand on that same ground of some of the most accomplished athletes, it's really remarkable,' she said.
