The Atlanta Braves' Home Away from Home

Every February, Atlanta's Major League Baseball team ventures south to the master-planned community of Wellen Park, Florida, between Venice and North Port. Here, they find their home—or should we say home base?—for the spring at their Spring Training facility, CoolToday Park. 

CoolToday Park

Whether you're cheering on the fan, a baseball fan in general or just looking for a good ol’ Florida time, cheering on the game happening on the diamond at CoolToday Park is a great way for anyone to have a time as American as apple pie. The state-of-the-art ballpark has 8,000 seats and was built from the ground up with the fan experience very much in mind.

The outdoor-indoor Spring Training complex boasts a spacious concourse walkway that wraps around the entire stadium and has numerous drink rails so fans can stop and watch whoever’s at bat, as well as several food vendors and concessions—including the open-year-round Tomahawk tiki bar. 

Find the Braves' 2026 Spring Training game schedule here and purchase single-game Spring Training game tickets here. 

Additional Sports Facilities

Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium
The Baltimore Orioles also call Sarasota County their Major League Baseball Spring Training home. Often referred to as "Birdland South," Ed Smith Stadium includes the Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park, which features all of the ballpark amenities to make any athlete feel like they're in the big leagues. This major league facility features an 8,000-seat stadium, four additional onsite training fields with one practice half-field, five offsite training fields, a clubhouse and covered batting cages and pitching mounds. 

Payne Park
Owned and operated by the City of Sarasota Parks & Recreation District, this downtown park is home to the Payne Park Skate Park, Circus Park, Cafe in the Park, a disc golf course and amphitheater. Payne Park was a professional baseball park from 1924 to 1989 in Sarasota, serving as the Spring Training home for the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox. The stadium closed in 1989 when replaced by Ed Smith Stadium. 

Nathan Benderson Park
Further inland, find a unique 600-acre park on a lake that includes North America’s premier 2,000-meter sprint rowing course, a multi-function boathouse, athlete training and regatta center, grand stands and a state-of-the-art-boat maintenance and testing facility. One of a handful of sites in the United States identified as having all of the natural attributes that make up a world-class rowing and recreational facility, Nathan Benderson Park began hosting organized regatta competitions in 2009. The community park offers the perfect destination for a range of championship and recreational events, vendor opportunities, team training and development trips and more.

Robert L. Taylor Community Complex
Formerly known as “The Rec,” the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex remains an all-encompassing recreation venue, with 13 total acres and 44,000 square feet state-of-the-art facility offering many great programs. The facility features a fitness center, gym, game room, computer lab, family pool and splash pad, rental rooms and much more. Its outdoor park space features a fitness trail, picnic shelters, lit basketball court, covered playgrounds and hosts Sarasota’s only public turf multisport field for rent.

Youth Athletic Complex
This Sarasota County-operated specialty park duals as a BMX Supercross facility and sport recreation park. BMX Supercross tracks, tennis courts, youth baseball fields, batting cages, a full-size football field and practice football field are all available at the Youth Athletic Complex.

Arlington Park & Aquatic Complex
Conveniently located less than two miles from downtown Sarasota, Arlington Park offers residents and visitors a 50-meter lap pool, 25-yard instructional pool, outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, playground, picnic area, outdoor fitness gym, ½-mile walking trail, and dog park. This park is owned and operated by the City of Sarasota Parks & Recreation District.