Sports & Recreation - Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission / Metro Orlando EDC

The region’s mild climate makes outdoor recreational pursuits a year round lifestyle choice in Metro Orlando. This is one reason that more professional golfers live here than in any other city in the United States, including legend Arnold Palmer and superstar Tiger Woods.

But, there are plenty of sports and recreation options for amateur sports enthusiasts and spectators as well. Highlights include the following:

The region is home to more than 100 top-rated golf courses, which are available for play 365 days a year. The annual Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tavistock Cup and Father/Son Challenge at ChampionsGate are just a few of the major tournaments that attract top players to Central Florida.

The NBA’s Orlando Magic play on their home court in the Amway Arena in downtown Orlando, as do the Arena Football Conference champion Orlando Predators. The Orlando Magic’s corporate home is based at Orlando’s RDV Sportsplex, a sprawling sports and entertainment destination that houses a fitness club, ice skating rink, tennis courts, salon and spa, retail and restaurants, corporate event facilities, and is adjacent to a Florida Hospital therapy and medical complex.

The region’s park network is extensive and well maintained, providing space for activities ranging from youth to adult recreational sports programs to corporate picnics and family reunions. A growing number of hiking and bike trails also dot the region; providing safe, traffic-free expanses for weekend exercise as well as for athletes in training.

Orlando Speedworld is Central Florida's most active stock car racing speedway. And, nearby Daytona Beach is home to the world-famous NASCAR and Daytona 500, as well as to the annual Bike Week gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts.

The Atlanta Braves, of MLB fame, host their spring training at the state-of-the-art Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. That unparalleled sports mecca is also home to hundreds of other annual sports competitions, ranging from youth lacrosse to professional fastpitch softball and the annual Disney Marathon.

Orlando’s Florida Citrus Bowl is the only facility in the world that plays host to back-to-back NCAA Bowl games: the Champs Sports Bowl in December and the Capital One Bowl on New Years Day. The Florida Classic, our state’s premier black college football game, is also played there.

Lake County is home to the National Training Center, a facility where local residents, national and international athletes of all levels gather to train and build strength. The USA Triathalon Team and United Kingdom Olympic Track Team are among those who have taken advantage of this stellar resource.

From the Silver Spurs Rodeo in Osceola County and indoor sky diving on Orlando’s International Drive, to scuba diving in the Wekiva Springs in Seminole County, to “blueway” waterway trails on the lakes of Lake County, there is something for everyone to be found in Metro Orlando!