A Luxury Club is Coming to CoolToday Park
For certain kinds of baseball fans, watching a game in luxury in a big, air-conditioned club lounge just behind home plate is a home run. And when it opens in 2021, just in time for spring training, the LECOM Legends Club at CoolToday Park, the Florida home of the Atlanta Braves, is offering just that. The high-end atmosphere is also friendly and fun—it is baseball, after all—which makes it the perfect place to wine and dine clients, schmooze prospects and hold corporate retreats. This luxury sports experience is something this region hasn’t offered until now.
“It’s off the charts, one-of-a-kind here,” says Mike Dunn, the vice-president of Florida operations for the Atlanta Braves, who calls the ambience “beachy warmth.”
A rendering of the new LECOM lounge at CoolToday Park.
Image: Courtesy Atlanta Braves
The club will be a little under 6,000 square feet, with huge video monitors throughout to watch the game, lounge seating and a full bar. And while there’s nothing wrong with hot dogs and beer, members at the LECOM Legends Club can head to food stations where dishes like shrimp kebabs, Philly cheesesteak sliders, Beef Wellington, lobster mac and cheese are freshly prepared.
Only 100 memberships (a membership includes two people) are being sold, which means the club will have a capacity of 200 people. Members will be able to take advantage of events year-round, such as wine tastings, a low country boil, dances and parties. Non-members will eventually be able to lease the space for weddings and other special events.
Inside the LECOM Lounge, which will be open for events year-round.
Image: Courtesy Atlanta Braves
The Braves relocated to Sarasota County in 2019 from their 20-year home at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, seeking more proximity to other ballparks. The only MLB spring training park in the nation to be open year-round, CoolToday hosts public events throughout the year—car shows, craft fairs, rummage sales, movie nights and a farmers market. The Tomahawk Tiki Bar draws fans with a very active monthly concert series.
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) is partnering with the Atlanta Braves and CoolToday on the project. Fawley Bryant Architecture is the architect and Tandem Construction is the builder.
“Part of the sport’s allure is having a fun area to congregate and interact with friends and co-workers,” says Dunn. “We’re offering something new to our fans.”
For club updates please visit Braves.com/LECOM or visit their Facebook page: Facebook.com/CoolTodayPark. For more information, please go to braves.com/springtraining or contact CoolToday Park at [email protected] or call 941-413-5000. For more information contact: Christina Shaw at 941-413-5002.
