When you come up to Central Florida we are pretty sure you have got Orlando theme parks on the mind. After all, advertisements for parks like Universal Studios, Wet ‘N Wild and the Walt Disney World Resort are everywhere. But have you ever thought of Orlando as a sports town? We have the Orlando Magic and just got our own football team thanks to the UFL’s Florida Tuskers, but the great folks at Disney recently opened up a sports spot that blows any other one out of the water.

The ESPN Innovation Lab at Disney’s Wide World of Sports is a brand new lab designed to create sports technology that will enhance the game viewing experience for both players and fans. They’ve already released two special features that have enhanced the Major League Baseball and National Football League experiences. For the MLB the ESPN Innovation Lab created Ball Track. This Doppler-based system tracks the distance, height, speed and duration of home runs knocked out of the park by MLB heavy hitters. It was already used successfully over at the MLB’s 2009 Home Run Derby.

For the NFL, the ESPN Innovation Lab created the Snap Zone. This freeze-frame technology lets fans take in depth views at certain plays and zoom in and out to check out every detail. The great thing about the ESPN Innovation Lab is that it will be open to visitors at certain times throughout the year. This means that guests will be able to take a look at whatever project the “emerging technology staff” is working on.

“The ESPN Innovation Lab is an extension of ESPN’s commitment to being a leader in technology,” said Chuck Pagano, executive vice president, technology, ESPN. “This cutting-edge production house will foster creativity and the development of new tools to provide fans the best on-air coverage of sporting events.”

The Wide World of Sports Complex is the home of the Atlanta Braves spring training program. It also hosts the Chelsea Football Club, the Varsity All-Star Cheerleading competition and the Walt Disney World Marathon. This is a great addition to the Walt Disney World attractions. Who knows what other sports technology they’ll come up with next?

As summertime brings warm, sunny days and beautiful, breezy nights to Orlando, there is no better time to explore some of the different offerings of Walt Disney World. And the best way to take advantage of said offerings is through Disney's Water Park Fun and More ticket option, which is an all-in-one access pass to Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, Disney's Wide World of Sports, Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, and DisneyQuest at Downtown Disney. Over the past few weeks, we've been highlighting some of these great Disney spots and why the Water Park Fun & More ticket option is such a steal. And in our final installment this week, we're checking out the games at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

The Wide World of Sports (WWoS) Complex at Walt Disney World is a mysterious entity. Many visitors to Walt Disney World are unsure of what exactly the complex is. After all, it's big enough to be a Disney theme park itself, but the WWoS doesn't pull in nearly as many admissions as the other parks do. Still, for the players participating in an ever-important championship game, and for the spectators who get to be witness to that game, the Wide World of Sports is just as magical as Magic Kingdom.

To put in simpler terms, the WWoS is a 200 acre athletic complex located inside Walt Disney World. Made up of nine different venues, the comples hosts over 170 amateur and professional sporting events throughout the year. Its clients represent some of the best names in sports - the AAU, Pop Warner, the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the USSSA, and more.

The WWos complex consists of Champion Stadium, an impressive 9,500-seat baseball stadium that's hosted two regular season Major League Baseball series; the Milk House, a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena; the Jostens Center, a similar but smaller arena; the Hess Sports Fields, eight multi-purpose fields equipped to host multiple sports; the Baseball Quadraplex consisting of four professional baseball fields and practice facilities; the Diamondplex, consisting of six fields used for softball and youth baseball; the Centre Court Stadium, a ten-court tennis complex; and the Track and Field Complex, a 500-seat competition facility for track and field events.

Though WWoS is different from the other Walt Disney World attractions in the sense that you can't randomly drop by and explore it (the complex is closed if there are no events going on), it often offers a variety of unique and unusual sporting events sports lovers can really get into. For example, every year the PGA Tour tees off at the complex with the Children's Miracle Network Classic. The Braves hold spring training there every year, and the Disney's Soccer Showcase features 600 of the best soccer teams in the country battling it out. The famed Walt Disney World Marathon, which runs through the various parks, is also hosted there every year.

So next time you take a trip to Walkt Disney World, we suggest checking out the events scheduled that week at Disney's Wide World of Sports for some fun at an lesser-known Disney attraction. Parking at the complex is free, though there is an admission fee for spectators. However, if you have the Water Park Fun & More ticket, you'll get in free!

When you consider all the events hosted at the Wide World of Sports, along with all the other admissions that come with the Water Park Fun & More option, adding it onto your Walt Disney World tickets just makes sense. Check out OrlandoFunTickets.com now for Water Park Fun & More, and have fun at the water parks, the golf course, the sports complex - or wherever you decide to go.

Sports fans visiting Walt Disney World this spring will have more than just the star appearances and interactive sports fun of ESPN Weekend to eagerly anticipate. This February and March, the Atlanta Braves will hit Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex for spring training, and Disney guests can be right there for all the action. And even better, this year, Disney has put together some special extras for the fans to make 2009’s training season a real treat.

The Braves will take over Champion Stadium within the Wide World of Sports for an 18-game home schedule that features the best slate of opponents since the team had their first training season here in 1997. The Braves will go up against the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Boston Red Sox, and even Florida’s very own Marlins, among others. Fans will also be able to see incredible games like the World Baseball Classic Exhibition featuring Panama and Venezuela.

The team had their first full squad workout on February 18, and on February 26, they’ll kick off spring training with their first game against the Houston Astros. The final game will take place on March 30 against the Boston Red Sox.

And for the fans, Walt Disney World has introduced new features to make a day at the ballpark even more exciting. One addition is the One Field Spectator Experience; sponsored by Kodak, this option allows a limited number of fans to watch pre-game batting practice and warm-ups on the field in an area behind home plate. They’ll even get a free disposable Kodak camera with which to take shots of their favorite players.

The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet is also new, a designated patio along the third base side that features all the hot dogs you can eat, as well as hamburgers, popcorn, peanuts, soda, and bottled water.

And spicing up the games this season will be free entertainment from the House of Blues. Fans will be able to enjoy special pre-game and in-game concerts right in the ballpark featuring blues musicians Ruth King and Jeff Coffee at select games. A classic Disney character will also be on hand for all 18 home games, accompanying first-pitch contestants to the mound.

Additional fan fun includes six music-themed nights, trivia contests, and several promotional nights, all designed to give fans a spring training experience they’ll never forget.

“With these new guest enhancement options, fans will have the ability to immerse themselves in Braves spring training like never before, creating a customizable experience at an affordable price that can bring them closer to their favorite players and enhance their overall spring training experience at Disney,” said Faron Kelley, director of Marketing and Communications for Disney Sports. “We think these fan options, coupled with the Braves’ extraordinary spring schedule that includes the Yankees, Red Sox and reigning World Series champion Phillies, will make this year’s spring training season one of the best ever for fans attending the games.”

So don’t miss all the baseball action out on the field at Disney’s Wide World of Sports when the Atlanta Braves gear up for the season against some of baseball’s best. And when the game is over, hit the parks with Walt Disney World tickets from OrlandoFunTickets.com for a really fun and memorable spring day.