Chain of Lakes Park was a baseball field in

Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is located about east of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and about southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, with neighboring Lakeland, Florida, Lakeland located to its west. The city's popul ...

. The stadium was built in 1966 and held 7,000 people. It was the spring training home of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

from 1966 to 1992, after which the Red Sox moved operations to City of Palms Park in

Fort Myers A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

. In 1993, the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

moved into Chain of Lakes Park after their own stadium in Homestead was destroyed by

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a compact, but very powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures dama ...

. The stadium served as Cleveland's spring training home until their last game on March 27, 2008. Cleveland moved their spring training operations to Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona, in 2009. The future of the ballpark and facility was long in doubt as its location on Lake Lulu became valuable for commercial and residential development. In 2011, developers proposed a multipurpose redevelopment of the site, including hotels, restaurants, shops, and a movie theater. In December 2020, Winter Haven and Polk County agreed to demolish the stadium and replace it with baseball diamonds and general-purpose athletic fields. Demolition began in April 2024.

References

External links

Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues: Chain of Lakes Park
Buildings and structures in Winter Haven, Florida Minor league baseball venues Grapefruit League venues Boston Red Sox spring training venues Cleveland Guardians spring training venues 1966 establishments in Florida Sports venues completed in 1966 Cross country running courses in Florida {{Florida-baseball-venue-stub