Between Orlando And Tampa Is Florida's Once-Visited Baseball-Themed Amusement Park That's Now A Shopping Center

For all Florida's fame as a theme park mecca, not every venture that pops up in the state makes it to the finish line. One of those rather offbeat ambitions was Boardwalk and Baseball, a confluence of baseball and a Coney Island-like boardwalk that lasted three years in central Florida between Orlando and Tampa. More precisely, the park stood in northern Davenport, Florida's slept-on city with theme park access, about a 20-minute drive from Walt Disney World Resort. Though the rides and baseball-themed attractions of Boardwalk and Baseball have long since been demolished, the site still draws visitors, albeit for an entirely different purpose — it's now a retail center called Posner Park.

Turn back the clock on Posner Park, and you'll see how the property went through several distinct iterations since the 1970s. Even before it was Boardwalk and Baseball, the park was a circus-themed amusement park that opened in 1974, according to Roller Coaster DataBase. The park was bought by publisher Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich, which also acquired the likes of SeaWorld and Cypress Gardens, and was reinvented as Boardwalk and Baseball in 1987. Among some of the attractions advertised in a park brochure published in Theme Park Brochures were an exhibit with baseball memorabilia (including Babe Ruth's uniform), batting cages for visitors to try out, and a comedy sideshow called the Colorado Riders.

Boardwalk and Baseball lasted a mere three years, shutting down in 1990. An archived Gainesville Sun clipping from that year described how the park couldn't compete with its rivals and was losing visitors each year. Its rides and structures were razed, and Posner Park took over the land, opening in 2008.

All that remains of Boardwalk and Baseball are memories. You won't see any leftover roller coaster frames or batting cages from the theme park on its former site today. However, if you're in search of some shopping and find yourself driving between Orlando and Tampa, Posner Park makes for a useful detour. 

The mall is a sprawling outdoor complex that covers 80 acres, according to the official Davenport tourism site. Some reviewers noted that they opted to drive between stores in the complex, since they're so spread out. The mall has good reviews overall, with 4.1 stars on Tripadvisor, and features large anchor stores like Bath & Body Works, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, and Ulta Beauty. For entertainment, there's an IMAX cinema, as well as an indoor adventure spot for kids called Planet Obstacle, which features everything from trampolines to padded obstacle courses. There are also lots of food options in the complex, including the independent, well-reviewed barbecue joint Honey's BBQ.

Part of Posner Park's convenience is its location just east of Interstate 4. If you're coming from Tampa, it's about an hour-long drive along the highway. Those coming from Orlando can reach the complex in about 40 minutes via the same highway from the other direction. For a different take on Florida's early theme park era, you could drive 30 minutes south of Posner Park to Cypress Gardens, Florida's first theme park that's now part of a must-visit resort. If you're drawn more to the retail side of Florida, you might want to check out the shops and resort vibes of Lake Buena Vista, about a 30-minute drive north.