{"id":111,"date":"2009-03-23T08:24:48","date_gmt":"2009-03-23T13:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/baseball-fans-score-with-a-spring-training-florida-vacation\/"},"modified":"2017-03-30T18:09:34","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T23:09:34","slug":"baseball-fans-score-with-a-spring-training-florida-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/baseball-fans-score-with-a-spring-training-florida-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"Baseball fans score with a ‘spring training’ Florida vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Florida-vacation1\"<\/a> By Jennifer Michaels<\/em><\/p>\n

My son\u2019s first word was \u201cball.\u201d At that moment, I knew I better gear up for a life of sports. That was 1998. Since then, my family has taken plenty of Florida vacations<\/a><\/strong> to witness spring training.<\/p>\n

Of course, my family is not alone in its passion for baseball. This spring, nearly 2 million fans will attend close to 300 spring training games in 15 cities. Florida is clearly no rookie when it comes to spring training. With winter winding down and basketball season heading to a close, we changed the clocks and bought our new cleats. The incessant pleas to \u201cTake me out to the ballgame\u201d have begun. And in our house, that means a Florida vacation, where baseball fans and major leaguers gather to warm up — both figuratively and literally.<\/p>\n

Our family has spent many springs watching Florida\u2019s Grapefruit League play in Tampa. It\u2019s a great family vacation<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 especially with multiple generations. My father, my husband and my two sons hate to miss a game. With 16 out of 30 Major League teams making Florida home for their training programs, the deep-rooted tradition continues this year. Some hotels<\/a><\/strong> have jumped into the game, offering attractive packages and souvenirs. For instance, the Intercontinental Tampa<\/a><\/strong> is within walking distance to several popular shopping and dining destinations, and convenient to George Steinbrenner (Legends)Field. Visitors can take home a \u201cFan Tool Kit<\/strong>,\u201d complete with a team-specific chocolate amenity, baseball for signing, Cracker Jacks<\/strong>, peanuts<\/strong>, popcorn<\/strong>, Bazooka gum, soda, and famous song lyrics.<\/p>\n

Cheap tickets, easy autographs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tampa has the home-field advantage, being conveniently located to all the fan-favorite teams. Guests can catch the Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Phillies, Pirates, Reds, Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Indians, Orioles, Red Sox, Tigers, Twins<\/strong> and Yankees<\/strong>, who play just a few miles from the hotel on Legends Field. The Tampa Bay Rays train just a few hours south in Port Charlotte at Charlotte Sports Park, which was recently renovated to host the team this year. It’s possible to plan a family vacation that combinesOrlando\u2019s theme parks with ball park stops along the West Coast to make everyone happy. (I imagine if I had some \u201cCinderellas\u201d at home that we\u2019d be visiting the Magic Castle along with Walt Disney World\u2019s Wide World of Sports Complex<\/a> to catch an Atlanta Braves game at Cracker Jack, now Champion\u00ae Stadium.)<\/p>\n

In addition to the weather, there are other reasons for a Florida vacation during training season. Not only are the spring training ticket prices often cheaper<\/strong> (many general attendance or lawn seats are $10 or less), but players are more accessible to sign autographs<\/strong> and say \u201cCheese!\u201d for the cameras. If an autograph is your goal, take the kids to Orlando area\u2019s Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee<\/strong>, where the team set up fan heaven, known as \u201cAutograph Alley.\u201d<\/strong> The spring home of the Houston Astros, this is the smallest ballpark in the Grapefruit League, making it really kid-friendly. It even features a playground for the youngest spectators when they don’t feel like sitting still anymore.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to look far for more action. Stops throughout the state include historic ballparks such as Holman Field at Dodgertown<\/strong> in Vero Beach<\/strong>, where the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/strong> train, to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter<\/strong>, where the St. Louis Cardinals<\/strong> and Florida Marlins<\/strong> play. The Detroit Tigers<\/strong> trainin Lakeland<\/strong>, located one hour southwest of Orlando. With 72 years of training history now under its belt, \u201cTiger Town,\u201d will receive the honor this year of having the longest-standing relationship between a Major League team and its training city. Bright House Field in Clearwater<\/strong> is the place to be to watch a Phillies <\/strong>game or head over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to Sarasota<\/strong> and watch the Cincinnati Reds<\/strong> play at Ed Smith Stadium.<\/p>\n

Joe DiMaggio once said of Opening Day, “You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.” And maybe, if you are lucky enough this April 6, it will.<\/p>\n

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