Gather autographs, enjoy seasonal warm, sunny weather and stay at local hotels that will be a perfect home base between games
Tampa, FL (Feb. 20, 2018) … Visitors headed to the Tampa Bay area to cheer for their favorite Major League teams competing during spring training will discover a popular destination for baseball fans.
Three fan-friendly venues provide up close and personal encounters with favorite players and rising stars preparing for a run at the World Series pennant. Home fields for the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays are all within close proximity to each other and regional airports as well as award-winning cuisine, world class shopping and top-rated beaches.
In addition, the Tampa Bay Rays compete at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field Stadium, welcoming regular season fans from March through September.
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area celebrates the annual return of teams competing in the Grapefruit League circuit from February to March. Spectrum Field hosts the Philadelphia Phillies who have reported for spring training in Clearwater since 1948. Dunedin has welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays to what is now known as Florida Auto Exchange Stadium since 1977. Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Field is where the New York Yankees have prepared for the regular season since 1996.
Steinbrenner Field boasts a new 360-degree concourse, social spaces sporting lounge seating and cabanas and a hallway dedicated to the Yankees’ storied past. The field’s open layout enables fans to mingle before, during and after a game and gates open a full three hours before the first pitch to allow fans time to watch batting practice in the outfield and possibly snag a fly ball.
Beyond the ballpark, fans can explore downtown Tampa’s scenic waterfront by foot or boat, sample chef-driven cuisine in Seminole Heights, check out upscale shopping at International Plaza and Bay Street or visit the Tampa Baseball Museum in Ybor City, a century-old community and National Historic Landmark that could become home to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Find the Yankees spring training schedule here:
https://www.mlb.com/yankees/tickets/spring-training
Phillies fans have a choice of 7,300 fixed seats or seating along a grass berm built above the bullpen that places fans directly over pitchers and coaches. Classic cheesesteak sandwiches, a Philadelphia favorite, are available in the food court located behind home plate and pair perfectly with a cold drink from Frenchy’s Tiki Pavilion. Locals know to go to Frenchy’s Original Cafe in Clearwater Beach for a legendary grouper sandwich served up just steps away from one of the nation’s best beaches. Or head to another local landmark, the original Hooter’s, for world famous wings.
Find the Phillies spring training schedule here:
https://www.mlb.com/phillies/spring-training
Dunedin’s Grant Field, a local landmark that opened in 1930, originally hosted the Toronto Blue Jays until 1990 when a new $2.4 million stadium was built at that same site. Today the Florida Auto Exchange Stadium has been ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the top five facilities for spring training fans.
Downtown Dunedin is perfect for pre- or post-game outings. Enjoy a scenic stroll along Main Street or join joggers and bicyclists along the Pinellas Trail comprised of 37 miles of rail trail in Pinellas County. Make a stop at the neighborhood hot spot for food and drink, Home Plate, where the coconut cream pie is said to be world famous, or fill up at other local favorites, Bauser’s, Strachan’s Ice Cream & Desserts, Eli’s Bar-B-Que, Cueni Brewing Co. and Lucky Lobster Co.
Find the Blue Jays spring training schedule here:
https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/spring-training
Spring training packages are now available at the Courtyard Tampa Westshore/Airport and the Courtyard St. Petersburg Clearwater.
Convenient to Tampa International Airport and Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the Courtyard Tampa Westshore/Airport Hotel offers an ideal location for fans attending spring training throughout Central Florida.
Located near the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, and Tampa Bay’s spring training venues, the Courtyard St. Petersburg Clearwater hotel is the perfect home away from home for baseball fans traveling to Florida.
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