Spring Training help
Spring Training help
So I'm going down to Spring Training for a week (Mar 24th - 31st), but part of the deal is that it has to also be a family vacation (meaning beach). So...any Floridians who can steer me to a gulf town that is relatively close to Lakeland (in time) while also having those nice beaches the wife loves?
Thanks in advance
5 months ago
LittleLeagueTiger
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We go down there a lot
St. pete Beach is an hour and a half away and it’s 10 minuttes away from the Trop(no games yet, I know) too, my family loves it there. Good Luck
"I will play tomorrow unless I am dead when I wake up" - Victor Martinez
Lakeland
it’s also in the middle of the stats kida so most beaches are over an hour away
"I will play tomorrow unless I am dead when I wake up" - Victor Martinez
But the nice thing about the middle of the state
is that the beaches on both sides are only an hour away.
I've been to Clearwater a few times
It’s near Tampa and the Phillies train there, if you’re looking for more baseball on your trip.
I would recommend Clearwater or anywhere in the Tampa/St Pete vacinity
The Yankee’s are based in Tampa for the playoffs. As Rob said Phillie are in Clearwater. And it is about an hour away from Lakeland. Clearwater beach (IMO) is nicer than St Pete beach.
You could also head down to the Bradenton/Anna Maria Island area. Kinda of a low key tourist beach area and I believe there are a couple teams (Pirates and Orioles) that train down in that area as well. Your drive to Lakeland will be a bit further, but the atmosphere in Bradenton is very relaxed.
I'd also recommend the Clearwater/Tampa area
If you go to Joker Marchant Stadium, try to get seats behind home plate or on the 1st base side. If you get the general admission seats in the bleachers on the 3rd base side in left field, you’ll need sunglasses, sunscreen, and a neck brace. You have to turn your head almost 90 degrees to watch the game and the sun will be shining directly in your eyes.
Oh, and also stay clear away from the Spring Break hot spots, like Daytona and Panama City.
The west coast of Florida is just fine
Tampa is… well, it’s not a very nice city. Ybor City downtown is alright, but it’s pretty tiny.
That being said… within a half-hour drive of Tampa you have Lakeland (Tigers), Tampa (Yankees), Clearwater (Phillies), Blue Jays (Dunedin), Pirates (Bradenton) and Orioles (Sarasota). If you want to branch out to an hour’s drive, you get the Braves (Disney World) and Astros (Kissimmee).
St. Petersburg and the whole strip along the middle of the west coast has some really nice beaches. So, I suppose what you could do is drop the wife and kids off at the beach, head over to the park in Clearwater or Dunedin (or Bradenton/Sarasota if you’re a little farther south), take in a game for the afternoon, and pick them up when you’re done. Nothing in central Florida is too far from anything else, really.
Thanks for the help
Not just frisbeepilot, but everyone who has chimed in. A couple of years ago we went to Siesta Key for a long weekend and absolutely loved it — it wasn’t during Spring Training, and looking at the drive to/from Lakeland, that seems like more than we want to do three times during the week we’ll be there.
Unfortunately, the ‘away’ Spring Training games are on the Atlantic side mostly (Orioles’ game we might go to), so our only real shot will be Lakeland.
Anyone have any beachtown recommendations middle gulf side that have beaches as nice as Siesta Key? Or should we just bite the bullet and stay in Siesta Key again?
Thanks again for the help…very appreciated.
Baseball is like a poker game, nobody wants to quit when he's losing: nobody wants you to quit when you're ahead. ~Jackie Robinson
by LittleLeagueTiger on Dec 16, 2011 12:39 PM EST up reply actions
I go to Siesta Key every year and love it
But we only do the drive to Lakeland once, assuming that spring training is on when we’re down there (it’s not, this year). Can imagine that drive might be a bit much three times in a week.
Dunedin, which is a bit to the north of Clearwater and is where Toronto does its spring training, is supposed to be a really nice town with some good beaches.
"Virtually all tactical ploys—the sacrifice bunt, the stolen base, the hit-and-run—operate on average to reduce run scoring." -- Eric Walker
Thanks
I’m leaning to the same thinking - driving three times to/from Lakeland is a too much for Siesta Key, even though the place is gorgeous.
Appreciate the advice.
Baseball is like a poker game, nobody wants to quit when he's losing: nobody wants you to quit when you're ahead. ~Jackie Robinson
by LittleLeagueTiger on Dec 21, 2011 9:28 AM EST up reply actions
another vote for the Clearwater area
went a few years ago with some friends and it’s really nice. we saw the Tigers play the Phillies in Clearwater, so that was convenient.
But as Keith-Allen mentioned above… the actual Clearwater Beach area is a fairly big college spring break spot.
No longer the Founder, President and CEO of the Ryan Raburn Fan Club
Clearwater isn't bad at all compared to anything on the Atlantic side of the state
Daytona is unbearable from March to May.
by Rob Rogacki on Dec 16, 2011 12:22 AM EST up reply actions
it might not be as bad
but it was definitely full of college kids when we went. hell, that’s what we were down there doing… the Tigers game was awesome for me, but secondary for my friends. They went for the beach and the booze.
No longer the Founder, President and CEO of the Ryan Raburn Fan Club
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