It seems just like last week that Travel Ape's beloved Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball won the World Series. Well as quick as the time has passed since that rainy week in October of 2008, the new MLB Season is almost upon us as teams prepare to organize for spring training.
Few places capture the esssence of spring training like that of the state of Florida. Cities from across the state of Florida have clamored and held their fingers in hopes of being chosen as a spot for a Major League team to host their spring training. Here's a few place and cities across Florida that might be worth checking out if you are also interested in taking a vacation to escape the cold of winter. Spring Training for all teams begins officially February 25th, 2009.
There are about 14 teams in the MLB that have a city in Florida be there home away from home during spring training. We'll highlight some of the top teams and provide links for checking out prices and rates on hotels for the cities that the teams are located during spring training. Trust me, if you've never thought about it, mixing in a trip to Florida with sping training is one of those little thought of ideas that are golden. The tickets for exhibition games are a fraction of the price for games during the regular season. So we'll let you know where the teams train and give you links for checking out hotel rates in those areas.
First to the defending World Series Champions, the Fighting Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have been training in Clearwater Florida for some time. There should be some extra excitement around camp this year due to the World Series victory. Check out rates for Clearwater Hotels for the end of February.
Next we have the New York Yankees. Sure the Bronx Bombers had a disappointing season last year, but the Yanks are still a major brand in sports recongnized world wide. The New York Yankees train up and around the Tampa Florida area. We just checked and it looks like there are some great deals for Tampa Hotels around the time that spring training begins. It also might be a good strategy to check out dates the few weeks following the beginning of spring break for even better deals.
Last on this list we decided to go with the Boston Red Sox. Yeah, we know, another team that came up a little short, but come on, they almost made it back to the fall classic. And yes, we're fully aware that we have two American League teams featured. Not done on purpose. To that end the Boston Red Sox have been training in and around the Fort Myers Florida area for many years now. There has been some talk about the team moving to another location in the state of Florida, but for now they are staying put. The Fort Myers area is actually unique because it's located around several other key tourist destinations including Naples, Cape Coral and Port Charlotte. All are located along the gulf coast and make for great places to stay and visit. Palm trees abound. Check out complete Fort Myers hotels with this link including rates, reviews and maps.
We're doing our homework about the teams that use Arizona as their homes during spring break and will have info about them in our next post. Until then, for all you hardcore baseball fans only 25 days and counting till spring break begins.
