Forget daffodils and the Easter Bunny, to the die-hard baseball fan, Spring Training is what marks the real beginning of spring.
The earliest Spring Training on record occurred when the Red Sox and White Sox organized baseball camps in New Orleans in 1870. The Washington Capitals National League team followed by holding a four day camp in 1888 in Jacksonville, Florida. And while baseball enthusiasts may have differing opinions as to which one of these events was the official start of Spring Training, by 1900, it was a well-established routine with camps being set up in warmer areas all across the country.
Today’s Spring Training is organized into two leagues. The Cactus League based in Arizona and the Grapefruit League which is based in Florida. And it has come a long way from the teams just getting together to practice for the regular season. The Jupiter Beach Resort in Palm Beach Florida offers a fantastic package for Cardinals and Marlin fans that have something for everybody in the family to enjoy. Melbourne, Florida has the added attraction of NASA tours when you are not at the stadium. And Scottsdale, Arizona also has some great packages that include tours of the Wrigley Mansion, exclusive savings at the Four Seasons Resort , Hyatt Regency and the Sleep Inn to name a few.
Let Ingenious Travel help you shake off those winter blahs and get you ready for the 2012 Baseball season by putting you right behind the dugout for your favorite teams Spring Training games.
Where does your favorite team do their Spring Training?
Photo source: Flickr.com aaron.goodyear
I’ve never been that much of a fan to attend Dodger spring training, especially after they moved from the Grapefruit to the Cactus….
Baseball enthusiasm has waned with competition from other sports such as Soccer, but it will endure and survive. It feels good to soak up the tradition when you attend a Major League game.